Scientific research on the development of nanofiltration membranes that are resistant to fouling through modification of the active layer of the membrane for water management is an interesting idea raised by Titik Istirokhatun, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., lecturer at the Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University (Undip), who recently just graduated from the doctoral program from the Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Kobe University, Japan.
The background to Titik’s research, among others, is that clean water, which is our main need as living things, is experiencing scarcity and pollution, which is currently increasingly massive and is becoming a problem throughout the world. According to her, increased industrial activity, increasing population and increasingly stringent sanitation needs, especially during the outbreak of infectious diseases such as the Covid-19 pandemic, were the main reasons for the increasing need for clean water. However, advances in technology can provide comprehensive solutions to overcome water scarcity and pollution that occurs. Therefore, Titik conducted research to improve membrane performance, especially nanofiltration for clean water supply.
“Among the various types of membranes, nanofiltration (NF) technology has received great attention because of its potential to solve deficiencies while improving water quality not only in the water treatment system itself but also as treatment in reverse osmosis (RO) processes. In addition, nanofiltration is also an environmentally friendly technology because of its energy-saving properties and its excellent ability to remove various water contaminants in the process of providing clean water and treating wastewater. However, there are several challenges in the application of NF technology such as avoiding membrane fouling, extending the service life of the membrane, increasing the flux and increasing the high degree of separation of contaminants and pollutants,” she said.
“To face this challenge, during her doctoral study at Kobe University, Japan, Titik made several engineering efforts for nanofiltration membrane fabrication, especially on the active surface of the membrane, so that it can produce membranes that have superior properties for clean water production and domestic wastewater treatment as well as nutrient recovery from the wastewater. Overall, the new approach that has been demonstrated in this study can open new avenues for the design and fabrication of next-generation nanofiltration membranes that have excellent performance for dealing with scarcity of clean water,” said Titik. (Lin/Joshua – Public Relations)
