ABSTRACT

Increasing industrial and human populations potentially lead to various types of water contamination and increasing water demand. Membrane technology is a popular technology that is highly efficient in separation processes and is cost-effective for water purification. One membrane technology that is widely applied in industry is microfiltration membranes. Microfiltration membranes can operate at pressures in the range of 0.02 to 0.5 MPa, thus enabling the separation of high molecular weight compounds at low pressure. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a commonly used microfiltration membrane material known for its excellent thermal stability, chemical resistance, and ease of membrane formation. However, PVDF has a hydrophobic structure that has low water flux. The hydrophilicity of the PVDF membrane surface modification is an effective strategy to enhance water flux. This experiment aims to increase the hydrophilicity of the membrane using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). In this study, surface modification of the PVDF membrane is performed using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a hydrophilic substance that enhances the membrane's ability to attract water. The addition of 0.1% PVA yielded the average flux value, achieving 65,7 Lm−2·h−1. PVA increases hydrophilic properties for PVDF membrane and could be a modification agent for water treatment or purification.