Utilization of chitosan as an additive for enhancing the performance of polyethersulfone membranes for water treatment

This research investigates the impact of adding chitosan as an additive to improve membrane performance. Membrane fabrication was conducted using the non-solvent-induced phase separation method with polymer blending. Characterization was conducted by evaluating functional groups using FTIR, morphological structure using SEM, and water contact angle using a WCA meter. The research findings show that chitosan additives have a positive influence on the prepared PES membrane. There was a change in the morphological form on the membrane, as evidenced by SEM photos of the cross-section of the membrane. An increase in chitosan concentration resulted in improved hydrophilic properties of the membrane, indicated by a 63.2° reduction in water contact angle. The results show that the best membrane performance was achieved with 4% chitosan addition, resulting in a water flux of 38.2 L/m².h as well as humic acid rejection of 67.9%.