Abdel-hameed El-Aassar

In this work, we address the mechanical response of the flat sheet polymeric water treatment membranes under the assumed operational loading conditions. Firstly, we perform quasi-static analyses of the membranes under normal pressure loads, which is the condition that resembles the actual loading for flat sheet membranes in the submerged membrane bioreactors. Then, the long-term deformation of the membranes is studied under the assumed filtration durations for the same loading conditions by utilizing the viscoelastic material models. The quasi-static and viscoelastic membrane simulations are performed by a commercial finite element code ANSYS. Finally, the mechanical fatigue life predictions are carried out based on the stress distributions from the quasi-static analyses and the long-term effects from the viscoelastic analyses.

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: To cite this article: Desalination and Water Treatment (2013): Performance assessment of prepared polyamide thin film composite membrane for desalination of saline groundwater at Mersa Alam-Ras Banas, Red Sea Coast, Egypt, Desalination and Water Treatment,

Egypt is characterized by an arid to semi-aride climate and its population is increasing at an annual rate. With such population growth rate and fast social-economical development, water demand and waste water production are steeply increasing, and the gap between water supply and demand is getting wider. The fast growing development in Egypt has required big movements of investments and people from the Nile Valley towards the east, with the fantastic Red Sea coastal zone, that has promising brackish groundwater potentialities. Fresh water supply is essential and desalination is a feasible option that can cover the wide gap between the available capacities and the accelerating demands. A major misconception in the design of membrane water treatment facilities is that if a groundwater source is used to feed the plant, chemical characteristic of water will be relatively stable with time. There are wide variations in the groundwater chemistry caused by pumping aquifers based on the loc...

The aim of the present work is synthesis, characterization and performance evaluation of modified Polysulfone/ polyvinyl alcohol (PS/PVA) thin film composite (TFC) membranes. The modification was carried out for PS support layer and/or crosslinked PVA barrier layer using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. Gultaraldehyde (GA) was used as a cross-linker of PVA. The synthesized thin film composite (TFC) or thin film nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes were characterized by measuring the contact angle, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The membranes performance included permeate flux (L.m.hr) and salt rejection (%) was evaluated as a function of synthesis and operation conditions. The obtained results showed that the membranes prepared from PS coated with TiO2 (o.25 wt. %) for 30 min immersing time, 0.1wt. % PVA crosslinked with GA solution concentration of (3% wt. %) and cured at a temperature of 75±2°C for 60 min gave the optimum performance. Also, the modif...

Today, reverse osmosis membranes are the leading technology for new desalination installations, however, a challenge facing widespread application of RO technology is membrane fouling. In the present study, we used an environmentally friendly green inhibitor as anti-scaling and anti-biofouling in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants. The influence of Sargassum sp., Corallina mediterranea, and Avicennia marina on RO membrane mineral scaling was evaluated using gypsum as a model scalant. Antibacterial properties for three marine extracts from Sargassum sp., C. mediterranea, and Avicennia marina were investigated with Gram-positive bacteria (ArthrobactersulfureusYACS14, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (VibrioanguillarumMVM425, Escherichia coli). The antimicrobial results were detected for the two selected extracts as the most potent extracts (ethyl acetate, methanol crude extracts of the Avicennia marina leaves). Data showed that ratios of 3 and 5% recorded the hi...

Due to the sustainable development importance of El-Qaa Plain, El-Tur area, a geophysical and hydro-geochemical study was carried out. The main aquifer in the study area is Quaternary. 23 Vertical Electrical Sounding stations were conducted. There are two dry geoelectric layers. The third and fourth layers are the upper and lower part of the aquifer. The collected 58 groundwater samples were evaluated for different purposes. Total dissolved salts ranged from 303 to 3835 ppm. 83% of groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation purposes according Na%. Also, 93% of total groundwater samples lie in good water class.

