The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates master student Lau Siew Kei and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yong Wai Fen from Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Chemical Engineering for their recent publication in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, an SCI Q1 journal with the latest impact factor of 7.7.
This is a collaborative research with Nanjing Tech University and Xiamen University. Lau Siew Kei and Dr. Yong Wai Fen are the paper’s first author and corresponding author, respectively.
In the paper “Sustainable fabrication of zwitterionic nanofiltration membranes with enhanced antifouling performance using sugar”, a green solvent and a bio-monomer called fructose were integrated into the membrane's substrate and selective layer, respectively. The membrane was then fabricated using a facile interfacial polymerization method, with the incorporation of a zwitterionic monomer named 1-(2-hydroxyethyl) piperazine propane sulfonate (HEPPS) to enhance its antifouling properties. Various analytical techniques were employed to examine the characteristics of the resulting membrane. The combination of fructose and HEPPS in the selective layer led to a synergistic effect, significantly increasing water permeability of the membrane while maintaining an impressive sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) rejection rate of 99.1%. One of the most remarkable features of the zwitterionic membrane was its superior antifouling properties. After 2.5 cycles of filtration, it exhibited a flux recovery ratio of 97.7% and 93.4% for bovine serum albumin and lysozyme, respectively.
These findings hold great promise for the design of future membranes with enhanced antifouling properties and excellent separation performance, all achieved through environmentally friendly and sustainable manufacturing processes.
The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2023.110588.
| Lau Siew Kei: “Special thanks are given to Dr Yong for guiding me throughout the experiment and writing of this research. Her patience and professionalism have been immensely crucial for the successful completion of this work. I have gained valuable insights on membrane technology including their fabrication process, separation mechanism and applications. By working on this project, I have familiarized myself with water separation membranes and sustainable fabrication methods. I hope that this research can provide an alternate pathway to synthesize antifouling membranes with superior separation performance. As such, state-of-the-art membranes with long lifespans can be synthesized for water filtration.” |
| Dr. Yong Wai Fen is an Associate Professor and Head of Programme (Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering) at School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia. With a PhD degree from the National University of Singapore, her research interests include sustainable materials and membrane technologies for CO2 capture, biogas separation, industrial air purification, and water purification. She is also a Chartered Engineer under the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK. She has won several prestigious awards including the Green Talents Award in 2016, Top 50 outstanding Green Talents alumni from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and the Finalist of the Energy and Sustainability Awards from the IChemE Singapore. |
