PVDF Hollow Fiber Membranes Research Articles

An Experimental Study PVDF and PSF Hollow Fiber Membranes for Chemical Absorption Carbon Dioxide

Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly-sulfone (PSF) polymer solutions were made at a concentration of 18% by weight of the polymer as a non-soluble additive of polymer solution in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent. PVDF and PSF hollow fiber membranes were fabricated via the wet phase-inversion process. Fabricated membranes were characterized in terms of gas permeability, wetting resistance, water contact angle and overall porosity. In order to study the structure of the membranes made, the scanning electron microscopy images of the model (TM3000, HITACHI, Japan) were used. The morphology study indicates that the PSF membrane shows an open cross-section structure with smaller pore sizes. However, the PVDF membrane illustrates a thick sponge-like structure. The fabricated PVDF membrane shows higher wetting resistance, surface porosity, water contact angle, and N2 permeability. The performance of the produced membranes was examined for the Absorption of carbon dioxide in a gas-liquid contactor membrane through the solution of mono-ethanolamine (MEA). The results show that CO2 absorption flux of the PVDF hollow fiber membrane is higher than PSF hollow fiber membrane. The maximum CO2 absorption flux of 8.10 × 10-3 (mole/m2 s) at the liquid phase flow rate of 300 ml/min for PVDF hollow fiber membrane was achieved and also the maximum CO2 absorption flux of 6.50 × 10-3 (mole/m2 s) at the liquid phase flow rate of 300 ml/min for PSF hollow fiber membrane was obtained. It can be concluded that a porous hydrophobic hollow fiber membrane with high surface porosity and high gas permeability can be a productive alternative for CO2 absorption through gas-liquid membrane contactors.

Preparation of polyamide–PVDF composite hollow fiber membranes with well-developed interconnected bicontinuous structure using high-temperature rapid NIPS for forward osmosis

Poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes were prepared by using high-temperature rapid non-solvent-induced phase separation (HTR-NIPS). The conditions for fabricating interconnected bicontinuous structures via HTR-NIPS were investigated. We found that (1) the stock solution must not have a gelation temperature and (2) the membrane must be produced at an outer coagulation solution temperature higher than the upper critical solution temperature of the stock solution. A stock solution of PVDF/γ-butyrolactone/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) that satisfied these conditions was used for successful fabrication of PVDF membranes with a well-developed interconnected bicontinuous structure. The pure water permeances and strengths of these PVDF membranes were higher than those of previously reported PVDF membranes. A polyamide (PA) active layer was prepared on the PVDF hollow fiber membranes via interfacial polymerization to obtain PA-PVDF. Investigation of forward osmosis (FO) in the active layer facing the feed solution showed that the water flux Jw increased with decreasing thickness of the support layer. Higher water transport was achieved when the tortuosity τ, estimated from the S value, was lower. This suggests that the interconnected bicontinuous structure of the PVDF membrane is a key factor for FO membranes.

Completely green and sustainable preparation of PVDF hollow fiber membranes via melt-spinning and stretching method

In this work, the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes with switchable pore size were fabricated by melt-spinning and stretching (MS–S) process based on a completely green and sustainable route. The membrane preparation process and pore formation mechanism were discussed and investigated in detail. Meanwhile, the effect of stretching ratio on the membrane structure and property was studied based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pore size distribution, N2 flux, pure water flux, mechanical property and so on. The prepared membranes with different stretching ratios exhibited excellent tensile strength in the range from 23.0 to 62.6 MPa. The mean pore size of the prepared membranes with stretching 100 % (M-100) was about 0.317 μm, which showed a high dye rejection (<93.9 %) for Direct Black 19. Specifically, there were not any organic solvent and low-molecular-weight diluent used during the preparation process. The recycled PEO and water were obtained after treating the wastewater by membrane filtration. In addition, the recycled PEO could be reused as pore forming agent, which could achieve completely green and sustainable membrane preparation process.

Hyflon/PVDF membranes prepared by NIPS and TIPS: Comparison in MD performance

Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising technology for the treatment of highly saline waters. However, there are few microporous hydrophobic membranes, available as hollow fibers and flat sheets, properly manufactured for MD. In the present paper, highly hydrophobic Hyflon/PVDF composite hollow fiber membranes were prepared by coating three kinds of Hyflon AD on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes. The PVDF hollow fiber membranes were prepared via two different techniques (i.e. NIPS and TIPS). The six different Hyflon AD/PVDF composite membranes were characterized and tested in MD, both in direct contact (DCMD) and vacuum (VMD) configuration. The testing of the membranes in VMD showed that the performance of the different membranes was, as expected, strongly dependent on pore size, porosity, liquid entry pressure (LEP) and contact angle (Φ). DCMD experiments revealed that another parameter influencing the membrane performance is the thickness because it allows reducing the heat loss due to conduction through the membrane.

The preparation of a modified PVDF hollow fiber membrane by coating with multiwalled carbon nanotubes for high antifouling performance

In this study, an outer surface modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane (HF-PVDF-CNT) was prepared by coating with dopamine (PD) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), to solve the problems of the instability of pure CNT mats fabricated by filter coating methods and membrane fouling in wastewater treatment. The modified membrane was assessed and characterized by various methods, including studies of its top surface and cross-sectional morphology, wettability, functional groups and electrical conductivity. The CNT material stability was evaluated during backwashing. The antifouling and filtering abilities of the unmodified and modified membranes were tested by monitoring the change in TMP and the rejection performance for different contaminants during filtration in bovine serum albumin solution (BSA), sodium alginate solution (SA) and humic acid solution (HA). Furthermore, HF-PVDF-CNT and electro-assisted HF-PVDF-CNT membranes were employed as the basic separation units in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) system and an anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactor (AnEMBR) system, respectively. Characterization of the HF-PVDF-CNT membrane indicated that the CNT mats exhibited good stability, electrical conductivity and wettability. In filtration experiments using BSA, SA and HA solutions, the HF-PVDF-CNT membrane showed an obvious improvement compared with the HF-PVDF membrane in antifouling performance. During its application in the AnMBR and AnEMBR systems, the electro-assisted HF-PVDF-CNT membrane had greater effects than the HF-PVDF-CNT membrane on reducing fouling.

Porous heat exchange tube with ultra-thin dense skin layer via NIPS for AGMD process

In this paper, a kind of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) porous heat exchange tube (HET) was prepared via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. This porous HET possessed an ultra-thin dense skin layer of 2 μm. Since the thermal conductivity of water is higher than that of PVDF, filling the pores with water can significantly improve the heat performance of the porous HET. A full plastic double-pipe air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) module was fabricated with the porous HETs and PVDF hollow fiber membranes. In the AGMD process, the wetting treatment can make the membrane distillation flux (J) and the gained output ratio (GOR) increased by 30%. During the long-term stability test, the maximum conductivity of distillate water was only 17.2 μS/cm. The experimental results demonstrated that the porous HET can be applied for the AGMD process to treat high saline brine, and the ultra-thin dense layer can prevent the leakage of saltwater.

Modeling and optimization of solar thermal-photovoltaic vacuum membrane distillation system by response surface methodology

Response surface methodology is used in this study to model and optimize a solar thermal-photovoltaic vacuum membrane distillation (STPVMD) system with PVDF hollow fiber membrane. Regression models have been developed to forecast the effect of various operation factors on the permeate flux and the energy consumption. The operation factors in the model include the feed inlet temperature, the feed flow rate and the vacuum pressure. Analysis of variance is used to statistically validate the regression models. With permeate flux as the objective function of optimization, the optimal operation parameters are found to be 63 °C for the feed inlet temperature, 237 L/h for the feed flow rate, and 750 kPa for the vacuum pressure. Experimental tests show that the resulting permeate flux is 6.26 L/m2·h, which is slightly higher than the predicted value of 6.05 L/m2·h. The corresponding energy consumption is predicted to be 12.52L/kW·h, demonstrating the effectiveness and reliability of the models.

