ABSTRACT

This chapter describes the overall process of asymmetric flat sheet ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fabrication. Initially, the formation of asymmetric flat sheet UF membrane includes the dope material composition, preparation of dope solution, membrane casting process, and the testing procedure of the membrane. Asymmetric flat sheet UF membrane was fabricated from one dope formulation consisting of polysulfone as a polymer, N,N-Dimethylacetamide as its solvent and Polyvinylpyrrolidone as a nonsolvent additive. The effect of rheological factor of dope solutions, that is casting rate has been studied in order to fabricate a high membrane performance for nitrate removal. In conventional wastewater treatment plants, nitrogen removal is mostly achieved by using biological treatment. Although UF membrane has proven to treat wastewater effectively, several factors can affect the performance of asymmetric membrane. In membrane with higher casting rate, the molecular chains of the solution tend to align themselves much better than those in lower casting rate.