Loh Ching Yoong, Burrows Andrew D, Xie Ming
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
ACS ES T Eng. 2025 Jul 4;5(8):1882-1906. doi: 10.1021/acsestengg.5c00282. eCollection 2025 Aug 8.
Water scarcity remains a critical global challenge, necessitating the advancement of sustainable water treatment technologies. Polymeric membranes have emerged as an indispensable solution for desalination and wastewater treatment due to their high efficiency and low energy consumption. However, conventional membrane fabrication relies on petroleum-derived polymers and toxic solvents, generating significant environmental concerns. This review sheds light on the state-of-the-art approaches to sustainable membrane development, focusing on green chemistry principles and circular economy strategies. Mechanosynthesis offers a solvent-free alternative for synthesizing advanced membrane materials, including metal-organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, and polymers of intrinsic microporosity. Additionally, the adoption of biobased green solvents, such as Cyrene and γ-valerolactone, provides viable substitutes for hazardous dipolar aprotic solvents traditionally used in membrane fabrication. The incorporation of biopolymers, including cellulose derivatives and polyhydroxyalkanoates, further enhances the sustainability of polymeric membranes. To mitigate membrane waste, circular economy strategies, including downcycling, upcycling, and repreparation via covalent adaptable networks, offer promising pathways for extending membrane lifecycles and minimizing environmental impact.
水资源短缺仍然是一项严峻的全球挑战，因此需要发展可持续的水处理技术。聚合物膜因其高效和低能耗，已成为海水淡化和废水处理不可或缺的解决方案。然而，传统的膜制造依赖于石油衍生聚合物和有毒溶剂，引发了重大的环境问题。本综述阐明了可持续膜开发的最新方法，重点关注绿色化学原理和循环经济策略。机械合成提供了一种无溶剂的方法来合成先进的膜材料，包括金属有机框架、共价有机框架和固有微孔聚合物。此外，采用生物基绿色溶剂，如环戊酮和γ-戊内酯，为传统上用于膜制造的有害偶极非质子溶剂提供了可行的替代品。纳入生物聚合物，包括纤维素衍生物和聚羟基脂肪酸酯，进一步提高了聚合物膜的可持续性。为了减少膜浪费，循环经济策略，包括向下循环、向上循环和通过共价适应性网络进行再制备，为延长膜的生命周期和最小化环境影响提供了有前景的途径。
