Publication
Latest article from Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Heru Susanto, S.T., M.M., M.T.
Refinery wastewater is generated from the process of refining large amounts of oil. Oil refined wastewater contains micron-scaled emulsion droplets, and sub-micron droplets that are difficult to remove from water, which poses problems for researchers. Membrane technology is widely used in water treatment because it is very selective and effective in the filtration process. This research focuses on oil refinery water treatment using polysulfone (PSF) membrane ZnO nano composites modified with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and polyvinyl alcohol. This membrane was prepared using the dry / wet phase inversion method. Then-the membrane was modified using UV irradiation and coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PSF-nano ZnO modifications have an impact on membrane performance; UV irradiation showed an increase in the value of membrane pure water flux from 4.5 Lm–2h–1 to 5.7 Lm–2h–1. However, after UV irradiation, the rejection value decreased after UV irradiation, whereas the presence of PVA as a coating agent increased the rejection value to 77.2 % for Total Dissolve Solid (TDS) rejection, 76 % for Chemical Oxyugen Demand COD rejection, and 65.3 % for ammonia rejection. This value was higher than that obtained for membranes without PVA coating, namely only 47.3 % for TDS, 51.1 % for (COD), and 29.4 % for ammonia rejection. Modifications with UV and PVA irradiation provide interrelated effects to improve membrane performance.
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 03245853
- DOI
- 10.3311/PPch.17029
Water quality modelling can be a way to determine the potential pollutant load capacity in the river water. As the number of population and intensity of activities around the river increased, it is possible that the water quality in the river will be negatively impacted. The Rambut river, which located in Pemalang and Tegal, Indonesia, has an important role as a water source in both areas. However, this demand is not accompanied by the availability of river capacity information yet. Five points from different segments along the upstream and downstream of Rambut River were assessed with the QUAL2E model. There were four different parameters in the research, e.g., BOD, fecal coliform, nitrite, and nitrate. The results showed that some segments did not comply with the minimum requirements by the local government. Additionally, the BOD and fecal coliform value were predicted to be increased in 2023 due to higher population number living near the river. The values for all parameters fluctuated between the different segments. © 2022. All Rights Reserved
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 22998993
- DOI
- 10.12911/22998993/145543
This study investigates the treatment of saline domestic wastewater using nanofiltration (NF) and activated carbon (AC) adsorption. The permeate flux behavior during NF was influenced by the type of organic matter (OM) model (glucose vs. alginate), as well as its concentration and solution chemistry. The observed rejections of OM were within the range of 73% to 80% for glucose and 95% to 99% for alginate. Adsorption experiments showed that the optimum AC dose was 4 g/L for glucose adsorption and 8 g/L for alginate adsorption. Treatment of real domestic wastewater showed that the flux behavior tended to be similar to that of the alginate model but the observed rejection was similar to that of the glucose model. The COD rejection of NF was within the range of 77% to 79%. Further treatment using AC adsorption increased the COD removal to ~ 95%. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 1573062X
- DOI
- 10.1080/1573062X.2021.1955281
Latest article from Prof. Nita Aryanti, S.T., M.T., Ph.D.
