NANOPUR

Development of functionalized nanostructured polymeric membranes and related manufacturing processes for water purification

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The NANOPUR-project aims at leveraging on promising bottom-up technologies to develop intensified water treatment concepts based on nano-structured and nano-functionalized membranes as well as nanofilm deposition for micropollutants and virus removal. Major research needs targeted include the preparation of membranes with selective properties at the nanoscale able to maintain high permeability with relatively low driving force. The ultimate “challenge” exists in the creation of artificial membranes able to perform separations with the selectivity of biological membranes while having mechanical strength and productivity of state-of-the-art artificial membranes. The project will advance the knowledge in this area by developing scalable approaches to prepare nano-structured membranes characterized by a selectivity towards pathogens of up to 99.99999 % and towards micropollutants up to 99 %, while retaining a permeability higher than current ultrafiltration membranes in addition to functional stability equal to existing commercial membranes. The envisaged research activities will involve the preparation of polymeric nano-structured membranes characterized by well-controlled architectures and functions for supramolecular recognition for removal of viruses, hormone disruptors, endotoxins and antibiotics from water. For the generation of affinity and catalytic sites on membranes, molecular imprinted polymers and atmospheric pressure plasma treatment will be explored. The technological developments will be carried out along two different technology paths each targeting at a different aspect of the water treatment process. A first research path will focus on the reduction of membrane fouling thereby enhancing the flux while the second research path targets the removal of micro-pollutants and detoxification. Both paths will converge in order to combine the two critical aspects of water purification that are investigated in the proposed work in one single membrane process'

Introduzione (Teaser)

In recent decades, the water industry has become increasingly concerned about the presence of micropollutants such as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDRs) and antibiotics. An EU-funded initiative is addressing this problem, using nanotechnology to create advanced membranes for water purification.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Current membrane technology can remove pollutants and even viruses from water. However, high pressure is needed to force the water through the membrane, which needs to be frequently cleaned, and this requires a lot of energy. The http://nanopur.vito.be (NANOPUR) project will employ nanotechnology to create membranes that use around 500 times less energy than conventional membranes and are capable of processing high flow rates while allowing high retention of pollutants.

The consortium's greatest challenge has been to create a membrane that is as selective as a biological one, but that has the strength and productivity of an artificial one. NANOPUR therefore developed nano-structured membranes that possess a higher permeability than current ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. They will be used to remove viruses, EDRs, antibiotics and bacteria toxins from water.

Project partners tackled the problem in two different ways. The first approach created UF membranes that increased the flow of water by using novel additives and atmospheric plasma treatment to make the membranes less susceptible to fouling and easier to clean. In a second research track Molecular Imprinted Polymers were developed and used as ligands to capture pollutants and pathogens.

The two technologies were combined to provide two critical aspects of water purification in one single membrane process. In addition to the experimental work, modelling of the membrane surface was carried out to simulate its functions at both the nano level and the micro level.

NANOPUR will enable a more efficient removal of micropollutants at pressures much lower than those applied in current filtration techniques. Furthermore, the development of innovative UF membranes with low fouling propensity will enable significant energy savings to be made during the membranes' operation.