Ultraviolet Radiation-Assisted Stabilization of the Dynamic Layer of Composite Membranes

To stabilize the dynamic layer of cellulose acetate (CA) and polystyrene (PS) membranes, the membranes are exposed to UV radiation in atmospheric air using a laboratory setup. A nylon-66 microfiltration membrane and an MFFC-3G poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) membrane are used as a basis of the dynamic membranes. The PTFEh–CAd, PTFEh–PSd, nylon–CAd, and nylon–PSd dynamic membranes are synthesized by forming a semipermeable layer composed of suspended PS or CA microparticles with sizes of 81–504 and 42–130 nm, respectively, which are present in the feed aqueous solution of acetone and are in dynamic equilibrium with the solution, on the surface of the porous base. The surface of the synthesized membranes is exposed to UV radiation in a wavelength range of 280–320 nm at a UV radiation power of 36 W for 10 min. The UV radiation-assisted stabilization of the dynamic membranes leads to an increase in the specific flux of the CA and PS membranes by a factor of 10 and 1.5, respectively, and a 9–17% decrease in the rejection capacity of these membranes with respect to petroleum products. The exposure of polymer membranes to UV radiation can be used to increase the specific flux and stabilize dynamic membranes with a surface layer of PS.