Novel ceramic hollow fibre membranes contactor derived from kaolin and zirconia for ammonia removal and recovery from synthetic ammonia

Abstract

The adverse effects of ammonia found in wastewater streams lead to the development of advanced water treatment technology, i.e. membrane contactor (MC). In this study, single layer hollow fibre membrane (SLZK) and dual layer hollow fibre membrane (DLZK) were prepared from zirconia and kaolin and modified into hydrophobic membrane through simple grafting process via fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) agent. The properties of membranes such as morphology, surface roughness, mechanical strength, wettability and liquid entry pressure were analysed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), 3-point bending strength, contact angle and LEPw setup. Finally, the performance of the membranes was also investigated towards ammonia removal via membrane contactor system.