Nanoshel Research Center » High Performance, Energy Saving Nanofiltration (NF) Membranes for Water Purification

Nanofiltration is an emerging an energy-efficient separation process with the potential applications in many industries ranging from water, chemical, food, pharmaceuticals, petrochemical and environmental (pollution prevention) industries. Reduced operation cost, avenues for integrated processing, clean and environmental friendly processing are the main drivers for the nanofiltration operation. However, the limited choices of commercially available nanofiltration membranes, low fluxes, high cost of the nanofiltration membranes, membrane fouling and membrane stabilities during operation (chemical, thermal and structural stabilities) remained as the major concerns for the processors.

Prof. Seeram Ramakrishna and his team at NUS have developed nanofiltration membranes made of extremely thin film of polyamide layer, highly permeable fibrous support and engineered nonwoven backing layer. The polyamide layer is acting as a salt barrier layer. The pores in the barrier layer are efficient enough to reject the divalent salts and small size molecules (undesirable compounds) from the feed water, while allowing the water to pass through the membrane at extremely high flow rate. Engineered surface of these membranes offers unique advantage to control fouling tendency and to enhance membrane lifetime and to reduce the membrane replacement cost. Key advantages of the membrane include:

•Energy saving (highly permeable) salt barrier membrane
•Suitable for achieving high flux, throughput and separation performance
•Engineered surface to control fouling phenomena
•Structurally durable and pressure tolerant architecture
•Adequate mechanical strength for assembling cartridges

For more information contact seeram@nus.edu.sg or nnibrs@nus.edu.sg