Chemically recyclable nanofiltration membranes fabricated from two circular polymer classes of the same monomer origin

• Published in: Journal of Membrane Science Letters 2024-06, Vol.4 (1), p.100067, Article 100067
• Main Authors: Hardian, Rifan, Ghaffar, Abdul, Shi, Changxia, Chen, Eugene Y.-X., Szekely, Gyorgy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Circular economy; Green solvent; Nanofiltration; Poly(cyclic olefin); Polyester; Recyclable polymer
• ISSN: 2772-4212; 2772-4212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.memlet.2024.100067

•Nanofiltration membranes based on chemically recyclable polyester and poly(cyclic olefin).•Unique “one monomer–two polymers–one monomer” closed loop allows the recycling of the membranes.•γ-butyrolactone was used as the green solvent for membrane fabrication.•Interplay between membranes pore size, density, thickness and nanofiltration performance was investigated.•The membranes exhibited long-term stability during continuous filtration over 1 week. Nanofiltration is widely used in various industries to separate solutes from solvents. To foster a circular economy, establishing a closed-loop lifecycle for the membrane materials is highly important. In this study, we fabricated recyclable nanofiltration membranes from chemically recyclable polymers —polyester P(BiL=)ROP and poly(cyclic olefin) P(BiL=)ROMP— using γ-butyrolactone as a green solvent. These two polymers, of two different polymer classes, were obtained from a single monomer, which could be recycled back to the same monomer, exhibiting the unique “one monomer–two polymers–one monomer” closed-loop chemical circularity. The effect of physical treatment, such as annealing, hot-pressing, and air exposure on the morphological characteristics and performance of the nanofiltration membranes was investigated. We revealed the interplay between membrane pore size, thickness, density and the molecular sieving performance of the nanofiltration membranes. Solute rejections were mainly governed by the membrane pore size. However, solvent flux was mainly governed by the membrane density that determines the free volume interconnectivity. The membranes exhibited a tunable molecular weight cutoff between 553 and 777 g mol−1 and methanol permeance between 5.9 and 9.8 L m–2 h–1 bar−1. The membranes exhibited excellent long-term nanofiltration stability over 1 week. The combination of the green solvent used for membrane fabrication and the circular life cycle of the polymer membrane brings one step closer to closing the circularity loop of membrane technology. Sustainable lifecycle of recyclable “one monomer–two polymers–one monomer” membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN), fabricated by using γ-butyrolactone green solvent. The depolymerizability of these novel polymers enabled the recycling of the after-used membranes, which paves a way towards a sustainable and circular plastic economy. [Display omitted]