https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48864/Download/0048864-07032019141310.pdf

Reverse osmosis desalination: A state-of-the-art review

Desalination brine disposal methods and treatment technologies - A review.

The upper bound of thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membranes for desalination

The separation properties of polyamide reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes, widely applied for desalination and water reuse, are constrained by the permeability-selectivity upper bound. Although thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes incorporating nanomaterials exhibit enhanced water permeance, their rejection is only moderately improved or even impaired due to agglomeration of nanomaterials and formation of defects. A novel type of TFN membranes featuring an interlayer of nanomaterials (TFNi) has emerged in recent years. These novel TFNi membranes show extraordinary improvement in water flux (e.g., up to an order of magnitude enhancement) along with better selectivity. Such enhancements can be achieved by a wide selection of nanomaterials, ranging from nanoparticles, one-/two-dimensional materials, to interfacial coatings. The use of nanostructured interlayers not only improves the formation of polyamide rejection layers but also provides an optimized water transport path, which enables TFNi membranes to potentially overcome the longstanding trade-off between membrane permeability and selectivity. Furthermore, TFNi membranes can potentially enhance the removal of heavy metals and micropollutants, which is critical for many environmental applications. This review critically examines the recent developments of TFNi membranes and discusses the underlying mechanisms and design criteria. Their potential environmental applications are also highlighted.

A Critical Review on Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes with Interlayered Structure: Mechanisms, Recent Developments, and Environmental Applications

The specific separation properties of nanofiltration (NF) membranes lead to their application in water treatment, resource recovery, food processing, and chemical and pharmaceutical separations. Nevertheless, the pervasive trade-off effect between the water permeability and salt rejection is one of the main obstacles in further enhancing their performance and fields of application. Numerous studies focusing on this topic report great efforts in attempting to solve this issue over the past decade. In this review, the approach that is followed is that the functional layer of the NF membrane is divided into four different mass transfer regions according to its mass transfer characteristics. The relationship between water permeability and salt rejection has been expounded according to the mass transfer properties of the four regions. On this basis, five technical approaches together with typical examples regarding the coordination of the trade-off between water permeability and salt rejection are proposed. Finally, five aspects that may be instructive to future research are highlighted. Lessons gained from this review are expected to promote the rational design and optimized fabrication of high-performance NF membranes.

How to coordinate the trade-off between water permeability and salt rejection in nanofiltration?

Polyethylene-supported high performance reverse osmosis membranes with enhanced mechanical and chemical durability

Facile performance enhancement of reverse osmosis membranes via solvent activation with benzyl alcohol

High-performance and acid-resistant nanofiltration membranes prepared by solvent activation on polyamide reverse osmosis membranes

Biofouling is a pervasive problem for any materials that are exposed to aquatic environments. Especially, it is a dire problem for the desalination membranes used to sustainably supply clean water, necessitating development of the methods to mitigate membrane biofouling. We present a topological modification approach to achieve ultralow fouling of water desalination membranes by realizing the sharkskin-mimetic (Sharklet) surface patterns and identify their unique antifouling mechanism based on computational fluid dynamics simulation. Our approach relies on a newly developed layered interfacial polymerization that can produce a conformal selective layer on patterned porous supports prepared by phase separation micromolding. The Sharklet-patterned membrane exhibited remarkably low biofouling compared to the conventional membranes with irregular roughness and topologically modulated membranes with simple patterns. Its superior biofouling resistance is attributed to the unique Sharklet geometry that can significantly inhibit biofilm growth. Furthermore, under dynamic flow conditions, the intricate Sharklet geometry induces a complex surface flow by symmetrically generating a secondary flow perpendicular to the primary flow, forming a periodic inflow and outflow along the pattern. The reinforced primary and secondary flows of the Sharklet pattern may further contribute to its excellent biofouling resistance.

Sharkskin-mimetic desalination membranes with ultralow biofouling

Aromatic solvent-assisted interfacial polymerization to prepare high performance thin film composite reverse osmosis membranes based on hydrophilic supports

Min Gyu Shin

Papers

Polyethylene-supported high performance reverse osmosis membranes with enhanced mechanical and chemical durability

Facile performance enhancement of reverse osmosis membranes via solvent activation with benzyl alcohol

High-performance and acid-resistant nanofiltration membranes prepared by solvent activation on polyamide reverse osmosis membranes

Sharkskin-mimetic desalination membranes with ultralow biofouling

Aromatic solvent-assisted interfacial polymerization to prepare high performance thin film composite reverse osmosis membranes based on hydrophilic supports