Polyurethane and sulfonated polysulfone blend ultrafiltration membranes: II. Application studies

Ultrafiltration membranes are largely being applied for macromolecular and heavy metal ion separations from aqueous streams. Polyurethane‐ and sulfonated‐ polysulfone‐based membranes prepared in the absence and presence of the polymeric additive, poly(ethylene glycol) 600, in various compositions, were subjected to the rejection of macromolecular proteins, such as bovine serum albumin, egg albumin, pepsin and trypsin. Toxic heavy metal ions such as Cu2+, Ni2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+ were subjected to rejection by the blend membranes by complexing them with a polymeric ligand, polyethyleneimine. The effects of polymer blend compositions and additive concentrations on the rejection and permeate flux of both proteins and metal ions are discussed. The rejection and permeate flux efficiencies of the blend membranes are compared with pure sulfonated polysulfone membranes.