In this study, tubular ceramic membranes were prepared from a mixture of ball clay, talc and alumina. The mixture was characterized by the following techniques: particle size analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal analysis. Tubular membranes were produced by extrusion process and thermal treated at temperatures between 1025 °C and 1175 °C. The membranes were characterized by XRD, linear shrinkage, apparent porosity, flexural strength, mercury porosimetry, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle. To evaluate the efficiency of the membranes, permeability tests with distilled water and oil-in-water emulsion were conducted in a tangential flow system. The results showed that the sintering of the specimens promoted the formation of α-cordierite phase and directly influenced the physical and mechanical properties such as linear shrinkage, porosity and flexural strength. Separation tests revealed that these membranes promoted high oil-water separation efficiency with values above 99.0%.

ABSTRACT The extraction and use of asbestos have been banned around the world because of its damage effects to the human health, it leads to studies of new materials in order to replace asbestos in several processes. The objective of this paper is to apply the simplex lattice planning and the mixture model in the manufacture of diaphragms. A mixture model was performed according to the simplex lattice, using four polyethylene microfibers (MF's) of different lengths, with 1st degree polynomial, adding inner and central points and a repetition, generating 18 mixtures. The results showed that microfibers of greater length have a greater influence on the diaphragms properties, presenting a more significant result on permeability. From the linear regression it was possible to estimate a mathematical model combining the three properties of the diaphragm, presenting a correlation of 92.12%.

RESUMO Mulita é um material que tem recebido atenção especial devido às suas propriedades químicas, físicas e mecânicas, que estão correlacionadas com o método de síntese utilizado. O método sol-gel destaca-se frente aos outros métodos químicos devido à possibilidade de obtenção de materiais com elevado grau de pureza e baixas temperaturas de síntese. Sendo assim, este trabalho teve por objetivo a análise dos solventes água, álcool etílico, álcool isopropílico e tetrahidrofurano, na obtenção de mulita por meio da rota sol-gel. As amostras foram caracterizadas por difração de raios X (DRX), análise termogravimétrica e diferencial (TG/ATD), adsorção de nitrogênio, microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET). Os resultados mostraram que a mulita foi sintetizada com todos os solventes, porém, o uso dos álcoois como solvente proporcionou a obtenção das amostras mais cristalinas, com as menores perdas de massa, com uma morfologia formada por agregados e partículas individualizadas.

ABSTRACT Mullite is a material that has received special attention due to its chemical, physical and mechanical properties, which are correlated with the synthesis method used. The sol-gel method stands out compared to other chemical methods due to the possibility of obtaining materials with a high degree of purity and low synthesis temperatures. Thus, this work aimed to analyze the solvents water, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and tetrahydrofuran, in obtaining mullite using the sol-gel route. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential analysis (TG/DTA), nitrogen adsorption (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (MET). The results showed that mullite was synthesized with all solvents, however, the use of alcohols as a solvent provided the obtaining of the most crystalline samples, with the lowest mass losses, with a morphology formed by aggregates and individualized particles.

The aim of this work was to prepare hollow fiber membrane changing the composition of polyethersulfone, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and clay, through the phase inversion technique, evaluating the influence of these constituents on the viscosity and distinct morphologies. Flat membranes were produced and their contact angles were determined and showed difference when clay was added and/or PVP. For the hollow fiber membranes, the +addition of these constituents, PVP and/or clay in the solution, can change significantly the viscosity and effect the membrane formation. From the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, it was identified the influence on morphology with the compositional variation of each additive, with the PVP promoting shorter precipitation time, favoring the formation of pores of the “fingers” type and increasing the presence of macrovoids. The addition of clay favored the formation of spherical pores, reducing the presence of macropores.

