Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes Research Articles

One Step Co-Sintering Synthesis of Gradient Ceramic Microfiltration Membrane with Mullite/Alumina Whisker Layer for High Permeability Oil-in-Water Emulsion Treatment

One Step Co-Sintering Synthesis of Gradient Ceramic Microfiltration Membrane with Mullite/Alumina Whisker Layer for High Permeability Oil-in-Water Emulsion Treatment

Elaboration of innovative ceramic microfiltration membrane from natural Moroccan sand for wastewater treatment

Elaboration of innovative ceramic microfiltration membrane from natural Moroccan sand for wastewater treatment

Effect of Dolomite Addition on Fly Ash Based Ceramic Membrane to Reduce COD and BOD of Liquid Waste

Ceramic membrane technology plays an essential role in separation fields such as wastewater treatment. Fly ash as a membrane material has proven to be very effective for many separation processes, including water and air purification, as well as industrial and environmental resource recovery. This study aims to develop a microfiltration ceramic membrane based on fly ash with the addition of dolomite. The synthesized ceramic membranes were then characterized using XRD, SEM, and TGA. Ceramic membranes are used to reduce COD and BOD levels in tofu industrial wastewater. The results showed that the value of membrane porosity tends to increase with the addition of dolomite 0% (D0) to 30% (D30). The increase in the porosity value in the membrane was followed by a decrease in the average pore size, namely 1.6994 m at D0 and 1.1730 m at D30. The membrane with 30% dolomite composition has the best mechanical properties with a compressive strength of 35.29 MPa and superior thermal resistance. This is very beneficial for the use of membranes in the long term. Meanwhile, the membrane filtration ability and the ability of the membrane to reduce COD and BOD levels of waste increased with the addition of dolomite from 0% to 30%. However, the decrease in COD and BOD was smaller in the membrane with 45% dolomite. D30 membrane can reduce COD 80% and BOD up to 71.44%. D30 membrane is the most effective fly ash and dolomite composition in forming pores on the membrane with the best COD and BOD reduction performance.

The Effect of Ceramic Membranes' Structure on the Oil and Ions Removal in Pre-Treatment of the Desalter Unit Wastewater.

Salts, organic materials, and hazardous materials can be found regularly in the effluent from a desalter unit of crude oil. These materials should be separated from the wastewater. Four kinds of inexpensive and innovative ceramic microfiltration membranes (mullite, mullite-alumina (MA 50%), mullite-alumina-zeolite (MAZ 20%), and mullite-zeolite (MZ 40%)) were synthesized in this research using locally available inexpensive raw materials such as kaolin clay, natural zeolite, and alpha-alumina powders. Analyses carried out on the membranes include XRD, SEM, void fraction, the average diameter of the pores, and the ability to withstand mechanical stress. Effluent from the desalter unit was synthesized in the laboratory using the salts most present in the desalter wastewater (NaCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2) and crude oil. This synthesized wastewater was treated with prepared ceramic membranes. It was discovered that different salt concentrations (0, 5000, 25,000, 50,000, 75,000, and 100,000 mg L−1) affected the permeate flux (PF), oil rejection, and ion rejection by the membrane. Results showed that in a lower concentration of salts (5000 and 25,000 mg L−1), PF of all types of ceramic membranes was increased significantly, while in the higher concentration, PF declined due to polarization concentration and high fouling effects. Oil and ion rejection was increased slightly by increasing salt dosage in wastewater due to higher ionic strength. Monovalent (Na+) and multivalent (Ca2+ and Mg2+) ion rejection was reported about 5 to 13%, and 23 to 40% respectively. Oil rejection varied from 96.2 to 99.2%.

