KWS-3 'VerySANS'

A new method for real-time studies of membrane scaling and biofouling on thin film composite membranes (TFC) in reverse osmosis and nanofiltration water treatment using in-situ small-angle neutron scattering (SANS)[1]. SANS delivers information on nano and microscopic structures that support the interpretation of relevant engineering parameters such as membrane permeability and water flux. A flow cell high pressure SANS is described, followed by SANS characterization of TFC membranes finding ~ 0.5 μm large cavities and ~ 300 Å diameter large rod-like cavities inside the non-woven polyester and micro-porous polysulfone layer, respectively. In-situ desalination experiments in cross-flow mode at an applied pressure of 6 bars and feed flow velocity of 0.2 cm/s are followed.

[1] D. Schwahn, H. Feilbach, T. Starc, V. Pipich, R. Kasher and Y. Oren Design and test of a reverse osmosis pressure cell for in-situ small-angle neutron scattering studies Desalination 405, 40-50 (2017).