Gas-switchable and reusable cellulose nanocrystal membrane for active nanofiltration and ultrafiltration

在这个项目中，我们的目标是开发一种用于自清洁过滤膜的气体响应材料。市场上的膜在短时间内就会被污染，需要用昂贵且对环境和设备有害的通常苛刻和有毒的化学品进行清洁。在我们的研究中，我们开发了一种使用气体可切换膜的技术，其表面和孔内的污染物可以通过注入溶液中的气体来清洁。所使用的气体（CO2和N2）便宜、充足且清洁。我们提出的项目包括三个部分：1）小规模测试（工业合作伙伴样品的过滤测试，化学和聚合反应，以及膜制造）; 2）半规模放大（反应放大和大规模片材膜制造），以及3）与膜制造商的放大。高 通过气体清洁膜的性能使它们成为在市场上与常规膜竞争的有前景的产品。这项新技术不仅可以改善废水处理的性能，还可以降低设备维护和洗涤化学品的高昂成本。最后，膜由从木材中提取的纤维素纳米晶体制成，这是一种清洁且生物相容的化合物。

In this project, we aim to develop a gas-responsive material for self-cleanable filtration membranes. The membranes in the market get fouled in a short time and need to be cleaned by often harsh and toxic chemicals that are expensive and harmful to the environment and the equipment. In our research, we develop a technology using gas-switchable membranes whose contaminations on surface and inside the pores can be cleaned by gases injected into the solution. The used gases (CO2 and N2) are cheap, plenty available and clean. Our proposed project includes three parts: 1) small-scale tests (the filtration tests of the industrial partners' samples, chemical and polymeric reactions, and membrane manufacturing); 2) semi-scale up (reactions' scale-up and sheet membrane manufacturing in a large scale), and 3) scale-up with a membrane manufacturer. The high performance in clean cleaning of the membranes by gases makes them a promising product to compete with the conventional membranes in the market. This new technology will not only ease the performance of wastewater treatment but also reduce the high cost of equipment's maintenance and washing chemicals. Finally, the membranes are produced by cellulose nanocrystals extracted from woods which is a clean and biocompatible compound.