Treatment of emulsified oil wastewater using PVDF-ZrO₂ composite hollow fiber membrane

Due to the hydrophobic nature, the common PVDF membrane was facility to be polluted in applications. PVDF-ZrO₂ composite hollow fiber membranes, which were made from ZrO₂ nanoparticles blending with PVDF powder, were prepared at our previous works and its microstructure and the permeance property in treating emulsified oil wastewater were investigated after that. SEM pictures show the cross-section morphlogy of PVDF composite membranes changes from figer-like macrovoids to sponge-structure with the increasing concentration of ZrO₂ nanoparticles. The contact angle and bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption experimental results of PVDF-ZrO₂ composite membranes show an improvement of hydrophilicity and anti-fouling performance. The PVDF-ZrO₂ composite hollow fiber membranes prepared from the dope with 0.3 wt.% ZrO₂ nanoparticles concentration has the best permeation performance. In emulsified oil wastewater treatment process, the relevant operation parameters, which have some effect on the wastewater treatment, were investigated at the same time.