Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)
Scientific Journal

Diazonium-Based Surface Functionalization of PES Nanofiltration Membranesto Improve Antifouling Properties and Heavy Metal Removal

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

Mina Shekarbeigi
Fahime Parviziyan
SayedMohsen Hosseini

Arak University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Arak, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/ijche.2026.575107.1587
Abstract
In this study, Nano filtration (NF) membranes, composed of polyethersulfone (PES) modified with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles, were fabricated using the phase inversion method. By grafting aniline oligomers onto the surface of the modified membrane, the final membrane with the structure of PES NF/TiO₂/AO was fabricated. The morphology of the final membrane was investigated using FESEM, EDX and FTIR analyses. The membrane separation performance was evaluated through measuring the contact angle and pure water flux (PWF), flux recovery ratio (FRR%), and salt rejection tests using Na₂SO₄ and MgSO₄ solutions. The highest PWF (3.66 kg/(m^2.h)) was obtained with the final modified membrane compared to the initial membrane at an operating pressure of 4.5 bar, which can be attributed to the increased hydrophilicity caused by the surface modification of the initial membrane. The removal efficiencies for heavy metals Pb and Cu using the pristine membrane were measured to be 28.2% and 43%, respectively, while the optimized membrane showed the significantly improved rejection rates of 99.97% and 94%. Furthermore, the total fouling rate of the original membrane was approximately 70.4%, which was reduced to 47.4% in the modified membrane. The irreversible fouling was reduced from 44.5% in the original membrane to 32.6% in the optimized membrane, indicating an improvement in the antifouling performance of the modified membrane. The results suggest that the PES NF/TiO₂/AO modified membrane can be considered an effective approach for enhancing the physical and chemical properties of membranes, as well as their separation performance, particularly for the removal of heavy metals.

Keywords

Nano filtration membrane
Titanium dioxide
Aniline oligomers
Heavy metals remover
Separation performance
Subjects
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Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)
Volume 23, Issue 1
Spring 2026
Pages 35-61

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