Preparation of anti-biofouling ultrafiltration membrane via incorporation of natural phenolic compounds : utilization of quercetin and resveratrol

Abstract

The development of anti-biofouling ultrafiltration membranes is a critical area of research aimed at enhancing the efficiency and performance of filtration systems. Even though the natural phenolic compounds, quercetin and resveratrol, have been known for their antibacterial features, research has not examined their effects on the poly(ethersulfone) ultrafiltration UF PES membrane. Therefore, this thesis reviews the use of those compounds to improve the PES ultrafiltration membranes. Two different approaches were adopted: The first method uses ethanol as a solvent to dissolve quercetin and resveratrol, followed by the physical adsorption of two solution volumes of 10 mL and 40 mL that have 2.5 g/m² and 10 g/m², respectively, onto the (UP150) commercial PES membranes. In the second method, 0.1 g, 0.2 g, and 0.4 g of quercetin and resveratrol were incorporated into the PES casting solution. These amounts equal 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8%, respectively.

Both quercetin and resveratrol showed an increase in hydrophilicity performance. Notably, quercetin exhibited greater hydrophilicity than resveratrol in both methods. In addition, the physical modification decreased the permeability rate. However, the blending of phenolics in the matrix increased it. In terms of antibacterial activity, both methods resulted in a decrease in the count of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). However, the physical approach and quercetin outperformed the second method and resveratrol.