This study aims to optimize the formulation of activated carbon/titanium oxide/cerium oxide (AC/TiO2/CeO2) composite for petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) treatment via simultaneous adsorption and photocatalytic process. D-optimal mixture experimental design was applied to predict the optimal formulation of the composite. The experimental data were assessed to generate empirical models for analyzing the effects of components fraction on individual responses. The fitted models were statistically examined (through the standard error of design), considerably validated (via analysis of variance (ANOVA) and model adequacy indicators), and experimentally verified (by estimating errors, root-mean square error (RMSE), and standard error of prediction (SEP) between the predicted and actual values). Finally, the optimized formulation was accepted to have 36.85% total dissolved solid (TDS) removal, 49.23% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, treated PRW with pH = 7.22 and electrical conductivity (EC) = 2937.11 µS/cm, 53.76% phenol removal, and 52.86% NH3-N removal, by applying 53.43%-wt of AC, 21.96%-wt of TiO2, and 24.61%-wt of CeO2 with reasonably high desirability score of 0.8874. Based on the characterization results, it can be concluded that the optimized AC/TiO2/CeO2 composite was successfully synthesized. From the diffuse reflectance spectrometry (DRS), the estimated bandgap energy of the synthesized AC/TiO2/CeO2 composite was successfully reduced through the use of CeO2. Our findings show the efficiency, reliability, and feasibility of the D-optimal mixture experimental design from modeling, predicting, and optimizing the formulation of AC/TiO2/CeO2 composite. Overall, our findings prove that the optimized AC/TiO2/CeO2 composite is a prominent and effective material for PRW treatment. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 22133437
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jece.2021.106517
The introduction of membrane filtration for rubber wastewater treatment, the utilization of treated wastewater as recycled process water to minimize water demand during processing becomes possible. In this work, novel polyethersulfone (PES) nanohybrid membranes incorporating low loadings of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and their combination were investigated. Characteristics alteration of the membrane were confirmed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), contact angle, and porosity structure. The SEM images showed a reduction of NPs agglomeration by the addition of rGO. The dual filler rGO/ZnO has exhibited significant improvement in the membrane structure, wettability, and mechanical strength. The modified membranes also exhibited better separation performances as compared to the neat PES membrane. The average permeate flux was enhanced from 2.69 to 11.51 L m−2h. a remarkable pollutant reduction was shown by the chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH3, and turbidity rejection up to 92%, 88%, and 99%, respectively for PES-rGO/ZnO membrane. The flux recovery ratio of the modified membrane was recorded to be 82%, 80.21%, and 83% for PES-ZnO, PES-rGO, and PES-rGO/ZnO, respectively which was 7–12% higher than neat PES membrane. The cleaning under UV light can increase the flux recovery ratio (FRR) up to 14% due to the photocatalytic activity of ZnO and rGO that helped to degrade the organic fouling. The results obtained in this study are expected to have great potential on membrane studies, particularly for high-organic content wastewater treatment.
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 22133437
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jece.2021.106421
This study presented the membrane separation integrated with surfactant micellisation for the removal of dye molecules from aqueous media, commonly identified as micellar enhances ultrafiltration (MEUF). Three different naphthols or naphthalene dye (AS-LB, AS-OL, and AS-BR), three kinds of remazol dye (Red Rb, Yellow G, and Turquoise Blue) and a pure grade saponin were used in this study. This study investigated the MEUF performance to remove the reactive dye and to determine the effect of surfactant addition in the feed solution by determining the micelle loading profile. A significant decline of the initial normalized flux compared to the final flux was shown in all of the filtration processes for the removal of remazol dye. However, the flux profile of the naphthol feed showed a more stable trend. The addition of saponin as a surfactant in the feed solution improved the rejection of the dye pollutant, and this was because of the successful entrapment of the dye pollutant in the surfactant micelle structure. The highest rejections for remazol Red Rb, yellow G, and Turquoise Blue were 97.32%, 98.88%, and 98.88%, respectively. In addition, the highest rejection for naphthol AS-BR, AS-LB, and AS-OL were 99.08%, 94.16%, and 93.59%, respectively. Adding the surfactant decreased the value of micelle loading (amount of dye solubilized in surfactant micelle). It was confirmed that the MEUF successfully removed the dye pollutant from the wastewater and increased the rejection of the surfactant itself. © 2021 MPRL. All rights reserved.
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 24765406
- DOI
- 10.22079/JMSR.2020.120604.1335
Latest article from Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Heru Susanto, S.T., M.M., M.T.
