Fig. 3: The effect of foulant incorporation on membrane performance.
From: Regenerating end-of-life membranes for enhanced sustainability and unexpected performance
The membranes blended with foulant at 0, 3, 6, and 9 wt% was labeled as EOL-CR-foulant-0, 1, 2, 3, respectively. The performance and characterization of EOL-CR-foulant membranes: (a) The water permeance and rejection rate. b Pore size distribution. The gray bar represents the average pore size of the membrane. c Water contact angle (n = 5). The gray bar represents the water contact angle of the EOL-CR membrane. d The water permeance and rejection rate of Ref-foulant membranes. e Performance enhancement ratio of EOL-CR-foulant membranes compared to Ref-foulant membranes: water permeance and rejection rate. The element content in cross section of foulant-incorporated membranes:(f) O element content in cross section of EOL-CR-BSA and Ref-BSA membranes. g Si element content in cross-section of EOL-CR-SiO2 and Ref-SiO2 membranes. Error bars in (a, d, e, f, g) represent the s.d. (n = 3), and data are presented as mean values ± s.d. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
