Hybrid Membranes Based on Track-Etched Membranes and Nanofiber Layer for Water–Oil Separation and Membrane Distillation of Low-Level Liquid Radioactive Wastes and Salt Solutions

In this work, hybrid membranes were fabricated by depositing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fibers onto PET track-etched membranes (TeMs) using the electrospinning technique. The resulting structures exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity, with contact angles reaching 155 degrees, making them suitable for applications in both water-oil mixture separation and membrane distillation processes involving low-level liquid radioactive waste (LLLRW), saline solutions, and natural water sources. The use of hybrids of TeMs and nanofiber membranes has significantly increased productivity compared to TeMs only, while maintaining a high degree of purification. Permeate obtained after MD of LLLRW and river water was analyzed by conductometry and the atomic emission spectroscopy (for Sr, Cs, Al, Mo, Co, Sb, Ca, Fe, Mg, K, and Na). The activity of radioisotopes (for 124Sb, 65Zn, 60Co, 57Co, 137Cs, and 134Cs) was evaluated by gamma-ray spectroscopy. In most cases, the degree of rejection was between 95 and 100% with a water flux of up to 17.3 kg/m2<middle dot>h. These membranes were also tested in the separation of cetane-water emulsion with productivity up to 47.3 L/m2<middle dot>min at vacuum pressure of 700 mbar and 15.2 L/m2<middle dot>min at vacuum pressure of 900 mbar.