Functionalization of a Hydrophilic Commercial Membrane Using Inorganic-Organic Polymers Coatings for Membrane Distillation

Abstract

Membrane distillation is a thermal separation technique using a microporous hydrophobic membrane. One of the concerns with respect to the industrialization of the technique is the development of novel membranes. In this paper, a commercially available hydrophilic polyethersulfone membrane with a suitable structure for membrane distillation was modified using available hydrophobic coatings using ORMOCER ® technology to obtain a hydrophobic membrane that can be applied in membrane distillation. The surface modification was performed using a selection of different components, concentrations, and application methods. The resulting membranes can have two hydrophobic surfaces or a hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface depending on the application method. An extensive characterization procedure confirmed the suitability of the coating technique and the obtained membranes for membrane distillation. The surface contact angle of water could be increased from 27 • up to 110 • , and fluxes comparable to membranes commonly used for membrane distillation were achieved under similar process conditions. A 100 h test demonstrated the stability of the coating and the importance of using sufficiently stable base membranes.

Enhanced flux in direct contact membrane distillation using superhydrophobic PVDF nanofibre membranes embedded with organically modified SiO2 nanoparticles

“…Wetting takes place due to the hydrophilic nature of the membrane or the adsorption of foulants containing hydrophilic functional groups on the surface or inside the membrane pores, thus rendering the membrane hydrophilic . Also, wetting occurs when the applied pressure is higher than the LEP due to low membrane porosity . The LEP is related to the hydrophobicity of the membrane surface (i.e.…”

“…20 Also, wetting occurs when the applied pressure is higher than the LEP due to low membrane porosity. 21 The LEP is related to the hydrophobicity of the membrane surface (i.e. measured by contact angle, CA) as well as the shape, geometry and size of the pores.…”

Special Issue on Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technologies

“…As noted above, one of the concerns with respect to the full scale commercialization of the membrane distillation technique for wastewater treatment is the lack of membranes ensuring long term stable operation. To this end, Eykens et al [26], in their paper, "Functionalization of a Hydrophilic Commercial Membrane Using Inorganic-Organic Polymers Coatings for Membrane Distillation", carried out surface modification of a commercially available hydrophilic polyethersulfone membrane. Through hydrophobic coating using a commercially available technique, the surface contact angle of the membrane could be increased from 27 • up to 110 • .…”

Which Is the Motion State of a Droplet on an Inclined Hydrophilic Rough Surface in Gravity: Pinned or Sliding?

“…Droplets on surfaces are a phenomenon observed in everyday life, as well as in many environmental or industrial applications: coating processes [1][2][3], combustion processes [4][5][6], printing [7,8], self-cleaning surfaces [9][10][11], self-catchment surfaces [12][13][14], protein adsorption chips, etc. [15][16][17].…”