Structure and functional group of CuO nanoparticle-reinforced osmosis membrane based on bacterial cellulose from Sargassum sp. extract

Osmosis membranes have been widely used in industries for water purification, wastewater treatment, and biomedical applications. However, the current membranes still have some drawbacks, such as water flow resistance and vulnerability to fouling. Therefore, the development of more efficient and durable osmosis membranes is highly necessary. In this research, the researchers used bacterial nanocellulose extracted from Sargassum sp. as a material for producing more efficient osmosis membranes. The methods used in this study were experiments with two treatments: (1) control, and (2) Bacterial cellulose with a concentration of 1.0 wt% CuO nanoparticles. The nanocellulose was produced using a high-pressure homogenizer, followed by the synthesis of acetate nanocellulose and characterization of the nanocomposite membrane functionalized with CuO nanoparticles. The membranes were characterized using FTIR and XRD analysis. Bacterial cellulose from seaweed was successfully formed with a thickness of 1-3 cm. The results of the characterization analysis showed that the formed bacterial cellulose belonged to Cellulose type I with a crystalline degree ranging from 88.7% to 85.7%. The dry osmosis membranes were analyzed based on their functional groups using FTIR. The analysis revealed changes in transmittance at the peaks of O-H at wavenumbers 3122-3414 and Cu-O at wavenumber 424-673, resulting from the addition of CuO nanoparticles and causing changes in the value of the O-H bond in bacterial cellulose.