Microbial fabrication of cellulose nanofiber-based ultrafiltration membrane: a sustainable strategy for membrane manufacture

Developing a sustainable separation membrane is imperative due to the growing environmental pollution caused by petrochemical-based polymers. Cellulose-based materials, including bacterial cellulose (BC), have exhibited potential as separation materials. Here, a novel BC membrane (BCM) is in-situ fa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellulose (London) 2023-05, Vol.30 (8), p.5001-5017
Main Authors: Guo, Yan, Wang, Yue, Jia, Fangting, Li, Sihang, Li, Sheng, Sarp, Sarper, Youravong, Wirote, Li, Zhenyu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Bioorganic Chemistry
Carboxymethyl cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose fibers
Ceramics
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Composites
Fermentation
Glass
Hydrophilicity
Membrane processes
Membrane structures
Membranes
Microorganisms
Nanofibers
Natural Materials
Organic Chemistry
Original Research
Physical Chemistry
Polymer Sciences
Separation
Sustainable Development
Tensile strength
Ultrafiltration
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Summary:Developing a sustainable separation membrane is imperative due to the growing environmental pollution caused by petrochemical-based polymers. Cellulose-based materials, including bacterial cellulose (BC), have exhibited potential as separation materials. Here, a novel BC membrane (BCM) is in-situ fabricated via microbial fermentation and physical post-treatment. Owing to the randomly assembled BC nanofibers and abundant hydroxyls on their surface, the obtained BCMs possess three-dimensional network structure with strong hydrophilicity. The BCMs properties can be manipulated by adjusting fermentation and drying conditions, satisfying different purposes for practical use. Extending fermentation time from 3 to 10 days, bacteria secret more BC nanofibers and form a denser membrane structure. Freeze-dried BCMs have the most porous structure and exhibit the highest flux (up to 52 L m −2  h −1 ) and molecular weight cut-off (up to 1000 KDa) under 2 bar. Press-dried BCMs obtain the highest tensile strength (up to 241.16 MPa) and BSA retention (up to 94.44%). Heat-dried BCMs show good prospects in the pressure-driven membrane process considering flux and retention and demonstrate favorable stability and flux recovery ratios (85.51%~96.43%). Modification of BCMs by carboxymethyl cellulose further promotes membrane hydrophilicity but causes denser structures than original BCMs. The present study proposes a sustainable cellulose membrane manufacturing strategy and demonstrates BCMs can be favorable alternatives to petrochemical-based membranes.
ISSN:0969-0239
1572-882X
DOI:10.1007/s10570-023-05201-z