Production and storage stability of concentrated micellar casein

Concentrated micellar casein (CMC) is a high-protein ingredient that can be used in process cheese product formulations. The objectives of this study were to develop a process to produce CMC and to evaluate the effect of sodium chloride and sodium citrate on its storage stability. Skim milk was pasteurized at 76°C for 16 s and cooled to ≤4°C. The skim milk was heated to 50°C using a plate heat exchanger and microfiltered with a graded permeability (GP) ceramic microfiltration (MF) membrane system (0.1 μm) in a continuous feed-and-bleed mode (flux of 71.43 L/m2 per hour) using a 3× concentration factor (CF) to produce a 3× MF retentate. Subsequently, the retentate of the first stage was diluted 2× with soft water (2 kg of water: 1 kg of retentate) and again MF at 50°C using a 3× CF. The retentate of the second stage was then cooled to 4°C and stored overnight. The following day, the retentate was heated to 63°C and MF in a recirculation mode until the total solids (TS) reached approximately 22% (wt/wt). Subsequently, the MF system temperature was increased to 74°C and MF until the permeate flux was <3 L/m2 per hour. The CMC was then divided into 3 aliquots (approximately 10 kg each) at 74°C. The first portion was a control, whereas 1% of sodium chloride was added to the second portion (T1), and 1% of sodium chloride plus 1% of sodium citrate were added to the third portion (T2). The CMC retentates were transferred hot to sterilized vials and stored at 4°C. This trial was repeated 3 times using separate lots of skim milk. The CMC at d 0 (immediately after manufacturing) contained 25.41% TS, 21.65% true protein (TP), 0.09% nonprotein nitrogen (NPN), and 0.55% noncasein nitrogen (NCN). Mean total aerobic bacterial counts (TBC) in control, T1, and T2 at d 0 were 2.6, 2.5, and 2.8 log cfu/mL, respectively. The level of proteolysis (NCN and NPN values) increased with increasing TBC during 60 d of storage at 4°C. This study determined that CMC with >25% TS and >95% casein as percentage of TP can be manufactured using GP MF ceramic membranes and could be stored up to 60 d at 4°C. The effects of the small increase in NCN and NPN, as well as the addition of sodium chloride or sodium citrate in CMC during 60 d of storage on process cheese characteristics, will be evaluated in subsequent studies.

Development of a new composite ceramic membrane from mullite, silicon carbide and activated carbon for treating greywater

In this experimental research, it is aimed at evaluating a novel composite ceramic membrane for treating and recycling on-site greywater. Therefore, three types of tubular microfiltration ceramic membrane including Mullite, Mullite/SiC and Mulite/SiC/AC composite were fabricated and sintered at a relatively low temperature (1250 ° C) under N 2 atmosphere. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analyses showed that the presence of silicon carbide and activated carbon can improve the surface roughness. Besides, the changes in open porosity, radial and longitudinal shrinkage, mean pore size and mechanical strength were measured and compared for the pure Mullite and composite membranes to determine the most appropriate membrane for the treatment of greywater. The highest pure-water permeability of 3954 kg/m 2 h.br was associated with the Mullite/SiC/AC membrane with the highest porosity of 64.7% and an acceptable appropriate mechanical strength (17.2 MPa approx.). Furthermore, the highest removal efficiency was related to Mullite/SiC/AC in comparison with Mullite and Mullite/SiC membranes. It was observed that using the Mullite/SiC/AC membrane, the removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total sulfate, total nitrate, phosphate, and detergent (ABS) were 88.0%, 87.0%, 71.5%, 86.5%, 94.3%, and 40.4%, respectively.

Comprehensive characterization, development, and application of natural/Assam Kaolin-based ceramic microfiltration membrane

In this work, a natural Kaolin clay collected from Deopani area in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India, was characterized in detail to see its feasibility in ceramic membrane fabrication and further application. The clay was characterized using X-ray fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and particle size distribution (PSD). Five different membrane compositions were chosen by varying the amount of Kaolin and binders such as sodium carbonate, boric acid, and sodium metasilicate. The raw material mixture was characterized by TGA and PSD. The X-ray diffraction analysis, average porosity, chemical stability, flexural strength, surface morphology, pore size distribution, and water permeability of the membranes were investigated. The porosity of sintered membranes was in the range of 21.5–34.5%. It was observed that the pore size decreased whereas flexural strength increased with decrease in Kaolin percentage and increase in binder percentage, respectively. The average porosity, pore size, and flexural strength of the membrane with higher water flux were 34.5%, 2.28 μm, and 7.1 MPa, respectively. The maximum permeability obtained was 6.12 × 10−9 m Pa−1 s−1. This membrane was selected for microfiltration of methylene blue dye. The membrane had negative charge at the pH range of 3–11, implying adsorption as the removal mechanism for the cationic dye. The dye removal for 10 mg L−1 feed concentration was 99.07% which decreased to 93.45% for 100 mg L−1 at 1.5-bar transmembrane pressure. The prepared low-cost ceramic membrane showed good promise to be used in dye removal and other membrane applications.