RESUMO Amidos e seus derivados são utilizados em praticamente todos os setores industriais. Na indústria petrolífera podem ser empregados como aditivos controladores de filtrado, os quais controlam eficazmente a perda de fluido para a formação rochosa adjacente. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o uso de amidos, de mandioca e de milho, utilizados na mineração, como redutor de filtrado em fluidos de perfuração poliméricos para poços de petróleo e gás. O estudo foi realizado em três etapas: na primeira etapa, cinco diferentes tipos de amidos modificados foram caracterizados por meio dos ensaios de viscosidade e índice de solubilidade em água; na segunda, as amostras de amido foram avaliadas de acordo com a norma da Petrobras (PE-2POC-00727-0) e, na terceira e última etapa, as amostras que, atenderam as especificações da norma, foram avaliadas nas concentrações de 0 a 9g/350mL de água, em uma formulação típica de fluido polimérico visando avaliar as propriedades reológicas e de filtração. Os dados obtidos foram comparados com um fluido polimérico aditivado com amido comercial. Os resultados demonstraram que dentre as cinco amostras estudadas, apenas a denominada de CMAN-AV foi considerada aprovada na norma e, quando adicionada ao fluido polimérico conferiu propriedades reológicas e de filtração semelhantes ao fluido aditivado com o amido comercial. Dessa forma, conclui-se que a amostra CMAN-AV pode ser utilizada como redutor de filtrado em fluido de perfuração polimérico.

ABSTRACT Starches and their derivatives are used in virtually all industrial sectors. In the petroleum industry the can be used as filtrate additives which effectively control the loss of fluid to the adjacent rock formation. The present work had as objective to evaluate the use of starches, of manioc and maize, used in the mining, as a filtrate reducer in polymeric drilling fluids for oil and gas wells. The study was carried out in three stages: in the first step, five different types of modified starches were characterized by the viscosity and water solubility index tests; in the second, the starch samples were evaluated according of with the of the Petrobras standard (PE-2POC-00727-0) and, in the third and last step, the samples that, attended the specifications of the standard, were evaluated in the concentrations of 0 to 9g/350mL of water, in a typical formulation of polymeric fluid aiming to evaluate the rheological and filtration properties. The data obtained were compared with a polymer fluid additived with commercial starch. The results showed that among the five samples studied, only the called of CMAN-AV was considered approved in the standard and, when added to the polymeric fluid gaved rheological and filtration properties similar to the fluid additived with the commercial starch. Thus, it is concluded that sample CMAN-AV can be used as a filtrate reducer in polymeric drilling fluid.

The development of ceramic membranes with different geometries and compositions extends the possibilities of industrial applications, inducing advantages in terms of increased permeability, membrane area by volume module and chemical, thermal and mechanical resistance. The use of low-cost raw materials is a trend that has grown in scientific research. The aim of this work is to prepare membranes with hollow fiber geometry from alumina and residue of quartzite, by the technique of immersion precipitation in distilled water from a mixture of ceramic mass with a solution of polyethersulfone and, synthesized in temperatures of 1100 ºC to 1500 °C. The hollow fiber membranes were characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution, scanning electron microscopy, apparent porosity, flexural strength and permeated water flow by the membranes. The results indicated that the sintering temperature has direct influence on the formation of the mullite phase, and the properties of apparent porosity and permeate flow. The higher the sintering temperature (1400-1500 ° C) increase the formation of the mullite phase, the lower the porosity, as well as the lower the permeate water flow in the membranes. However, there was increase in flexural strength in the hollow fiber membranes with high temperature.

Polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber membranes were produced, containing 3% of two types of clay (Brasgel PA - MMT and Cloisite NA - CLNa), in order to modify the characteristics of the polyethersulfone membrane. By means of the X-ray diffraction, it was possible to observe an exfoliated and/or partially exfoliated structure in the membranes containing clay. From the analysis of contact angle, it was possible to notice an increase in the hydrophilicity of the membrane with the introduction of the clay. Through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the morphology of the porous support of the membrane was modified with addition of clay, favoring greater uniformity of the pores and fingers. In the flow measurements with distilled water, the membranes with clay obtained the highest flows, being the greater flow with the Cloisite Na clay (~22 L/h.m2) and was in agreement with the contact angle results. In the analysis of permeation with the oily emulsion, the membrane with Brasgel PA clay in its structure presented the greatest flow (~16 L/h.m2) and the membrane with Cloisite Na presented the greatest yield (78.28%). Therefore, the clay acted by modifying both the morphology and the hydrophilicity of the polyethersulfone membrane, improving flow and yield.

