High performance polyester reverse osmosis desalination membrane with chlorine resistance

Yujian Yao, Pingxia Zhang, Chao Jiang, Ryan M. DuChanois, Xuan Zhang () and Menachem Elimelech ()
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Yujian Yao: Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Pingxia Zhang: Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chao Jiang: Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Ryan M. DuChanois: Yale University
Xuan Zhang: Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Menachem Elimelech: Yale University

Nature Sustainability, 2021, vol. 4, issue 2, 138-146

Abstract: Abstract Chlorination is a common practice to prevent biofouling in municipal water supplies, wastewater reuse and seawater desalination. However, polyamide thin-film composite reverse osmosis membranes—the premier technology for desalination and clean-water production—structurally deteriorate when continually exposed to chlorine species. Here, we use layer-by-layer interfacial polymerization of 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid with trimesoyl chloride to fabricate a polyester thin-film composite reverse osmosis membrane that is chlorine-resistant in neutral and acidic conditions. Strong steric hindrance and an electron-withdrawing group effectively prevent direct aromatic chlorination, and residual OH groups capped with isophthaloyl dichloride preclude reaction with active chlorine. The poly(isophthalester) membrane exhibits high salt rejection (99.1 ± 0.2%) and water permeability (2.97 ± 0.13 l m−2 h−1 bar−1), even after demonstrating biofouling prevention with chlorine (50 mg l−1 of NaOCl for 15 min). We anticipate that our chlorine-resistant membrane will greatly advance reverse osmosis desalination as a sustainable technology to meet the global challenge of water supply.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-00619-w

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