Chromium(VI) removal using micellar enhanced microfiltration (MEMF) from an aqueous solution: Fouling analysis and use of ANN for predicting permeate flux

Ceramic microfiltration membranes (C1, C2 & C3) have been prepared using −120 ASTM mesh locally available clay powder by uniaxial pressing method without the use of additives. The disks were sintered between 750 and 950 °C for 5 h to obtain the membranes. The prepared membranes were subjected to characterization studies using XRD, SEM, porosity, water permeability and acid-base stability tests. Based on the porosity and average pore size of 51.63% and 2.18 μm respectively, the membrane (C2) prepared at 850 °C was employed for the separation of Cr(VI) by micellar enhanced microfiltration (MEMF). Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a cationic surfactant was used as a flocculating agent. The effect on permeate flux and Cr(VI) removal by varying pressure, initial concentration of Cr(VI) and surfactant to chromate ratio (CPC/Cr) were also investigated.The maximum rejection (99.49%) of Cr(VI) was obtained for a CPC/Cr ratio of 1.5 at a pressure of 0.8 bars and Cr(VI) concentration of 300 mg/L. The separation performance indicates that the membrane used in this work is competent for separating heavy metals like Cr(VI) from industrial wastewaters using MEMF. Subsequently, different fouling models were applied to understand the decline in permeate flux with cake filtration model elucidating the decrease in flux with time satisfactorily. A multilayer feed-forward neural network was trained by Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm using the experimental flux data for predicting permeate flux. The ANN models developed showed good similitude with the experimental flux data.

Improved Process Monitoring Isolates Root Cause of Turbidity Events

A Colorado drinking water facility equipped with ceramic membranes for microfiltration was experiencing daily occurrences of turbidity events, often resulting in shutdowns. A new turbidity measurement system was used to improve operations and water quality.

Membrane fouling behaviors of ceramic hollow fiber microfiltration (MF) membranes by typical organic matters

Membrane fouling is a prevalent problem faced by all membrane-based applications, which is affected by membrane features, foulant properties and solution chemistry conditions. Here in this study, we explored the fouling behaviors induced by three typical organic matters (Humic acid (HA), Sodium alginate (SA) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)) during the filtration process of two self-made ceramic hollow fiber MF membranes (denoted as Titania and Alumina, respectively), and compared with that of one commercial PVDF MF membrane. Extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory was employed to investigate the interfacial energy between foulants and different membranes. The results indicated that the anti-fouling ability of the three membranes followed the order: Titania > Alumina > PVDF. Further, it was found that regardless of the membrane features, increase of solution pH improved the interfacial free energy and thus mitigating membrane fouling. The addition of Na+ decreased the fouling tendency of HA and SA, but enhanced the fouling behavior by BSA, while Ca2+ can enhance all the fouling tendency of HA/SA/BSA. Co-existence of different organic matters resulted in a more complex fouling variation, which can not be well described with XDLVO theory. Our research is expected to provide a fundamental reference for MF membrane selection in practical application.

Studies on the Separation and Purification of the Caulis sinomenii Extract Solution Using Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration

The separation and purification process of alkaloids faces great challenges of pollution, high energy consumption and low continuity. In this study, the effects of ceramic microfiltration (MF) membrane (membrane pore size of 0.50 μm, 0.20 μm, 0.05 μm) and organic ultrafiltration (UF) membrane (membrane molecular weight cut-off of 10 KDa and 1 KDa) on the separation and purification of Caulis sinomenii extract solution in pilot scale were studied. The cleaning effects of different cleaning methods (pure water, 1% HCl-NaOH, 1% sodium hypochlorite) were investigated. The experimental results indicated that 0.05 μm ceramic membrane and 1 kDa UF membrane have higher sinomenine hydrochloride (SH) permeabilities and total solids (TS) removal rates. The ceramic membrane was circulating cleaned by 1% sodium hypochlorite solution for 1 h; the membrane flux can be restored to more than 90% of the original, the membrane flux of 1 kDa UF membrane can be restored to 99.2% of the original by pure water washing. From the above study, the optimal technic parameters was determined in which 0.05 μm ceramic MF membrane and 1 kDa UF membrane were used to separate and purify the Caulis sinomenii extract solution to remove the invalid ingredients, and the two kinds of membranes were cleaned with 1% sodium hypochlorite solution and pure water, respectively, to keep satisfactory membrane fluxes. The study provided an environment-friendly alternative for the separation and purification of alkaloids in natural products, which has a good prospect for the industrial application.

