Cyrene(TM) as a New Bioderived Green Solvent for Membrane Preparation

In this work, Cyrene(TM) was used for the first time for the preparation of for polyethersulfone (PES) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes via phase inversion technique. The morphology of the membrane could be tailored by varying the exposure time of the nascent film (from 0 to 5 min) to humidity prior immersion in the coagulation bath. Membranes were fully characterised in terms of morphology, thickness, porosity, contact angle, pore size and water permeability. Ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes were obtained showing the potentiality of this new green solvent for producing membranes for water treatment applications.