RESUMO As membranas poliméricas vêm sendo bastante utilizadas no processo de tratamento de efluentes em todo mundo, solucionando problemas médicos, sociais e ambientais. Sendo assim, membranas de fibra oca foram produzidas a partir da polietersulfona (PES), adicionando a argila Cloisite Na – CLNa e também inserindo o solvente N,N dimetilformamida (DMF), com o intuito de modificar a morfologia da membrana. A argila foi caracterizada por fluorescência de raios-X (FRX) e difração de raios-X (DRX). Por FRX, ficou visto que a argila apresentou característica naturalmente sódica e com pouco materiais acessórios. O DRX mostrou que a Cloisite Na possui característica de uma argila montmorilonita contendo íons Na+. As membranas foram caracterizadas por ângulo de contato (membrana plana), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e medidas de fluxo. Por meio das medidas do ângulo de contato foi visto que a presença de argila favoreceu a um aumento da hidrofilicidade das membranas. Nas membranas de fibra oca, foi observado por MEV que a presença da argila modificou a morfologia da membrana, alterando a uniformidade dos “fingers” e dos macroporos e modificando a camada densa no centro do suporte poroso, A adição do ácido no líquido interno modificou ainda mais a morfologia, diminuindo a camada densa no centro do suporte poroso da membrana e também alterando os “fingers” e os macroporos, tendo uma maior uniformidade dos mesmos em relação a membrana sem a presença do DMF no líquido interno. A partir das medidas de fluxo foi possível observar que a membrana contendo 5% de CLNa com a presença do solvente no líquido interno obteve um maior fluxo com o tempo, isto ocorreu devido à morfologia mais uniforme apresentada da membrana.

ABSTRACT Polymer membranes have been widely used in the treatment of effluents worldwide, solving medical, social and environmental problems. Thus, hollow fiber membranes were produced from polyethersulfone (PES) with adding Cloisite Na -CLNa clay and also by inserting the N, N -dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent, in order to modify the membrane morphology. Clay was characterized by X-ray fluorescence (FRX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). By FRX, it was seen that the clay presented naturally sodium and with little accessory materials. The XRD showed that Cloisite Na has a characteristic of a montmorillonite clay containing Na+. The membranes were characterized by contact angle (flat membrane), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flow measurements. By means of the contact angle measurements it was seen that the presence of clay favored an increase the hydrophilicity of the membranes. At the hollow fiber membranes, it was observed by SEM that the presence of clay modified the membrane morphology, changing the uniformity of the “fingers” and the macropores and modifying the dense layer in the center of the porous support. The addition of the acid in the internal liquid modified even more the morphology, decreasing the dense layer at the center of the membrane porous support and also changing the “fingers” and the macropores, having a greater uniformity of the same with respect to the membrane without the presence of DMF in the internal liquid. From the flow measurements it was possible to observe that the membrane containing 5% CLNa with the presence of the solvent in the internal liquid obtained a greater flow over time, this occurred due to the presented more uniform morphology of the membrane.

RESUMO O Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, mais especificamente no município de Parelhas, Brasil, a indústria cerâmica já é bastante consolidada, crescendo ano após ano. Entretanto, o estímulo do setor tem provocado acelerada exaustão das jazidas de argilas locais utilizadas pela indústria e, por conseguinte, ameaçando a manutenção da indústria cerâmica no município e na região Seridó. Por esta razão, tem-se aprofundado o interesse de buscar novos jazimentos de argilas, a fim de suprir as suas demandas atuais e futuras. Recentemente, foram descobertos novos jazimentos no município, todavia, estas argilas não têm sido devidamente caracterizadas, causando prejuízos tanto a qualidade final do produto, como ao seu pleno aproveitamento industrial. Assim, este trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar física, química e mineralogicamente argilas extraídas de três novos jazimentos do município de Parelhas/RN, com a finalidade de classificá-las visando sua aplicação na indústria de cerâmica vermelha da região. As amostras foram beneficiadas por secagem a 60 °C, seguida de moagem e peneiramento em malha de 200 mesh. Então, foram caracterizadas por fluorescência de raios-x, difração de raios-x, análise termogravimétrica e diferencial, análise granulométrica, perda ao fogo e plasticidade. Os constituintes das amostras identificados por fluorescência de raios X foram SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, K2O, CaO e TiO2. Os difratogramas de raios-X revelaram a presença predominante dos argilominerais esmectita, feldspato, caulinita e quartzo nas amostras. A perda de massa total para as amostras variou entre 14% a 22,65%. A distribuição de partículas variou entre 0,2 a 40 µm, com diâmetro médio entre 6 e 16 µm. As amostras são classificadas como altamente plásticas e apresentam viabilidade para serem utilizadas na indústria de cerâmica vermelha.