Constructing zwitterionic polymer brush layer to enhance gravity-driven membrane performance by governing biofilm formation

In this study, zwitterionic polymer brushes with controlled architecture were grafted on the surface of gravity-driven membrane (GDM) via surface-initiated reaction to impart antifouling property. A variety of membrane characterization techniques were conducted to demonstrate the successful functionalization of zwitterionic polymers on PVDF hollow fiber membrane. The membrane underwent 90 min of reaction time possessing strong hydrophilicity and high permeability was determined as the optimal modified membrane. Long-term GDM dynamic fouling experiments operated for 30 days using sewage wastewater as feed solution indicated zwitterionic polymer modified membrane exhibit excellent membrane fouling resistance thus enhanced stable flux. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging implied that zwitterionic polymer modification significantly inhibit the adsorption of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) which dominates fouling propensity, resulting in the formation of a thin biofilm with high porosity under synthetic functions of foulants deposition and microbial activities. Interfacial free energy prediction affirmed the presence of zwitterionic functional layer on membrane surface could substantially decrease the interactions (e.g., electrostatic attractions and hydrophobic effects) between membrane and foulants, thereby reduced flux decline and high stable flux. Our study suggests surface hydrophilic functionalization shows promising potential for improving the performance of ultra-low pressure filtration.

Engineering a High-Selectivity PVDF Hollow-Fiber Membrane for Cesium Removal

Abstract In this study, a copper ferrocyanide/silica/polyvinylidene fluoride (CuFC/SiO2/PVDF) hollow-fiber composite membrane was successfully synthesized through a facile and effective crosslinking strategy. The PVDF hollow-fiber membrane with embedded SiO2 was used to fix the dispersion of CuFC nanoparticles for cesium (Cs) removal. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the composite membrane were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The composite membrane showed a high Cs rejection rate and membrane flux at the three layers of CuFC and 0.5% SiO2, and its Cs rejection rate was not affected by variation in the pH (pH = 4–10). The modified membrane could be effectively regenerated many times using ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). The Cs selectivity performance was verified by an efficient Cs rejection rate (76.25% and 88.67% in 8 h) in a solution of 100 μg·L−1 of Cs with 1 mmol·L−1 of competing cations (K+ and Na+). The CuFC/SiO2/PVDF hollow-fiber composite membrane showed a particularly superior removal performance (greater than 90%) in natural surface water and simulated water with a low Cs concentration. Therefore, the CuFC/SiO2/PVDF hollow-fiber composite membrane can be used directly in engineering applications for the remediation of radioactive Cs-contaminated water.

Fabrication of superhydrophilic PVDF hollow fiber membranes with a fish-scale surface for water treatment

With enhancing rejection and antifouling properties, the permeate flux of membranes is usually reduced during the surface modification. Here, a novel method is presented to break through the permeability-selectivity trade-off by grafting zwitterionic copolymers and constructing the fish-scale microstructures on the PVDF hollow fiber membrane surface. The surface microstructure was optimized by manipulating the reaction temperature. Mainly, the molecule chains of zwitterionic copolymers were regularly aggregated due to the intermolecular attractive electrostatic forces, forming the fish-scale microstructures. Excitingly, the pore size was not decreased but slightly increased due to the stretching resulted from different aggregates. In contrast with the original membrane, the water fluxes of the as-prepared membrane M2 and M3 were largely increased from 245.8 L/m2 h to 766.9 L/m2 h and 733.0 L/m2 h, and separation efficiencies of oil/water emulsion were also highly elevated from 46.5% to 99.3% and 98.4%, respectively. The antifouling performance was simultaneously enhanced, and the flux recovery ratios were increased from 37.9% to 97.2% and 95.6%. As expected, this study can offer novel insights into overcoming the trade-off.

Enhanced MPBR with polyvinylpyrrolidone-graphene oxide/PVDF hollow fiber membrane for efficient ammonia nitrogen wastewater treatment and high-density Chlorella cultivation