This study investigates the treatment of saline domestic wastewater using nanofiltration (NF) and activated carbon (AC) adsorption. The permeate flux behavior during NF was influenced by the type of organic matter (OM) model (glucose vs. alginate), as well as its concentration and solution chemistry. The observed rejections of OM were within the range of 73% to 80% for glucose and 95% to 99% for alginate. Adsorption experiments showed that the optimum AC dose was 4 g/L for glucose adsorption and 8 g/L for alginate adsorption. Treatment of real domestic wastewater showed that the flux behavior tended to be similar to that of the alginate model but the observed rejection was similar to that of the glucose model. The COD rejection of NF was within the range of 77% to 79%. Further treatment using AC adsorption increased the COD removal to ~ 95%. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 1573062X
- DOI
- 10.1080/1573062X.2021.1955281
Purpose of Review: This review presents an overview of high-performance ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, including fouling resistant, micellar-enhanced, tight, adsorptive, and catalytic UF. The review discusses recent advances in the development of these membranes, focusing on their preparation method, performances, and applications. Then, the review concludes with a discussion of the challenges and future outlooks of these UF membranes in wastewater treatment. Recent Findings: Recently, the development of UF membranes has resulted in membranes with high performances in wastewater treatment. For instance, fouling-resistant membranes synthesized through surface modification show significant improvement in terms of fouling reduction and flux recovery. In addition, coupling with complexation reaction, tightening membrane pore structure, endowing membrane with adsorption ability, and functionalizing UF membrane with catalytic properties, greatly improve the performance of UF in removing pollutants. Highly selective UF membranes can achieve remarkable various pollutant removals (e.g., organic compounds and heavy metals) from wastewater. Summary: UF membrane has been widely applied in wastewater treatment due to its low-pressure operation, relatively low energy consumption, high product quality, and simple operation. Significant efforts have been dedicated to improve UF membrane performance. Fouling resistant and highly selective UF membranes have been developed successfully, which showed remarkable performance in various pollutant removals. These high-performance UF membranes provide the possibility of process simplification in wastewater treatment since they can remove a more wide range of pollutant types, and thus post-treatment step may be reduced. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
- Document type
- Review
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 21986592
- DOI
- 10.1007/s40726-021-00204-5
- Document type
- Conference Paper• Bronze Open Access
- Source type
- Conference Proceedings
- ISSN
- 17426588
- DOI
- 10.1088/1742-6596/1943/1/012096
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 22998993
- DOI
- 10.12911/22998993/145543
Latest article from Prof. Dr. Tutuk Djoko Kusworo, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D.
Refinery wastewater is generated from the process of refining large amounts of oil. Oil refined wastewater contains micron-scaled emulsion droplets, and sub-micron droplets that are difficult to remove from water, which poses problems for researchers. Membrane technology is widely used in water treatment because it is very selective and effective in the filtration process. This research focuses on oil refinery water treatment using polysulfone (PSF) membrane ZnO nano composites modified with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and polyvinyl alcohol. This membrane was prepared using the dry / wet phase inversion method. Then-the membrane was modified using UV irradiation and coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PSF-nano ZnO modifications have an impact on membrane performance; UV irradiation showed an increase in the value of membrane pure water flux from 4.5 Lm–2h–1 to 5.7 Lm–2h–1. However, after UV irradiation, the rejection value decreased after UV irradiation, whereas the presence of PVA as a coating agent increased the rejection value to 77.2 % for Total Dissolve Solid (TDS) rejection, 76 % for Chemical Oxyugen Demand COD rejection, and 65.3 % for ammonia rejection. This value was higher than that obtained for membranes without PVA coating, namely only 47.3 % for TDS, 51.1 % for (COD), and 29.4 % for ammonia rejection. Modifications with UV and PVA irradiation provide interrelated effects to improve membrane performance.
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 03245853
- DOI
- 10.3311/PPch.17029
This study focuses on the utilization of AC/TiO2/CeO2 composite on the removals of phenol and ammonia–nitrogen (NH3-N) compounds from petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) through a combination of adsorption and photocatalytic process. The composite was prepared by hydrothermal method with the composite formulation of 53.43%-wt of AC, 21.96 %-wt of TiO2, and 24.61 %-wt of CeO2. Characterization results revealed that the surface micromorphology, elemental, and oxide contents on synthesized composite significantly changed with the addition of TiO2 and CeO2. Optical UV–vis analysis showed that the estimated bandgap energy of the synthesized composite was 2.60 eV, which is lower than pristine TiO2 or CeO2, indicating that the photocatalysis is easier to perform that reflecting the successful combination of TiO2 and CeO2 as the photocatalyst in the composite. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic showed to be the most favorable isotherm and kinetic model for the adsorption process. The photocatalytic activity and kinetic evaluations showed that the photocatalytic process remarkably improved the removal performance and was followed the pseudo-first order kinetic. Moreover, the rate constants of photocatalysis were higher than the adsorption process, indicating that the rate of photocatalysis on the pollutant degradations is faster than the adsorption process. The final pollutant removals by using AC/TiO2/CeO2 composite were 50.91% for phenol removal and 65.83% for NH3-N removal. Three consecutive cycles test showed that the AC/TiO2/CeO2 composite has excellent durability and can nicely maintain the phenol and NH3-N removals from PRW.
