The influence of polypropylene degradation on the membrane wettability during membrane distillation

In the membrane distillation process only gaseous phase can exist in the membrane pores. The resistance to wettability of capillary polypropylene membranes has been investigated in this work. The SEM-EDS investigations revealed that the pores located up to 100 μm from the membrane surface were filled by the feed during the production of demineralized water over a period of 4500 h. However, the pores located inside the membrane wall were still dry and no feed leakage was observed. Both scaling and polypropylene degradation were indicated as the major reason for partial membrane wettability. The SEM-EDS, XRD and FTIR methods were used for investigations of polypropylene degradation, and material cracking and the presence of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups on the membrane surface has been identified. The membranes irradiated by UV light or stored up to 9 years in air were used to evaluate the membrane wetting caused by the products of polymer oxidation. The membrane samples were soaked in either water or a concentrated solution of NaCl at temperature of 343 K, and their wettability was evaluated on the basis of their variations in the air permeability. It was found that the products of polypropylene oxidation significantly accelerated the degree of wettability during the first 30 days of investigations, but after 60 days the results were similar. The soaked membrane samples wetted faster in NaCl solutions than those soaked in distilled water, which came as a result of the chemical reactions of salt with the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups found on the polypropylene surface.