Plant-inspired biomimetic hybrid PVDF membrane co-deposited by tea polyphenols and 3-amino-propyl-triethoxysilane for high-efficiency oil-in-water emulsion separation

Membrane pollution caused by separating oily wastewater is a big challenge for membrane separation technology. Recently, plant-/mussel-inspired interface chemistry has received more and more attention. Herein, a high antifouling poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane, coated with tea polyphenols (TP, extracted from green tea) and 3-amino-propyl-triethoxysilane (APTES), was developed to purify oil-in-water emulsions. ATR-FTIR, XPS and SEM were used to demonstrate the evolution of surface biomimetic hybrid coatings. The performances of the developed membranes were investigated by pure water permeability and oil rejection for various surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. The experimental results revealed that the membrane deposited with a mass ratio of 0.1/0.2 exhibited ultrahigh pure water permeability (14570 L·m^-2·h^-1·bar^-1, 1 bar=0.1 MPa) and isooctane-in-water emulsion permeability (5391 L·m^-2·h^-1·bar^-1) with high separation efficiency (>98.9%). Even treated in harsh environment (acidic, alkaline and saline) for seven days, the membrane still maintained considerable underwater oleophobic property (148°–153°). The fabricated plant-inspired biomimetic hybrid membranes with excellent performances light a broad application prospect in the field of oily wastewater treatment.     

Electrospinning organic solvent resistant preoxidized poly(acrylonitrile) nanofiber membrane and its properties

A high performance preoxidized poly(acrylonitrile) (O-PAN) nanofiber membrane with excellent solvent resistance, thermal stability and flexibility was fabricated by the preoxidation of electrospun PAN nanofiber membrane. The performance of resultant O-PAN nanofiber membrane was optimized by altering the PAN concentration and preoxidation temperature. The results showed that the O-PAN nanofiber membrane which made from PAN concentration of 14% (mass) and preoxidation temperature of 250.0 ℃ have a more optimal comprehensive performance. In the long-term separation test of SiO₂ particle (1 μm) in DMAc suspension, the permeate flux of O-PAN nanofiber membrane stabilized at 227.91 L·m^-2·h^-1 (25 ℃, 0.05 MPa) while the SiO₂ rejection above 99.6%, which showed excellent solvent resistance and separation performance. In order to further explore the application of the O-PAN nanofiber membrane, the O-PAN nanofiber membrane was treated with fluoride and used in oil/water separation process. The O-PAN nanofiber membrane after hydrophobic treatment showed excellent hydrophobicity and good oil/water separation performance with the permeate flux about 969.59 L·m^-2·h^-1 while the separation efficiency above 96.1%. The O-PAN nanofiber membrane exhibited a potential application prospect in harsh environment separation.     

Preparation and performance of novel thermal stable composite nanofiltration membrane

The novel thermal stable composite nanofiltration membranes were prepared through the interfacial polymerization of piperazine and trimesoyl chloride on the poly (phthalazinone ether) ultrafiltration substrate. The effects of polymerization and testing conditions on membrane performance were studied. The surface morphologies of the substrate and the composite membranes were observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The separation properties of membranes for dyes and salts were tested. The composite membranes show good thermal stability. The rejection for Na₂SO₄ was kept over 96%, while the flux reached 400 L·m^-2·h^-1 when it was tested at 1.0 MPa and 80°C. When tested at 1.0 MPa and 60°C, the rejection of the composite membrane for dyes was kept at high level, and the flux reached 180–210 Lm^-2·h^-1, while the rejection for NaCl was lower than 20%.     

Regulatable pervaporation performance of Zn-MOFs/polydimethylsiloxane mixed matrix pervaporation membranes

Pervaporation (PV) is an emerging separation technique for liquid mixture. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) often demonstrate trade-off relationship between separation factor and flux. In this study, by changing the organic linkers (2-methyl imidazolate, imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde, 2-ethyl imidazolate), ZIF-8, ZIF-90 and MAF-6 were prepared and filled in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes for dealcoholization of 5% (mass) n-butanol solution, and the membranes properties and pervaporation performances were adjusted. Compared with the pure PDMS membrane, the addition of ZIF-8 resulted in a 9% increase in flux (1136 g·m^-2·h^-1) and a 22.5% increase in separation factor (28.3), displaying anti-trade-off effect. For the MAF-6/PDMS MMMs (2.0% mass loading), the pervaporation separation index (PSI) and separation factor were 32347 g·m^-2·h^-1 and 58.6 respectively (increased by 34% and 154% in contrast with that of the pure PDMS membrane), and the corresponding permeation flux was 552 g·m^-2·h^-1, presenting great potential in the removal butanol from water. It was deduced that the large aperture size combined with moderate hydrophobicity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) favor the concurrent increase in permeability and selectivity.     

涂覆法制备高性能磺化聚醚砜混合基质膜

采用涂覆法将磺化聚醚砜（SPES（浓度为0.7%（质量（的铸膜液制备成膜，并使用钛酸四丁酯（TBT（和TiO₂纳米颗粒作为添加剂来对比改善膜性能。通过对纳滤膜的微观结构表征，以及膜对NaCl与染料的分离性能等方面来分析其性能。当钛酸四丁酯的含量为0.35%（质量（时，膜的通量从27.3 L·m^-2·h^-1提升至38.9 L·m^-2·h^-1，而截留率则有91.2%降至82.5%。与纯SPES膜相比，改性纳滤膜的平均孔径更大，由1.51 nm增大为2.28 nm。TBT改性膜表面有TiO₂纳米颗粒形成，而且随着TBT的浓度增大，颗粒逐渐增大，而直接添加TiO₂纳米颗粒的纳滤膜的表面呈现明显的团聚现象。使用钛酸四丁酯代替TiO₂纳米颗粒作为添加剂，在增加膜通量的同时也能降低纳米颗粒团聚而导致的膜缺陷。由钛酸四丁酯水解生成的正丁醇的致孔作用对膜的性能具有很大的影响。     

Simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from liquid digestate by vacuum membrane distillation with permeate fractional condensation

A vacuum membrane distillation(VMD) process with permeate fractional condensation on membrane downstream has been developed for simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from liquid digestate. The polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) membrane flux could reach 6000 g·m~(-2)·h~(-1) with the rejection efficiency of total phosphorus(TP) over 0.99, under the condition of flowrate being 120 L·h~(-1) and temperature being 40°C. Membrane fouling occurred with a film of organics and microorganism deposited on the surface of the membrane. Membrane flux could be reversed after the membrane was rinsed by water. Higher feed temperature and flowrate could improve the membrane flux, while hardly affect the rejection efficiency of total phosphorus. The concentration of TP could reach 1600 mg·L~(-1) after membrane distillation, which is about 5 times of that in initial liquid digestate. On the downstream of the membrane, some of the permeate vapor was condensed under the vacuum condition and most of water was collected here. The remaining vapor enriched with total nitrogen(TN) was compressed and pumped to the atmospheric condition to condense. The TN concentration in atmospheric condensate was as high as 7000 mg·L~(-1) with the process separation factor for ammonia being enhanced to 114.     

添加剂和凝结剂温度对用无溶剂致相位分离法生产高性能PVDF/聚醚F127混合中空光纤膜的影响(英文)

