PREPARATION AND PERFORMANCE OF CELLULOSE-ACETATE POLYURETHANE BLEND MEMBRANES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS - PART 1

Ultrafiltration gains significance when certain chemical species, such as proteins and some toxic heavy metal ions, present in low concentra tion, have to be selectively removed from a mixture. Separation of met al ions by complexation with macromolecular binding agents and rejecti on of proteins such as bovine serum albumin, egg albumin, pepsin and t rypsin was studied using cellulose acetate-polyurethane blend ultrafil tration membranes. The influence of the composition of the polymers in blend membranes on the separation of metal ions and proteins is discu ssed. The blend membranes were also characterized by pure water flux, water content, membrane hydraulic resistance, molecular weight cut-off and scanning electron microscopy. The separation of proteins was foun d to be directly proportional to the molecular weight of the proteins, while the flux displayed an opposite trend, and copper was found to h ave a higher separation capability than nickel, zinc and cadmium. (C) 1998 Society of Chemical Industry