Progress on polymeric hollow fiber membrane preparation technique from the perspective of green and sustainable development

Membrane separation using hollow fiber membrane has become one of the emerging technologies which underwent rapid development for various applications during the past few decades. A further improvement and development of the membrane technology is required for satisfying the current needs of environmental protection, rational use of resources and special separation under harsh conditions. A new solvent-free or solvent-poor process alternative may have great potential to compete with traditional processes. In this regard, sustainable processes and environment-friendly preparation techniques have been developed in making high-performance hollow fiber membranes recently. This article provides an overview of recent progresses on common preparation method of polymeric hollow fiber membranes from the view of environmental protection and health safety. Recent advances in fabrication techniques of hollow fiber membranes from the green and sustainable perspective, especially by melt/solution integrated homogeneous-reinforcement method, homogeneous braid reinforced hollow fiber membrane, melt spinning-stretching interfacial phase separation method, and nanofibers-covered hollow fiber membrane via continuous electrospinning have been introduced in detail. The review ends with several recommendations for future research and development on hollow fiber membranes.