Groundwater vulnerability assessment to delineate areas that are more susceptible to contamination from anthropogenic sources has become an important element for sensible resource management and land use planning. Reclamation processes at western part of Assuit Governorate have created many hydrogeological and environmental problems such as an increase of groundwater salinity, soil deterioration and water logging on the new cultivated land. This paper attempts to evaluate the groundwater quality for drinking and agricultural purposes and produce groundwater vulnerability maps using geographic information system (GIS). For irrigation purposes about 75% of water samples are unsuitable for MR (Magnesium Ratio) indicating unfavorable effects on crop yield and an increase in soil alkalinity. Calculating Kelly’s Index (KI) indicating 42% of water samples have (KI˃1) shows an excess of sodium.Vulnerability maps were produced by applying the Generic and Agricultural models according to DRAS...

The anti-scaling properties of green additive seeds were used as a novel environmentally friendly on the precipitation of calcium sulfate (gypsum) scale on the reverse osmosis (RO) in desalination plants. Initial screening of many additives included: Ginger extract, Pepper extract, Lysine, and Glutamic amino acid have been carried out. The effect of additives was evaluated by measuring calcium ions renamed in the solution, and their performance that was comparable with the blank supersaturated calcium sulfate solution. The formation of the gypsum crystals has been verified using XRD and SEM analysis. It can be seen that the degree of inhibition of gypsum scale in the presence of these inhibitors is in the following order: Ginger extract ˃ Pepper extract ˃ Lysine ˃ Glutamic at different concentrations (25,50,100 ppm). A concentration of 100 ppm Ginger extract led to be superior to others with an inhibition 98.80 %. The SEM images of the collected precipitates when green inhibitors we...

The goal of the present study was to design and manufacture the semi-industrial continuous flow photoreactor (SICFP) and solar photovoltaic (PV) for wastewater purification to combat potable water shortages in remote areas. The economic costs are essential for the implementation of PV-SICFP photocatalytic applications due to Egypt is a sunny country all year round. The design of solar photovoltaic (PV) was improving the cost efficiency and the environmental sustainability of producing potable water in isolated regions such as the 10th of Ramadan city, El Qnayat village, and Abraq and Abu Safaa area in Shalateen city, southeast of Egypt. The hydrogeochemistry and evaluation of the collected water samples were assessed. The flexibility of the PV-SICFP reactor provides sustainable freshwater resources for urban communities that are suffering from water scarcity. All factors affecting the efficiency of the prepared PS/(TiO2/SiO2) nanocomposite (NC) membrane and the PV-SICFP reactor, the...

Abstract The goal of this research was to design and fabricate the continuous flow photoreactor (PR) to degrade organic contaminants in wastewater using heterogeneous photocatalytic process. Different nanomaterials such as ZnO and SiO2 were produced via a hydrothermal procedure and mixed with TiO2 (Degussa) to act as a catalyst. The nanomaterials were doped with polysulfone (PS) to prepare modified flat sheet membranes via the phase inversion process. The characterization of the synthesized nanomaterials and membranes were carried out via Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analyzer (PSA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle (CA) measurement. Also, the efficiency of the synthesized polymeric nanocomposites (NCs) membranes and the PR were evaluated by revising the outcome of different parameters. These parameters included feed water pH, flow rate, the presence of an oxidizing agent (H2O2), pollutant types, and pollutant concentrations. Phenol compound and methyl orange (MO) were utilized as examples of organic pollutants. The obtained results using the (PS/TiO2/ZnO) (NCs) membrane (I) showed the degradation of 72% and 16.5% in the case of Phenol and MO respectively, under ultraviolet light. Conversely, the degradation was 30% and 11% using Phenol and MO respectively, under visible light. Furthermore, the (PS/TiO2/SiO2) (NCs) membrane (II) was able to degrade 18.1% and 40.3% in the case of Phenol under UV radiation and visible light, respectively. The performance was improved by increasing the oxygen content, through the addition of H2O2 and the degradation attained 97% and 95% under visible light in case of MO and Phenol, respectively using membrane (II).

