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Preparation and characterization of hydrophobic PVDF membranes by vapor-induced phase separation and application in vacuum membrane distillation

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Abstract

Hydrophobic symmetric flat-sheet membranes of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for use in vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) were successfully fabricated by the vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) method using the double-layer casting process. To avoid the delamination that often occurs in double-layered membranes, the same PVDF polymer was employed in both the upper layer and support layer casting solutions. Solutions with low and high PVDF contents were co-cast as the upper layer and support layer of the membrane that was formed. In the VIPS process, the low PVDF content solution favored the formation of a layer with a porous and hydrophobic surface, whereas the solution with a high PVDF concentration favored the formation of a layer with high mechanical strength. The effect of the vapor-induced time on the morphological properties of the membranes was studied. As the vapor-induced time was increased, the cross-section of the membrane changed from an asymmetrical finger-like structure to a symmetrical sponge-like structure, and the surface of the membrane became rough and porous. The membrane subjected to the longer vapor-induced time also exhibited a higher permeating flux during the VMD process. The best PVDF membrane fabricated in this study had a mean radial pore size of 0.49 μm, and the rough upper surface produced a static contact angle of 145° with water. During the VMD process with a 3.5 wt.% sodium chloride (NaCl) aqueous solution, the best membrane that was fabricated produced a permeating flux of 22.4 kg m−2 h−1 and an NaCl rejection rate of 99.9 % at a feed temperature of 73 °C and a downstream pressure of 31.5 kPa. This performance is comparable to or superior to the performances of most of the flat-sheet PVDF membranes reported in the literature and a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane used in this study.

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Abbreviations

A :

Effective area of the membrane (m2)

B :

Geometric factor

B a :

Gas permeance coefficient (mol m−2 S−1 Pa−1)

C f :

Concentration in the feed solution (g L−1)

C p :

Concentration in the permeate (g L−1)

I 0 :

Intercept defined in Eq. 2 (mol m−2 S−1 Pa−1)

J :

Permeate flux (kg m−2 h−1)

k B :

Boltzmann constant (J K−1)

L P :

Effective pore length (m)

LEP w :

Water entry pressure (Pa)

M :

Molecular weight of gas (kg mol−1)

P :

Total pressure (Pa)

P m :

Mean pressure (Pa)

ΔP :

Transmembrane pressure (Pa)

P downstream :

Pressure at downstream (Pa)

\( P_{\text{water}}^{\text{vap} } \) :

Vapor pressure of pure water (Pa)

Q :

Total mass of the permeate (kg)

r :

Membrane pore radius (m)

R :

Gas constant (J mol−1 K−1)

R j :

Rejection rate (%)

S 0 :

Slope defined in Eq. 2 (mol m−2 S−1 Pa−2)

T :

Absolute temperature (K)

t :

Running time (h)

α water :

Activity of water

δ :

Membrane thickness (m)

λ :

Mean free path (m)

γ L :

Liquid surface tension (Pa m)

ε :

Porosity (%)

ε/L P :

Effective porosity (m−1)

τ :

Tortuosity of membrane

μ :

Gas viscosity (kg m−1 s−1)

θ :

Liquid/solid contact angle (°)

ρ :

Density (kg m−1 s−1)

σ :

Collision diameter (m)

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor Liu Zhongzhou of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, for his valuable discussions and suggestions. The authors also thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China for financial support (21176008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Membrane Technology, College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China

    Hongwei Fan & Yuelian Peng

  2. Changchun Gold Research Institute, Changchun, 130012, People’s Republic of China

    Zhehao Li

  3. The Research Institute of Environmental Protection, North China Pharmaceutical Group Corporation, Shijiazhuang, 050015, People’s Republic of China

    Ping Chen

  4. National Major Science and Technology Program Management Office for Water Pollution Control and Treatment, MEP, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Qi Jiang

  5. Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia

    Shaobin Wang

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  1. Hongwei Fan
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  2. Yuelian Peng
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  3. Zhehao Li
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  4. Ping Chen
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Correspondence to Yuelian Peng.

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Fan, H., Peng, Y., Li, Z. et al. Preparation and characterization of hydrophobic PVDF membranes by vapor-induced phase separation and application in vacuum membrane distillation. J Polym Res 20, 134 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-013-0134-4

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