Preparation and Characterization of Microfiltration Membrane Embedded with Silver Nano-Particles

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The microfiltration 0.2 µm Cellulose Acetate (CA) membrane was modified by embedding antibacterial silver nano-particles in the membrane pores. This novel technique was developed to enhance the capability of the microfiltration membrane for removing microorganism including bacteria. The prepared membrane was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), water contact angle measurement and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Membrane performance was elucidated by flux and rejection measurements using water samples from the pond of a public recreational park in Tehran. For rejection capability of the membrane, the availability of filament and c-shaped species of the phyla Actinobacteria and Spirochetas in the permeate side of the membrane was estimated.  Contrary to virgin membrane, the modified membrane was able to remove 100% of Actinobacteria and Spirochetasspecies from the infected water. Moreover, the wettability of the modified membrane was remarkably changed leading to higher water flux. A potential application of the modified Ag-CA membrane is “sterile filtration” of temperature sensitive fluids.