Polyvinylidene fluoride gravity-driven membranes modification and membrane fouling : A review

• Main Authors: Pasan, Subasinghe, Khairul Anwar, Mohamad Said, Md Rezaur, Rahman, Kuok, King Kuok
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V. 2024
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/47559/1/Polyvinylidene%20fluoride.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/47559/; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352801X24001383; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101215
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Gravity Driven Membrane (GDM) systems can be used to filter a wide spectrum of pollutants have been identified as a viable material for purification of groundwater. The attention into water purification has greatly increased in the last 20 years. The studies in this review are from research articles and books published in the time span of 1997 up to 2023. This review will focus on GDM systems and the different forms of modifications that have been used to enhance the performance of these GDM systems. This has included the addition of nanoparticles, blending and plasma polymerisation. The benefits of adding nanoparticles included improved interaction between the two phases of the membrane, which results in increased specificity, permeation, rigidity, hydrophilicity, and decreased fouling factor. Blending can be utilized to improve the bulk properties of the membrane by mixing the polymers and solvents with the additives required. Plasma polymerisation was found to be useful in grafting various acids fully onto the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes. This process helped improve the pure water flux (PWF) of the membrane. The studies considered in this paper show how different modifications would give different advantages in application. An important phenomenon observed in GDM systems where a biofilm forms on the surface of membrane which helps regulating the flux is observed and studied. It also includes the research on the morphologies of the biofilm, how it impacts the feedwater and how these methods can be used control the fouling process. This review anchors on one of the most important factors which is access to clean water that is to be developed according to the sustainable development goals (SDG) of the United Nations to achieve higher sustainability and clean drinking water for all.