Development of Chitosan Polymer Membranes with Potential Use in Filtration Processes

Polymeric membranes based on chitosan (Cs) were extracted from shrimp shells and evaluated. These membranes were modified using polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and glycerol (Gly) and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) to examine their suitability for water filtration processes. The Cs exhibited high purity, a total nitrogen content of 6.49%, and an average molecular weight of 456 kDa, all of which are suitable for membrane formation. Four membranes (Cs-GA, B2: Cs-PEG, B5: Cs-PEG-PVP, and B7: Cs-Gly) were characterized by means of FTIR, SEM, AFM, thickness, contact angle, tensile testing, TGA, DSC, and filtration with distilled water at 4.83 bar. B2 and B5 showed thicknesses of 207 and 190 μm and contact angles of 56.7° and 58.9°, lower than that of Cs-GA (89.4°). In filtration, B2 achieved a flux of 2222.70 LMH, a permeance of 460.19 LMH·bar−1, and a hydraulic resistance of 8.79 × 1011 m−1, while Cs-GA, B5, and B7 exhibited fluxes of 24.10, 40.43, and 24.77 LMH, respectively, permeances of 9.75, 8.37, and 5.13 LMH·bar−1, and hydraulic resistances of 4.15 × 1013, 4.83 × 1013, and 7.89 × 1013 m−1, in the same order. Overall, membranes B2 and B5 are recognized as the most promising for water filtration under pressured operating conditions.