Review of manufacturing three-dimensional-printed membranes for water treatment

With the exacerbation of industrialization, water treatment has become a necessary step for the eradication of dyes, heavy metals, oils, pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs. These pollutants pose an impending threat to the health of humans by causing chronic or acute poisoning. Albeit they are noxious, the presence of some metals in lower concentrations is indispensable for human health. 3D printing (additive manufacturing) (3DP) can contrive nearly any complicated geometric form in a wide array of objects among various scales by a layer-wise method of manufacturing, which is more indubitably designed than any other conventional method. 3DP could remodel the existing patterns of membrane housing and possibly trim down the power demand and chemical use in saltwater desalinating and wastewater purification plants. Membranes that are 3D printed with correctly arranged apertures and shapes enhance material transport and flow athwart the surface of the membrane and at once lessen membrane soiling. This kind of technology forges membranes of polymers, biopolymers, alloys, metals, and ceramics via computer-aided design (CAD). A polylactic acid porous super-hydrophobic membrane with pore size in the range 40–600 μm showed 99.4% oil-water separating power and 60 kL h−1 m−2 flux when the pore size was tuned to 250 μm via CAD-aided 3D printing technology. This review focuses on the ability of 3D-printed membranes for the efficient removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater.