Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to membranes for filtration, methods of manufacturing the same, and membrane modules incorporating the same. In an embodiment, a membrane is disclosed. The membrane includes a porous cellulose layer, a polyamide thin film layer bonded to the porous cellulose layer, and a fabric support layer that supports the porous cellulose layer and the polyamide thin film layer. The porous cellulose layer has a pore size of about 30 nm to about 500 nm at an exposed surface of the porous cellulose layer.

Described in the present application are methods of producing silane-crosslinked polymer membranes at moderate temperatures using acid catalysts that, in certain embodiments, result in membranes with unexpectedly high permeabilities and selectivities. In certain embodiments, grafting and crosslinking of the silanes occur by immersing a preformed membrane in a solution comprising a silane and an acid catalyst. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, grafting of silanes to a polymer occurs in the presence of acid catalyst in solution and subsequent casting and drying produces crosslinked membranes. In certain embodiments, an acid catalyst is a weak acid catalyst. Also described in the present application are asymmetric crosslinked polymer membranes with porous layers. In certain embodiments, crosslinked cellulose acetate membranes have permeability up to an order of magnitude greater than the permeability of unmodified cellulose acetate membranes. The membranes have porous layers with a high porosity due to their processing in moderate conditions.

Described in the present application are methods of producing silane-crosslinked polymer membranes at moderate temperatures using acid catalysts that, in certain embodiments, result in membranes with unexpectedly high permeabilities and selectivities. In certain embodiments, grafting and crosslinking of the silanes occur by immersing a preformed membrane in a solution comprising a silane and an acid catalyst. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, grafting of silanes to a polymer occurs in the presence of acid catalyst in solution and subsequent casting and drying produces crosslinked membranes. In certain embodiments, an acid catalyst is a weak acid catalyst. Also described in the present application are asymmetric crosslinked polymer membranes with porous layers. In certain embodiments, crosslinked cellulose acetate membranes have permeability up to an order of magnitude greater than the permeability of unmodified cellulose acetate membranes. The membranes have porous layers with a high porosity due to their processing in moderate conditions.

This invention relates to various membrane-based processes and their combinations, such as Forward Osmosis (FO), Reverse 5 Osmosis (RO), Nanofiltration (NF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Membrane Bioreactor (MBR), Osmotic Distillation (OD) and Membrane Distillation (MD), for various application of dilution, concentration, dewatering, separation, purification, fractionation or extraction applications of different solvents including 10 various sources of water, wastewater, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), food and beverage sources, dairy products etc. It is also applicable to all the industrial and domestic applications that involves recovering or water reclamation from inlet sources.

This invention relates to various membrane-based processes and their combinations, such as Forward Osmosis (FO), Reverse 5 Osmosis (RO), Nanofiltration (NF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Membrane Bioreactor (MBR), Osmotic Distillation (OD) and Membrane Distillation (MD), for various application of dilution, concentration, dewatering, separation, purification, fractionation or extraction applications of different solvents including 10 various sources of water, wastewater, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), food and beverage sources, dairy products etc. It is also applicable to all the industrial and domestic applications that involves recovering or water reclamation from inlet sources.

A hollow fiber membrane including a dense layer at least on an inner surface side of the hollow fiber membrane, in which when the inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane is observed under an atomic force microscope, a plurality of groove-like recesses oriented in a lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber membrane are observed, an aspect ratio defined as a ratio of a length to a width of each of the recesses is greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 30, a yield strength of the hollow fiber membrane in a dry state is greater than or equal to 30 g/filament, and a breaking elongation is less than or equal to 20%/filament.

A hollow fiber membrane including a dense layer at least on an inner surface side of the hollow fiber membrane, in which when the inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane is observed under an atomic force microscope, a plurality of groove-like recesses oriented in a lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber membrane are observed, an aspect ratio defined as a ratio of a length to a width of each of the recesses is greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 30, a yield strength of the hollow fiber membrane in a dry state is greater than or equal to 30 g/filament, and a breaking elongation is less than or equal to 20%/filament.

The present invention provides a hollow fiber membrane including a cellulose acetate-based polymer, in which when an inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane is observed under an atomic force microscope, a plurality of groove-like recesses oriented in a lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber membrane are observed, an average length of the recesses is greater than or equal to 200 nm and less than or equal to 500 nm, an average width of the recesses is greater than or equal to 15 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm, and an aspect ratio defined as a ratio of the average length to the average width of each of the recesses is greater than or equal to 6 and less than or equal to 22.

The present invention provides a hollow fiber membrane including a cellulose acetate-based polymer, in which when an inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane is observed under an atomic force microscope, a plurality of groove-like recesses oriented in a lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber membrane are observed, an average length of the recesses is greater than or equal to 200 nm and less than or equal to 500 nm, an average width of the recesses is greater than or equal to 15 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm, and an aspect ratio defined as a ratio of the average length to the average width of each of the recesses is greater than or equal to 6 and less than or equal to 22.

A feed fluid mixture including at least one condensable component and at least one non-condensable component is separated into a gaseous permeate and an at least partially liquid retentate with a gas separation membrane through simultaneous condensation of at least one of said at least one condensable component on a retentate side of the membrane and permeation of at least one of said at least one non-condensable component through the membrane.