Modification and performance testing of commercially available ceramic membranes for direct contact membrane distillation
Ceramic membranes were treated with a hydrophobic coating for use in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). Two types of anodized aluminum oxide membranes and two pore sizes of a titanium dioxide-zirconium dioxide membrane were coated with a 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (PFS) solution. Coated membranes with an average contact angle of over 120° were selected for thermal and chemical stress tests. Liquid and vapor deposition methods of coating were tested to identify the coating method that produced the highest average contact angle measurement and most robust coating. Coated membranes were then flux tested in a bench-scale DCMD system. The highest flux was 14.5 ± 4.8 kg/m2hr produced by an anodized aluminum oxide membrane. Copyright © 2014 by the American Water Works Association.
