Organic solvent resistant nanofiltration (OSRN) process is one of the emerging separation technologies used in extensively in petrochemical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries. Unlike conventional separation processes such as evaporation and distillation, the OSRN process requires much low energy consumption and operation cost. Many studies have shown the difficulty of modifying the non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method to reduce the consumption of solvents because the polymer must be dissolved in an organic solvent during the formation of membranes. In addition, these membranes exhibit a relatively weak tolerance against organic solvents. However, the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method often involved in the use of a diluent to mix polymer at a high temperature, followed by the introduction of a rapid quenching medium. The selection of a proper diluent during the TIPS process efficiently allowed for fabricating membranes derived from thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) to exhibit a high tolerance against organic solvents. In this study, we attempted to design and characterize a new type of OSRN polymer membrane using a modified TIPS method through a conceptual change in membrane technology. The resulting OSRN membrane was analyzed to be suitable for a nanofiltration system.

Development of organic solvent resistant hollow fiber nanofiltration via thermally induced phase separation

2019 Spring National Meeting

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