Various Membrane Techniques for Water Treatment: A Review

In recent times, the membrane-based technologies have emerged as a sustainable and widely accepted solution for treatment of water. The contaminants and pollutants present in water to be treated depend on its origin, and they range from millimetre to nanometre in size. Therefore, effective water treatment is essential to provide access to clean and/or potable water for different purposes like drinking or in agricultural sectors. Membrane technologies using various materials are used based on their ability to remove colloidal or suspended particles, size of the contaminants to be removed and type of materials that are either added naturally or artificially into the water. This study aims to identify the most suitable type of membrane technology for specific water treatment and to analyse the various conventional and new technologies introduced till date from various studies. This paper presents different membrane techniques. Pollutant removing potential, applicability, operating conditions, merits and demerits of the various methods are discussed. Current trend of membrane techniques and its application in clean water production are highlighted.