ECOLE DOCTORALE
« Mécanique, Energétique, Génie Civil, Procédés »
ED 468
Vous êtes cordialement invités à la soutenance de la thèse de
Lucia BENAVENTE
3 Novembre à 10h
Amphi II MRV, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse
LOW FOULING MEMBRANES FOR WATER AND BIOTECH APPLICATIONS
Résumé
Water scarcity has become one of the key issues to solve, and efficient water treatment is
paramount to treat water sources. In recent decades membrane technology has become one
of the promising solutions for water treatment. Nevertheless, membranes are prone to fouling
phenomena - the deposition, adsorption, and absorption of particles in the membrane structure
-, which hinders their life-span and productivity, and raise operative costs. One approach to
minimize this issue is to modify the already mechanically and chemically stable hydrophobic
membranes with amphiphilic materials.
The main aim of this work is to characterise the anti-fouling properties of PVDF (Polyvinylidene
fluoride) membranes modified with different types of PS-PEGMA (Polystyrene – Poly(ethylene
glycol) methacrylate) copolymers, firstly by using classical techniques, and then, by developing
and/or adapting new ones: microfluidic devices coupled with fluorescence microscopy, and the
use of Fourier Transform Infrared microspectroscopy (FTIR mapping).
FTIR mapping allowed the local detection of the coating layer and showed its heterogeneous
distribution on the surface of the membrane. These maps, that represent the importance of the
coating on the membrane, were correlated with the deposit of proteins on the surface.
Microfluidic systems were also developed to characterise the adsorption of fluorescent
proteins on the membrane under a fluorescent microscope in the presence of a flow. This
study allowed the in-situ and dynamic follow-up of the adsorption – during filtration cycles –
and of the desorption – during rinsing cycles – of the proteins on the membrane. These local
measurements were compared against permeability measurements during the filtration/rinsing
cycles evidencing the anti-fouling role of the copolymers used for the modification of the
membranes, particularly for the triblock and random copolymers.
Mots-Clés: fouling, water treatment, adsorption, membrane modification, PVDF,
PS-PEGMA
Etablissement d’inscription
Université Toulouse III, Paul Sabatier
Composition du Jury:
João CRESPO, Professeur (Rapporteur)
Murielle RABILLER-BAUDRY, Professeur (Rapporteur)
Anne BREHANT, Ingénieur
Yung CHANG, Professeur
Patrice BACCHIN, Professeur (Directeur de thèse)
Pierre AIMAR, Directeur de Recherche CNRS (Directeur de thèse)