RO membranes development

Cellulose acetate (CA) membranes were the first commercially-via-ble RO membranes developed.1314 These membranes were commercially viable because of their relatively high flux due to the extreme thinness of the membrane.15 High flux was important to reduce the size and cost of an RO system. 

Tolerance to chlorine The destruction of current polyamide membranes upon exposure to oxidizers is a significant handicap when trying to treat water sources such as surface water (lakes and rivers) and wastewater. These feed sources contain biological materials and nutrients to propagate microbes that severely foul RO membranes. Development of halogen-resistant membranes is vitally important as more challenging feed waters are treated by RO. 

There has been considerable research on chlorine-resistant RO membranes (48—52). A poly(/n j -2,5 dimethyl)pipera2inthiofura2anainide used in the presence of low (3 mg/L) concentrations of chlorine resulted in a membrane life of three years (48). A copolyamide hoUow-fiber membrane for use in desalination has been developed that is resistant to 0.5 mg/L chlorine (49). Millipore Corporation has also developed a sulfonated polysulfone member that has desirable chlorine-resistance properties. 

Reverse osmosis processes for desalination were first appHed to brackish water, which has a lower I DS concentration than seawater. Brackish water has less than 10,000 mg/L IDS seawater contains greater than 30,000 mg/L IDS. This difference in IDS translates into a substantial difference in osmotic pressure and thus the RO operating pressure required to achieve separation. The need to process feed streams containing larger amounts of dissolved soHds led to the development of RO membranes capable of operating at pressures approaching 10.3 MFa (1500 psi). Desalination plants around the world process both brackish water and seawater (15). 

Unrestricted use of reclaimed wastewater for drinking water, however, requires careful examination. While practically a complete barrier to viruses, bacteria, and other toxic entities that must be kept out of a potable supply, RO membranes could pose serious problems should any defect develop in their separation mechanism. Given the purity and clarity of RO-treated wastewaters, however, it might be advantageous to use RO and then subject the product to well-established disinfection procedures. 

The predominant RO membranes used in water applications include cellulose polymers, thin film oomposites (TFCs) consisting of aromatic polyamides, and crosslinked polyetherurea. Cellulosic membranes are formed by immersion casting of 30 to 40 percent polymer lacquers on a web immersed in water. These lacquers include cellulose acetate, triacetate, and acetate-butyrate. TFCs are formed by interfacial polymerization that involves coating a microporous membrane substrate with an aqueous prepolymer solution and immersing in a water-immiscible solvent containing a reactant [Petersen, J. Memhr. Sol., 83, 81 (1993)]. The Dow FilmTec FT-30 membrane developed by Cadotte uses 1-3 diaminobenzene prepolymer crosslinked with 1-3 and 1-4 benzenedicarboxylic acid chlorides. These membranes have NaCl retention and water permeability claims. 

We have tried to relate the performance of a deteriorated membrane to its structure by classical methods. Recent advancement in the techniques of morphological and physicochemical analyses is remarkable, and is much contributing to better understanding of the membrane behaviour. We have now various types of RO membranes made of synthetic polymers available, and most these analytical procedures are applicable for the analysis of these membranes. Investigations on the membrane structures are much more required, and they will reveal the relations between materials and structure, and structure and performance. We believe these Investigations will contribute to development not only in the membrane Itself, but in the application of the membrane. We hope the progress of membrane science will expand RO marke t. 

Concentration Method. The concentration procedure that was developed and evaluated was a RO-Donnan dialysis system (4). The initial objective during method development was to conduct membranescreening tests to evaluate the suitability of various RO and ion-exchange membranes. The four membranes considered for final evaluation on the basis of solute rejection, chlorine stability, and artifact production were the cellulose acetate and FT-30 (Film Tec) RO membranes, the Nafion cation-exchange membrane, and the ION AC MA 3475 anion-exchange membrane. 

Asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes were developed in the early 1960s by Loeb and Sourirajan (2). For more than a decade, cellulose acetate and its blends were the only commercially available RO membranes. Improved membranes (with respect to operating pH, biodegradation, compaction, and organic compound rejection) were developed in the early 1970s (3). These membranes used aromatic... 

Following the lead of Loeb and Sourirajan, researchers in the 1960 s and early 1970 s made rapid progress in the development of commercially-viable RO membranes. Harry Lonsdale, U. Merten, and Robert Riley formulated the "solution-diffusion" model of mass transport through RO membranes (see Chapter 4.1).6 Although most membranes at the time were cellulose acetate, this model... 

The first commercial brackish water RO(BWRO) was on line at the Raintree facility in Coalinga, California. Tubular cellulose acetate membranes developed and prepared at UCLA were used in the facility. Additionally, the hardware for the system was fabricated at UCLA and transported piecemeal to the facility.9... 

Table 1.1 Development of RO membranes for brackish water desalination.

Since the late 1970 s, researchers in the US, Japan, Korea, and other locations have been making an effort to develop chlorine-tolerant RO membranes that exhibit high flux and high rejection. Most work, such as that by Riley and Ridgway et.al., focuses on modifications in the preparation of polyamide composite membranes (see Chapter 4.2.2).11 Other work by Freeman (University of Texas at Austin) and others involves the development of chlorine-tolerant membrane materials other than polyamide. To date, no chlorine-resistant polyamide composite membranes are commercially available for large-scale application. 

Pertinent to the understanding of the operation of an RO system is the fundamental knowledge of various theoretical models describing movement of solutes and water through an RO membrane. By understanding how solutes and water are transported through membranes, appropriate modifications can be made to the membrane polymers to improve performance (flux and rejection). See the book by Richard Baker, Membrane Technology and Applications, 2nd edition (John Wiley Sons, 2004) for more detail about the history and development of membrane and transport models. 

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