Membrane Distillation Performance Research Articles

In-situ 3D fouling visualization of membrane distillation treating industrial textile wastewater by optical coherence tomography imaging

Membrane fouling, which is caused by the deposition of particles on the membrane surface or pores, reduces system performance in membrane distillation (MD) applications, resulting in increased operational costs, poor recovery, and system failure. Optical Coherence Tomography enables in-situ foulant monitoring in both 2D and 3D, however, the 2D images can only determine fouling layer thickness in severe fouling. Therefore, in this study, an advanced 3D imaging analysis technique using intensity range filters was proposed to quantify fouling layer formation during MD through the use of a single 3D image. This approach not only reduces computational power requirements, but also successfully separated the fouling layer from the membrane at the microscale. Thus, the thickness, fouling index, and fouling layer coverage can be evaluated in real time. To test this approach, Polyvinylidene fluoride (C-PVDF) and polytetrafluoroethylene (C-PTFE) membranes were used to treat a feed consisting of industrial textile wastewater. Thin and disperse foulants was observed on the C-PTFE, with a 22 µm thick fouling layer which could not be observed using 2D images after 24 h. Moreover, the C-PTFE demonstrated better antifouling ability than the C-PVDF as demonstrated by its lower fouling index, which was also supported by surface energy characterization. This work demonstrates the significant potential of 3D imagery in the long-term monitoring of membrane fouling process to improve membrane antifouling performance in MD applications, which can lead to lowered operational costs and improved system stability.

Effect of channel height on the overall performance of direct contact membrane distillation

• Temperature polarization was decreased significantly via decreasing channel height. • Feed temperature and flow rate are key parameters that affect the performance. • Permeate flux was increased by 21% due to addressing temperature polarization. • Specific energy consumption was improved by 10% due to enhanced polarization. Temperature polarization is a crucial issue in the application of the membrane distillation technique, as it can significantly affect its entire performance. Experimental and numerical studies were conducted to decrease the temperature polarization in the feed and permeate channels by reducing the channel height. This is the first time that a study addresses the temperature polarization in membrane distillation by decreasing channel height. Furthermore, the feed inlet temperature and flow rate were studied by changing the channels’ height to obtain a comprehensive conclusion. Results showed that decreasing temperature polarization had a significant effect on the membrane surfaces’ temperatures, which in turn, significantly improved system productivity and thermal performance. In this study, the channels’ heights decreased from 2.5 mm to 1.5 mm; whereas, the feed inlet temperature and flow rate ranged from 58 °C to 78 °C and from 100 ml/min to 400 ml/min, respectively, and at constant feed salinity of 10 g/l. A 21% increase in the permeate flux was achieved when the channel height decreased from 2.5 mm to 1.5 mm at feed inlet temperature and flow rate of 78 °C and 100 ml/min, respectively. Furthermore, at the maximum considered flow rate of 400 ml/min this improvement enhanced both the thermal efficiency and specific energy consumption by 12.7% and 10%, respectively. The results also showed that feed inlet temperature had a significant impact on the whole system performance: productivity was more than doubled when feed inlet temperature was increased from 58 °C to 78 °C (at 1.5 mm channel height). However, increasing flow rate negatively affected both thermal efficiency and specific energy consumption even though it was proven to positively affect productivity. Finally, increasing the flow rate beyond 200 ml/min proved to be less significant with respect to permeate flux, thermal efficiency, and specific energy consumption.

A comparison between average and local thermal evaluations to improve the performance of a direct contact membrane distillation for the solar desalination purposes

A comparison between average and local thermal evaluations to improve the performance of a direct contact membrane distillation for the solar desalination purposes

Enhanced Membrane Distillation Water Flux through Electromagnetism

Enhancing the efficiency of membrane distillation (MD) is crucial for implementing this desalination technology on a large scale for freshwater production. Herein, an interesting opportunity of enhancing membrane distillation performance by applying an external electromagnetic field to the feed stream is demonstrated. It has been proven that electromagnetic fields can affect water evaporation rate, which is primarily related to the effect of the electromagnetic field on the hydrogen bonds of water clusters. However, as of yet, the enhancement in MD performance through the assistance of electromagnetic fields has not been previously recognized. Herein, it is demonstrated that the permeate flux of membrane distillation can be increased by up to 10% through exposing the saline feed water to an external electromagnetic field (EMF). It was found that the presence of divalent ions in the feed solution during the application of EMF resulted in a higher increase in permeate flux than when only NaCl was present. The electromagnetic treatment is non-destructive to current MD and thus can be easily adapted to large-scale water desalination processes.

