Biodegradable membranes using PBAT(polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and PBS(polybutylene succinate) biopolymer blends

Single-use disposable membranes are widely used in various industrial applications, ranging from particle filters to virus filtration membranes. However, the widespread use of these petroleum-derived membranes contributes to the escalating plastic pollution crisis, as their non-biodegradable nature inevitably leads to the formation of micro/nanoplastics upon disposal. This work presents the fabrication of environmentally sustainable membranes derived from blends of biodegradable polymers — poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). Membranes were comprehensively characterized with respect to pore morphology, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and membrane performance across a range of polymer compositions and fabrication parameters. The PBAT/PBS blend membranes prepared via the phase separation method exhibited optimized mechanical properties with a Young’s modulus of 33–50 MPa (strain in the 35% range), achieving a favorable balance between flexibility and structural integrity. Furthermore, the use of polyethylene glycol (PEG) additives promoted the formation of 0.1–0.2 µm open pores, dramatically increasing the pure water permeance up to 330 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹ while maintaining high 0.1 μm particle rejection (>95%). Compared with conventional petroleum-derived non-biodegradable membranes such as polyethersulfone (PES) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), the developed PBAT/PBS membranes demonstrated competitive performance and near-complete biodegradation within 7 weeks under standard composting conditions. These results underscore the potential of PBAT/PBS membranes as fully sustainable alternatives for single-use disposable filter markets.