Polymer Bulletin, Vol.60, No.2-3, 397-404, 2008
Characterization of cellulose triacetate membranes, produced from sugarcane bagasse, using PEG 600 as additive
Cellulose Acetate (CA) produced from sugarcane bagasse cellulose was used to produce membranes, using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 600) as additive. Results showed that PEG 600 was washed out the membranes during the preparation step. Thermal Analysis showed that the temperature of degradation of the membranes increased in 10 degrees C when PEG 600 was added to the composition, but did not change as more PEG 600 was added in the composition. On the other hand, the crystalline content (%C) of the membranes increased as PEG 600 was added. The addition of PEG 600 also increased the resistance of the membranes to pressure and the pure water flux rate, but membranes produced with PEG 600 content lower than 5% did not present water flux. PEG 600 also increased the coefficient of ion diffusion of the membranes.