Application of polymeric membranes for the adsorption of hazardous pollutants may lead to the development of next-generation reusable and portable water purification appliances. Membranes for membrane adsorption (MA) have the dual function of membrane filtration and adsorption to be very effective to remove trace amounts of pollutants such as cationic heavy metals, anionic phosphates and nitrates. In this review article, recent progresses in the development of MA membranes are surveyed. In addition, recent progresses in the development of advanced adsorbents such as nanoparticles are summarized, since they are potentially useful as fillers in the host membrane to enhance its performance. The future directions of R&D in this field are also shown in the conclusion section.
The development in the area of surface modification of polymeric synthetic membranes since 2000 is reviewed. Many patents, articles, and reviews have been written on the development in the area of surface modification of polymeric synthetic membranes subjected to RO, UF, NF, gas separation (GS), and biomedical applications, mainly since 2000, but recently more attention has been given to the modification of their surfaces to obtain desirable results. In particular, most emphasis has been given to plasma treatment, grafting of polymers on the surface, and modifying the surfaces by adding SMMs (surface鈥恗odifying molecules). New additives are synthesized to make the polymeric membrane surfaces either to be more hydrophilic or hydrophobic, aimed at improvement in selectivity and permeability of the membranes for GS, NF, and RO. Improvement in antifouling by surface modification is also a popular topic in the membrane industries. In the last 8 years, tremendous research efforts have been made on the development of antifouling membranes. 漏 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
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