Abstract
An omniphobic membrane was fabricated to address the issues associated with traditional hydrophobic membrane wetting in membrane distillation (MD) and used to treat industrial high-salinity wastewater. An electrospun nanofiber membrane with excellent hydrophobicity (high water contact angle value of 157°) was fabricated by hydrophilic, biodegradable, and inexpensive polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) via electrospinning method modified by glutaraldehyde cross-linking, Al2O3 nanoparticles coating, and impregnated fluorination. Moreover, the resulting membrane presented satisfactory wettability resistance in treating solutions containing 20 % NaCl and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate. In comparison to commercial polyvinylidene fluoride membrane, the omniphobic PVA membrane showcased remarkable separation performance when treating coal gasification brine and acid mine drainage. Based on our findings, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the anti-wetting and anti-scaling properties of the omniphobic PVA membrane. Furthermore, we delved into an in-depth analysis and discussion of the mechanisms behind the low surface energy and multi-level re-entrant structures that contribute to these properties. The results indicate that the omniphobic PVA membrane holds potential for application in MD processes aimed at water recovery from industrial wastewater containing complex compounds.
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