Thin film composite hollow fibre membrane for pharmaceutical concentration and solvent recovery

Goh, Keng Siang, Chen, Yunfeng, Chong, Jeng Yi, Bae, Tae Hyun and Wang, Rong (2020) Thin film composite hollow fibre membrane for pharmaceutical concentration and solvent recovery. Journal of Membrane Science, 621, [119008]. (doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2020.119008).

Abstract

A 100-piece hollow fibre thin-film composite membrane module was successfully developed for pharmaceutical concentration and solvent recovery. To increase its packing density, thinner P84 polyimide hollow fibre substrates were spun using a smaller spinneret. The substrates were subsequently cross-linked with hexamethylene diamine to achieve organic solvent resistance. An MPD-based thin-film composite was synthesized through interfacial polymerisation to increase selectivity for solutes of less than 300 Da. The thin-film composite was then solvent-activated using N,N-dimethylformamide to increase its solvent permeability. The resulting membrane exhibited excellent performance with 24.2 l m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ acetone permeability and 90.1% methyl red (269 Da) rejection. In addition, the solvent-activated membrane maintained its performance for prolonged period, demonstrating the scalability of the thin-film composite fabrication process and stability of solvent-activated membranes. The membrane was also able to concentrate levofloxacin (361 Da) from 500 ppm to 20,000 ppm in acetone using a batch process, showing promising results for pharmaceutical applications.

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Contributors

Author: Jeng Yi Chong

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