Performance evaluation of emerging block copolymer membranes for oil-water separation

Membrane processes such as microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) are known to be the best advanced technologies for water reuse application. Numerous research efforts have been conducted in areas of modifying commercial MF/UF products or synthesizing novel materials promising enhanced oil-water separation performances. Block copolymer (BCP)-based membranes have recently gained increased popularity due to their improved water permeabilities. This study applies a comprehensive testing protocol for performance evaluation of two emerging poly (styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) BCP membranes developed by the project team. Tests mimicking industrial conditions were conducted by using a representative synthetic produced water and operating repeat tests. Both BCP membranes (referred to as A & B) were found to possess high permeabilities of 5538 and 12,424 LMH/bar, respectively. Membrane B showed higher organic rejection at 79% against 74% rejection obtained for membrane A. The novel membranes were then compared to a relevant commercial product. Lower permeability at 3831 LMH/bar and slightly higher rejection performance (within ~ 10%) were obtained for the commercial membrane as compared to the BCP membranes. Test results obtained for those novel membranes being still in the development stage will be utilized in future studies investigating further optimization of the membrane structure and oil-water separation performance. Graphical Abstract