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF) has become one of the most popular materials for membrane prepara-tion via nonsolvent induced phase separation(NIPS) process.In this study,an amphiphilic block copolymer,Plu-ronic F127,has been used as both a pore-former and a surface-modifier in the fabrication of PVDF hollow fiber membranes to enhance the membrane permeability and hydrophilicity.The effects of 2nd additive and coagulant temperature on the formation of PVDF/Pluronic F127 membranes have also been investigated.The as-spun hollow fibers were characterized in terms of cross-sectional morphology,pure water permeation(PWP),relative molecular mass cut-off(MWCO),membrane chemistry,and hydrophilicity.It was observed that the addition of Pluronic F127 significantly increased the PWP of as-spun fibers,while the membrane contact angle was reduced.However,the size of macrovoids in the membranes was undesirably large.The addition of a 2nd additive,including lithium chlo-ride(LiCl) and water,or an increase in coagulant temperature was found to effectively suppress the macrovoid for-mation in the Pluronic-containing membranes.In addition,the use of LiCl as a 2nd additive also further enhanced the PWP and hydrophilicity of the membranes,while the surface pore size became smaller.PVDF hollow fiber with a PWP as high as 2530 L?m?2?h?1?MPa?1,a MWCO of 53000 and a contact angle of 71° was successfully fabricated with 3%(by mass) of Pluronic F127 and 3%(by mass) of LiCl at a coagulant temperature of 25 °C,which shows better performance as compared with most of PVDF hollow fiber membranes made by NIPS method.     

Crosslinked P84 copolyimide/MXene mixed matrix membrane with excellent solvent resistance and permselectivity

MXene is a novel 2D lamellar material with excellent hydrophilicity and permselectivity. MXene was introduced in the P84 polymer matrix and the matrix was crosslinked with triethylenetetramine(TETA) to improve the permselectivity and solvent resistance of the polyimide membrane. The membrane was characterized with SEM, AFM and ATR-FTIR, and effects of MXene content on the membrane morphology and separation performance are investigated. The membrane prepared with 18% P84 and 1% MXene shows high rejection(100%) to gentian violet(408) and high flux(268 L·m~(-2)·h~(-1)) at 0.1 MPa and ambient temperature. MXene endows the membrane with much water channel and denser functional layer which improves the membrane performance obviously. The membrane shows excellent solvent resistance to dimethylformamide(DMF), acetone and methanol after crosslinking with TETA during the 18 days of immersion.     

Improvement of porous polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluropropylene hollow fiber membranes for sweeping gas membrane distillation of ethylene glycol solution

Porous polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluropropylene (PVDF-HFP) hollow fiber membranes were fabricated through a wet spinning process. In order to improve the membrane structure, composition of the polymer solution was adjusted by studying ternary phase diagrams of polymer/solvent/non-solvent. The prepared membranes were used for sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD) of 20 wt% ethylene glycol (EG) aqueous solution. The membranes were characterized by different tests such as N₂ permeation, overall porosity, critical water entry pressure (CEP_w), water contact angle and collapsing pressure. From FESEM examination, addition of 3 wt% glycerol in the PVDF-HFP solution, produced membranes with smaller finger-likes cavities, higher surface porosity and smaller pore sizes. Increasing the polymer concentration up to 21 wt% resulted in a dense spongy structure which could significantly reduce the N₂ permeance. The membrane prepared by 3 wt% glycerol and 17 wt% polymer demonstrated an improved structure with mean pore size of 18 nm and a high surface porosity of 872 m^-1. CEP_w of 350 kPa and overall porosity of 84% were also obtained for the improved membrane. Collapsing pressure of the membranes relatively improved by increasing the polymer concentration. From the SGMD test, the developed membrane represented a maximum permeate flux of 28 kg·m^-2·h^-1 which is almost 19% higher than the flux of plain membrane. During 120 h of a long-term SGMD operation, a gradual flux reduction of 30% was noticed. In addition, EG rejection reduced from 100% to around 99.5% during 120 h of the operation.     

