UTILIZATION OF NANOCELLULOSE AND NANOSILICA ACTIVE AGENT AS NANOCOMPOSITE CERAMIC CATALYTIC FLAT SHEET MEMBRANE FOR DESALINATION APPLICATION

• Main Author: Wendo Kohara, Aldi
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/33725
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Salt water desalination is an effort to fulfill clean water needs for the ever growing world population. Reverse Osmosis membrane have long been the goto method for this application, which requires a lot of energy due to the high operating pressure. Inorganic composite membrane is a potential alternative to replace RO owing to its lower energy consumption. Nanocellulose is strong and flexible which makes it viable to be used as a matrix for a composite flat sheet membrane, mixed with high surface area nanosilica particles as the catalytic active agent. Dry nanocellulose sheets were prepared from nata de banana skin, analyzed using SEM to determine CNF morphology with fibrils diameter measuring 30-50 nm and 40-150 nm pore sizes. Nanosilica particles were synthesized from waterglass using sol-gel method, analyzed using SEM and EDS, with particle sizes measuring 80-200 nm accompanied with agglomerate. Membrane samples were varied at 25, 35, and 45 wt% nanosilica powder. Membrane fabrication were carried out through manual casting on 120 mm petri dish. Membrane thickness were measured at 0,16-0,21 nm. Further optimization on membrane fabrication is needed to modify the resulting filter pores.