Date of Award
1-1-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S. in Engineering Science
First Advisor
Sasan Nouranian
Second Advisor
Byron Villacorta
Third Advisor
Matteo D'Alessio
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Polyetherimide (PEI) ultrafiltration membranes were created and evaluated for their ability to separate bovine serum albumin (BSA) from water using two fabrication methods: nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS). In the NIPS method, membranes were made with varying amounts of Pluronic® P-123 and with or without graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). The membrane with 1 wt.% Pluronic® P-123 exhibited the best performance, achieving a pure water flux (PWF) of 355 L m-2 h-1 (LMH) and a rejection rate of 90.9%. Adding 1 wt.% GNPs to this system further improved performance, resulting in a PWF of 747 LMH and a rejection rate of 97.5%. For the VIPS method, membranes were made with the same optimal NIPS composition (1 wt.% Pluronic® P-123, no GNPs) to assess the impact of vapor exposure time and relative humidity during fabrication. Longer vapor exposure times reduced PWF but increased rejection, whereas higher relative humidity increased PWF but decreased rejection. The NIPS samples had a porous finger-like morphology, while VIPS membranes showed a symmetric cellular structure at low vapor exposure times, transitioning to a bi-continuous morphology with longer exposure. The optimal VIPS membrane was achieved with a 30-minute vapor exposure time and 65% relative humidity, yielding a PWF of 49 LMH and a rejection rate of 55%. Comparing the two methods, NIPS demonstrated higher flux and rejection rates, making it more suitable for BSA separation from water using PEI membranes.
Recommended Citation
Moghadasin, Mohammad Hosein, "Fabrication and Evaluation of Polyetherimide Membranes Containing Pluronic® P 123 and Graphene for Separation of Bovine Serum Albumin From Water: A Comparison Between Two Fabrication Methods" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2958.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2958