Pore-scale numerical study of intrinsic permeability for fluid flow through asymmetric ceramic microfiltration membranes

The asymmetric ceramic microfiltration (MF) membrane is widely used in water treatment processes, yet the dependence of its intrinsic permeability on the microstructure parameters of different layers are not thoroughly understood. In this study, a numerical model combining the Discrete Element Method (DEM) with Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) is developed to simulate the fluid flow through the detailed pore structure of an asymmetric ceramic MF membrane. The model is validated by comparing the simulated pure water permeability to experimental data with an average deviation of 8% (Max∼25%). The simulation results show that the pore size D50 and porosity ε, of the top and intermediate layers are dominant microstructure parameters that determine the membrane pure water permeability. A new asymmetric ceramic MF membrane intrinsic permeability Km as a function of D50, ε and layer thickness h of both top and intermediate layers is derived. The verification of this Km correlation is conducted by comparison with experimental data and Carman-Kozeny (C–K), Hagen-Poiseuille (H–P) correlations, indicating the proposed Km correlation can accurately predict the membrane permeability. It provides a useful tool for a fundamental understanding of the effect of membrane microstructures on intrinsic permeability.

A Novel ceramic tubular membrane coated with a continuous graphene-TiO2 nanocomposite thin-film for CECs mitigation

This work presents a ceramic tubular membrane coated with a continuous graphene-TiO2 nanocomposite thin-film for contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) removal from synthetic and real matrices in single-pass flow-through operation. Microfiltration ceramic membranes were coated in situ with graphene (G)-TiO2-P25 nano-composite using two different methods: Membrane type A - TiO2-P25 incorporated in the G preparation stage (1% [MA-1], 2% [MA-2] and 3% [MA-3] [w/v]), and Membrane type B - TiO2-P25 thin-film uniformly coated over the G film surface (coating layers: 3 [MB-1], 6 [MB-2], and 9 [MB-3]). After the catalyst deposition and before the pyrolysis step, air was forced to pass through the membranes pores (inside-outside mode), providing a porous film. The CECs solution (diclofenac-DCF, 17β-estradiol-E2, 17α-ethinylestradiol-EE2 and amoxicillin-AMX) was prepared using Ultrapure water (UPW) or an urban wastewater after secondary treatment (UWW) fortified with 500 µgL−1 of each CEC. Membranes were characterized by the following techniques: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Diffuse Reflectance UV-Visible spectroscopy (DR UV-Vis) and Raman spectroscopy. The membranes coated with MA-3 and MB-2 catalyst films, irradiated by UVA light, showed the highest ability for CECs removal. Furthermore, the Relative flux reduction ratio (RFR) decreased around 45% in the absence of UVA light, owing to membrane fouling. The combination of filtration and oxidation (G-TiO2-UVA) provided a permeate with higher quality and minimized membrane fouling. Although membrane type B allowed for a permeate with higher quality, membrane type A provided a higher permeate flux.

Impact of C-CVD synthesis conditions on the hydraulic and electronic properties of SiC/CNTs nanocomposite microfiltration membranes

In this study, commercial SiC ceramic microfiltration membranes were coated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to obtain a conductive and hydrophobic membrane material. In order to have better control of the surface and electronic properties of the developed material, two adjacent fractional factorial designs (25-2) were implemented to quantify CNTs synthesis parameters influence. The design of experiments revealed that the quantity of the synthesized CNTs was mainly controlled by CVD temperature, duration and iron catalyst concentration. The structure of the CNTs layer was mainly controlled by CVD temperature within the investigated parameter range (650–850 °C). It was demonstrated that pure water permeability was anti-correlated with CNTs synthesis yield due to an increase in membranes' hydrophobicity and potential pore blockage. The membrane coated with the largest amount of CNTs was obtained at 850 °C for a duration of at least 1 h and showed relatively low electrical resistance and good microwave absorption. Finally, such tunable nanocomposite material has the potential to further improve the filtration performances and membranes widespread application.

