DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/gjec.2026.32005

Comparative Review of Cellulose Acetate, Polyacrylonitrile, and Polyvinyl Alcohol-Based Hydrophilic Membranes for Desalination

*Romario Abdullah  -  College of Vocational Studies, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB University), Jl. Kumbang No. 14, Bogor, Indonesia, Indonesia
Alvin Romadhoni Putra Hidayat  -  Department of Chemistry, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia
Novia Amalia Sholeha  -  College of Vocational Studies, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB University), Jl. Kumbang No. 14, Bogor, Indonesia, Indonesia
Open Access Copyright 2026 Greensphere: Journal of Environmental Chemistry

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Citation Format:
Abstract

The issue of clean water scarcity has become one of the most critical challenges threatening the global population today. It is estimated that approximately 6 billion people will experience water stress and shortages by 2050. One promising solution to address this challenge is the implementation of desalination technologies to convert seawater into freshwater. Among the available approaches, membrane-based desalination offers significant advantages, including lower energy requirements, cost-effective fabrication, and improved environmental sustainability. Polymeric membranes with high hydrophilicity have shown considerable potential for further development, particularly those based on cellulose acetate (CA), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), each exhibiting distinct advantages as materials for desalination applications. Key parameters influencing membrane performance include hydrophilicity, permeability, membrane thickness, pore size, and porosity. Based on the reviewed studies, membranes synthesized using PVA demonstrate superior characteristics in terms of permeability, optimal thickness, pore size, and porosity. These properties contribute to enhanced water flux and salt rejection performance compared to membranes fabricated from CA and PAN

Fulltext View|Download Email colleagues
Keywords: Desalination; Hydrophilic; Polymeric membranes; Water treatment

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Articles
Language : EN
  1. A. Boretti and L. Rosa, ‘Reassessing the projections of the world water development report’, NPJ Clean Water, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1–6, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-019-0039-9
  2. R. Sarah, B. Tabassum, N. Idrees, A. Hashem, and E. F. Abd_Allah, ‘Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Channa punctatus (Bloch) in river Ramganga (UP), India’, Saudi J. Biol. Sci., vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 979–984, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.02.009
  3. S. Sinha Ray et al., ‘Recent developments in nanomaterials-modified membranes for improved membrane distillation performance’, Membranes (Basel)., vol. 10, no. 7, p. 140, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10070140
  4. E. Jones, M. Qadir, M. T. H. van Vliet, V. Smakhtin, and S. Kang, ‘The state of desalination and brine production: A global outlook’, Sci. Total Environ., vol. 657, pp. 1343–1356, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.076
  5. A. Alkhalidi, S. Kiwan, and A. Al-Hayajneh, ‘Experimental investigation of water desalination using freezing technology’, Case Stud. Therm. Eng., vol. 28, p. 101685, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2021.101685
  6. M. Khan and M. A. Al-Ghouti, ‘DPSIR framework and sustainable approaches of brine management from seawater desalination plants in Qatar’, J. Clean. Prod., vol. 319, p. 128485, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128485
  7. W. Chen, Z. Gu, G. Ran, and Q. Li, ‘Application of membrane separation technology in the treatment of leachate in China: A review’, Waste Manag., vol. 121, pp. 127–140, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.12.002
  8. S. L. S. Rani and R. V. Kumar, ‘Insights on applications of low-cost ceramic membranes in wastewater treatment: A mini-review’, Case Stud. Chem. Environ. Eng., vol. 4, p. 100149, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2021.100149
  9. M. Taghizadeh, A. Taghizadeh, V. Vatanpour, M. R. Ganjali, and M. R. Saeb, ‘Deep eutectic solvents in membrane science and technology: fundamental, preparation, application, and future perspective’, Sep. Purif. Technol., vol. 258, p. 118015, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2020.118015
