Sustainable membrane production from green solvents

Sustainable membrane production from green solvents

S. van Kammen (Siem) PhD Candidate

+31534898159

 s.vankammen@utwente.nl

Building: Horst Complex ME319

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• Persons involved: Siem van Kammen (PhD Candidate), Wiebe de Vos (promotor), Esra te Brinke (supervisor), dr. ir. J. Duvigneau (co-promotor)
• Duration: 2025-2029
• Funding: NWO Talent Programme- VICI Scheme

Introduction

Membranes are typically fabricated through the Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) process, which enables the formation of highly porous, asymmetric membranes used in applications such as water treatment and in the food and beverage industry. However, the conventional solvents applied in NIPS are fossil-derived and classified as highly reproductive-toxic. This project focusses on the replacement of these solvents with more sustainable green solvents.

Keywords

Membrane fabrication, Sustainable membranes, Non-solvent Induced Phase separation (NIPS), Green solvent

Scientific challenges

The major challenge will be to manage the compatibility of the green solvents with the polymer and water to create highly porous membranes.

Research goals
The goal of this project is to fabricate membranes using green solvents that are competitive with those produced using the currently applied solvents, both in terms of membrane performance and long-term stability.