ABSTRACT The State of Rio Grande do Norte, more specifically in the municipality of Parelhas, Brazil, the ceramic industry is already well established, growing year after year. However, the industry stimulus has led to accelerated exhaustion of the local clay deposits used by the industry and, therefore, threatening the maintenance of the ceramics industry in the municipality and the Seridó region. For this reason, interest has been deepened in the search for new clay deposits in order to meet their current and future demands. Recently, new deposits have been discovered in the municipality, however, these clays have not been properly characterized, causing damage to both the final quality of the product and its full industrial use.Thus, this work aims to characterize physically, chemically and mineralogically clays extracted from deposits in the Parelhas/RN municipality, with the purpose of classifying them aiming to be applied in the ceramic industry of the region. The samples were beneficiated by drying at 60 °C, followed by milling and sieving in 200 mesh sieves. Then, they were characterized by x-ray fluorescence, x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and differential analysis, particle size analysis, ignition loss and plasticity. The constituents of the samples identified by X-ray fluorescence were SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, K2O, CaO and TiO2. The X-ray diffractograms revealed the predominant presence of the clay minerals smectite, feldspar, kaolinite and quartz in the samples. The total mass loss for the samples ranged from 14% to 22.65%. The particle distribution ranged from 0.2 to 40 μm, with an average diameter between 3 and 7 μm. The samples are classified as highly plastic and are feasible for use in the red ceramic industry.

RESUMO As membranas poliméricas vêm sendo bastante utilizadas no processo de tratamento de efluentes em todo mundo, solucionando problemas médicos, sociais e ambientais. Sendo assim, membranas de fibra oca foram produzidas a partir da polietersulfona (PES), adicionando a argila Cloisite Na – CLNa e também inserindo o solvente N,N dimetilformamida (DMF), com o intuito de modificar a morfologia da membrana. A argila foi caracterizada por fluorescência de raios-X (FRX) e difração de raios-X (DRX). Por FRX, ficou visto que a argila apresentou característica naturalmente sódica e com pouco materiais acessórios. O DRX mostrou que a Cloisite Na possui característica de uma argila montmorilonita contendo íons Na+. As membranas foram caracterizadas por ângulo de contato (membrana plana), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e medidas de fluxo. Por meio das medidas do ângulo de contato foi visto que a presença de argila favoreceu a um aumento da hidrofilicidade das membranas. Nas membranas de fibra oca, foi observado por MEV que a presença da argila modificou a morfologia da membrana, alterando a uniformidade dos “fingers” e dos macroporos e modificando a camada densa no centro do suporte poroso, A adição do ácido no líquido interno modificou ainda mais a morfologia, diminuindo a camada densa no centro do suporte poroso da membrana e também alterando os “fingers” e os macroporos, tendo uma maior uniformidade dos mesmos em relação a membrana sem a presença do DMF no líquido interno. A partir das medidas de fluxo foi possível observar que a membrana contendo 5% de CLNa com a presença do solvente no líquido interno obteve um maior fluxo com o tempo, isto ocorreu devido à morfologia mais uniforme apresentada da membrana.

ABSTRACT Polymer membranes have been widely used in the treatment of effluents worldwide, solving medical, social and environmental problems. Thus, hollow fiber membranes were produced from polyethersulfone (PES) with adding Cloisite Na -CLNa clay and also by inserting the N, N dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent, in order to modify the membrane morphology. Clay was characterized by X-ray fluorescence (FRX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). By FRX, it was seen that the clay presented naturally sodium and with little accessory materials. The XRD showed that Cloisite Na has a characteristic of a montmorillonite clay containing Na+. The membranes were characterized by contact angle (flat membrane), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flow measurements. By means of the contact angle measurements it was seen that the presence of clay favored an increase the hydrophilicity of the membranes. At the hollow fiber membranes, it was observed by SEM that the presence of clay modified the membrane morphology, changing the uniformity of the “fingers” and the macropores and modifying the dense layer in the center of the porous support. The addition of the acid in the internal liquid modified even more the morphology, decreasing the dense layer at the center of the membrane porous support and also changing the “fingers” and the macropores, having a greater uniformity of the same with respect to the membrane without the presence of DMF in the internal liquid. From the flow measurements it was possible to observe that the membrane containing 5% CLNa with the presence of the solvent in the internal liquid obtained a greater flow over time, this occurred due to the presented more uniform morphology of the membrane.

