Direct printing of functionalised nanoscale polymeric membranes

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Chemical separations are critical to almost all aspects of daily life, with separation processes consuming 10-15% of the world's total energy usage. It is estimated that highly selective membranes could make these processes 10-times more energy efficient, saving 100 million tonnes/year of carbon dioxide emissions and £3.5 billion in energy costs annually (US DoE). More selective separations will help to "maximise the advantages for UK industry from the global shift to clean growth" and will assist in the transition towards "low carbon technologies and the efficient use of resources" (HM Govt Clean Growth Strategy, 2017). In the area of liquid separations, such as water filtration or pharmaceutical production, there are significant unmet challenges which can be tackled by more selective membrane processes. In the water sector, there are difficulties in removal of ions and small molecules at very low concentrations, so called micropollutants (Cave Review, 2008). In pharmaceutical production, there is an unmet need for highly selective separation of product-related impurities, such as active from inactive viruses (HM Govt Industrial Strategy 2017). Novel separation approaches are also required by those developing sustainable approaches to chemical manufacture for removing small amounts of potent inhibitors during feedstock production. Manufacturers of high-value products would therefore benefit from higher recoveries offered by more selective membranes.The aim of this project therefore is to improve selectivity and longevity of membranes in water filtration. To achieve this, the following objectives are set:Year 1, membrane fabrication:Use porogens within ink mixtures to print porous structures.Optimise ink mixtures for printing of nanoscale membranes.Establish optimal printing parameters and procedures for production of nanoscale membranes.Year 2, optimisation of membrane performance:Evaluate filtration performance of printed membranes using crossflow filtration apparatus.Incorporate functionalisation into ink mixture and subsequent membranes.Optimise module design with respect to mixing and pressure drop.Perform a life cycle assessment of printed membranes and compare to comparable commercial membranes.Year 3, assessment and evaluation of industrial applications:Evaluate filtration performance of custom ink mixtures under real world conditions and applications.Using water matrices from local water utilities, e.g.: Wessex water, Bristol water, Southwest waterConsider module design for production scale up.