AUTHOR=Liang Yuanzhe , Knauer Katrina M. TITLE=Trends and future outlooks in circularity of desalination membrane materials JOURNAL=Frontiers in Membrane Science and Technology VOLUME=2 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/membrane-science-and-technology/articles/10.3389/frmst.2023.1169158 DOI=10.3389/frmst.2023.1169158 ISSN=2813-1010 ABSTRACT=

Reverse osmosis desalination is one of the most important and increasingly popular technologies to augment available water resources. Central to the technology is a thin-film-composite polyamide membrane capable of separating pure water from seawater or brine. Since its conception and initiation, the membrane industry has followed a linear life-cycle scheme. However, increasing production costs of fossil-based materials and more stringent environmental regulations drive the initiatives to adapt to a circular economy of membrane materials. In this perspective, we briefly summarize the pressing issues in the state-of-the-art membrane industry, then discuss the opportunities in future technology innovations with a focus on sustainable membrane manufacturing and recycling, and lastly provided an outlook for future membrane design and fabrication towards a circular economy.