Solvent resistant nanofiltration membranes

Nanofiltration (NF) is a promising membrane technology for the food, wastewater treatment, refining and pharmaceutical industries due to the advantages of low operating pressure, low investment and low operation and maintenance cost. However, an industrial NF membrane used for aqueous system is often unsuitable for intensive solvent system because of its extensive swelling, which leading to a drastic loss of selectivity. To realize these applications, the NF membranes must be desirably stable in the organic solvents. Many researchers have focused on improving the stability of the NF membranes, especially the solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) membranes. This paper provides an overview of the recent advances of SRNF in the non-aqueous systems, including the preparation of SRNF. The development trend of SRNF and existing problems is discussed.