Desalination by direct contact membrane distillation using mixed matrix electrospun nanofibrous membranes with carbon-based nanofillers: A strategic improvement

Robust hydrophobic and superhydrophobic mixed matrix electrospun nanofibrous membranes (MM-ENMs) have been prepared from low- and high- molecular weight polyvinylidene fluoride with either multi-walled carbon nanotubes or graphene oxide nanofillers (0.05–0.5 wt%). The polymer solutions' properties, including their electrical conductivity, viscosity, and surface tension, were determined and used to guide the design of single-, dual-, and triple-layered MM-ENMs combining layers with different hydrophobic character. All MM-ENMs were subsequently prepared and characterized in terms of their morphology, hydrophobicity, mechanical properties, and direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) performance. A thinner hydrophobic layer with a thicker hydrophilic support layer in dual-layered MM-ENMs reduced water vapor transport resistance and improved DCMD performance relative to single-layer MM-ENMs. Conversely, placing an intermediate hydrophilic layer between two hydrophobic layers in triple-layered MM-ENMs promoted water condensation (water pocket formation) and thus reduced DCMD performance. Over 10 h DCMD, the best-performing dual-layered MM-ENM allowed ultra-high permeate fluxes of up to 74.7 kg/m2 h while maintaining a stable permeate electrical conductivity of around 7.63 μS/cm and a salt (NaCl) rejection factor of up to 99.995% when operated with a feed temperature of 80°C, a permeate temperature of 20°C, and a feed solution containing NaCl at a concentration of 30 g/L.

Algogenic organic matter fouling alleviation in membrane distillation by peroxymonosulfate (PMS): Role of PMS concentration and activation temperature

Membrane distillation (MD) has attracted significant attention in recent years; however, MD membrane fouling is still a big issue. For the first time, this study explored the performance of a standalone direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and an integrated peroxymonosulfate (PMS)/DCMD for the treatment of surface water mainly containing algogenic organic matter (AOM) to elucidate pollutant removal as well as fouling propensity and mitigation. The results indicated that the overall conductivity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removals by the standalone DCMD and PMS/DCMD were comparable (98–99.8%). However, permeate flux of the standalone DCMD reduced by 62% due to severe membrane fouling. After pre-treatment at 60 °C, flux reduction of 27–40% and no flux decline were observed at PMS concentrations of 1–5 mM and 10–15 mM, respectively. The optimum PMS concentration of 10 mM was also demonstrated to be effective for membrane fouling mitigation at 40 and 50 °C. Characterisation of AOM indicated the presence of protein-like and high MW (≥10 kDa) compounds, which were readily degraded by the reactive species (OH and 1O2) generated by heat-activated PMS. Characterisation of fouled MD membrane confirmed that fouling was mainly caused by protein-like compounds, consequently affecting permeate flux and membrane properties.

Robust dual-layer Janus membranes with the incorporation of polyphenol/Fe3+ complex for enhanced anti-oil fouling performance in membrane distillation

The effective treatment of oily saline wastewater has posed a challenge for membrane distillation (MD) technology due to the severe oil fouling. To address this dilemma, a Janus membrane was successfully developed in this study by incorporating tannic acid (TA)/ferric chloride (FeCl3) complex and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) onto the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane surface via the nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The characterization results demonstrated that the TA-Fe3+ complex was compatible with the PVDF, and the composite surface layer was firmly attached on the PTFE substrate. Furthermore, the Janus membrane showed a high hydrophilicity and strong underwater superoleophobicity (oil contact angle, 154.80 ± 1.07°), with had an excellent vapor flux (28.30 ± 1.18 Lm−2 h−1) compared with the membrane without the embedding of TA-Fe3+ complex (18.16 ± 1.45 Lm−2 h−1). According to theoretical arithmetic of mass transfer, the evaporation interface of the Janus membrane had transferred during the MD process, contributing to promoting the mass transfer performance and fouling resistance. When treating oily saline emulsion, the Janus membrane exhibited a good desalination and anti-oil fouling stability compared to the control membranes. This study suggests that the fabricated lipophobic Janus MD membrane has great potential in the treatment of oily saline wastewater.