Fouling process and anti-fouling mechanisms of dynamic membrane assisted by photocatalytic oxidation under sub-critical fluxes

Membrane fouling is often considered as a hindrance for the application of microfiltration/ultrafiltration(MF/UF) for drinking water production. A novel process of photocatalytic membrane reactor/dynamic membrane(PMR/DM), operating in a continuous mode under sub-critical flux, was proposed for the mitigation of membrane fouling caused by humic acids(HAs) in water. The mechanism of membrane fouling alleviation with synergistic photocatalytic oxidation and dynamic layer isolating effect was comprehensively investigated from the characterization of foulant evolution responsible for the reversible and irreversible fouling. The results showed that the PMR/DM utilized photocatalytic oxidation to enhance the porosity and hydrophilicity of the fouling layer by converting the high molecular weight(MW) and hydrophobic HA molecules with carboxylic functional groups and aromatic structures into low-MW hydrophilic or transphilic fractions, including tryptophan-like or fulvic-like substances. The fouling layer formed in the PMR/DM by combination of photocatalytic oxidation and DM running at a sub-critical flux of 100 Láhà1ámà2, was more hydrophilic and more porous, resulting in the lowest trans-membrane pressure(TMP) growth rates, as compared to the processes of ceramic membrane(CM), DM and PMR/CM.Meanwhile, the dynamic layer prevented the foulants, particularly the high-MW hydrophobic fractions,from contacting the primary membrane, which enabled the membrane permeability to be restored easily.     

Fabrication of poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane via thermally induced phase separation using ionic liquid as green diluent

Ionic liquid(IL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate([BMIM]PF6) as a new and environmentally friendly diluent was introduced to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF) membranes via thermally induced phase separation(TIPS). Phase diagram of PVDF/[BMIM]PF6 was measured. The effects of polymer concentration and quenching temperature on the morphologies, properties, and performances of the PVDF membranes were investigated. When the polymer concentration was 15 wt%, the pure water flux of the fabricated membrane was up to nearly 2000 L·m~(-2)·h~(-1), along with adequate mechanical strength. With the increasing of PVDF concentration and quenching temperature, mean pore size and water permeability of the membrane decreased. SEM results showed that PVDF membranes manufactured by ionic liquid(BMIm PF6) presented spherulite structure. And the PVDF membranes were represented as β phase by XRD and FTIR characterization. It provides a new way to prepare PVDF membranes with piezoelectric properties.     

Performance evaluation of polyamide nanofiltration membranes for phosphorus removal process and their stability against strong acid/alkali solution

In this study,a quantitative performance of three commercial polyamide nanofiltration(NF) membranes(i.e.,NF,NF90,and NF270) for phosphorus removal under different feed conditions was investigated.The experiments were conducted at different feed phosphorus concentrations(2.5,5,10,and 15 mg·L~(-1)) and elevated pHs(pH 1.5,5,10,and 13.5) at a constant feed pressure of 1 MPa using a dead-end filtration cell.Membrane rejection against total phosphorus generally increased with increasing phosphorus concentration regardless of membrane type.In contrast,the permeate flux for all the membranes only decreased slightly with increasing phosphorus concentration.The results also showed that the phosphorus rejections improved while water flux remained almost unchanged with increasing feed solution pH.When the three membranes were exposed to strong pHs(pH 1.5 and 13.5) for a longer duration(up to 6 weeks)it was found that the rejection capability and water flux of the membranes remained very similar throughout the duration,except for NF membrane with marginal decrement in phosphorus rejection.Adsorption study also revealed that more phosphorus was adsorbed onto the membrane structure at alkaline conditions(pH 10 and 13.5) compared to the same membranes tested at lower pHs(pH 1.5 and 5).In eonelusion,NF270 membrane outperformed Nf and NF90 membranes owing to its desirable performance of water flux and phosphorus rejection particularly under strong alkali solution.The NF270 membrane achieved 14.0 L·m~(-2)·h~(-1) and 96.5% rejection against 10 mg·L~(-1) phosphorus solution with a pH value of 13.5 at the applied pressure of 1 MPa.     

