Three-channel stainless steel hollow fiber membrane with inner layer modified by nano-TiO2 coating method for the separation of oil-in-water emulsions

Superior anti-fouling property, excellent mechanical strength, high flux and rejection of the membrane are essential for the separation of oil/water emulsions. In this work, a crack-free TiO 2 layer was fabricated on the inner surface of three-channel stainless steel hollow fiber (TCSSHF) membrane, which was coated with nano-TiO 2 particles suspension and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution and then calcined at 500 °C. The prepared nano-TiO 2 modified three-channel stainless steel hollow fiber (TiO 2 -TCSSHF) membrane was systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pore size distribution, water contact angle and dynamic underwater oil-adhesion measurement. TiO 2 -TCSSHF membrane showed a permeation flux of 760 L m −2 h −1 and a rejection of 99.8% for the separation of 5000 ppm vegetable oil/water emulsion at 0.10 MPa. The membrane also showed the superior fouling resistance and recyclability. Therefore, TiO 2 -TCSSHF membrane provided a promising potential for the practical application of the oil/water emulsion separation.