Tailoring Nanocomposite Membranes of Cellulose of Acetate/Silica Nanoparticles for Desalination

Herein, fabrication of cellulose acetate (CA) silica-based nanocomposite membranes via the dry-wet phase inversion procedure for the water desalination was investigated. The modified and unmodified silica nanoparticles (SNPs and MSNPs) were prepared by the sol-gel technique. The addition effect of the SNPs and MSNPs was investigated on the CA membranes properties and their performance for water separation. The CA nanocomposite membranes were characterized to study their structure, hydrophilicity, and morphology. The fabricated nanocomposite membranes showed hydrophilic surface properties. The performance of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was measured using a crossflow RO unit. At 10 bar, The membrane with 10 mg of SNPs showed enhanced permeate water flux compared to the pristine CA membrane by 1.6 L/m 2 .hr. Increasing the SNPs in the nanocomposite membrane showed enhancement in the permeate water flux all over the operating pressure. The effect of MSNPs on the nanocomposites’ performance was lower than their counterpart in the case of adding SNPs. The membrane with 30 mg of MSNPs showed the highest permeate water flux among other nanocomposite membranes with a value of 35.7 L/m 2 .hr at 24 bar.