A TiO2 modified whisker mullite hollow fiber ceramic membrane for high-efficiency oil/water emulsions separation

Design and preparation of membranes with ultrahigh separation performance and antifouling property for oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions remains challenging. In this study, a high flux mullite/TiO2 ceramic composite membrane was prepared via multi-precipitation of TiO2 on a whisker mullite hollow fiber support synthesized by combining phase inversion and high-temperature sintering techniques. The results showed that the generated whisker mullite structure improved the permeation flux, and the micro-nano structured TiO2 functional layer endowed the membrane surface with superhydrophility and stability. The retention of the optimal composite membrane (M20T13) that was soaked in the titanium solution 20 times for 13 min each time for the O/W emulsions like n-hexane, toluene and engine oil maintained over 98 %, and the flux after 6 h filtration was 668.34 L·m−2·h−1, 487.25 L·m−2·h−1 and 258.66 L·m−2·h−1, respectively, much higher than that of the optimal substrate (F3A1, mass ratio of fly ash: Al2O3 = 3:1). Moreover, the flux recovery rate of M20T13 was much higher than that of F3A1 after chemical backwashing. This work manifests great potential in O/W treatment fields.