Membrane fouling always as the main obstacle hinders wide application of membrane bioreactor (MBR). Development of antifouling membranes is a promising strategy to overcome this issue. In this study, novel polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-graphene oxide (GO)/PVDF hollow fiber membrane with enhanced hydrophilicity and antifouling property was synthesized by assembling PVP-GO nanocomposites via chemical grafting method. The PVP-GO/PVDF membrane was successfully applied into algae-membrane photo-bioreactor (MPBR) with solids retention times (SRTs) of 30 d for high ammonia-nitrogen wastewater treatment at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 24 h. The permeability, removal performance and influence on extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of algae-MPBR with modified PVDF membrane were compared to a control traditional system operated in parallel. Compared with pristine PVDF membrane, PVP-GO/PVDF membrane exhibited improved hydrophilicity (contact angle decreased from 97 to 62°), better permeability (1.7 times) and attractive flux recover rate (96%) in MPBR filtration, which was attributed to uniformly dispersed PVP-GO nanocomposites as spatial brushes for mitigating foulants on membrane surface. In terms of contaminants degradation, COD, NH4-N+ and NO3-N removal efficiency of algae-MPBR with modified membranes were kept above 97.8, 93.1 and 68.7%, much higher than traditional MBR. Moreover, remarkable reduction in hydrophobic proteins amount of EPS on fouling layer was observed for PVP-GO/PVDF membrane. The biomass concentration was maintained around 780 mg/L after 16 days and average biomass production rate reached as high as 45 mg/L d. These results indicated that PVP-GO/PVDF membrane exhibited superior antifouling performance for high-density microbes harvesting and efficient treatment for high ammonia-nitrogen wastewater.

Effects of spinning conditions on structure and properties of aramid-based hollow fiber blend separation membranes

The rigid-rod-like poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA), as the raw material of aramid 1414, has the characteristics of high modulus and hydrophilicity. The flat sheet poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/PPTA blend separation membranes with improved hydrophilicity and enhanced modulus have been successfully prepared using in situ polycondensation method in our previous study. In this study, PPTA/PVDF hollow fiber blend separation membranes with enhanced hydrophilicity and mechanical strength were fabricated through the dry–wet spinning technique. Monomers of PPTA were polymerized in the PVDF solution, and the polymerization system was directly used as the spinning solution to fabricate the hollow fiber blend membrane. The effects of spinning conditions including the air-gap distance; the composition of core fluid; and composition of coagulation bath on the structure and properties including the separation properties, surface hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties of PPTA/PVDF hollow fiber blend membranes were well investigated. Membrane surface and cross-sectional morphologies were observed through scanning electron microscope. The enhancements of these spinning conditions weakened the phase separation process as a result of the formation of a small pore structure. The pore size distribution, water flux, and solute rejection varied accordingly. Different spinning conditions have different effects on the mechanical and hydrophilic properties of the hollow fiber blend membranes. Compared with pure PVDF hollow fiber membrane, blend membranes fabricated under different spinning conditions exhibited enhanced surface hydrophilicity and tensile properties. Finally, the change rates of the pure water flux and the solute rejection with different spinning conditions were calculated to further analyze and compare the statistically significant effects.

Hydrophobic modification of PVDF hollow fiber membranes using polydimethylsiloxane for VMD process

Fabricating hydrophobic porous membrane is important for exploring the applications of membrane distillation (MD). In the present paper, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane was modified by coating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on its surface. The effects of PDMS concentration, cross-linking temperature and cross-linking time on the performance of the composite membranes in a vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) process were investigated. It was found that the hydrophobicity and the VMD performance of the PVDF hollow fiber membrane were obviously improved by coating PDMS. The optimal PDMS concentration, cross-linking temperature and cross-linking time were 0.5 wt%, 80 degree(c), and 9 hr, respectively.

Aluminum fumarate MOF/PVDF hollow fiber membrane for enhancement of water flux and thermal efficiency in direct contact membrane distillation

