A novel antibacterial mixed matrixed PES membrane fabricated from embedding aminated Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite for use in the membrane bioreactor

Herein we represent the effects of the presence of Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanoparticles in the PES membranes matrix on the permeation properties and anti-biofouling performance by using two different solvents including DMAc and DMSO. The Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites were synthesized via co-precipitation and thermal pyrolysis methods A new polyethersulfone (PES) microfiltration membrane containing g-C₃N₄ nanosheets/Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles was prepared via the nonsolvent induced phase inversion process. High hydrophilicity and the antibacterial properties of Ag₃PO₄-NH₂ nanoparticles made them a superior choice to be combined with g-C₃N₄ nanosheets to modify the membrane characteristics as a nanofiller additive. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), mean pore size measurement, water contact angle, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) were applied for the membrane characterization. Also, the permeation performance and antibacterial properties of the membranes were studied. All the membranes incorporated with nanoparticles presented better membrane properties in comparison with the pristine PES membrane. The water permeation was improved from 262.3 L m²⁻ h to 360.0 L m²⁻ h for membrane containing 0.5 wt% of the functionalized Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite in the PES/DMSO matrix. To some extent, the excellent antimicrobial ability of these nanohybrid membranes could turn them in to a desirable candidate to overcome biofouling issues in applications such as the membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems. The MBR results also revealed that the pure water flux and the critical flux were enhanced.