Development of anti-microbial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane using bio-based ginger extract-silica nanoparticles (GE-SiNPs) for bovine serum albumin (BSA) filtration

Hybrid material combines organic-inorganic substituents that can impose hydrophilicity and anti-biofouling properties in polymeric membranes. In this study, ginger extract-silica nanoparticles (GE-SiNPs) hybrid materials were synthesized through the sol-gel technique and was applied as a new additive to improve polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane properties. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) extract (GE) contains phenol derivatives that provide anti-microbial properties, while silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) plays role to increase membrane hydrophilicity and prevent organic fouling. The PVDF/GE-SiNPs membrane was prepared using non-solvent induced phase separation method and was applied to concentrate Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). The resulted membranes were characterized in terms of morphology, hydrophilicity, tensile strength, porosity, pure water flux, antibacterial property, and its ultrafiltration performance on BSA concentration. The result analysis of fabricated membrane revealed that increasing the loading amount of GE-SiNPs improved membrane hydrophilicity and enlarged membrane porosity. Water permeability was enhanced up to 9.89 from 4.97 LMH. The highest rejection of BSA solution reached of 68.19 %, with the BSA initial concentration of 50 ppm and trans membrane pressure of 1 bar. The flux recovery ratio (FRR) was satistifically reached of 97.92 %. Furthermore, the PVDF/GE-SiNPs also showed antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus