Abstract
All over the world, almost one billion people live in regions where water is scarce. It is also estimated that by 2035, almost 3.5 billion people will be experiencing water scarcity. Hence, there is a need for water based technologies. In separation processes, membrane based technologies have been a popular choice due to its advantages over other techniques. In recent decades, sustained research in the field of membrane technology has seen a remarkable surge in the development of membrane technology, particularly because of reduction of energy footprints and cost. One such development is the inclusion of nanoparticles in thin film composite membranes, commonly referred to as Thin Film Nanocomposite Membranes (TFN). This review covers the development, characteristics, advantages, and applications of TFN technology since its introduction in 2007 by Hoek. After a brief overview on the existing membrane technology, this review discusses TFN membranes. This discussion includes TFN membrane synthesis, characterization, and enhanced properties due to the incorporation of nanoparticles. An attempt is made to summarize the various nanoparticles used for preparing TFNs and the effects they have on membrane performance towards desalination. The improvement in membrane performance is generally observed in properties such as permeability, selectivity, chlorine stability, and antifouling. Subsequently, the application of TFNs in Reverse Osmosis (RO) alongside other desalination alternatives like Multiple Effect Flash evaporator and Multi-Stage Flash distillation is covered.
Highlights
The United Nations World Water Development Report 2020: Water and Climate Change states that in accordance with a study conducted by the 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG), the world will have only 60% of the water it needs by 2030, if it continues on its current trajectory (UNESCO, 2020)
With the incorporation of the single-walled aluminosilicate nanotubes, higher permeate flux was achieved while sustaining high rejection of monovalent and divalent ions The results showed improvement of surface properties such as RMS roughness, contact angle and solid–liquid interfacial free energy, a decrease in film thickness and an increase in pore size and water flux Shows increase in hydrophilicity, surface roughness and water flux
thin film nanocomposite (TFN) are obtained as modifications of thin film composite membranes (TFCs)
Summary
The United Nations World Water Development Report 2020: Water and Climate Change states that in accordance with a study conducted by the 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG), the world will have only 60% of the water it needs by 2030, if it continues on its current trajectory (UNESCO, 2020) This scarcity has risen out of the ever growing gap between the overwhelming demand, through agriculture, industries, urbanization, rapidly rising population; and the worryingly low supply of consumable water. This new concept showed a significant enhancement in the membrane flux while maintaining a comparable solute rejection to the traditionally prepared TFC membrane This improvement in permeability due to the super-hydrophilic molecular sieve nanoparticle pores which provide distinct channels for the flow is ascribed (Jeong et al, 2007).The following section discusses the evolution of membrane technology from its first instance of application in a water separation process in 1748 to the currently produced more advanced TFNs
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