Recent progress on carbon based desalination membranes and carbon nanomaterial incorporated non-polyamide desalination membranes

The membrane based separation technology has been widely applied in water treatment, due to its high efficiency and lower energy consumption. Compared with the traditional polyamide membrane, the novel nonpolyamide membrane possesses unique physicochemical structures and surface properties. The introduction of carbon based nanomaterials further endows the membrane with excellent separation performances and resistance to the various feed water and long utilization duration. This paper intends to review the state-of-the-art application of carbon based nanomaterials on the non-polyamide desalination membrane, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, carbon quantum dots (CQDs), porous carbon and activated carbon. The exclusive properties of carbon based nanomaterials are discussed in the initial section of the review. The novel carbon based free-standing membranes without supporting layer for desalination are comprehensively addressed. The focus is placed on reporting the utilization of carbon based nanomaterials in the fabrication of the different nonpolyamide membranes, including reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, forward osmosis (FO) membrane, nanofiltration (NF) membrane, membrane distillation (MD) membrane and pervaporation (PV) membrane. The effects on the non-polyamide membrane performances including water flux, salt rejection, anti-fouling, mechanical properties, and chlorine resistance by incorporating the carbon nanomaterials are detailedly summarized and analyzed. We also discuss the relationship between the membrane microstructure such as chemical modification, porosity and hydrophilicity and key performance mentioned above. Furthermore, the development challenges and research opportunities in this field are also proposed from the aspects of technological challenges, commercialization challenges and environmental impacts/sustainability.

Automated summary

The membrane based separation technology has been widely used in water treatment due to its high efficiency and low energy consumption. Carbon based nanomaterials enhance the performance of non-polyamide membranes, providing excellent separation properties. This paper reviews the application of carbon based nanomaterials in various non-polyamide membranes and discusses their effects on membrane performance.