Abstract Doping of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), silicon dioxide (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) into polysulfone (PSf) flat sheet membranes was prepared by phase inversion process. The characterizations of the PSf and PSf-MWCNT, PSf-SiO2, PSf-TiO2 and PSf-ZnO membranes were achieved using Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, contact angle measurement, dynamic mechanical analyzer, thermo-gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscope. Vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation unit was used for evaluating the efficacy of prepared membranes in water desalination. Optimizing the operational procedures and water characteristics ensured a high slat rejection of 99.99% using the prepared membranes. The highest permeate flux obtained in the order of MWCNT (41.58) > SiO2 (38.84) > TiO2(35.6) > ZnO (34.42 L/m2·h) with optimized concentration of 1.0, 0.5, 0.75, 0.5 wt% relative to PSf weight, i.e. 15%. The optimum operational conditions included feed and permeate temperatures 60 °C and 20 °C, respectively, synthetic NaCl feed water with salinity was 10,000 ppm.

The aim of the present work is synthesis, characterization and performance evaluation of modified Polysulfone/ polyvinyl alcohol (PS/PVA) thin film composite (TFC) membranes. The modification was carried out for PS support layer and/or crosslinked PVA barrier layer using titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles. Gultaraldehyde (GA) was used as a cross-linker of PVA. The synthesized thin film composite (TFC) or thin film nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes were characterized by measuring the contact angle, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The membranes performance included permeate flux (L.m-2 .hr-1) and salt rejection (%) was evaluated as a function of synthesis and operation conditions. The obtained results showed that the membranes prepared from PS coated with TiO 2 (o.25 wt. %) for 30 min immersing time, 0.1wt. % PVA crosslinked with GA solution concentration of (3% wt. %) and cured at a temperature of 75±2°C for 60 min gave the optimum performance. Also, th...

To enhance the performance of polyamide thin film composite (PA-TFC) membranes, nonfunctionalized, NH2 and COOH functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MW-CNTs) were used as additives. The PA active layer was prepared via interfacial polymerization between m-Phenylene diamine (MPD) in aqueous phase and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) in dodecane as organic phase. The obtained results indicated a general improvement in the RO performance, the values of permeate flux increased from 33.61 for non-modified PA-TFC membrane to 37.78, 36.15, 38.12 L/m2.h for non-functionalized, NH2, COOH functionalized MW-CNTs, respectively. The obtained TFNC membranes possess high values of salt rejection (%) that is not lower 99.63. The surface hydrophilicity of PA-TFNC membranes improved as compared with the neat PA-TFC membrane. Also, the rejection (R) of both Na+ and Cl-ions showed that at pH< 6.5, at acidic media; the R (Na+) > R (Cl-). On the other hand, at pH > 6.5, at alkaline media the R ...

The present work highlights the high efficiency of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) coated onto activated carbon (AC) granules in antimicrobial activities for water purification. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were prepared by polysaccharide reduction method. Silver nitrate was taken as the metal precursor and glucose as a reducing agent. The formation of silver nanoparticles was monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Activated carbon (AC) granules were coated with silver nanoparticles by impregnation of AC in super saturation solutions with different concentrations of Ag-NPs. The resulted Ag-NPs/AC were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antimicrobial susceptibility of the synthesized Ag-NPs/AC was investigated using inhibition zone, impregnation and column techniques against E. coli. The results reflect the high efficiency of the prepared Ag-NPs coated onto AC granules for the water disinfection from microorganism in a short period of ti...

El-Obour is a newly constructed city in the desert located 25 km east of Cairo, Egypt. As a result of expansion of various environmental activities in the city, water logging problems have emerged. An attempt was made in the present study to identify the source (s) of water logging problems that affects water resources in the investigated area. Twenty-seven water samples that were collected from the study area represent the available water sources such as surface water, perched groundwater (class I), municipality or public water (class II), wastewater (class III) and deep groundwater of the Miocene aquifer (class IV). Complete chemical, biological and microbiological analyses were performed for water samples. Results of our study show that major, minor and heavy metal elemental distribution reflect that the source of water logging may be pollution from municipality or public water (Class II) or leakage from the sewage or industrial wastewater system (class III). The results of biolo...

