Microfiltration thin-film membranes of nylon were treated with microwave radiation within the decimeter wavelength range in air, nitrogen and argon to increase the specific productivity and the degree of the resistant oil emulsion separation due to structural transformations in the surfaces and membrane pores. After the processing of nylon membrane in air, argon and nitrogen, the specific performance of the membranes increases during the filtration of distilled water by 1.3 times. This circumstance is connected, probably with the increase of membrane pore size. And when the oil emulsion is separated, the specific productivity is increased after the treatment in air and oxygen up to 2.3 times, and after the treatment in argon it is decreased by 2 times. The decrease in performance occurs apparently due to the crosslinking of the pores and the surface layer of the membrane. It has been established that the treatment of nylon membranes with microwave radiation in air, nitrogen and argon leads to the decrease of oil emulsion separation degree, which is explained by the membrane surface etching. The worst degree of purification makes 83% and it is observed after the separation of the emulsion with the membrane treated by microwave radiation in a nitrogen atmosphere, when the loss of membrane mass after the microwave treatment was 0.69%. The purification degree from oil is reduced in the least after the treatment in argon medium - 93, and the loss of membrane mass after treatment makes 0.26%.

In this work, in order to increase the productivity and degree of separation of petroleum emulsions, a modification of thin-film microfiltration membranes from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by ultrahigh-frequency (microwave) radiation in the decimeter wave band in air, nitrogen and argon was carried out. Treatment of membranes with microwave radiation leads to a reduction in the mass of PTFE membranes depending on the treatment time and the gaseous media. The membrane weight decreases most strongly to 0.17% when treated in atmospheric air, which is apparently due to the aggressive action of oxygen. The least mass of the membrane decreases when treated in argon, only 0.06%. The increase in the specific productivity of membranes during processing in the atmosphere of atmospheric air is explained by the hydrophilization of the surface, due to the formation of polar oxygen-containing groups. A decrease in specific productivity when treated in an argon inert gas environment occurs apparently due to crosslinking of the surface layer. Treatment of the membrane in a nitrogen medium increases the degree of emulsion separation by 6.9%, in air media by 15.3%, in argon media by 21%. An increase in the efficiency of separation of emulsions is also confirmed by a decrease in the size of oil particles in filtrates of emulsions. So the limiting size of the particles of the disperse phase cut off by the initial membrane was 118 nm, and the membrane treated with microwave radiation in the air medium was 39 nm, in the nitrogen medium 68 nm and in argon medium 10 nm.

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