Effect of Membrane Material Properties on Efficiency of Membrane Distillation
Membrane distillation (MD) integrates membrane technology with evaporation process to produce fresh water from seawater or contaminated water. In this study, we investigated the effect of membrane materials on the efficiency of membrane distillation process. Flat sheet hydrophobic membranes (PVDF, PTFE) with different characterizes were chosen as well as hollow fiber membranes (PE). Laboratory-scale systems were developed for initial screening of various membranes. The performance of the membrane was analyzed in terms of water permeability and salt rejection. Synthetic seawater (TDS = 35,000 mg/L) was used for the lab-scale tests. A simple model to analyze the transport of water through MD membranes was developed to interpret experimental results. In addition, long-term performances of the membranes were compared to examine the stability of membrane materials and fouling tendency using real seawater. Based on the lab-scale experiments, techniques to improve the performance of the membranes were examined by applying physical and chemical modification.