  10. I. G. Wenten, K. Khoiruddin, M. A. Alkhadra, H. Tian, and M. Z. Bazant, ‘Novel ionic separation mechanisms in electrically driven membrane processes’, Adv. Colloid Interface Sci., p. 102269, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2020.102269
  11. A. Kayvani Fard et al., ‘Inorganic membranes: Preparation and application for water treatment and desalination’, Materials (Basel)., vol. 11, no. 1, p. 74, 2018, https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11010074
  12. R. Castro-Muñoz, ‘Breakthroughs on tailoring pervaporation membranes for water desalination: A review’, Water Res., p. 116428, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116428
  13. A. E. Abdelhamid and A. M. Khalil, ‘Polymeric membranes based on cellulose acetate loaded with candle soot nanoparticles for water desalination’, J. Macromol. Sci. Part A Pure Appl. Chem., vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 153–161, 2019, doi: 10.1080/10601325.2018.1559698
  14. H. Fareed, G. H. Qasim, J. Jang, W. Lee, S. Han, and I. S. Kim, ‘Brine desalination via pervaporation using kaolin-intercalated hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile membranes’, Sep. Purif. Technol., vol. 281, no. June 2021, p. 119874, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.119874
  15. A. Selim et al., ‘Preparation and characterization of PVA/GA/Laponite membranes to enhance pervaporation desalination performance’, Sep. Purif. Technol., vol. 221, no. March, pp. 201–210, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.seppur.2019.03.084
  16. Q. M. She, W. J. Huang, A. Talebian-Kiakalaieh, H. Yang, and C. H. Zhou, ‘Layered double hydroxide uniformly coated on mesoporous silica with tunable morphorlogies for catalytic transesterification of glycerol with dimethyl carbonate’, Appl. Clay Sci., vol. 210, no. November 2020, p. 106135, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.clay.2021.106135
  17. A. Abdel-Karim, S. Leaper, C. Skuse, G. Zaragoza, M. Gryta, and P. Gorgojo, ‘Membrane cleaning and pretreatments in membrane distillation-a review’, Chem. Eng. J., p. 129696, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.129696
  18. D. Curto, V. Franzitta, and A. Guercio, ‘A Review of the Water Desalination Technologies’, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020670
  19. Y. A. Tayeh, ‘A comprehensive review of reverse osmosis desalination: Technology, water sources, membrane processes, fouling, and cleaning’, Desalin. Water Treat., vol. 320, p. 100882, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100882
  20. T. Sathish, I. J. I. Premkumar, R. Saravanan, S. Basker, A. Parthiban, and V. Vijayan, ‘Multiply of process speed, quality and safety through low-cost automation–A case study’, in AIP Conference Proceedings, 2020, vol. 2283, no. 1, p. 20067, https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0024959
  21. R. Cabezas et al., ‘Extraction of vanillin from aqueous matrices by membrane-based supercritical fluid extraction: Effect of operational conditions on its performance’, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., vol. 59, no. 31, pp. 14064–14074, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.0c01272
  22. M. Rinaudo and J. Reguant, ‘Polysaccharide derivatives’, Nat. Polym. Agrofibres Compos., pp. 15–39, 2000
  23. H. R. Amaral et al., ‘Production of high-purity cellulose, cellulose acetate and cellulose-silica composite from babassu coconut shells’, Carbohydr. Polym., vol. 210, pp. 127–134, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.01.061
  24. H.-M. Ng et al., ‘Extraction of cellulose nanocrystals from plant sources for application as reinforcing agent in polymers’, Compos. Part B Eng., vol. 75, pp. 176–200, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2015.01.008
  25. S. M. Ghaseminezhad, M. Barikani, and M. Salehirad, ‘Development of graphene oxide-cellulose acetate nanocomposite reverse osmosis membrane for seawater desalination’, Compos. Part B Eng., vol. 161, pp. 320–327, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.10.079
  26. R. Chen et al., ‘Gradient-charged cellulose acetate membranes enabled by ionic COF nanosheets for enhanced nanofiltration-based desalination’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 734, no. July, p. 124391, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2025.124391