Anti-scaling and water flux enhancing effect of alginate in membrane distillation

This study focused on the effect of sodium alginate on the performance of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The feed solution contained various combinations of sodium chloride, sodium sulfate and calcium chloride along with bovine serum albumin, xanthan gum and sodium alginate. Unlike findings from the majority of prior studies that suggested the presence of alginate in feed solution caused the deterioration of membrane process performance, our results indicated that sodium alginate exhibited anti-scaling properties and water flux enhancing effect. However, this interesting phenomenon was exhibited by sodium alginate under particular conditions only. Experiments performed with other organic foulants such as xanthan gum did not display the same trend. It is believed that the presence of a hydrophilic layer (calcium alginate gel), which is much less thermal conductive as compared to the PTFE membrane, on the top of the membrane could reduce the amount of heat dissipated due to evaporative cooling or reduce conductive heat loss in the membrane, thus enhancing the thermal efficiency of the system.

Preparation and vacuum membrane distillation performance of a superhydrophobic polypropylene hollow fiber membrane modified via ATRP

Superhydrophobic polypropylene hollow fiber membranes were fabricated using single- and multi-step atom transfer radical polymerization methods. The degree of grafting was improved by intermittently adding equal doses of monomers. Membrane morphology and anti-wetting properties of the membranes produced using the two methods were thoroughly investigated to understand the influence of structure on vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) performance. Initial monomer dosages of 20% and 30% facilitated the production of superhydrophobic modified membranes with water contact angles of 167.9° and 179.0°, respectively. The samples with the highest liquid entry pressure were produced using an initial monomer dosage of 20%, and were selected for the VMD experiments. Testing was conducted for 21 h and indicated that the modification method significantly affected VMD performance. This was attributed to the prominent differences in morphology and pore distribution. The average flux of the membrane produced with 20% monomer using the single-step method was 11.01 kg/m2h, which was 4.53 kg/m2h higher than that of the unmodified membrane; the long-term stability was superior. Although the membrane produced using the multi-step method exhibited an excellent average flux of 12.71 kg/m2h, the performance was highly unstable, and flux suddenly dropped after 6 h. Furthermore, the rejection performance was unsatisfactory. Overall, the two new membranes showed pronounced distinctions in VMD performances, which agrees well with our hypotheses.

Acid mine drainage and sewage impacted groundwater treatment by membrane distillation: Organic micropollutant and metal removal and membrane fouling

Groundwater is the dominant source of freshwater in many countries around the globe, and the deterioration in its quality by contaminants originating from anthropogenic sources raises serious concern. In this study, a scenario where groundwater is contaminated by acid mine drainage (AMD) from mining activities and/or sewage was envisaged, and the performance of a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system was investigated comprehensively for different compositions of the AMD- and sewage-impacted groundwater. Regardless of the composition, MD membrane achieved 98–100% removal of metals and bulk organics, while the removal of the selected micropollutants ranged between 80 and 100%. Effective retention of contaminants by the MD led to their accumulation over time, which affected the hydraulic performance of the MD membrane by reducing the permeate flux by 29–76%. When persulfate (PS)-mediated oxidation process was integrated with the DCMD, degradation of bulk organics (50–71%) and micropollutants (50–100%) by PS reduced their accumulation. Characterisation of the fouling layer revealed the occurrence of membrane scaling that was mainly due to the deposition of iron oxide or oxyhydroxide precipitates. For an identical composition of the AMD- and sewage-impacted groundwater, flux decline was 10% less in PS-assisted DCMD as compared to that in the standalone DCMD. However, this did not prevent the formation of iron oxide scales on MD membrane during the operation of PS-assisted DCMD. This study demonstrates the long-term performance of a standalone and PS-assisted DCMD operated in continuous-flow mode to treat AMD- and sewage-impacted groundwater for the first time.

