Anti-fouling Electrospun Organic and Inorganic Nanofiber Membranes for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Abstract Researchers favour polymeric membranes for water treatment because of their excellent separation selectivity, high membrane performance, unique interconnected structure and inexpensive cost. Electrospinning, phase inversion, track-etching, slip casting, and film-stretching are some of the methods for fabricating polymeric membranes. Among them, electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs) are the most actively explored which address the fouling issues during wastewater treatment. It has a lot of advantages for wastewater treatment application. ENMs can be classified into inorganic and organic, and it is important to determine the type of membrane or polymer that is the most suitable for the application. The choice of membrane depends on many factors, including the composition of the operation parameters, application area and separation goals. Nevertheless, membrane fouling that results in poor rejection efficiency and membrane flux behaviour remain as challenges. Therefore, membrane surface modification has been widely embraced to improve the membrane process. Therefore, this review paper aimed to provide information on most common used inorganic and organic ENMs in wastewater treatment applications thus classifying the trends of ENMs applications on toxic heavy metal contaminants and hazardous chemical pollutants. It also provided insights into the future perspectives for ENMs in water treatment. We hope that his article can provide some guidance for a wide range of application in the membrane industry.