  27. N. Rashad, N. Nady, S. H. Kandil, and E. A. Fadl, ‘International Journal of Biological Macromolecules Cellulose acetate-based dual-layer nanofibrous composite membranes for desalination by membrane distillation’, Int. J. Biol. Macromol., vol. 323, no. P2, p. 147186, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.147186
  28. Y. Heidari, E. Noroozian, and S. Maghsoudi, ‘Improvement of salt rejection efficiency of cellulose acetate membrane through modification by poly (amidoamine) dendrimer-functionalized graphene oxide’, Heliyon, vol. 9, no. 9, 2023, doi: 0.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19171
  29. D. F. Ahmed, H. Isawi, N. A. Badway, A. A. Elbayaa, and H. Shawky, ‘Graphene oxide incorporated cellulose triacetate/cellulose acetate nanocomposite membranes for forward osmosis desalination’, Arab. J. Chem., vol. 14, no. 3, p. 102995, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2021.102995
  30. F. Jamshaid et al., ‘Synthesis, characterization and desalination study of polyvinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate/cellulose acetate membranes integrated with surface modified zeolites’, Microporous Mesoporous Mater., vol. 309, no. August, p. 110579, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2020.110579
  31. M. Shaban, E. S. H. El Ashry, H. Abdel-Hamid, A. Morsy, and S. Kandil, ‘Anti-biofouling of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid grafted cellulose acetate membranes used for water desalination’, Chem. Eng. Process. - Process Intensif., vol. 149, no. September 2019, p. 107857, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.cep.2020.107857
  32. M. Shafiq et al., ‘Cellulaose acetate based thin film nanocomposite reverse osmosis membrane incorporated with TiO2 nanoparticles for improved performance’, Carbohydr. Polym., vol. 186, no. October 2017, pp. 367–376, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.01.070
  33. S. M. Ghaseminezhad, M. Barikani, and M. Salehirad, ‘Development of graphene oxide-cellulose acetate nanocomposite reverse osmosis membrane for seawater desalination’, Compos. Part B Eng., vol. 161, no. October 2018, pp. 320–327, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.10.079
  34. D. H. N. Perera et al., ‘Room-temperature development of thin film composite reverse osmosis membranes from cellulose acetate with antibacterial properties’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 453, pp. 212–220, 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.10.062
  35. L. A. N. El-Din, A. El-Gendi, N. Ismail, K. A. Abed, and A. I. Ahmed, ‘Evaluation of cellulose acetate membrane with carbon nanotubes additives’, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., vol. 26, pp. 259–264, 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.jiec.2014.11.037
  36. Y. Shi, C. Li, D. He, L. Shen, and N. Bao, ‘Preparation of graphene oxide–cellulose acetate nanocomposite membrane for high-flux desalination’, J. Mater. Sci., vol. 52, no. 22, pp. 13296–13306, 2017, doi: 10.1007/s10853-017-1403-0
  37. N. El Badawi, A. R. Ramadan, A. M. K. Esawi, and M. El-Morsi, ‘Novel carbon nanotube-cellulose acetate nanocomposite membranes for water filtration applications’, Desalination, vol. 344, pp. 79–85, 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2014.03.005
  38. A. S. M. Ali, M. M. Soliman, S. H. Kandil, and M. M. A. Khalil, ‘Emerging mixed matrix membranes based on zeolite nanoparticles and cellulose acetate for water desalination’, Cellulose, vol. 28, no. 10, pp. 6417–6426, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s10570-021-03924-5
  39. S. K. Nataraj, K. S. Yang, and T. M. Aminabhavi, ‘Polyacrylonitrile-based nanofibers—A state-of-the-art review’, Prog. Polym. Sci., vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 487–513, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2011.07.001
  40. C. Hou, R. Qu, J. Liu, L. Ying, and C. Wang, ‘High‐molecular‐weight polyacrylonitrile by atom transfer radical polymerization’, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., vol. 100, no. 4, pp. 3372–3376, 2006, https://doi.org/10.1002/app.23727
  41. N. Yusof and A. F. Ismail, ‘Post spinning and pyrolysis processes of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber and activated carbon fiber: A review’, J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis, vol. 93, pp. 1–13, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2011.10.001