The study deals with water chemistry and its impact on the quality of groundwater in 10th of Ramadan City
which is among the new communities to the east of Nile Delta. This area is an intensive industrial settlement on
the perihelia of Cairo. All types of wastewater from industrial and domestic practices are discharged into three
unlined oxidation ponds to eliminate pollution. The study has been conducted to assess the extent of seepage to
groundwater from the ponds and how efficient they are for pollution reduction. The chemistry of groundwater
was outlined through the analysis of major cations and anions. Also, the pollution of groundwater was discussed
on basis of detection of minor elements such as heavy inorganic, biological organic and bacteriological
pollutants. The study indicated that most of the measured heavy metals such as Cd2+, Co2+, Zn2+, Mn2+, Pb2+ and
Ni2+ are present in groundwater within the international standard limit. Many pollutants such as Al3+, Fe3+, Cr3+
ammonia, S2-, BOD, COD, TOC and PO4
3- exceed the standard limit where their concentrations reached 2.4,
4.16, 0.03, 33.1, 72.7, 109.3, 802, 297.7 and 21.0 mg/l, respectively, in oxidation ponds and some groundwater
of eastern side which needs to be protected from this seepage processes

This study aims to enhance the performance of the flat sheet thin-film composite (TFC)
polyamide–polysulfone reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. Composite RO membranes with
high salt rejection were fabricated by treating a porous polysulfone (PS) support sequentially
with a di-amine and then with a polyfunctional acid chloride, thereby forming a thin film of
polyamide (PA) on the PS support. In order to establish conditions for the development of
suitable thin-film composite (PS/TFC) membranes, various parametric studies were carried
out which included varying the concentration of reactants, reaction time, curing temperature,
and curing time for thin-film formation by the interfacial polymerization technique. By
suitable combination of these factors, 2.0 wt.% MPD, 0.5 wt.% TMC, 60-s reaction time, 80°C
curing temperature, and curing time 10 min., a desired thin film of PA with improved performance
for groundwater desalination could be obtained. Further, a combination of scanning
electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR), X-ray diffraction
(XRD) was utilized to confirm the existence and to examine the morphology of the PS/TFC
membrane. Pilot-scale RO filtration unit was used to study the performance of the fabricated
membranes for desalinating brackish, saline groundwater of Red Sea coastal area. Salt
rejections percent for various feeds were found to be in the range of 90.6–98.5.

The present work highlights the high efficiency of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) coated
onto activated carbon (AC) granules in antimicrobial activities for water purification. Silver
nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were prepared by polysaccharide reduction method. Silver nitrate was taken as
the metal precursor and glucose as a reducing agent. The formation of silver nanoparticles was
monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Activated carbon (AC) granules were coated with silver
nanoparticles by impregnation of AC in super saturation solutions with different concentrations of Ag-
NPs. The resulted Ag-NPs/AC were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron
microscopy (SEM). The antimicrobial susceptibility of the synthesized Ag-NPs/AC was investigated
using inhibition zone, impregnation and column techniques against E. coli. The results reflect the high
efficiency of the prepared Ag-NPs coated onto AC granules for the water disinfection from
microorganism in a short period of time (maximum of 5 min) even at higher E. coli counts ~ 106
cfu/ml. Ag-NPs/AC was also used as column form for water purification. At a flow rate of 0.8 L/min,
the output count of E. coli was zero when the input water had a bacterial load of104 cfu/ml. Ag-NPs
coated onto AC granules performed efficiently in bringing down the bacterial count of four actual
polluted samples to zero. Combined with low cost and effectiveness in prohibiting the growth of E.
coli, such materials should have wide applications to drinking water disinfectant.

