Flux reduction of ultrafiltration membranes with different cut-off due to adsorption of a low-molecular-weight hydrophobic solute-correlation between flux decline and pore size
1998; Elsevier BV; Volume: 149; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0376-7388(98)00161-6
ISSN1873-3123
AutoresJeanette Lindau, A.-S. Jönsson, A. Bottino,
Tópico(s)Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies
ResumoThe flux of ultrafiltration membranes may be severely reduced when treating low-molecular-weight hydrophobic solutes even though the cut-off of the membrane is orders of magnitudes greater than the size of the solute molecules. In this investigation, the flux reduction was correlated to the membrane pore size using octanoic acid as a model substance. As a comparison, the pore size was also determined by measuring the retention of a dextran solution and by using the liquid–liquid displacement porometry method (LLDP). The membranes used were four asymmetric polysulphone and polyethersulphone membranes with nominal molecular weight cut-off (NMWCO) between 6 and 50 kDa. It is shown that the use of a low-molecular-weight hydrophobic solute may provide a rapid and simple method of characterising hydrophobic ultrafiltration membranes, both regarding their sensitivity to flux reduction due to adsorption, and their pore-size distribution.
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