Preliminary chemical properties study on addition of titanium dioxide nanoparticles into polysulfone substrate for desalination application / Anies Adnan

Water is essential for all living things, especially for human consumption. In some organisms, up to 90% of their body weight comes from water, and up to 60% of the human adult body is water. However, only potable water can be consumed by humans to survive. For example, water plays an important role in regulating the body temperature through respiration and sweating to maintain human health. In order to fulfill the need for freshwater, a finding suggested using the new technology of the desalination process and reverse osmosis (RO) to treat contaminants like seawater. Nanoparticles will be added to the thin layer of polysulfone (PSF) membrane properties to enhance attractiveness. The addition of titanium dioxide (TiO2) significantly shows an improvement in the thin film of membranes toward salt rejection and anti-fouling properties compared to the (PSF) membrane without nanoparticle addition. Furthermore, the single layer of thin film nanocomposite is also important during the fabrication process to test the water permeability and effectiveness of the membrane through oxidation and chemical testing. A previous study from the Malaysian Journal of Industry Technology (MJIT 2021) shows an average of 98.28% salt rejection from the (PSF) membrane with the application of (TiO2). Moreover, (TiO2) nanoparticles improved the membrane structure and overall performance of the membrane in desalination and RO process application. In conclusion, the addition of nanoparticles to the membrane indeed increases salt rejection and anti-fouling to overcome the water crisis.