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 13858947
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.cej.2022.134687
Nonionic surfactants are reported as being able to enhance enzyme stability and increase the conversion of enzymatic reactions. Surfactant‐assisted enzymatic hydrolysis conversion is affected by surfactant HLB values. This work investigated the influence of nonionic surfactants with different HLB values on chitosan enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulase enzyme by measuring the reducing sugars formation, viscosity, and molecular weight of hydrolyzed chitosan. A characterization analysis of hydrolyzed products was also carried out. A higher HLB value exhibits a better enzymatic chitosan hydrolysis performance, shown by the decrease in a solution’s viscosity and the increase in reducing sugar formation. Increasing the surfactant concentration will also increase the hydrolysis rate. Nonionic surfactants can protect cellulase enzyme from the denaturation of temperature and stirring influence. The higher the HLB value, the lower the molecular weight of the hydrolyzed chitosan. The result of UV–Vis demonstrated aldehyde groups formation during hydrolysis. The SEM analysis showed that the chitosan, hydrolyzed using different HLB values of surfactants, had different surface morphologies. However, it did not change the chemical structure of the hydrolysis product seen by the FTIR analysis. The XRD patterns showed that the relative crystallinity of raw chitosan decreased when hydrolyzed with surfactants.
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 23057084
- DOI
- 10.3390/chemengineering6010017
Latest article from Dr. Ir. Nur Rokhati, M.T.
Nonionic surfactants are reported as being able to enhance enzyme stability and increase the conversion of enzymatic reactions. Surfactant‐assisted enzymatic hydrolysis conversion is affected by surfactant HLB values. This work investigated the influence of nonionic surfactants with different HLB values on chitosan enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulase enzyme by measuring the reducing sugars formation, viscosity, and molecular weight of hydrolyzed chitosan. A characterization analysis of hydrolyzed products was also carried out. A higher HLB value exhibits a better enzymatic chitosan hydrolysis performance, shown by the decrease in a solution’s viscosity and the increase in reducing sugar formation. Increasing the surfactant concentration will also increase the hydrolysis rate. Nonionic surfactants can protect cellulase enzyme from the denaturation of temperature and stirring influence. The higher the HLB value, the lower the molecular weight of the hydrolyzed chitosan. The result of UV–Vis demonstrated aldehyde groups formation during hydrolysis. The SEM analysis showed that the chitosan, hydrolyzed using different HLB values of surfactants, had different surface morphologies. However, it did not change the chemical structure of the hydrolysis product seen by the FTIR analysis. The XRD patterns showed that the relative crystallinity of raw chitosan decreased when hydrolyzed with surfactants.
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 23057084
- DOI
- 10.3390/chemengineering6010017
Spirulina is a type of microalgae widely consumed as a food supplement due to its high nutritious benefits. Furthermore, it is very small and lives floating in water, making it quite difficult to harvest. One effective method of harvesting Spirulina is by coagulation/flocculation. In order to successfully harvest Spirulina, choosing the right flocculant material is very important. Chitosan, a natural polymer that has a cationic amine group, is often used in the food industry. This is because colloidal particles (polymer) that exist in nature are mostly negatively charged (including microalgae) and electrostatic interactions between cationic polymers with anionic polymers lead to the formation of flocculants. Therefore, this study was carried out to measure the feasibility of chitosan as a flocculant in the flocculation process of harvesting microalgae. The experiments were carried out with the variation of the concentration of chitosan, pH and slow-stirring speed, using efficiency of flocculation and sedimentation speed as parameters. The result showed that optimum condition was achieved at a slow-stirring speed of 40 rpm, sedimentation time of 2 hours, chitosan concentration of 100 mg/L and pH of 7-8. In this condition, the flocculation efficiency was 99.57%. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
- Document type
- Conference Paper• Bronze Open Access
- Source type
- Conference Proceedings
- ISSN
- 17551307
- DOI
- 10.1088/1755-1315/828/1/012009
