Short Communication: Requiring Reverse Osmosis Membranes Modifications – An Overview

Abstract

Do really reverse osmosis (RO) membranes need modification to cover their disadvantages or enhance their efficiency? Are there any defects in RO membranes manufacturing that require modification? These questions are discussed here in this short review. Through the world, there are thousands of patents, publications, and PhD theses dealing with surface modification and grafting of RO membranes. This growing phenomenon should attract the attention of the scientific community for technologic and economic reasons. Due to the increasing water pollution levels, which overpassed the RO membranes capacities, there is an urgent need to manufacture RO membranes, with multidisciplinary characteristics and high performance regarding both salts removal and fouling resistance, before sending them to the market and avoiding to think to their following modification.