Al Mehrate Jamal, Shaban Sadek, Henni Amr
Industrial Systems Engineering, Produced Water Treatment Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada.
Membranes (Basel). 2025 Jan 9;15(1):17. doi: 10.3390/membranes15010017.
Access to clean and reliable water has become a critical concern due to the global water crisis. High sulfate levels in drinking water raise health concerns for humans and animals and can cause serious corrosion in industrial systems. Sulfated waters represent a major challenge on the Canadian prairies, leading to many cattle deaths. While reverse osmosis (RO) membranes effectively remove sulfates, they are costly due to high-pressure requirements. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes present a more affordable alternative, outperforming traditional methods like adsorption, desalination, and ion exchange. Developing low-pressure ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) membranes could also reduce costs. This review explores advancements in polymeric materials and membrane technology to enhance sulfate removal, focusing on methods used to reduce fouling and improve permeate flux. Techniques discussed include phase inversion (PI), thin-film composite (TFC), and thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes. The review also highlights recent fabrication methods for pristine and nanomaterial-enhanced membranes, acknowledging both benefits and limitations. Continued innovations in polymer-based membranes are expected to drive further performance and cost-efficiency improvements. This review found that studies in the literature dealt mainly with sulfate concentrations below 2000 mg/L, indicating a need to address higher concentrations in future studies.
由于全球水危机，获取清洁可靠的水已成为一个关键问题。饮用水中高硫酸盐含量引发了对人类和动物健康的担忧，并可能在工业系统中造成严重腐蚀。含硫酸盐的水是加拿大草原地区面临的一项重大挑战，导致许多牲畜死亡。虽然反渗透（RO）膜能有效去除硫酸盐，但由于高压要求，成本很高。纳滤（NF）膜是一种更经济实惠的选择，其性能优于吸附、脱盐和离子交换等传统方法。开发低压超滤（UF）和微滤（MF）膜也可以降低成本。本文综述探讨了聚合物材料和膜技术在提高硫酸盐去除率方面的进展，重点关注用于减少污染和提高渗透通量的方法。讨论的技术包括相转化（PI）、薄膜复合（TFC）和薄膜纳米复合（TFN）膜。综述还强调了原始膜和纳米材料增强膜的最新制备方法，同时承认了其优点和局限性。基于聚合物的膜的持续创新有望推动进一步的性能提升和成本效益提高。本文综述发现，文献中的研究主要涉及硫酸盐浓度低于2000mg/L的情况，这表明未来的研究需要解决更高浓度的问题。
