Thin film composite membrane — Recent development and future potential

doi:10.1016/j.desal.2014.10.042

Desalination

Volume 356, 15 January 2015, Pages 140-148

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2014.10.042 Get rights and content

Highlights

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A review on the recent development of thin film composite (TFC) membrane
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Emerging nanotechnology for advanced membrane preparation
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Future directions of TFC membrane development

Abstract

This paper provides a review on the recent development of thin film composite (TFC) membrane, which has received increasing attention in the field of water desalination process. The development of new thin films and substrates, and the effect of additives are mostly focused in this review. In particular, nanotechnology has shown its impact on the development of TFC membranes by incorporating nanoparticles and nanofibers in the substrate as well as in the top thin film. The search for novel monomers and novel fabrication methods of thin film, modification of substrate, and optimization of operational conditions is also the topic of this review article. It still remains a challenge to produce high impact TFC membranes with antifouling and biofouling properties, chemical resistance, improved mechanical strength and thermal stability. For this purpose, further insights into the phase inversion and interfacial polymerization processes are necessary. Currently, it seems that there is no end in the near future for the further development of TFC membranes, which will be followed by the expansion of the scope of their applications in various chemical and biochemical industrial sectors.

Introduction

Over the past decades, desalination technique has become an increasingly important alternative source of clean water. Considerable increase in population over the years has demanded greater amount of fresh and clean water for daily operation. In view of this, more and more countries are starting to implement desalination treatment process to meet the demand. Among the desalination techniques available, reverse osmosis (RO) membrane is the most efficient process which is widely used worldwide [1]. Nevertheless, the low water permeability of the seawater RO (SWRO) membranes is always the main issue of this technology [2]. Therefore, synthesizing high-performance RO membrane (without compensating salt selectivity) has been one of the priority research topics in the desalination area both in the past and present [3], [4].

Among the existing membranes currently available, thin film composite (TFC) membranes are considered the most efficient for desalination [5]. These membranes enhance both selectivity and productivity with less energy consumption as compared to typical asymmetric membranes. A very thin polyamide (PA) active layer which is formed on a porous substrate is the main feature of the TFC membrane [6]. The thickness of thin film is < 0.2 μm with the interstitial void size of < 0.5 nm [7]. In 1963, Loeb and Sourirajan developed the first asymmetric membrane using cellulose acetate and it was capable of rejecting 98% sodium chloride (NaCl) [8]. However, cellulose acetate membrane has its own limitations, such as high pH sensitivity and less tolerance of high temperature.

In general, TFC RO membranes are prepared via interfacial polymerization by forming a polyamide (PA) thin selective layer on the surface of a porous membrane. Mostly, m-phenylene diamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) are the two main active monomers for the PA layer formation [9]. Different derivatives of amines and acyl chloride were also used to develop TFC membranes of different properties [10]. Fig. 1 shows schematically the structure of the active PA layer on the porous substrate. The concept of interfacial polymerization has been known for more than 45 years since it was first introduced by Cadotte and Morgan in 1965 [10].

In recent years, many review articles were published on RO membranes [11]. For instance, Lau et al. [10] in 2012 published a review on TFC membrane for desalination. The review has focused on the developments of TFC membrane reported in literature over the last decade. Recently, significant number of research works were conducted worldwide to overcome these limitations and results were published in prestigious scientific journals, aiming at further improving the properties of the TFC membrane.

This current review is focused on the progresses made during the last two years, particularly focused on the development of the PA-TFC membrane. It should be noted that tremendous improvement in TFC membrane performance has been observed within the last two years; i.e. the TFC membrane showed nearly 100% NaCl removal with an appreciable flux. However, further enhancement in flux seems possible. At the end of this review, therefore, the existing problems and the future directions are shown for the TFC membrane development.

Section snippets

Novel monomers

Although TFC membrane showed better performance than asymmetric membranes for desalination, more research is still required to improve properties of the TFC membrane. Since the formation of the thin film is most crucial to enhance the performance of the membrane, it is natural to give attention towards active monomers used for interfacial polymerization. Furthermore, since the top skin layer is as thin as 500 nm, attempt is nowadays made to maintain the dense layer of the substrate membrane as

Other applications

TFC membranes were used not only for desalination process but also for other applications. Tomaszewska and Bodek [39] studied the removal of boron and other microelements such as iron, fluoride and arsenics from the geothermal waters using low-pressure BWRO membranes in a hybrid UF–RO process. A spiral wound DOW FILMTEC BW30HR-440i PA TFC membrane was used in the RO system and the UF module was equipped with UFC M5 with hydrophilic capillary PES membrane. It was observed that rejection of boron

Future directions

As shown in the foregoing sections, several new approaches have been attempted to make the membranes economically more feasible. As a result, the newly developed TFC membranes have recorded significant performance enhancement, particularly for desalination processes. However, TFC membrane is still facing some critical problems such as membrane fouling, biofouling, chemical resistance and chlorine resistance. Since water is a very essential commodity for human life, further improvement in water

Conclusion

TFC membrane prepared by interfacial polymerization has a history of about 50 years and has contributed a remarkable impact on the desalination process. Many researchers have attempted to further improve the performance of TFC membrane by various approaches with some interesting results. These approaches are 1) to use novel monomers for interfacial polymerization, 2) to modify the substrate, 3) to use organic and inorganic compounds as additives either in the substrate or in the thin film and 4)

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Thin film composite membrane — Recent development and future potential

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Novel monomers

Other applications

Future directions

Conclusion

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