Development of High-Flux and Robust Reinforced Aliphatic Polyketone Thin-Film Composite Membranes for Osmotic Power Generation: Role of Reinforcing Materials

Yuchen Sun, Liang Cheng, Takuji Shintani, Yasuhiro Tanaka, Tomoki Takahashi, Takuya Itai, Shengyao Wang, Lifeng Fang, Hideto Matsuyama

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Membranes used for pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) are required to be mechanically strong due to high external hydraulic pressures on the draw solution (DS) side. In this study, a series of nonwoven fabrics of varying thickness, density, and hydrophilicity were used to fabricate reinforced aliphatic polyketone (PK) membranes with excellent mechanical strength and pressure resistance. Three suitable nonwoven fabrics are selected based on the integrities of the PK layers formed on their surfaces. As a result, guidance for choosing suitable reinforcing materials for PK membranes is provided. We show that a PK-based thin-film-composite (TFC) membrane reinforced by an 11-μm-thick polyester (PET) nonwoven fabric provides a flux of 24.7 L m-2 h-1 (in "active layer facing feed solution", AL-FS mode, 0.6 mol L-1 NaCl as the DS), while maintaining a pressure resistance of 28 bar. This membrane is shown to be capable of producing a power density of at least 6.1 W m-2 in PRO evaluation (with 0.6 mol L-1 NaCl).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13528-13538
Number of pages11
JournalIndustrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
Volume57
Issue number40
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Oct 2018
Externally publishedYes

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