UV-assisted desalination of seawater using titanium dioxide nanotube doped polyether block amide membrane

In this study, a UV-assisted desalination system was prepared with a non-porous TiO2-doped Pebax 1657 membrane. The membranes were characterized and desalination tests were performed. The effects of UV light and TiO2 ratio on the performance of desalination were investigated. According to the results, TiO2 incorporation increased the membrane hydrophilicity, increased the membrane swelling values, enhanced the membrane flux and improved the salt rejection. Moreover, UV treatment has a positive effect on desalination performance. The best improvement was achieved in the results of 10 wt.% TiO2-doped membrane. It was found that the flux value of the UV-treated membrane having 10 wt.% TiO2 concentration was 8.2 kg/m2·h and the salt rejection value was 99.97%. It was found that the prepared membrane showed excellent desalination performance.