Formation of SAN Nanofibrous Membranes Using DMSO Solvent with Low Toxicity for MD Process

Document Type : VSI: Honoring NH

Authors

1 University of Cincinnati

2 Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch

3 Membrane Processes Research Laboratory (MPRL), Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran

4 Membrane Industry Development Institute, Tehran, Iran

5 Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Electrospun membranes have a significant share in membrane separation technology, especially in the membrane distillation (MD) process. However, not only hazardous solvents have been used to prepare hydrophobic nanofibrous membranes but also productivity is not satisfactory. Hydrophobic nanofibrous membranes were therefore proposed using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an eco-friendly solvent, an electroblowing process as a high-productive process, and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) polymer as a cost-effective membrane material. The cold-pressing was used to enhance the membrane robustness. Membrane characteristics and direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) performance of the SAN/DMSO and SAN/dimethylformamide (DMF) membranes were compared with a commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. Compared to the commercial PTFE membrane, better permeation, and comparable salt rejection (˃99.9%) were achieved for the cold-pressed SAN membranes when 35 g/L NaCl was used as the feed. This study showed that the DMSO solvent could be an alternative for limiting the use of common toxic solvents for fabricating hydrophobic nanofibrous membranes with competitive performance.

Graphical Abstract

Formation of SAN Nanofibrous Membranes Using DMSO Solvent with Low Toxicity for MD Process

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Journal of Membrane Science and Research
Volume 10, Issue 2
Special Issue: A Tribute to Prof. Nidal Hilal
April 2024

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History

  • Receive Date: 05 March 2023
  • Revise Date: 29 June 2023
  • Accept Date: 22 October 2023

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