Critical issues and guidelines to improve the performance of photocatalytic polymeric membranes

Photocatalytic membrane reactors (PMR), with immobilized photocatalysts, play an important role in process intensification strategies; this approach offers a simple solution to the typical catalyst recovery problem of photocatalytic processes and, by simultaneous filtration and photocatalysis of the...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Romay Romero, Marta|||0000-0001-5954-9186, Diban Gómez, Nazely|||0000-0002-2636-6305, Rivero Martínez, María José|||0000-0002-0291-9200, Urtiaga Mendia, Ana María|||0000-0002-8189-9171, Ortiz Uribe, Inmaculada|||0000-0002-3257-4821
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Cantabria (UC)
Repositorio:UCrea Repositorio Abierto de la Universidad de Cantabria
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unican.es:10902/19009
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10902/19009
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Membrane functionality
Persistent organic pollutants
Photocatalytic membranes
Photocatalytic membrane reactor (PMR)
Composite polymeric membranes
Wastewater treatment
Descripción
Sumario:Photocatalytic membrane reactors (PMR), with immobilized photocatalysts, play an important role in process intensification strategies; this approach offers a simple solution to the typical catalyst recovery problem of photocatalytic processes and, by simultaneous filtration and photocatalysis of the aqueous streams, facilitates clean water production in a single unit. The synthesis of polymer photocatalytic membranes has been widely explored, while studies focused on ceramic photocatalytic membranes represent a minority. However, previous reports have identified that the successful synthesis of polymeric photocatalytic membranes still faces certain challenges that demand further research, e.g., (i) reduced photocatalytic activity, (ii) photocatalyst stability, and (iii) membrane aging, to achieve technological competitiveness with respect to suspended photocatalytic systems. The novelty of this review is to go a step further to preceding literature by first, critically analyzing the factors behind these major limitations and second, establishing useful guidelines. This information will help researchers in the field in the selection of the membrane materials and synthesis methodology for a better performance of polymeric photocatalytic membranes with targeted functionality; special attention is focused on factors affecting membrane aging and photocatalyst stability.