Progress in adsorptive membranes for separation – A review

Adsorptive membranes combine both advantages of adsorption and membrane separation, exhibiting high flow rates, low internal diffusion resistance and fast adsorption/desorption rates, and have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In this review, the latest progress in the preparation of adsorptive membranes (including homogenous membranes, mixed matrix membranes, and composite membranes), basic principles and their applications in water treatment, separation of biochemical products, and solid-phase extraction are surveyed. Challenges and future outlooks in adsorptive membranes are discussed. It was proposed that the adsorptive membranes are prospective especially in the adsorption of trace substances with fast kinetics. The relatively low adsorption capacity, short residence time in the flow-through operation, high cost and limited reusability, and membrane fouling should be paid more attention in the future studies.