Effect of Chitosan concentration on antifouling performance of thin film composite / Norin Zamiah Kassim Shaari, Nadia Fathiah Mohd Dandan and Nurul Aida Sulaiman

Wastewater treatment is an approach to make sure the water supply is clean and free from unwanted
particles. Membrane technology is one of the methods applied to the treatment process. This study
describes the production of thin film composite (TFC) membrane, which was formulated from
polysulfone as a porous support membrane, and hybrid membrane as a barrier layer. The hybrid
membrane was formulated from a blend of chitosan, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and
tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of varying
chitosan concentrations (1, 2 and 3 wt.%) on the properties of the thin-film composite membrane in
terms of thermal, pure water flux and antifouling properties. It was found that the membrane with 2
wt.% chitosan yields the highest water flux and good antifouling property. The findings of this study
are very significant as it provides a wide knowledge of separation performance of thin film composite
(TFC) membrane.