Recent Progress on the Development and Application of Polymeric Nanofiltration Membranes: A Mini-Review

The inefficiency of conventional water treatment methods in terms of removing micropollutants is prompting research into other technologies. Among these, the process of separation by nanofiltration membranes is particularly promising because of the low operating cost, rapid implementation of the system, high selectivity and easy integration with other treatment processes. Studies in this area are recent and there are many avenues for future research. This mini-review describes the main characteristics of the polymeric membranes used for nanofiltration, and the various methods and polymer materials under investigation. At the end, we report the result of a survey conducted in the ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science platforms using different keywords, to depict a global panorama of the current research involving polymeric nanofiltration membranes. The results revealed a particular dearth of published studies involving application of these membranes to remove micropollutants with endocrine disruptive action. Furthermore, research involving nanofiltration membranes utilizing calcium alginate is very recent. This study provides an overview of the investigation of polymeric nanofiltration membranes.