Desalination by direct contact membrane distillation using a superhydrophobic nanofibrous poly (methyl methacrylate) membrane

A practical, high-productive and superhydrophobic nanofibrous membrane was firstly introduced for membrane distillation (MD) process using poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and the electroblowing process. Wrinkled PMMA nanofibers demonstrated nano/micro-structure improving hydrophobicity greatly. Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) performance of the cold-pressed nanofibrous PMMA membrane was assessed using 35 and 150 g/L saline feed waters for 24 h and the results were compared with commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polypropylene (PP) membranes. The PMMA membrane exhibited highest permeate flux (41.04 and 35.94 kg/m2 h for 35 and 150 g/L feeds, respectively) with stable electrical conductivity (EC) (˂ 5 μS/cm) resulting from superhydrophobicity (164.2°) and high liquid entry pressure (LEP) of 227.3 kPa. Although the commercial membranes presented good DCMD performance for 35 g/L feed, partial pore wetting with final EC of 11.93 and 17.62 μS/cm was measured for the PTFE and PP membranes using 150 g/L feed, respectively. The nanofibrous PMMA membrane is a promising applicant for conducting promising desalination using the DCMD process considering high production rate, simplicity of fabrication process and cost-effectiveness.

Mechanically improved superhydrophobic nanofibrous polystyrene/high‐impact polystyrene membranes for promising membrane distillation application

AbstractRobust membranes for commercial applications of membrane distillation (MD) are nearly the Achilles ankle of the process. Despite from high hydrophobicity requirements of the MD membranes, they must have enough mechanical and thermal stabilities. In this regard, flexible, superhydrophobic, and high‐productive nanofibrous membranes were fabricated using mixed dope solutions made of polystyrene (PS) and high‐impact PS (HIPS) through the electroblowing process. Although the PS nanofibers can be designed to have hierarchically rough surfaces to show superhydrophobicity, the inherent brittleness of this polymer still remains a big issue for practical application for a longer period of time. Upon adding HIPS into the PS‐containing dope solution, the rigid PS membrane turned into a more flexible one with improved elongation at break from 5.83% to 14.89%. Also, excellent direct contact membrane distillation performance was achieved using high saline (up to 150 g/L) and 0.1 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate/35 g/L NaCl feed solutions during 96 and 24 h, respectively. Superhydrophobicity (˃160°) and high LEP value (up to 173.2 kPa) gifted membranes with outstanding wetting resistance. Our proposed procedure can pave the route for the facile fabrication of robust MD membranes using cost‐effective materials and a high‐throughput fabrication process.

Superhydrophobized Polyacrylonitrile/Hierarchicall-FeOOH Nanofibrous Membrane for High-salinity Water Treatment in Membrane Distillation

Water flux and hydrophobic durability play important roles in membrane distillation(MD) applications. Compared with the method of adsorbing nanoparticles by electrostatic adsorption, the surface roughness constructed by chemical bonding is more conducive to the performance of membrane. This paper reports a facile approach to fabricating superhydrophobic fluoroalkyl silane/polydimethylsiloxane@FeOOH@stabilized polyacrylonitrile(FAS/PDMS@FeOOH@SPAN) nanofibrous membrane(NFM) with outstanding hierarchical structures, aiming to achieve efficient and stable performance in MD. Electrospun polyacrylonitrile(PAN) membrane after peroxidation was chosen as the base membrane, followed by in-situ synthesis of iron oxyhydroxide and liquid-phase silanization. We tested the characteristics of FAS/PDMS@FeOOH@SPAN NFM in each preparation stage and its performance in direct contact membrane distillation(DCMD). The chemical bond between iron oxyhydroxide and the membrane is stronger, making the rough structure steady and dense. The FAS/PDMS@FeOOH@SPAN NFM exhibited a water contact angle of 155.4° and excellent hydrophobicity towards different pollutants. Besides, it showed satisfied properties with a water flux of 24.7 L·m−2·h−1, a high salts rejection of ca. 100% and an extended-term stability in DCMD using hypersaline water(10%, mass ratio). It is believed that this novel study proposes a universal and efficient method to fabricate a superhydrophobic surface and has great potential for high-salinity wastewater treatment in MD.