Mixed matrix membranes combining the processibility of polymers with the properties of porous nano-additives is an effective method to enhance the performance of membrane distillation (MD) process. In this work, a new type of hydrophobic hybrid PVDF hollow fiber membranes doped with aluminum fumarate metal-organic frameworks (AlFu MOF) was fabricated and their performance in direct contact membrane distillation were studied experimentally and theoretically. The results showed that the addition of MOF particles efficiently enlarged the effective porosity of membrane and increased the water flux as well as the thermal efficiency of MD process. At 1 wt% MOF loading, the effective porosity of membrane was enlarged by 52.4%, which induced 55.9% increment in overall mass transfer coefficient of the hybrid membrane, and the thermal conductivity of the membrane was decreased by 38.6%, which contributed to the reduction of sensible heat loss of MD. Correspondingly, the experimental water flux of the hybrid 1 wt% MOF/PVDF membrane was improved by 50.5% and the thermal efficiency increased by 46.2% (0.58 vs 0.31) at a feed temperature of 40 °C. Moreover, the MOF/PVDF membrane exhibited stable flux and retained high salt rejection (>99.9%) for 3.5 wt% NaCl solution over a 50 h desalination test period. Overall, this study provides an insight into the positive effects of AlFu MOF additives on the enhancement of membrane performance in distillation process.

Hollow fibre membrane-based liquid desiccant humidity control for controlled environment agriculture

Humidity control is an important factor affecting the overall sustainability, productivity, and energy efficiency of controlled environment agriculture. Liquid desiccants offer the potential for pinpoint control of humidity levels in controlled environments. In the present work, a dehumidification processes utilizing liquid desiccants pumped through the lumens of triple-bore PVDF hollow fibre membranes is implemented in a bench scale controlled environment agriculture system. Hydrophobic hollow fibre membranes were combined into an array and placed near the crops. Concentrated magnesium chloride liquid desiccant solution with a low vapour pressure was pumped through the hollow fibre lumens. The dehumidification permeance rate responded dynamically to the changing transpiration rate of the plants, as influenced by changes in environmental factors such as light, temperature, and vapour pressure. The dehumidification permeance rate increased from an average of 0.26–0.31 g m−2 h−1 Pa−1 as the velocity of the liquid desiccant through the hollow fibres increased from 0.023 to 0.081 m s−1. Humidity levels were targeted to be maintained within a range of 70–90% relative humidity at 23 °C. The membrane-based liquid desiccant system was demonstrated to successfully control humidity within a bench-scale controlled environment agricultural setup.

CFD Analysis of CO2 Sequestration Applying Different Absorbents Inside the Microporous PVDF Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactor

The sequestration process of greenhouse contaminants such as CO2 via hollow fiber membrane contactor (HFMC) is regarded as a promising technology to manage the deleterious impressions of CO2 on environment such as global warming and air pollution. This investigational paper renders a wide-ranging 2D simulation in order to assess the removal performance of CO2 from CO2/CH4 gaseous stream (containing 80 % CH4 and 20 % CO2) in the HFMC. As the novelty, the evaluation of CO2 acid gas removal from gaseous mixture applying four novel absorbing agents (potassium threonate (PT), piperazine (PZ), pure water (H2O) and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)) is implemented in the HFMC with the aim of introducing a more efficient liquid absorbent for CO2 sequestration. Model validation is done based on the comparison of mathematical model outcomes and experimental data in a wide range of H2O velocity and confirms a desirable agreement with an average relative deviation (ARD) of approximately 3 % for CO2 flux. It is perceived from the results that PZ is introduced as the most efficient liquid absorbent for CO2 sequestration and MDEA, PT and H2O are in the next category (100 % removal using PZ &gt; 96 % removal using MDEA &gt; 89 % removal using PT &gt; 57 % removal using H2O). The results corroborate that increase in membrane tortuosity and gas velocity negatively affects the sequestration process while increment of module length and porosity improve the separation of CO2.

Effect of Incorporating TiO2 Photocatalyst in PVDF Hollow Fibre Membrane for Photo-Assisted Degradation of Methylene Blue

