Separation and Purification Technology, Vol.222, 75-84, 2019
Three-channel stainless steel hollow fiber membrane with inner layer modified by nano-TiO2 coating method for the separation of oil-in-water emulsions
Superior anti-fouling property, excellent mechanical strength, high flux and rejection of the membrane are essential for the separation of oil/water emulsions. In this work, a crack-free TiO2 layer was fabricated on the inner surface of three-channel stainless steel hollow fiber (TCSSHF) membrane, which was coated with nano-TiO2 particles suspension and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution and then calcined at 500 degrees C. The prepared nano-TiO2 modified three-channel stainless steel hollow fiber (TiO2-TCSSHF) membrane was systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pore size distribution, water contact angle and dynamic underwater oil-adhesion measurement. TiO2-TCSSHF membrane showed a permeation flux of 760 L m(-2) h(-1) and a rejection of 99.8% for the separation of 5000 ppm vegetable oil/water emulsion at 0.10 MPa. The membrane also showed the superior fouling resistance and recyclability. Therefore, TiO2-TCSSHF membrane provided a promising potential for the practical application of the oil/water emulsion separation.