In the state-of-the-art membrane industry, membranes have linear life cycles and are commonly disposed of by landfill or incineration, sacrificing their sustainability. We seek to innovate high-performance sustainable membranes, which can be closed-loop recycled after long-term usage.

In the membrane manufacturing process, petroleum-based polymers and hazadardous solvents have been mostly used, but they are nonrenewable and cause environmental pollution when disposed. We target to utilize biobased/biodegradable polymers and green solvents to replace the traditional ones to make membranes greener.

Organic solvents account for 80-90% mass utilization in pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries and they are incinerated after one-time use, generating a massive amount of CO2. We seek solutions to employ membrane as a sustainable technology to concentrate valuable solutes and recover organic solvents.