Effective treatment of leachate concentrate using membrane distillation coupled with electrochemical oxidation

The performance of sequential electrochemical oxidation (EO) and membrane distillation (MD) process was investigated for treating leachate concentrate with the characteristics of salinity and biorefractory organics. EO was achieved by direct and indirect oxidation on the Ti/PbO2 or Ti/Ru-Ir anode, by comparing the performance under different variations. Results showed that at an applied current density of 100 mA/cm2, operation time of 5 h and the choice of the Ti/PbO2 anode, the EO process could minimize the organic fouling by decomposing the larger molecular humic-acid that the removal efficiency was 83.4% for TOC. MD was used for treating the EO-pretreated concentrate due to its high rejection of salt and non-volatile components when treating salinity water. Flux results showed that the sequential system made the process resistant toward the sharp flux decline due to organics fouling, leading to a steady distillate flux in the earlier stage, and antiscalant was further added to retard the scaling in the long-time treatment. A strong interaction occurred between the foulants and antiscalant in the feed solution, and thus slowed down the scaling on the membrane which was reflected by the membrane flux, morphology and layer thickness. Results further showed that the ratio of actual and theoretical soluble Ca2+ was up to 61.6% and the energy barrier increased by 427.0% under optimum 20 mg/L PBTCA dosage. This study suggests that the sequential EO-DCMD system with antiscalant dosage can provide a potential alternative for treating the leachate concentrate.

Experimental simulation of membrane module performance in direct contact membrane distillation

The performance of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was measured with a continuous series of mini-modules fabricated by PTFE hollow fibers to simulate a standard length module in the counter-current flow and co-current flow. The behaviors of temperature and pressure difference along the simulated module length were derived from the temperature change of each mini module. The permeated water of each mini module could be considered the permeated water in individual regions of a simulated module. The pressure differences over contact time could be drawn in one curve even if the raw water velocities were different. Instantaneous flux at a certain point of the module could be derived from the product of a mass transfer coefficient and a pressure difference curve. The total flux of a simulated module could be evaluated through the integration of the instantaneous flux from inlet to outlet of the module. The membrane area and number of modules required for processing could be calculated from the flux if a module dimension and an operation condition were determined. These approaches enabled to design the appropriate module for practical use.

Chemical and surface engineered superhydrophobic patterned membrane with enhanced wetting and fouling resistance for improved membrane distillation performance

Application of membrane distillation (MD) is still in its emerging stage due to membrane wetting and fouling issues. In this study, an anti-wetting and anti-fouling superhydrophobic patterned membrane was prepared utilizing patterned templet surface and subsequent chemical modifications with fluorine-based polymer. A uniform patterned polyvinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene (PVDF-CTFE) membrane was prepared using a template having a specific surface structure. It was found that the patterned membrane with a hierarchical microstructure was more hydrophobic than that with a flat surface. Long-term performance of the patterned membrane was determined through direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). Results showed that such patterned membrane exhibited wetting resistance for a longer time compared to a pristine membrane. However, the patterned membrane showed rapid flux decline during a fouling test due to deposition of foulants such as humic acid (HA), alginate acid (AA), and bovine serum albumin (BSA). To overcome the fouling issue, a patterned membrane was chemically modified with 1H, 1H-perfluorooctyl methacrylate (FOMA) known to possess a low surface energy. After surface modification with FOMA, the superhydrophobic patterned membrane showed good stability in terms of water flux and salt rejection for more than 7 days in DCMD without wetting or fouling issue. Results of this study indicates the capability of a superhydrophobic patterned MD membrane for generating maximum water flux with excellent anti-fouling and wetting resistance properties.

Contrasting Behaviors between Gypsum and Silica Scaling in the Presence of Antiscalants during Membrane Distillation.

