Nanomaterials Incorporated Membranes for Oil–Water Separation

The advent of composite or mixed matrix membranes incorporated with inorganic nanomaterials has opened up an opportunity for developing new types of polymeric-based membranes with improved physicochemical properties and filtration performance for oil–water separation. This chapter reviews the recent development of hybrid membranes incorporated with a wide range of nanomaterials for removing oils from polluted sources such as oily wastewater. More specifically, it will provide an overview of the effects of various hydrophilic nanomaterials, i.e., carbon-based nanoparticles (e.g., carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide), titanium-based nanomaterials (e.g., titanium oxide and titania nanotubes), and other nano-oxides such as binary metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Various techniques to incorporate the nanomaterials will also be discussed. The performances of the modified membrane with respect to filtration separation efficiency and anti-fouling resistance upon nanomaterial incorporation will also be reviewed and discussed. Finally, a conclusion and future outlook will be presented based on the recent developments in hybrid membranes.