In this study, the effects of dopant concentrations on the structural and morphological characteristics of Zn1-xMnxO powders (x= 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1 mole) synthesized by the Pechini method has been investigated. The powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) specific surface, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FTIR). An XRD analysis of the powder showed the formation of ZnO phase with a typical single phase wurtzite structure. The EDX analysis revealed Mn incorporated in the ZnO structure. The particle size calculated by BET ranged from 24 to 63 nm, confirming the nanometric size of the powder particles. The SEM analysis revealed irregular shaped particle agglomerates and the presence of nanosheets. From FTIR it was confirmed the wurtzite structure in ZnO and ZnO nanoparticles doped with Mn.

In this work, it was prepared hybrid membranes of polyamide6 (PA6) with montmorillonite (MMT) and porogenic agent (CaCl2). The hybrid membranes with CaCl2 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), porosimetry by mercury intrusion (PMI), flux measurements and rejection. By means of X-ray diffraction, it was revealed that the hybrid membranes with CaCl2 have an exfoliated and/or partially exfoliated structure. For FTIR and DSC of hybrid membranes with CaCl2, it was found that the spectra and the crystalline melting temperature remained virtually unchanged compared to PA6 membrane. From the SEM images, it was observed that the addition of the MMT and the CaCl2 in the membrane of PA6 caused an increase in the amount of pores the surface and cross section of these membranes. By PMI, it was observed that the presence of MMT and CaCl2 in the membrane caused an increase in the average diameters of pores. The water-oil separation tests, indicated a significant reduction of oil in the permeate, allowing treatment of wastewater contaminated with oil.

RESUMO O descarte inapropriado de resíduos das indústrias da cerâmica vermelha é bastante elevado. Um dos maiores desafios da atualidade é a investigação de processos para a obtenção de materiais alternativos, que permitam o emprego destes resíduos na fabricação de novos materiais. Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar composições de massas argilosas a partir da incorporação de resíduo da indústria de cerâmica vermelha para uso em membranas cerâmicas tubulares. Foram estabelecidas duas composições de massa cerâmica; composição A (50% de resíduo) e composição B (70% de resíduo). As análises granulométricas das massas cerâmicas apresentaram um tamanho médio de partículas que prever membranas na escala de microfiltração. Outro fator observado está relacionado ao aumento da quantidade de resíduo, o mesmo, favoreceu a diminuição da plasticidade na massa cerâmica. Observou-se também um aumento na porosidade aparente, provavelmente pelo possível crescimento do número de poros maiores, decorrentes da temperatura elevada de sinterização e do próprio aumento da quantidade de resíduo.

ABSTRACT The inappropriate residue disposal of red ceramic industry is very high. Nowadays, one of the major challenges is the investigation of processes to obtain alternative materials, enabling the use of these residues to manufacture new materials. This work's objective is to study clayey masses' compositions starting from the residue incorporation of the red ceramic industry to be used in tubular ceramic membranes. Two compositions of ceramic masses were established, composition A (50% of residue) and composition B (70% of residue). Granulometric analysis of the ceramic masses presented an average size of particles, what indicates membranes in the microfiltration scale. Another observed factor is related to the increase of residue amount, what favored a decrease in the ceramic mass' plasticity. A rise in the apparent porosity was also observed, probably because of a possible growing in the bigger pores numbers, due to the sintering high temperature and the elevation of residue quantity itself.

RESUMO Neste trabalho, foram obtidas membranas híbridas de poliamida6 (PA6) com 1%, 3% e 5% em peso de argila na forma de filmes finos por meio da técnica de inversão de fases. As membranas híbridas foram caracterizadas por difração de raios-X (XRD), espectroscopia na região do infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (SEM), porosimetria por intrusão de mercúrio (MIP) e ângulo de contato. Por meio do XRD, foi possível perceber que as membranas híbridas sugerem uma estrutura esfoliada e/ou parcialmente esfoliada. Os espectros de FTIR das membranas híbridas permaneceram inalterados, exceto pelo aumento na intensidade dos picos em 800, 1033 e 1095 cm−1 provavelmente referente à camada octaédrica e a vibração do estiramento do grupo Si- O-Si da argila. Por DSC foi observado que praticamente não houve alteração da temperatura de fusão cristalina das membranas híbridas em relação à membrana de PA6 pura. A partir das fotomicrografias obtidas por SEM, foi ilustrada a obtenção de membranas microporosas assimétricas com a formação de uma pele filtrante e um suporte poroso ao longo da seção transversal. Além disso, a adição da argila provocou um aumento na quantidade e distribuição uniforme dos poros existentes na superfície e seção transversal destas membranas. Por MIP, observou-se que a presença da argila nas membranas ocasionou um aumento nos diâmetros médio dos poros. Por meio do ângulo de contato, verificou-se que as membranas híbridas apresentaram maiores ângulos de contato para a água destilada quando comparadas aos ângulos obtidos com o óleo sintético. As membranas híbridas obtidas apresentaram uma morfologia com porosidade adequada para aplicação em processos de microfiltração.

