Advance of self-cleaning separation membranes for oil-containing wastewater treatment

The formidable challenge of membrane fouling by high-viscosity oils remains a primary impediment to the sustainable application of separation membranes in treating oil-contaminated wastewater. Consequently, there is an imperative for the development of oil-contaminated wastewater treatment membranes endowed with self-cleansing capabilities. The current review aims to delineate the landscape of self-cleansing membranes tailored for the treatment of oil-contaminated wastewater. Embarking from the foundational theories and benchmarks of self-cleansing, the self-cleansing functionalities were classified into active and passive modalities. We encapsulate the strides made in research, encompassing domains such as super-wettable surfaces, synchronously filtered self-cleansing, and post-filtration high-efficiency self-cleansing, while concurrently identifying extant constraints and prospective trajectories. By meticulously categorizing and dissecting self-cleansing functionalities, the aim of this work is delving into the fundamental tenets of self-cleansing within membranes intended for treating oil-contaminated wastewater, and furnishing guidance for the design and advancement of self-cleansing functionalities in oil-water separation membranes.