Polyimide filtration membranes with low environmental impact and life cycle control – POMENVI

Water treatment in today's world is a cornerstone of sustainable development, because cleaning polluted water allows for meeting growing global demands without theoretically further exhausting limited water resources. Sustainability of membrane filtration technologies in water treatment, both technically and cost-wise, is an undeniable asset which justifies the international enthusiasm for this technology. The membrane is at the heart of the filtration process enabling unique efficient selective removal of unwanted products such as bacteria or viruses in contaminated effluents. However, most of the solvents used in membrane fabrication are highly toxic and their industrial use is strictly regulated. Once fabricated, membrane materials have to mitigate fouling problems during filtration operation which reduces the membrane lifespan. The current economy is following the model “take–make–consume and dispose”, which assumes infinite resources, creating a non-stop accumulation of end-of-life filtration membranes, which, unfortunately, usually end up in landfills. For this purpose, actions must be taken at all stages of the life cycle of the membranes, from the polymer preparation, through membrane design until the waste management and recycling.
POMENVI overall objective is to develop a new generation of sustainable and porous polyimide filtration membranes with an increased lifecycle control, respectful of the environment and with performances at least comparable to the current petro-based membranes.
To achieve this goal, we defined the following specific objectives: produce biomass-based polyimide; develop a waterborne membrane production strategy; endow the membranes with a self-protective capacity to deal with the problem of fouling and thus extend the lifespan of the membranes; anticipate the end of life of membranes by introducing into the structure of polymers and/or materials a strategy to manage the end of life of the membrane (repair, reuse, recycle, dispose).