Reducing active layer thickness of polyamide composite membranes using a covalent organic framework interlayer in interfacial polymerization

Polyamide(PA)-based thin-film composite membranes exhibit enormous potential in water purification, owing to their facile fabrication, decent performance and desirable stability. However, the thick PA active layer with high transport resistance from the conventional interfacial polymerization hampers their applications. The controllable fabrication of a thin PA active layer is essential for high separation efficiency but still challenging. Herein,a covalent organic framework TpPa-1 interlayer was firstly deposited on a polyethersulfone(PES) substrate to reduce the thickness of PA active layer in interfacial polymerization. The abundant pores of TpPa-1 increase the local concentration of amine monomers by adsorbing piperazine molecules, while hydrogen bonds between hydrophilic groups of TpPa-1 and piperazine molecules slow down their diffusion rate. Arising from those synergetic effects, the PA active layer is effectively reduced from 200 nm to 120 nm. By optimizing TpPa-1 interlayer and PA active layer, the water flux of resultant membranes can reach 171.35 L·m~(-2)·h~(-1)·MPa~(-1), which increased by 125.4% compared with PA/PES membranes, while the rejection rates of sodium sulfate and dyes solution remained more than 90% and 99%, respectively. Our strategy may stimulate rational design of ultrathin PA-based nanofiltration membranes with high performances.     

超亲水SiO2修饰膜的构建及其油水乳液分离性能

采用硅溶胶和多巴胺作为修饰剂,通过一步反应在微孔聚丙烯膜(MPPM)表面构建了SiO₂修饰层。利用FTIR、ESEM和EDX对膜进行了表征,发现膜表面SiO₂颗粒分布非常均匀。水/油接触角及纯水通量实验结果表明,修饰膜具有超亲水性及水下超疏油性,透水能力强,水通量大[在0.1 MPa时,水通量高达(5100±500)L·m^-2·h^-1]。油水乳液分离结果表明,修饰膜能有效分离油水乳液,在0.05 MPa时,油水乳液水通量达2830 L·m^-2·h^-1,油截留率达99.8%以上,即使过膜压力增大到0.15 MPa,油截留率也能保持在99%以上,且膜表面的油污可用水清洗除去,展现出很好的应用前景。     

Potential use of nanofiltration like-forward osmosis membranes for copper ion removal

The discharge of industrial effluent containing heavy metal ions would cause water pollution if such effluent is not properly treated. In this work, the performance of emerging nanofiltration(NF) like-forward osmosis(FO)membrane was evaluated for its efficiency to remove copper ion from water. Conventionally, copper ion is removed from aqueous solution via adsorption and/or ion-exchange method. The engineered osmosis method as proposed in this work considered four commercial NF membranes(i.e., NF90, DK, NDX and PFO) where their separation performances were accessed using synthetic water sample containing 100 mg·L~(-1) copper ion under FO and pressure retarded osmosis(PRO) orientation. The findings indicated that all membranes could achieve almost complete removal of copper regardless of membrane orientation without applying external driving force.The high removal rates were in good agreement with the outcomes of the membranes tested under pressuredriven mode at 1 MPa. The use of appropriate salts as draw solutes enabled the NF membranes to be employed in engineered osmosis process, achieving a relatively low reverse solute flux. The findings showed that the best performing membrane is PFO membrane in which it achieved N 99.4% copper rejection with very minimum reverse solute flux of 1 g·m~(-2)·h~(-1).     

引入天然黏合剂作为黏合层的复合膜用于渗透蒸发乙醇脱水(英文)

A high performance composite membrane was prepared under the inspiration of bioadhesion principles for pervaporative dehydration of ethanol. Chitosan (CS) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) ultrafiltration membranes were used as the active layer and the support layer, respectively. Guar gum (GG), a natural bioadhesive, was in-troduced as the intermediate bonding layer to improve the separation performance and stability of the fabricated CS/GG/PAN composite membranes. The contact angle of the GG layer was just between those of the CS layer and the PAN layer, minimizing the difference of hydrophilicity between the active layer and the support layer. The peeling strength of the composite membrane was significantly enhanced after the introduction of the GG layer. The effects of preparation conditions and operation conditions including GG concentration, operating tempera-ture and ethanol concentration in feed on the pervaporation performance were investigated. The as-fabricated CS/GG/PAN composite membrane showed the optimum performance with a permeation flux of up to 804 g·m?2·h?1 and a separation factor higher than 1900. Besides, the composite membranes exhibited a desir-able long-term operational stability.     

