Radiation Modification of Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Desalination of Saline Water

Abstract

The work under study deals with modification of the neat PA membrane by firstly, chitosan/TiO2 nanodispersion at various contents of TiO2 NPs in 0.2 wt% chitosan solution and irradiated to different irradiation doses at dose rate 1.323 KGy/h. Secondly, modification of PA membrane by coating with irradiated chitosan/Ag nanodispersion at various irradiation doses to control the particle size of the formed Ag NPs. Various parameters that affected on performance and physiochemical properties of neat and modified membranes, in addition, to prepared nanodispersions are fully studied and results summarized in the following. I. Surface modification of the neat PA membrane by irradiated chitosan/TiO2 and chitosan/Ag nanodispersions

 The TEM analysis results confirmed that the size of most CS/TiO2 coated nanodispersion were in the range of 8-26 nm, with the mean diameter of 18 nm. Also, the size of the radiation prepared Ag/CS nanodispersion is confirmed in the nanoscale and the particle size are within the variable 12 – 55 nm.  The morphological study of modified membrane by CS/TiO2 and PA/CS/Ag nanodispersions became completely different compared with neat membrane, it appeared spongy like and so jagged full of pores due to modification. In addition, the roughness parameters of the PA membranes are reduced with modified membranes by irradiated CS/TiO2 and CS/Ag nanodispersions.