Methyltrichlorosilane Hydrophobic Coating on Geopolymer Membranes for water Desalination via Direct Contact Membrane Distillation

Abstract

Water is a crucial component of human existence. The earth’s hydrosphere is composed mostly of saline water. Membrane distillation is a process that ensures desalination as a low-pollution and resource-stable technique. Traditional techniques such as reverse osmosis and thermal evaporation are energy intensive and require expensive raw materials. In this work, geopolymer membranes were fabricated from metakaolin and coated with methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS). The coating agent improved the hydrophobicity of the membrane from 28° to 136.5°. A permeation experiment (duration: 3 h) via direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was conducted for the MTCS-coated membrane, which showed a water vapor flux of 11 kg/m2.h. The development of a hydrophobic geopolymer membrane is an exciting advancement for desalination. Overall, this work represents a promising step forward towards the development of a novel eco-friendly technique for processing saline water.

Keywords

• hydrophobic geopolymer membranes
• metakaolin
• DCMD