Design and synthesis of Al-MOF/PPSU mixed matrix membrane with pollution resistance

To enhance the performance of the polyphenylene sulfone(PPSU) membrane,a novel mixed matrix membrane with hydrophilicity and antifouling properties was prepared.Using PPSU as the ba sic membrane material,polyvinyl pyrrolidone(PVP) as the porogen,N-Methyl pyrrolidone(NMP) as the solvent,and MOF-CAU-1(Al_4(OH)_2(OCH_3)_4(H_2 N-BDC)_3·xH_2 O) as the filler,PPSU/CAU-1 mixed matrix membrane(MMM) was prepared by an immersion precipitation and phase transformation technique.By changing the amount of MOF-CAU-1,the properties and performance of the MMM membrane were investigated in terms of hydrophilicity,pore morphology,surface roughness,and dye removal.The results show that the highest pure water flux of the mixed reached 47.9 L·m~(-2)·h~(-1), when the CAU-1 addition amount was 1.0 wt%, which was 23% higher than that of the pure PPSU membrane.Both the rejection rate and the antifouling performance of the MMM membrane also noticeably improved.     

Enhancing the separation performance by introducing bioadhesive bonding layer in composite pervaporation membranes for ethanol dehydration

A high performance composite membrane was prepared under the inspiration of bioadhesion principles for pervaporative dehydration of ethanol. Chitosan (CS) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) ultrafiltration me...     

Al2O3和SiC微滤膜的疏水改性及其油固分离性能研究

以正辛基三乙氧基硅烷和乙醇分别作为改性剂和溶剂,采用接枝聚合法对平均孔径为500 nm的Al₂O₃膜和SiC膜进行疏水改性,考察了改性剂浓度、改性液温度和改性时间对膜表面疏水效果的影响,并对比了疏水改性前后两种陶瓷膜的表面性质及疏水改性后的油固分离性能,进行了反冲实验和稳定性测试。结果表明,两种陶瓷膜材料在改性剂浓度为0.2 mol·L^-1,改性液温度为40℃,改性时间为12 h时,疏水改性效果最好,得到的疏水Al₂O₃膜和SiC膜的水接触角分别为134°±1°和140°±1°,经改性后的SiC膜的疏水效果优于Al₂O₃膜。在油固分离实验中,疏水Al₂O₃膜和SiC膜均对固体炭黑有良好的截留性能,但疏水改性对SiC膜的油品通量提升更为显著,两种膜的稳态通量分别为1134 L·m^-2·h^-1和1408 L·m^-2·h^-1。反冲操作对疏水SiC膜的通量恢复更有利。     

Preparation of novel magnetic nanoparticles as draw solutes in forward osmosis desalination

Novel magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PEG-(COOH)₂, were prepared by loading different amounts of SiO₂ or/and PEG-(COOH)₂ onto Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, and their feasibility to be used as forward osmosis (FO) draw solutes was investigated. The characterization of the materials showed that, compared to normal Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, the modified MNPs exhibited enhanced dispersity and high osmotic pressure in aqueous solution. The FO experiment indicated that the synthesized draw solutes could obtain a water flux as high as 10 L·m^-2·h^-1 with an aquaporin FO membrane. The optimal concentration of the added tetraethyl orthosilicate was 30% during the synthesis. The novel MNPs could be easily recovered from draw solutions by magnetic field, and the recovery rate of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PEG-(COOH)₂ was 83.95% and 63.37%, respectively. Moreover, after 5 recycles of reuse, the water flux of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PEG-(COOH)₂ as draw solutes still remained 64.36% and 85.26%, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the synthesized core–shell magnetic nanoparticles are promising draw solutes, and the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PEG-(COOH)₂ was more suitable to be used as draw solute in FO process.