Poly(vinyl) alcohol coating of the support layer of reverse osmosis membranes to enhance performance in forward osmosis

Aditi Saraf, Kaitlin Johnson, Marylaura Thomas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Membrane hydrophilicity influences the transport of water through the membrane in osmotically driven separations such as forward osmosis. In this paper, we coated the polysulfone support layer of two types of commercially available reverse osmosis membranes (brackish water and seawater) with hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The aim of this was to increase the support layer hydrophilicity and, correspondingly, the rate of water transport through the membrane. Previous work with polydopamine coatings of the polysulfone support of reverse osmosis membranes has yielded promising results. In this work, we explore more readily available materials. Specifically, we studied the effects of two different PVA crosslinking agents - maleic acid and glutaraldehyde - on the resultant membrane properties and osmotic performance. For seawater membranes we found that PVA crosslinked to a limited degree with maleic acid creates a significant improvement in water flux in RO and FO systems, as compared to membranes with PVA crosslinked by glutaraldehyde. However, brackish water membranes did not have comparably significant changes in membrane performance. We conclude that the smaller pores of the brackish water membrane become clogged, and this effect is magnified by the lack of fractional free volume available within PVA that is highly crosslinked with glutaraldehyde.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalDesalination
Volume333
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 15 2014

Keywords

  • Forward osmosis
  • Hydrophilicity
  • Poly(vinyl) alcohol
  • Reverse osmosis
  • Support layer modification

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemical Engineering
  • General Materials Science
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Poly(vinyl) alcohol coating of the support layer of reverse osmosis membranes to enhance performance in forward osmosis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this