Robust hydrophobic ceramic hollow-fibre membranes grafted by fluoroalkylsilane for water desalination via direct contact membrane distillation

IF 2.8 4区生物学 Q3 BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY

Journal of chemical technology and biotechnology Pub Date : 2025-03-10 DOI:10.1002/jctb.7843

Omar, Othman, Tai, Puteh, Kusworo, Wong, Kurniawan, Nur Awanis Hashim

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Ceramic membranes need to transition from hydrophilic to hydrophobic properties to mitigate membrane wetting and enhance separation efficiency in membrane distillation (MD). However, their intrinsic brittleness and weak mechanical properties limit their practical applications in MD. To overcome these challenges, this study focuses on developing robust hydrophobic hollow-fibre membranes (HFMs) by utilizing mullite–kaolinite (M) and stainless steel (SS) alloy as support materials. The membranes were fabricated through a phase-inversion/sintering approach, and the effects of varying M/SS ratios and sintering temperatures on membrane properties were investigated.

RESULTS

The fabricated M/SS HFMs were successfully modified to achieve hydrophobic surfaces using 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane via dip-coating. The surface modification significantly enhanced the contact angle (CA) from 0° to 142°, demonstrating effective hydrophobicity. The membranes exhibited high salt rejection rates of 99.99% and improved permeate flux, reaching 38 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. Additionally, increasing salt concentrations to 30 g L⁻¹ led to a decline in permeation flux from 38 to 4 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, whereas higher feed temperatures (up to 80 °C) increased flux from 21 to 38 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. The optimal M/SS HFM configuration, with a 4.7 M/SS ratio and sintering at 1450 °C, demonstrated superior mechanical strength (107 MPa), a high CA (141°), and a stable permeate flux of 28.2 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, with consistent salt rejection of 99.99%.

CONCLUSION

The successful development of robust, hydrophobic M/SS HFMs with optimized mechanical and separation properties highlights their potential for seawater desalination via MD. The enhanced mechanical strength, high hydrophobicity, and superior desalination performance make these membranes promising candidates for scalable and long-term MD applications. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

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氟烷基硅烷接枝的坚固疏水陶瓷中空纤维膜，用于直接接触膜蒸馏海水淡化

背景：在膜蒸馏（MD）中，陶瓷膜需要从亲水性向疏水性转变，以减轻膜润湿，提高分离效率。然而，其固有的脆性和较弱的力学性能限制了其在MD中的实际应用。为了克服这些挑战，本研究着重于利用莫来石-高岭石(M)和不锈钢（SS）合金作为支撑材料开发坚固的疏水中空纤维膜（HFMs）。采用相变/烧结法制备了膜，研究了不同的M/SS比和烧结温度对膜性能的影响。结果采用1H，1H,2H，2H-全氟癸基三乙氧基硅烷浸渍法对制备的M/SS HFMs进行了疏水表面改性。表面改性显著提高了接触角（CA），从0°增加到142°，表现出有效的疏水性。该膜具有99.99%的高阻盐率，提高了渗透通量，达到38 kg m−2 h−1。此外，将盐浓度增加到30 g L−1，导致渗透通量从38 kg m−2 h−1下降到4 kg m−2 h−1，而较高的进料温度（高达80°C）使通量从21 kg m−2 h−1增加到38 kg m−2 h−1。最佳的M/SS HFM结构为4.7 M/SS比，烧结温度为1450°C，具有优异的机械强度（107 MPa），高CA（141°），稳定的渗透通量为28.2 kg M−2 h−1，脱盐率为99.99%。结论：经优化的机械性能和分离性能，制备出坚固、疏水的M/SS膜，突出了其通过MD进行海水淡化的潜力。增强的机械强度、高疏水性和优异的脱盐性能使这些膜成为可扩展和长期应用于MD的候选膜。©2025化学工业学会（SCI）。

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来源期刊

Journal of chemical technology and biotechnology 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

7.00

自引率

5.90%

发文量

268

审稿时长

1.7 months

期刊介绍： Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology(JCTB) is an international, inter-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal concerned with the application of scientific discoveries and advancements in chemical and biological technology that aim towards economically and environmentally sustainable industrial processes.