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Complex membrane of cellulose and chitin nanocrystals with cationic guar gum for oil/water separation
Author(s) -
Yagoub Hajo,
Zhu Liping,
Shibraen Mahmoud H. M. A.,
Xu Xiaowei,
Babiker Dafaalla M. D.,
Xu Jian,
Yang Shuguang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.47947
Subject(s) - membrane , materials science , chitin , chemical engineering , guar gum , nanocellulose , cationic polymerization , cellulose , regenerated cellulose , wetting , nanocrystal , polymer chemistry , nanotechnology , composite material , chitosan , chemistry , biochemistry , engineering
In an effort to develop a membrane system with low cost and easy fabrication process for oil/water separation, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), chitin nanocrystals (ChiNC), and cationic guar gum (CGG) are used to prepare a complex membrane on top of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nonwoven fabric via a vacuum filtration method. The interactions among CNC, ChiNC, and CGG complexation are discussed, and the functionalization of the PET nonwoven fabric with these polysaccharide derivatives provides a high rate of water absorption and permeability on applying pressure. The morphology and wettability studies demonstrate that the as‐prepared membrane has a porous structure and exhibits hydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties. The results of separation experiments show that the membrane can effectively separate oil/water emulsions with a relatively high flux and rejection ratio. This low‐cost process can easily be scaled up to fabricate complex membranes for oil/water separation. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47947.