Mineral scaling is a major constraint that limits the performance of membrane distillation (MD) for hypersaline wastewater treatment. Although the use of antiscalants is a common industrial practice to mitigate mineral scaling, the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of antiscalants in inhibiting different mineral scaling types have not been systematically investigated. Herein, we perform a comparative investigation to elucidate the efficiencies of antiscalant candidates with varied functional groups for mitigating gypsum scaling and silica scaling in MD desalination. We show that antiscalants with Ca(II)-complexing moieties (e.g., carboxyl group) are the most effective to inhibit gypsum scaling formed via crystallization, whereas amino-enriched antiscalants possess the best performance to mitigate silica scaling created by polymerization. A set of microscopic and spectroscopic analyses reveal distinct mechanisms of antiscalants required for those two common types of scaling. The mitigating effect of antiscalants on gypsum scaling is attributed to the stabilization of scale precursors and nascent CaSO4 nuclei, which hinders phase transformation of amorphous CaSO4 toward crystalline gypsum. In contrast, antiscalants facilitate the polymerization of silicic acid, immobilizing active silica precursors and retarding the gelation of silica scale layer on the membrane surface. Our study, for the first time, demonstrates that antiscalants with different functionalities are required for the mitigation of gypsum scaling and silica scaling, providing mechanistic insights on the molecular design of antiscalants tailored to MD applications for the treatment of wastewaters containing different scaling types.

An integrated approach for the HCl and metals recovery from waste pickling solutions: pilot plant and design operations

Continuous regeneration of industrial pickling solutions and recovery of valuable materials are implemented in a pilot-scale plant including diffusion dialysis (DD), where HCl is recovered, membrane distillation (MD), where HCl is concentrated, and reactive precipitation (CSTR), where metal ions are recovered in different forms. The integration of the three processes allows to minimize waste streams generation and to accomplish a closed-loop process, thus increasing the environmental sustainability and economic impact of the galvanizing industry. Process reliability was proved through the operation of a demonstrator in the real industrial environment of the Tecnozinco SrL hot-dip galvanizing plant (Carini, Italy), assessing the actual performance in fully reducing spent pickling solution disposal and recovering useful compounds. Tests were conducted firstly with synthetic solutions and then with real waste liquors from the pickling plant. A high acid recovery (80%) can be achieved in the diffusion dialysis unit and quantitative metals separation was accomplished, with iron hydroxide produced at 99% purity. The membrane distillation performance suffers when metal salts are present in large quantities, due to the “salting out” effect, resulting in reduced water vapor pressure, though the use of available low grade waste heat allows energy-sustainable operation of the MD.

Development of membrane distillation by dosing SiO2-PNIPAM with thermal cleaning properties via surface energy actuation

This study evaluates the performance and cleaning efficiency of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) by changing its surface energy via thermal actuation. Thermoresponsive SiO2-PNIPAM particles were dosed into the DCMD with different surface energy and its thermal cleaning efficiency was evaluated against the model organic foulants namely Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and Sodium Alginate (SA). The impact of SiO2-PNIPAM dosing on the performance of membrane distillation as well as its defouling efficiency were evaluated under thermal actuation effect. Results showed that composite membrane has higher flux recovery (93%–95%) compared to pristine membrane (55%–90%). The composite membranes were analysed for their Surface Free Energy (SFE) to understand their fouling and cleaning behaviour. Based on SFE analysis, it was found that both low and high SFE composite membranes surface that fouled by BSA and SA foulants were able to restore their hydrophobicity after thermal actuation. The stability of the embedded hydrogel could be maintained after thermal actuation which indicated sufficient interactions between the SiO2-PNIPAM with the PVDF membrane matrix.

Study on vacuum membrane distillation performance of PP/POE blending membranes prepared via thermally induced phase separation using bidiluent

In this study, polypropylene/polyethylene octene (PP/POE) blending membranes were prepared via thermally induced phase separation method and applied to vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). The influences of bidiluent ratio and polymer concentration in the casting solution on the structural properties (including porosity, hydrophobicity, permeability, and mechanical strength of the PP/POE blending membranes are fully investigated. The results suggest that the tensile strength can be significantly improved through blending PP with POE. The porosity of the blending membrane can be regulated by the polymer concentration. Meanwhile, the bidiluent ratio (soybean oil and dibutyl phthalate) can tailor the microporous structure and penetration property. The high permeate flux of the PP/POE blending membrane is obtained at a PP/POE blending ratio of 8:2, polymer concentration of 30 wt%, and bidiluent (soybean and dibutyl phthalate) ratio of 5:5. To simulate the VMD application for seawater, separation permeability of the as-prepared PP/POE blending membranes are also characterized using 3.5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution. The VMD results suggests that, at feed flow rate of 18 L h−1, vacuum degree of 0.09 MPa and feed temperature of 80 °C, the blending membranes manifest much superior permeation and separation performance after around 60 h operation.