  42. Z. Liang, Y. Zhao, and Y. Li, ‘Electrospun core-shell nanofiber as separator for lithium-ion batteries with high performance and improved safety’, Energies, vol. 12, no. 17, pp. 1–10, 2019, doi: 10.3390/en12173391
  43. S. Tabe, ‘Electrospun nanofiber membranes and their applications in water and wastewater treatment’, in Nanotechnology for water treatment and purification, Springer, 2014, pp. 111–143, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06578-6_4
  44. R. Mazhari, Y. Bide, S. Saeid, and S. Shokrollahzadeh, ‘Modification of polyacrylonitrile TFC-FO membrane by biowaste-derived hydrophilic N-doped carbon quantum dots for enhanced water desalination performance’, Desalination, vol. 565, no. January, p. 116888, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2023.116888
  45. C. Dai, T. Pei, N. Liu, Z. Lin, and Q. Zhang, ‘Hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile nanofibers as interlayers for ultrathin nanofiltration membranes of high permeance and salt rejection’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 693, no. November 2023, p. 122398, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.122398
  46. B. Liang, K. Pan, L. Li, E. P. Giannelis, and B. Cao, ‘High performance hydrophilic pervaporation composite membranes for water desalination’, Desalination, vol. 347, pp. 199–206, 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2014.05.021
  47. B. Liang et al., ‘High performance graphene oxide/polyacrylonitrile composite pervaporation membranes for desalination applications’, J. Mater. Chem. A, vol. 3, no. 9, pp. 5140–5147, 2015, doi: 10.1039/c4ta06573e
  48. M. Su, M. M. Teoh, K. Y. Wang, J. Su, and T. S. Chung, ‘Effect of inner-layer thermal conductivity on flux enhancement of dual-layer hollow fiber membranes in direct contact membrane distillation’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 364, no. 1–2, pp. 278–289, 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2010.08.028
  49. F. Edwie and T. S. Chung, ‘Development of hollow fiber membranes for water and salt recovery from highly concentrated brine via direct contact membrane distillation and crystallization’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 421–422, pp. 111–123, 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.07.001
  50. F. Edwie, M. M. Teoh, and T. S. Chung, ‘Effects of additives on dual-layer hydrophobic-hydrophilic PVDF hollow fiber membranes for membrane distillation and continuous performance’, Chem. Eng. Sci., vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 567–578, 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.ces.2011.10.024
  51. L. Mitrea et al., ‘Poly (vinyl alcohol)-based biofilms plasticized with polyols and colored with pigments extracted from tomato by-products’, Polymers (Basel)., vol. 12, no. 3, p. 532, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12030532
  52. R. Nagarkar and J. Patel, ‘Polyvinyl alcohol: A comprehensive study’, Acta Sci. Pharm. Sci., vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 34–44, 2019
  53. A. A. Sapalidis, ‘Porous Polyvinyl alcohol membranes: Preparation methods and applications’, Symmetry (Basel)., vol. 12, no. 6, p. 960, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3390/sym12060960
  54. G. Mendow, N. S. Veizaga, and C. A. Querini, ‘Ethyl ester production by homogeneous alkaline transesterification: influence of the catalyst’, Bioresour. Technol., vol. 102, no. 11, pp. 6385–6391, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.01.072
  55. M. N. Subramanian, Basics of polymer chemistry. River Publishers, 2017
  56. Y. Ren, F. Yu, X.-G. Li, and J. Ma, ‘Recent progress on adsorption and membrane separation for organic contaminants on multi-dimensional graphene’, Mater. Today Chem., vol. 22, p. 100603, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2021.100603
  57. M. A. Saad et al., ‘Synthesis and characterization of an innovative sodium alginate / polyvinyl alcohol bioartificial hydrogel for forward ‑ osmosis desalination’, Sci. Rep., no. 2024, pp. 1–13, 2025, doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58533-6
  58. Q. Liu et al., ‘Colloids and Surfaces A : Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects Conical chitosan / polyvinyl alcohol aerogel evaporator with multiscale water activation and directional salt management for efficient solar desalination’, Colloids Surfaces A Physicochem. Eng. Asp., vol. 741, no. January, p. 140341, 2026, doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2026.140341