Although the improvement of photocatalytic property has been reported to be a promising strategy to enhance the anti-fouling of the membranes, the inclusion of a single photocatalytic material into membrane matrix still exhibits low organic foulants degradation capacity. In this study, two photoactive materials, i.e. nano-TiO2 and graphene oxide (GO) are selected as fillers in the fabrication of polysulfone (PSf) membranes. A thorough investigation was devoted to the photocatalytic activity of the membrane for the degradation of organic pollutants in natural rubber wastewater under dark environment and static UV light irradiation. In order to search the best TiO2 and GO composition, early data curation based on membrane permeability and selectivity was carried out. Membrane with TiO2 loading at 1.5 wt% demonstrated its best performance by providing permeate flux of 16.29 L m-2 h-1 with organic removal up to 79.27%. On the other hand, the membrane loaded with 1.0 wt% GO only exhibited permeate flux up to 8.15 L m-2 h-1 with organic removal up to 70.73%. Upon the incorporation of TiO2/GO mixture as filler materials to the PSf membrane, remarkable results were achieved, which consists of permeate flux, organic and ammonia removals of 13.05 L m-2 h-1, 60.98% and 91.27%, respectively. Based on batch photocatalytic activity assessment, the PSf-TiO2/GO membrane showed the fastest photodegradation reaction. The results proved that the incorporation of TiO2 and GO nano particle as photoactive materials to the PSf membrane matrix results in a synergistic effect in improving photocatalytic capacity and stability of the membrane.
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 22133437
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105066
Latest article from Titik Istirokhatun, S.T., M.Sc.
The development of ultrathin polyamide (PA) nanofilms with desirable water permeance and high selectivity has been recognized as crucial for energy-efficient desalination of salty water and wastewater reclamation. In this study, an ultrathin PA reverse osmosis membrane (∼25 nm) was fabricated via polydopamine (PDA) interlayer-mediated interfacial polymerization onto a polyethersulfone (PES) substrate. The ultrathin PDA interlayer was soldered in situ onto PES substrates by precisely controlling the ammonia-initiated self-assembly process. Furthermore, the PDA interlayer conferred a high-density uptake toward aqueous amine monomers and served as a quasi-molecular-scale regulator that mediated their diffusion into the organic phase to polymerize with the acyl chloride of 1, 3, 5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride (TMC). The synergistic effects triggered self-sealing and inhibited membrane growth, promoting the formation of an ultrathin and defect-free PA nanofilm with a hierarchical nanostripe surface. The newly developed membranes exhibited a desirable water permeance of up to 1.44 L m−2 h−1·bar−1, almost triple that of the pristine PA membrane (0.44 L m−2 h−1·bar−1), and a simultaneously enhanced rejection ratio of 99.2% toward NaCl. This work sheds light on strategies to develop ultrathin PA-based membranes with high water permselectivity for environmental- and energy-relevant applications.
- Document type
- Article
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 03767388
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120269
n this work, Ag-based compound nanorods were molecularly synthesized followed by the incorporation into PA active layer through interfacial polymerization (IP) process. This strategy achieved the concurrent construction of molecular sieving architecture and tunable surface function, by precisely controlling the release of zero-dimensional Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs, ∼5 nm), via in situ decomposition of the pH-responsive compounds serving as sacrificial nanocapsules. Featuring favorable interactions and sizes, the released ultrafine AgNPs serves as a quasi-molecule-scale regulator to generate the thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane with wrinkled surface microstructures and loose internal architecture, due to the adjusted diffusion rate of amine monomers toward the organic phase during IP, while endowing the resultant membrane with superior antifouling/anti-biofouling properties. The newly-developed AgNPs embedded PA (AgNPs@PA) TFN membrane exhibited a high water permeance of 10.4 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 (more than twice that of the pristine PA [4.5 L m−2 h−1 bar−1]) with a rejection ratio of 97.7% for Na2SO4, performing a competitive desalination property among the state-of-the-art nanofiltration membranes. The proposed technique for tuning the membrane microstructure opens opportunities for developing high-performance nanofiltration membranes for energy-efficient water remediation and treatment applications. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
- Document type
- Conference Paper• Bronze Open Access
- Source type
- Conference Proceedings
- ISSN
- 17551307
- DOI
- 10.1088/1755-1315/828/1/012009
Water quality modelling can be a way to determine the potential pollutant load capacity in the river water. As the number of population and intensity of activities around the river increased, it is possible that the water quality in the river will be negatively impacted. The Rambut river, which located in Pemalang and Tegal, Indonesia, has an important role as a water source in both areas. However, this demand is not accompanied by the availability of river capacity information yet. Five points from different segments along the upstream and downstream of Rambut River were assessed with the QUAL2E model. There were four different parameters in the research, e.g., BOD, fecal coliform, nitrite, and nitrate. The results showed that some segments did not comply with the minimum requirements by the local government. Additionally, the BOD and fecal coliform value were predicted to be increased in 2023 due to higher population number living near the river. The values for all parameters fluctuated between the different segments. © 2022. All Rights Reserved
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 22998993
- DOI
- 10.12911/22998993/145543
Latest article from Asep Muhamad Samsudin, S.T., M.T.
Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) consisting of quaternary ammonium poly(vinyl alcohol) (QPVA) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) were prepared by a solution casting method. The influence of the concentration of the chemical crosslinker on the properties and performance of AEMs was investigated. Morphology, chemical structures, thermal and mechanical properties of AEMs were characterized by SEM, FTIR, TGA, and UTM. The performance of AEMs was evaluated by water uptake, swelling degree, ion exchange capacity, and OH- conductivity measurement. The tensile strength, water uptake, and OH- conductivity of AEMs were enhanced with the increase of the crosslinker concentration. By introducing 12.5% glutaraldehyde (GA), the QPVA/PDDA AEMs achieved the highest tensile strength, water uptake, and OH- conductivity of 46.21 MPa, 90.6% and 53.09 ms cm-1 at ambient condition, respectively. The investigations show that crosslinked QPVA/PDDA AEMs are a potential candidate for anion exchange membrane fuel cells.
- Document type
- Article• Hybrid Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 00134651
- DOI
- 10.1149/1945-7111/abf781
Crosslinked anion exchange membranes (AEMs) made from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a backbone polymer and different approaches to functional group introduction were prepared by means of solution casting with thermal and chemical crosslinking. Membrane characterization was performed by SEM, FTIR, and thermogravimetric analyses. The performance of AEMs was evaluated by water uptake, swelling degree, ion exchange capacity, OH- conductivity, and single cell tests. A combination of quaternized ammonium poly(vinyl alcohol) (QPVA) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDMAC) showed the highest conductivity, water uptake, and swelling among other functional group sources. The AEM with a combined mass ratio of QPVA and PDDMAC of 1:0.5 (QPV/PDD0.5) has the highest hydroxide conductivity of 54.46 mS cm-1. The single fuel cell tests with QPV/PDD0.5 membrane yield the maximum power density and current density of 8.6 mW cm-2 and 47.6 mA cm-2 at 57°C. This study demonstrates that PVA-based AEMs have the potential for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFCs) application.
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 22524940
- DOI
- 10.14710/ijred.2021.33168
Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) contribute significantly to enhance the performance and efficiency of alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells (APEFCs). A sequence of composite anion exchange membranes (AEMs) consisting of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA), and nano-zirconia (NZ) has been prepared by a solution casting technique. The effect of zirconia mass ratio on attribute and performance of composite AEMs was investigated. The chemical structures, morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties of AEMs were characterized by FTIR, SEM, thermogravimetric analysis, and universal testing machine, respectively. The performance of composite AEMs was verified using water uptake, swelling degree, ion-exchange capacity, and OH- conductivity measurement. The nano-zirconia was homogeneously dispersed in the PVA/PDDA AEMs matrix. The mechanical properties of the composite AEMs were considerably enhanced with the addition of NZ. Through the introduction of 1.5 wt.% NZ, PVA/PDDA/NZ composite AEMs acquired the highest hydroxide conductivity of 31.57 mS·cm-1 at ambient condition. This study demonstrates that the PVA/PDDA/NZ AEMs are a potential candidate for APEFCs application.
- Document type
- Article• Gold Open Access• Green Open Access
- Source type
- Journal
- ISSN
- 20734360
- DOI
- 10.3390/polym11091399
