Nanocomposite Membrane-Based Photocatalytic Reactor for Degradation of Endocrine-Disrupting Compound in Water

This chapter discusses the fabrication of dual-layer hollow fiber membranes with different TiO2 loadings in the outer layer by a single step co-extrusion technique. It analyzes the catalytic efficiency of the immobilized TiO2 with a different ratio of TiO2/polyvinylidene fluoride in the outer layer of the dual-layer hollow fiber membranes using a hybrid photocatalytic membrane reactor system. In the photocatalytic degradation of employing dual-layer hollow fiber membranes, only the outer layer is responsible for the reaction to take place due to the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles as a photocatalyst. The co-extrusion approach can be employed to produce multi layer-sheets, wire coating and other products. The incorporation of inorganic additives into polymeric membranes has been widely investigated for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and membrane distillation. The increasing number of TiO2 particles on the membrane surfaces would provide additional hydrophilicity strength to the membranes, possibly increasing the permeate water flux and its antifouling properties.