Manufacture of Layered-type MF Ceramic Membrane for Advanced Wastewater Treatment and its Fouling Control using Modularized Mechanical Scraper

In this study, a novel layered-type microfiltration (MF) ceramic membrane for advanced wastewater treatment was fabricated; composed of the support, buffer layer, and active layer. The buffer and active layers allow for the easy formation of the active layer on the support and selective permeation of the ceramic membrane, respectively. The average pore sizes of the support, buffer layer, and active layer were 2,677, 773.3, and 33.1 nm, respectively. The diameters of the active layer pores were <0.1 μm. The ceramic membrane performance and mechanical scraping effects on the membrane permeability improvement were evaluated. Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) were used for the feed of an enhanced ceramic membrane filtration system, by combining the fabricated membranes and devised scrapers. The average flux recovery by scraping was 54% of the clean water flux; maintained by scraping despite the high turbidity feed. The permeation concluded within 0.2 h during scrape-off. This was not recovered despite scraping because the internal membrane pores became blocked due to the material turbidity and could not be separated at the surface of the ceramic membrane.

Innovative in situ investigations using synchrotron‐based micro tomography and molecular dynamics simulation for fouling assessment in ceramic membranes for dairy and food industry

AbstractProteins in dairy streams result in organic fouling and function loss for ceramic membrane's porous structure. Synchrotron‐based X‐ray microtomography (SR‐µCT) is a new method with a high signal to noise ratio and accordingly significant level of accuracy. The goal of this study was to perform an in situ assessment of ceramic membrane fouling in the dairy stream filtration process, using SR‐µCT. This study attempted to assess porosity variation and membrane fouling through different layers from the top, middle, and bottom layers of the ceramic microfiltration membrane before and after skimming milk filtration. Molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) was used for depth understanding of milk protein interactions with the ceramic membrane. Fouling was found to be more intense on the top of the ceramic membrane even though the top layer was slightly more porous, which indicates that top layers were more prone to fouling. A regression model was derived to correlate the porosity loss due to membrane fouling at different membrane thicknesses. The MDS results showed more affinity of the milk proteins to the ceramic membrane compared to water molecules. The MDS studies showed how the presence of the milk's protein macromolecules could change the hydrophilicity trend on the membrane's surface.

Catalytically active membranes for decomposition of organic compounds in aqueous solutions

This work is devoted to the preparation of microfiltration ceramic tubular membranes based on α-Al2O3 with deposited catalytically active layers for use in wastewater treatment processes. Cobalt and manganese oxides were used as the material of the catalytically active layer; deposition was carried out using a mixture of aggregative stable aqueous dispersions of Co3O4 and MnO2 nanoparticles. According to the data of scanning electron microscopy, the thickness of the obtained deposited layers does not exceed 3 μm. X-ray fluorescence analysis confirmed the presence of Mn and Co on the surface of the samples. The resulting membranes with a mass of 10 mg of the deposited layer of the oxide mixture were tested in the methylene blue decomposition reaction in dilute aqueous solutions (1,2 mg/L). The reaction was carried out in a batch reactor at room temperature, complete discoloration of the solution was observed after 180-240 minutes.

Efficiency of removal of whey protein from sweet whey using polymeric microfiltration membranes

