Stability of Ar/O2 Plasma-Treated Polypropylene Membranes Applied for Membrane Distillation

Abstract

In the present work, Ar/O2 plasma treatment was used as a surface modification tool for polypropylene (PP) membranes. The effect of the plasma conditions on the properties of the modified PP surface has been investigated. For this purpose, the influence of gas composition and its flow rate, plasma power excitation as well as treatment time on the contact angle of PP membranes has been investigated. The properties of used membranes were determined after various periods of time: immediately after the modification process as well as after one, four and five years of storage. Moreover, the used membranes were evaluated in terms of their performance in long-term MD process. Through detailed studies, we demonstrated that the performed plasma treatment process effectively enhanced the performance of the modified membranes. In addition, it was shown that the surface modification did not affect the degradation of the membrane matrix. Indeed, the used membranes maintained stable process properties throughout the studied period.

Review of New Approaches for Fouling Mitigation in Membrane Separation Processes in Water Treatment Applications

“…Because of its greater complexity and the greater robustness of the resulting membranes, plasma treatment has received the least attention in the last five years [137]. Plasma does not require any pretreatments on the membrane surface and is strongly influenced by the exposure time.…”

Graphene Nanocomposite Membranes: Fabrication and Water Treatment Applications

“…In order to prevent these problems, it is important to use water treatment applications and to control the quality of natural, drinking, or artificial water sources and basins [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

“…In water treatment systems, membranes are frequently used as a quality control medium combined with the filtering function. They are technical barriers of selectively permeable phases that allow water to pass through but prevent the passage of unwanted substances in water treatment [ 8 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. New approaches and research are being carried out on water treatment in an environmentally friendly way using less energy, fewer chemicals, and fewer artificial light sources.…”

“…New approaches and research are being carried out on water treatment in an environmentally friendly way using less energy, fewer chemicals, and fewer artificial light sources. In particular, the applicability of membrane technologies, which can provide excellent separation efficiency, modular structure, and low chemical sludge output, has been proven to help in water treatment [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ].…”

Membrane Surface Modification and Functionalization

“…The work by Gryta et al [14], showed the use of Ar/O 2 plasma treatment in the surface modification of polypropylene (PP) membranes. This plasma treatment significantly changed the surface to a depth of less than 1 micron, with significant increases in porosity that facilitated mass transport-thus increasing flux within the membrane.…”