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Published on: March 7, 2019
Toward improved boron removal in RO by membrane modification: feasibility and challenges
Roy Bernstein1, Sofia Belfer, Viatcheslav Freger
1Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , P.O. Box 635, Sde-Boqer 84990, Israel.
This study enhanced reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for boric acid removal using graft polymerization. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) modification significantly improved boric acid and salt rejection, creating a superior membrane for water treatment.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Boric acid removal is crucial for water purification, particularly in desalination.
- Conventional reverse osmosis (RO) membranes often struggle with efficient boric acid rejection.
- Membrane modification offers a pathway to enhance separation performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate concentration polarization (CP)-enhanced radical graft polymerization for modifying RO membranes.
- To identify monomers with low boric acid affinity for improved rejection.
- To evaluate the performance of modified membranes in terms of boric acid and salt removal.
Main Methods:
- Graft polymerization of monomers onto low pressure RO (LPRO) membranes using dilute aqueous solutions.
- Selection of monomers based on physicochemical rationales for low boric acid affinity.
- Characterization of modified membrane performance, including boric acid and NaCl rejection, and permeability.
Main Results:
- Modification primarily improved performance by sealing inherent membrane defects.
- Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) showed the lowest boric acid affinity, yielding the greatest removal improvement.
- GMA-modified membranes exhibited enhanced boric acid and salt rejection, with moderate permeability loss, comparable to brackish water RO (BWRO) standards.
Conclusions:
- CP-enhanced graft polymerization is an effective strategy for improving RO membrane performance.
- GMA modification significantly enhances boric acid and salt rejection beyond typical commercial BWRO membranes.
- This approach offers a promising method for developing advanced membranes for water treatment applications.
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