Our objective was to measure whey protein removal percentage from separated sweet whey using spiral-wound (SW) polymeric microfiltration (MF) membranes using a 3-stage, 3× process at 50°C and to compare the performance of polymeric membranes with ceramic membranes. Pasteurized, separated Cheddar cheese whey (1,080 kg) was microfiltered using a polymeric 0.3-μm polyvinylidene (PVDF) fluoride SW membrane and a 3×, 3-stage MF process. Cheese making and whey processing were replicated 3 times. There was no detectable level of lactoferrin and no intact α- or β-casein detected in the MF permeate from the 0.3-μm SW PVDF membranes used in this study. We found BSA and IgG in both the retentate and permeate. The β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) and α-lactalbumin (α-LA) partitioned between retentate and permeate, but β-LG passage through the membrane was retarded more than α-LA because the ratio of β-LG to α-LA was higher in the MF retentate than either in the sweet whey feed or the MF permeate. About 69% of the crude protein present in the pasteurized separated sweet whey was removed using a 3×, 3-stage, 0.3-μm SW PVDF MF process at 50°C compared with 0.1-μm ceramic graded permeability MF that removed about 85% of crude protein from sweet whey. The polymeric SW membranes used in this study achieve approximately 20%lower yield of whey protein isolate (WPI) and a 50% higher yield of whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC) under the same MF processing conditions as ceramic MF membranes used in the comparison study. Total gross revenue from the sale of WPI plus WPPC produced with polymeric versus ceramic membranes is influenced by both the absolute market price for each product and the ratio of market price of these 2 products. The combination of the market price of WPPC versus WPI and the influence of difference in yield of WPPC and WPI produced with polymeric versus ceramic membranes yielded a price ratio of WPPC versus WPI of 0.556 as the cross over point that determined which membrane type achieves higher total gross revenue return from production of these 2 products from separated sweet whey. A complete economic engineering study comparison of the WPI and WPPC manufacturing costs for polymeric versus ceramic MF membranes is needed to determine the effect of membrane material selection on long-term processing costs, which will affect net revenue and profit when the same quantity of sweet whey is processed under various market price conditions.

Determination of the efficiency of removal of whey protein from sweet whey with ceramic microfiltration membranes

Our research objective was to measure percent removal of whey protein from separated sweet whey using 0.1-µm uniform transmembrane pressure ceramic microfiltration (MF) membranes in a sequential batch 3-stage, 3× process at 50°C. Cheddar cheese whey was centrifugally separated to remove fat at 72°C and pasteurized (72°C for 15 s), cooled to 4°C, and held overnight. Separated whey (375 kg) was heated to 50°C with a plate heat exchanger and microfiltered using a pilot-scale ceramic 0.1-µm uniform transmembrane pressure MF system in bleed-and-feed mode at 50°C in a sequential batch 3-stage (2 diafiltration stages) process to produce a 3× MF retentate and MF permeate. Feed, retentate, and permeate samples were analyzed for total nitrogen, noncasein nitrogen, and nonprotein nitrogen using the Kjeldahl method. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE analysis was also performed on the whey feeds, retentates, and permeates from each stage. A flux of 54 kg/m2 per hour was achieved with 0.1-µm ceramic uniform transmembrane pressure microfiltration membranes at 50°C. About 85% of the total nitrogen in the whey feed passed though the membrane into the permeate. No passage of lactoferrin from the sweet whey feed of the MF into the MF permeate was detected. There was some passage of IgG, bovine serum albumen, glycomacropeptide, and casein proteolysis products into the permeate. β-Lactoglobulin was in higher concentration in the retentate than the permeate, indicating that it was partially blocked from passage through the ceramic MF membrane.

A novel ceramic microfiltration membrane fabricated by anthurium andraeanum-like attapulgite nanofibers for high-efficiency oil-in-water emulsions separation

Anthurium andraeanum-like Fe3O4-attapulgite (FATP) fibers were prepared by anchoring nano-Fe3O4 particles on the surface of attapugite (ATP) via chemical coprecipitation. Then a novel ceramic microfiltration membrane with superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic performance was fabricated based on the FATP fibers. Ascribed to the hydrophilic performance of Fe3O4 and micro-nano structure of FATP fibers, the underwater oil contact angles of the FATP membrance for various types of oils are larger than 158° and the membrane also possesses rather low adhesion force with oil droplets. After 3 cycles of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion separation, the steady flux of FATP membrane is 209 L m−2 h−1, 44% higher than that of ATP membrane. Moreover, the FATP membrane is stable and easy to clean, its oil rejection maintains at 98.7% and flux can recover by 86.5% using hot water as cleaning agent. The as-developed anthurium andraeanum-like structure in membrane surface provides promising guidance to improve the O/W purification performance of membrane.