MEMBRANE DEVELOPMENT FOR ORGANIC SOLVENT NANOFILTRATION APPLICATION

Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) is a straightforward yet effective membrane-based molecular separation technology with significant applicability in food, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical industries. This thesis tends to cover different methods for the fabrication and modification of polyimide (PI) and polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes to obtain membranes with enhanced chemical, mechanical and thermal stability, improved permeance and selectivity, and great long-term performance for various applications. High-flux mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for OSN were designed in flat sheet and hollow fiber configurations using two different functionalized carbon nanotubes and P84 PI with the aid of crosslinking and thermal annealing. A novel modification method was also suggested to fabricate high-flux crosslinked PBI membranes. These studies may provide helpful insights on the fabrication of both flat sheet and hollow fiber MMMs, crosslinking of PI and PBI membranes, thermal annealing of PI membranes, and application-based filtration experiments to develop the next-generation OSN membranes for years to come.

Author dc:creator

• MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN DAVOOD ABADI FARAHANI

• Organic solvent nanofiltration, Solvent resistant nanofiltration, Mixed matrix membrane, Membrane filtration, Polyimide (PI), Polybenzimidazole (PBI)