Abstract
Nanofiltration of aqueous dye solutions was carried out using polyamide (PA) nanofiltration (NF) composite membranes. The PA composite membranes were prepared by the interfacial polymerization of piperazine (PIP) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on the surface of microporous polysulfone (PSf) ultrafi1tration (UF) membranes. After characterization in terms of their permeation performance and surface ionic property, they were used for the separation of dye solutions such as Direct Red 75, 80, 81, and Direct Yellow 8 and 27. The separation conditions were varied to study the factors affecting on the permeation performance of the membranes: different concentrations of dye solutions, operating temperature and time, and flow rate of a feed solution. The surface property of the membrane, especially its ionic property, as a function of operating time was examined with a zeta-potentiometer and the relationship between the surface chemistry of the membrane and its permeation properties was also studied.