ABSTRACT In this research, hybrid membranes of polyamide6 (PA6) with 1%, 3% and 5% of clay were obtained in the form of thin films by phase inversion technique. The hybrid membranes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and contact angle. By XRD, it was revealed that the hybrid membranes suggest an exfoliated and/or partially exfoliated structure. The FTIR spectra of hybrid membranes remained unchanged, except for the increase in the intensity of the peaks at 800, 1033 and 1095 cm−1 probably related to the octahedral layer and the stretching vibration of Si-O-Si clay group. By DSC, it was observed that there was almost no change in the crystalline melting temperature of the hybrid membrane to the pure PA6 membrane. By SEM photomicrographs, it was illustrated the obtaining of asymmetric microporous membranes with the formation of a filter skin and a porous support along the cross-section. Furthermore, the addition of the clay led to an increase in the amount and in the uniform distribution of the pores at the surface and cross section of these membranes. For MIP, it was observed that the presence of clay in the membrane caused an increase in average pore diameters. By means of the contact angle, it was found that the hybrid membranes showed higher contact angles for distilled water as compared to the angles obtained from the synthetic oil. The obtained hybrid membranes showed morphology with adequate porosity for use in microfiltration processes.

RESUMO Membranas podem ser consideradas películas poliméricas ou inorgânicas que funcionam como uma barreira semipermeável para uma filtração em escala molecular, separando duas fases e restringindo, total ou parcialmente, o transporte de uma ou várias espécies químicas (solutos) presentes na solução. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho é produzir membranas de poliétersulfona (PES) e poliétersulfona / argila pela técnica de inversão de fase e avaliar a presença de argila na obtenção de membranas para o tratamento de efluentes líquidos. O solvente utilizado foi a dimetilformamida (DMF) e argilas utilizadas foram Brasgel PA (MMT) e Cloisite Na (CL Na) nas proporções de 3 a 5% (em peso). Por difração de raios-X (DRX), as membranas com 3% das argilas MMT e CL Na aparentemente apresentaram estruturas parcialmente esfoliadas; para a composição com 5% de CL Na observou-se um pequeno pico, que indica que esta é, possivelmente, uma estrutura intercalada ou microcompósito. A partir dos resultados de microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), visualizou-se que a superfície da membrana de PES puro apresentou uma estrutura aparentemente sem poros, no aumento utilizado e, uma superfície sem rugosidade quando comparada com às membranas com argila. As medidas de ângulo de contato indicaram que a inclusão da argila alterou a capacidade de molhamento das membranas. O fluxo com água destilada para todas as membranas iniciou alto e ao longo do tempo chegou a um patamar de estabilização. Assim, pôde-se concluir que a presença e o teor de argila alteraram a morfologia da membrana, contribuindo para um aumento do fluxo de água.

ABSTRACT Membranes can be considered polymeric or inorganic films that function as a semipermeable barrier to filtration on a molecular scale, separating two phases and restricting, totally or partially, the transportation of one or more chemical species (solute) present in the solution. Therefore, the aim of this work is to produce polyethersulfone membranes (PES) and polyethersulfone/clay by phase inversion technique and evaluate the presence of clay in obtaining membranes for wastewater treatment. The used solvent was dimethylformamide (DMF) and clays were Brasgel PA (MMT) and Cloisite Na (CL Na) in the proportion of 3 to 5% (wt.). By X-ray diffraction (XRD), the membranes with 3% of MMT and CL Na clays apparently had partially exfoliated structures. For the composition with 5% of CL Na a small peak was observed, which indicates that this is possibly an intercalated structure or microcomposite. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), visualizes that the pure suface of the pure PES membrane a structure apparently without pores was observed in the used magnification and without roughness surface when compared to membranes with clay. The measurements of contact angle indicated that the inclusion of clay altered the wetting ability of the membranes. The flow with distilled water for all membranes started high and over time reached a stabilization level. Thus, it can be concluded that the presence and the content of clay altered the morphology of the membrane, contributing to an increase in water flow.