Egypt is characterized by an arid to semi-aride climate and its population is increasing at an annual rate. With such population growth rate and fast social-economical development, water demand and waste water production are steeply increasing, and the gap between water supply and demand is getting wider. The fast growing development in Egypt has required big movements of investments and people from the Nile Valley towards the east, with the fantastic Red Sea coastal zone, that has promising brackish groundwater potentialities. Fresh water supply is essential and desalination is a feasible option that can cover the wide gap between the available capacities and the accelerating demands. A major misconception in the design of membrane water treatment facilities is that if a groundwater source is used to feed the plant, chemical characteristic of water will be relatively stable with time. There are wide variations in the groundwater chemistry caused by pumping aquifers based on the local geology and hydrology. Modeling of these possible water chemistry studies should be accomplished prior to the final design of any membrane treatment facility. The primary geologic controls on groundwater chemistry within a subsurface aquifer system are the natural barriers which control the vertical inflow of water from adjacent aquifers containing water with different chemistries. This water chemistry change is caused by mixing of the leaked water with the seawater contained in the study area. Due to the complexity of groundwater chemistry, it is classified into several factors, these factors based on the total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, the concentration of major, minor and trace components. The results of the analysis of water samples collected from the area of study show wide ranges of TDS (439-46341 mg/l), total hardness (236-14371 mg/l as CaCO3) and chloride concentration (84-26664 mg/l). Also, the presence of metals such as iron and manganese is observed. Moreover, according to chemical characteristics of the groundwater, best sites for possible desalination projects were selected.

Composite beads composed of chitosan
(CS) with different carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared
by the incorporation of single-walled carbon nanotubes
(SWCNTs), multiwalled carbon nanotubes
(MWCNTs), and carboxylic multiwalled carbon nanotubes
(MWCNT-COOHs). A protected crosslinking method was
used for the preparation of the CS/CNTs beads by the
reaction of the beads with Hg(II) as the protector. Scanning
electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
and thermogravimetric analysis were used to
characterize the prepared beads. The adsorption performance
of the prepared beads was investigated for the removal
of Hg(II). The results show that beads prepared by
the protected crosslinking technique removed 2.5 times
more Hg(II) from solution than beads prepared by normal
crosslinking. The maximum Hg(II) removal values were
148.7, 183.2, 167.5, and 172.7 mg/g by CS, MWCNTCOOH-
impregnated CS beads, MWCNT-impregnated CSbeads, and SWCNT-impregnated CS composite beads,
respectively. The optimum removal conditions were pH ¼
4, contact time ¼ 40 min, and temperature ¼ 70
C. The
equilibrium adsorption isotherm data of the beads exhibited
a better fit to the Langmuir isotherm model. The reusability
of Hg(II) sorption by the prepared beads was
investigated to evaluate their repeated availability performance
in water treatment. Quantitative removal of mercury
from industrial wastes was demonstrated. A
statistical analysis of the replacement cost of these sorbents
revealed that SWCNTs, MWCNTs, and MWCNT-COOH
could possibly be cost-effective sorbents in water treatment,
regardless of their high unit cost at this time.

The main objective of the present work is the detection of pollutants in water resources (surface water and
groundwater) and their impact on human health at El Saff area which occupies the southern position of Giza
governorate. Drinking and agriculture in this area depend mainly on the water of Nile River and two main canals
namely El Khashab and El Hager canals. Such canals are subjected to pollution from different sources. The
shallow groundwater tapped from the near surface quaternary deposits is also subjected to pollution. The socalled
El Saff wastewater canal represents one of the main sources of pollution for the water resources in the
study area. This canal runs longitudinally for about 50km along the foot slopes of the eastern Eocene
escarpment. To achieve the aim of the present study, thirty five surface water and groundwater samples are
collected during August (2011) and chemically analyzed for detection of inorganic, biological and
bacteriological pollutants. The results indicated that all the detected pollutants are considered very serious to
people's health. The most important pollution problem sources include the wastewater produced from the
industrial complex at Helwan area in addition to the wastewater discharged into the Nile River and its canals.
On the other hand, the excessive seepage of drainage water rich in fertilizers and pesticides causes pollution for
groundwater.

