Zeolite Membranes for Desalination

Today, membrane technology is largely utilized in desalination process. Saline waters are generally treated with polymeric membranes. However, the Achilles heel of the membrane processes used in water treatment remains fouling. The latter causes flux decline in the time and so a lowering in productivity and an increase in energy consumption. Therefore, a significant interest was devoted to the recourse to inorganic membranes thanks to their excellent thermal and chemical resistance and high mechanical stability. Recently, the scientific interest was focused on zeolite membranes which offer the advantages of the inorganic ones in addition to a well-defined pore size at molecular level: these characteristics make them appropriate for separation processes. In this chapter, initially, the zeolite properties and their application at industrial level will be dealt with. Subsequently, the main methods for the zeolite membrane preparation will be discussed. Finally, the use of these membranes in desalination will be deeply presented.