Abstract

The development of robust membranes able to withstand harsh environments such as oxidative conditions would improve the sustainability of several separation processes. Therefore, organosilica and ceramic non-commercial membranes were characterized and their performances were compared before and after contact with hydrogen peroxide. The organosilica membrane showed a high level of solute rejection coefficients (0.928 for NaCl and 0:969 for MgCl2), but low permeability (5.04.10(-13) m(3)/m(2) s Pa, equivalent to 0.181 L/m(2) h bar). The ceramic membrane, however, showed low solute rejection (0.187 for NaCI and 0.649 for MgSO4), but high membrane permeability (7.05.10(-12) m(3)/m(2) s Pa, equivalent to 2.538 L/m(2) h bar). While the organosilica membrane was quite sensitive to the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the chemical stability of the ceramic membrane in 30% hydrogen peroxide solution was very satisfactory. A Kedem-Katchalsky membrane transport model and a logistic decay model were applied to successfully test the performance of the membranes and to characterize the evolution of the organosilica membrane, respectively. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.