Towards new membrane-based technologies for water treatment and reuse in the textile industry

Abstract

Textile wastewater represents challenging feed streams to be treated by membrane separation due to the complex composition and presence of reactive components. Here we first briefly present some characteristics of textile wastewater remediation where a key issue is (bio)fouling. We then present Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) and Forward Osmosis (FO) membranes as both technologies have attracted considerable interest due to the low fouling propensity of FO membranes. This makes them an intriguing supplement to existing method and we conclude this communication by highlighting some new developments and perspectives involving biomimetic aquaporin FO membranes and Osmotic Membrane Bioreactors (OMBRs).