Bernardes, Adriana Filipe;
Meng, Zheyi;
Campos, Luiza Cintra;
Coppens, Marc-Olivier;
(2025)
Bio-inspired anti-fouling strategies for membrane-based separations.
Chemical Communications
10.1039/d4cc05149a.
(In press).
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Abstract
Membrane-based filtration processes are attractive for industrial separation processes, because of energy-savings and cost-effectiveness. However, membrane fouling continues to be a major drawback. To overcome fouling and increase the efficacy of membrane separation processes, disruptive solutions can be found in nature. Nature-inspired chemical engineering (NICE) seeks to understand the fundamental mechanisms behind desired properties in natural systems and then applies these in practical applications where similar challenges need to be overcome, whilst considering all length scales. In this review, examples are provided where the systematic design methodology used in NICE is applied to decrease fouling and its effects on membrane-based filtration. Expanding the application of this framework will facilitate the identification and utilisation of common traits among highly efficient natural systems to propose innovative engineering solutions for water treatment. Beyond membrane separations, the NICE approach has already seen success in other areas, including electrocatalysts for H2 fuel cells, CO2 reduction, medical applications, and fluidized beds. We recommend increased modelling efforts to complement experimental work and to deepen the understanding of the mechanisms behind biological, non-fouling membranes, as well as other biological mechanisms relevant to water management, anti-fouling, and antimicrobial strategies. Additionally, we encourage making a clear distinction between biomimicry, bio-inspiration, and bio-integration, with guidelines and standardized nomenclature.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Bio-inspired anti-fouling strategies for membrane-based separations |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1039/d4cc05149a |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1039/d4cc05149a |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © Royal Society of Chemistry 2025. Original content in this paper is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10206444 |
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