Ultrafiltration (UF) is investigated as a possible alternative to remove organic compounds from aqueous synthetic solution. This paper presents a comprehensive study towards a better understanding of phenolic compound retention mechanisms during UF processes. Thus, removal of phenol and resorcinol was studied using a polyethersulfone ultrafiltration (PES-UF) membrane. The influence of main operating conditions (feed concentration, transmembrane pressure, and pH) on the retention was evaluated. Membrane–solute interactions were found to play an important role during the process, suggesting the adsorption of the target compounds on the PES-UF membrane. |