A rapid growth in populations, living standards and industries has become a key contribution to water pollution. Clean water is an important resource for life, sustainable development and ecosystems. This study therefore investigates the photocatalytic degradation of an organic pollutant (methylene blue) using PVDF/TiO2 membrane. The main objective of the study is to determine the synergistic effect of incorporating TiO2 photocatalyst into the PVDF membrane on the mineralization of the organic pollutants. The TiO2 photocatalyst was characterized using Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer, Emmettt, and Teller (BET), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. While the fabricated PVDF/TiO2 hollow fibre membranes were then characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle. The performance of the membrane was evaluated by photodegradation of methylene blue. The degradation study revealed that both the undoped PVDF and the TIO2 doped PVDF membrane were capable of degrading methylene blue. The performance of the membrane can be ranked as follows 9 wt% TiO2/PVDF &gt; 6 wt% TiO2/PVDF &gt; 3 wt% TiO2/PVDF &gt; undoped PVDF showing the synergistic effect of incorporating the TiO2 photocatalyst into the PVDF membrane. The kinetics data of obtained from the rate of degradation of the methylene blue fitted well into first order kinetic data with apparent kinetic constants of 0.0591, 0.0295, 0.0188, and 0.0100 obtained using pure membrane, undoped PVDF, 3 wt% TiO2/PVDF, 6 wt% TiO2/PVDF, and 9 wt% TiO2/PVDF, respectively.

Membrane development and energy analysis of freeze desalination-vacuum membrane distillation hybrid systems powered by LNG regasification and solar energy

The feasibility of an energy-efficient hybrid system consisting of freeze desalination and vacuum membrane distillation (FD-VMD) powered by waste energy and solar energy for seawater desalination was investigated in this study. FD, being the first step, was used to harvest clean ice by freezing the simulated seawater. To ensure the purity of the product ice, the raw ice was washed by about one-half of the VMD distillate. To treat 1 kg seawater by FD, the cold energy could be provided by the regasification process of 1.26 kg LNG. The concentrated FD brine was further treated by VMD to increase the total water recovery. The membranes used in VMD were tri-bore PVDF hollow fiber membranes. The green solvent, triethyl phosphate, was for the first time used to fabricate membranes with such a geometry. The resultant membrane had an optimum permeation flux of 51.7 kg/m2·h for a feed temperature of 70 °C. For each 1 kg of seawater fed to the system per hour, the total water recovery is 0.74 kg per hour. The heating duty could be covered by either solar panels of 13.8 m2 or the regasification of 3.10 kg LNG if the system is fully integrated.

Integration of membrane distillation (MD) and solid hollow fiber cooling crystallization (SHFCC) systems for simultaneous production of water and salt crystals

A novel hybrid system of integrating membrane distillation (MD) and solid hollow fiber cooling crystallization (SHFCC) has been successfully developed for simultaneous production of fresh water and inorganic salt crystals from NaCl brine solutions. Porous PVDF hollow fiber membranes consisting of PTFE particles were spun for the MD subsystem, while non-porous PVDF hollow fibers were fabricated as heat exchangers for the SHFCC subsystem. To optimize the operation parameters, the Taguchi's method was utilized for experiment design including three key factors; namely, feed temperature (Tf), distillated amount (Wd) and water amount to wash away the scallant (Ww). Several response factors were experimentally investigated and their signal-to-noise ratios of each response were calculated to identify the optimal settings of control factors. As a result, the best combined parameters to maximize the crystal harvest took place at Wd = 14 g and Tf = 50 °C. Narrowly distributed NaCl crystals with a small mean size of 35–45 µm were successfully generated by the hybrid system, and a relatively long-term MD-SHFCC operation of 15 cycles was conducted to verify the system stability and feasibility. The 15-cycle experiments exhibited an impressive average MD water flux of about 8 kg/m2 h and continuous production of distillate water with a high purity (a NaCl concentration of 0.01 g/L) and NaCl salt crystals with a yield of 64 g per kg feed.

Extraction Kinetics of As(V) by Aliquat-336 Using Asymmetric PVDF Hollow-Fiber Membrane Contactors.

This work focuses on the study of the mass transfer of arsenic(V) through asymmetric polyvinylidene fluoride hollow-fiber membrane contactors using Aliquat-336 as an extractant. In the first part of this work, the fibers were prepared and characterized by SEM and by determining their thickness and porosity. From SEM pictures, an asymmetric structure was obtained that was characterized by an inner sponge-like structure and outer finger-like structure with a pore radius and porosity about 0.11 µm and 80%, respectively. In the second part, the prepared fibers were used as membrane contactors for the study of mass transfer of arsenic(V), investigating the effect of several parameters such as pH, temperature, and initial concentration of the feed. The overall mass transfer coefficient of As(V) was around 6 × 10–6 cm/s.