The aim of the present work is synthesis, characterization and performance evaluation of modified
Polysulfone/ polyvinyl alcohol (PS/PVA) thin film composite (TFC) membranes. The modification was carried
out for PS support layer and/or crosslinked PVA barrier layer using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles.
Gultaraldehyde (GA) was used as a cross-linker of PVA. The synthesized thin film composite (TFC) or thin film
nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes were characterized by measuring the contact angle, ATR-FTIR
spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The membranes performance included permeate flux
(L.m-2.hr-1) and salt rejection (%) was evaluated as a function of synthesis and operation conditions. The
obtained results showed that the membranes prepared from PS coated with TiO2 (o.25 wt. %) for 30 min
immersing time, 0.1wt. % PVA crosslinked with GA solution concentration of (3% wt. %) and cured at a
temperature of 75±2°C for 60 min gave the optimum performance. Also, the modification of PS-PVA/TFC
membranes using TiO2 nanoparticles improved permeate flux from 9.32 to 11.56 (L.m-2.hr-1) with a slight
increase in salt rejection from 76.79 to 78%. The salt rejection percent increased with increasing the cross-linker
concentration, curing time and temperature as well as applied pressure and decreased with the feed
concentration and vice versa in case of permeate flux for such factors except applied pressure. The desalination
of two groundwater samples (brackish and saline) were performed using the best synthesized TFNC membrane
to study the behavior of hypothetical salts during the desalination process.

A variety of polyamide thin film composite (PA-TFC) membranes was synthesized via
interfacial polymerization (IP) technique. IP was carried out between aqueous solution of m-phenylene
diamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) in dodecane as organic solvent onto polysulfone (PSf)
supporting membrane. The characterization of synthesized membranes was conducted using attenuated total
reflection Fouier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and
contact angle measurement. Reverse osmosis performance included permeate flux (L/m2.hr) and salt
rejection (%) was evaluated as a function of the synthesis conditions to investigate the optimum conditions
that give the best performance membrane. The optimum conditions of synthesized membranes included
MPD (1.5 wt.%) for 5 min. soaking time, TMC (0.05 wt. %) in dodecane for 30 sec. reaction time. The best
synthesized membrane exhibited high salt rejection (99.81%) with high permeate flux (36.15 L/m2.h). Also,
the concentration polarization modulus (M) and the true salt rejection (%) were measured using pure water
with different salinities up to ≈ 10000 ppm NaCl feed solution. The obtained results showed that the
concentration polarization modulus (M) ranged from 1.06 to 1.29 according to the salinity range.

Novel sodium alginate (SA)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposite membranes were synthesized
using dry casting method as a preparation technique with CaCl2, BaCl2, phosphoric
acid, and glutaraldehyde (GA) were tested, as crosslinkers. It was found that GA was the
best crosslinker because it gives the best mechanically stable hydrogels, which is not
degradable in water. The chemical stability of synthesized membranes was studied at wide
pH range from 3 to 13. Also, the characterizations were examined using FTIR spectroscopy,
X-ray Diffraction, and Tapping Mode-Atomic Force Microscopy. The applicability of these
synthesized membranes as photocatalyst was studied using textile azo-dye methyl orange
(MO) as target pollutant. The effects of time, nanoparticles concentration, initial dye concentration,
and pH on photocatalysis efficiency of the nanocomposite membranes were investigated
through determination of photo-bleaching rate of MO. SA/TiO2 nanocomposite
showed enhanced photocatalytic degradability using optimum operation conditions and can
be used in photocatalytic process for organic pollutions removal from groundwater collected
from East Nile delta, Egypt.

The present paper explores the role of Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in the
improvement of performance of polyamide thin-film composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes.
It reports on novel PA/TiO2 thin-film nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes via in situ
interfacial polymerization technique. It carried out by pre-dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles in
either organic phase (dodecane) of trimesoyl chloride or aqueous phase of m-phenylenediamine.
The change in chemical and physical properties of the synthesized TFNC membranes
was evaluated through studying ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, contact angle
measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Also,
the effect of TiO2 concentration on RO performance and organic antifouling resistance was
investigated. The synthesized PA-TiO2 TFNC membranes exhibited an improvement in permeate
flux which increased from 33.6 to 40 L/m2 h with slightly increase in salt rejection
(%) which increased from 99.75 to 99.82%. The synthesized TFNC membrane with low-concentration
TiO2 showed an improvement for the organic fouling resistance. The synthesized
PA-TiO2 TFNC membranes offering a strong potential for possible use as a novel type of
TFNC membranes with high RO performance.