  59. D. A. R. O. da Silva, L. C. B. Zuge, and A. de Paula Scheer, ‘Pretreatments for seawater desalination by pervaporation using the developed green silica/PVA membrane’, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., vol. 9, no. 6, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.106327
  60. M. A. Selim, A. J. Toth, D. Fozer, E. Haaz, and P. Mizsey, ‘Pervaporative desalination of concentrated brine solution employing crosslinked PVA/silicate nanoclay membranes’, Chem. Eng. Res. Des., vol. 155, pp. 229–238, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.cherd.2020.01.015
  61. A. El-Gendi, H. Abdallah, A. Amin, and S. K. Amin, ‘Investigation of polyvinylchloride and cellulose acetate blend membranes for desalination’, J. Mol. Struct., vol. 1146, pp. 14–22, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2017.05.122
  62. S. Zachariah and Y. L. Liu, ‘Surface engineering through biomimicked structures and deprotonation of poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes for pervaporation desalination’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 637, no. June, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119670
  63. G. Yang, Z. Xie, M. Cran, D. Ng, and S. Gray, ‘Enhanced desalination performance of poly (vinyl alcohol)/carbon nanotube composite pervaporation membranes via interfacial engineering’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 579, no. September 2018, pp. 40–51, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.02.034
  64. S. G. Chaudhri, J. C. Chaudhari, and P. S. Singh, ‘Fabrication of efficient pervaporation desalination membrane by reinforcement of poly(vinyl alcohol)-silica film on porous polysulfone hollow fiber’, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., vol. 135, no. 3, pp. 1–13, 2018, doi: 10.1002/app.45718
  65. Q. Li, B. Cao, and P. Li, ‘Fabrication of High Performance Pervaporation Desalination Composite Membranes by Optimizing the Support Layer Structures’, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., vol. 57, no. 32, pp. 11178–11185, 2018, doi: 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b02505
  66. R. Zhang, B. Liang, T. Qu, B. Cao, and P. Li, ‘High-performance sulfosuccinic acid cross-linked PVA composite pervaporation membrane for desalination’, Environ. Technol. (United Kingdom), vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 312–320, 2019, doi: 10.1080/09593330.2017.1388852
  67. D. A. Reino Olegário da Silva, L. C. Bosmuler Zuge, and A. de Paula Scheer, ‘Preparation and characterization of a novel green silica/PVA membrane for water desalination by pervaporation’, Sep. Purif. Technol., vol. 247, p. 116852, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.seppur.2020.116852
  68. J. Meng et al., ‘Fabricating thin-film composite membranes for pervaporation desalination via photo-crosslinking’, Desalination, vol. 512, no. March, p. 115128, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2021.115128
  69. P. Zhao, Y. Xue, R. Zhang, B. Cao, and P. Li, ‘Fabrication of pervaporation desalination membranes with excellent chemical resistance for chemical washing’, J. Memb. Sci., vol. 611, p. 118367, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118367
  70. L. Li, J. Hou, Y. Ye, J. Mansouri, and V. Chen, ‘Composite PVA/PVDF pervaporation membrane for concentrated brine desalination: Salt rejection, membrane fouling and defect control’, Desalination, vol. 422, no. August, pp. 49–58, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2017.08.011
  71. X. Zhao, Q. Wu, C. Huang, H. Wei, R. Wang, and C. Wang, ‘Highly efficient separation membrane based on cellulose acetate/chitosan fibrous composite substrate with activated carbon functional adsorption layer’, J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol., vol. 96, no. 3, pp. 672–679, 2021, doi: 10.1002/jctb.6580
  72. J. G. Seong et al., ‘Microporous polymers with cascaded cavities for controlled transport of small gas molecules’, Sci. Adv., vol. 7, no. 40, p. eabi9062, 2021
  73. X. Zhao, C. Huang, S. Zhang, and C. Wang, ‘Cellulose Acetate/Activated Carbon Composite Membrane with Effective Dye Adsorption Performance’, J. Macromol. Sci. Part B Phys., vol. 58, no. 12, pp. 909–920, 2019, doi: 10.1080/00222348.2019.1669945
  74. H. Fan and M. Elimelech, ‘Solvent Transport in Disordered and Dynamic Membrane Pores: Implications for Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration Membranes’, Environ. Sci. Technol., vol. 59, no. 33, pp. 17922–17931, 2025

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.