Author: B. Aritonang, A.H. Ritonga, H. Herlina, S. Samran, K. Harefa, and B. Irawan

DOI: http://doi.org/10.31788/RJC.2026.1939755

Polyamide (PA) nanofiltration membranes are widely used in water treatment; however, their performance is oftenlimited by insufficient hydrophilicity, permeability, and fouling resistance. This study aimed to enhance the filtrationperformance and physicochemical properties of PA membranes by incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) as ahydrophilic modifier and precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) as an inorganic functional filler. The membraneswere fabricated via a blending and phase-inversion method, with PEG content varying from 10–30 wt.%and PCCat 1–5 wt.% based on an optimized PA/PEG composition. The results showed that PEG significantly improvedmembrane hydrophilicity and permeability, with PWF reaching 60.0 L m-2 h -1 at the optimal PA/PEGratio of 85/15wt.%. Further PEG addition reduced permeability and salt rejection due to increased structural resistance. Theincorporation of PCC further enhanced membrane performance, with the membrane containing 3 wt.%PCCachieving the highest PWF of 75.0 L m-2 h -1 , stable salt rejection, and superior antifouling performance, as indicatedby a flux recovery ratio of 96.0% and an irreversible fouling ratio of 4.0%. Thermal and structural analysesconfirmed that PEG and PCC did not alter the PA backbone, while effectively improving membrane permeability, fouling resistance, and operational durability. These findings highlight the potential of PEG and PCCmodificationas an effective strategy to overcome permeability-selectivity trade-offs and develop high-performance nanofiltrationmembranes for water treatment applications.

Keywords: Polyamide, PEG, PCC, Nanocomposite Membranes, Physicochemical Properties.