Effect of high molecular weight additive on performance of Ultrafiltration membrane for separation of oil in water emulsions

Oil in water emulsions are one of the main pollutants emitted to water by various industries such as chemical, petrochemical, food and etc. Membrane separation processeslike microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) with polymeric membranes are promising choices for treatment ofoily wastewater. Polymeric membrane materials are susceptible to many forms of fouling and oxidation. Recent research has focused on improving membrane materials tobetter handle trouble constituents. In this study, effectiveness of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a high molecular weightadditive on the separation performance polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was investigated and effect of transmembrane pressure (TMP) and cross-flow velocity on themembrane permeation flux and oil retention was studied.