A novel method for preparation of low-fouling membranes: Surface coating by extracted wax from leafy cabbage

Abstract The focus of the current research was changing the membrane surface characteristics to minimize fouling. In this study, the effect of membrane surface coating with natural wax in creating low-fouling property was investigated. The wax was extracted from cabbage ( Brassica oleracea ) leaves and coated on the membrane surface. The adhesion of the wax was based on van der Waals forces between alkane chains of wax and PVDF polymer on the membrane surface. The whey flux and protein rejection of wax-coated membrane were improved compared to the virgin membrane. This indicates the generation of low-fouling property by wax on the membrane surface. In order to characterize the wax-coated membrane, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and contact angle measurements were employed. Moreover, the affecting parameters including wax concentration, heating temperature, heating time and water cleaning on antifouling performance of membrane were elucidated.