Polyethylene separator-supported nanofiltration membranes for desalination

Abstract

Polyethylene-supported nanofiltration (NF) membranes have been reported for several cases in recent years. However, few have disclosed a NF membrane which achieves a high salt/water separation efficiency. Here, a novel polyamide NF membrane was prepared by conducting interfacial polymerization on poly(vinyl alcohol)-decorated polyethylene separator. The polyethylene-supported NF membranes were systematically investigated with respect to chemical structures, microscopic morphology, surface properties, as well as desalination performance. In particular, a distinctive morphology transformation occurred on the polyamide layers through regulating poly(vinyl alcohol) loading amounts. Performance testings demonstrated the optimal membrane reaches a water permeance over 17.4 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹ and Na₂SO₄ rejection above 98.7%, as well as favorable performance stability. This work may provide some consideration for fabricating NF membranes with new support layers and good desalination performance.