Sustainable Membrane Development: A Biopolymer Approach

Sustainable membranes for efficient separation processes are increasingly necessary to counteract the significant environmental and human health impacts of manufacturing conventional membranes, which rely on synthetic polymers, toxic solvents, and harmful additives. A greener approach currently involves the use of bio-based polymers, blending synthetic polymers with biopolymers, utilizing nanocomposites, and greener solvents. Biopolymers are emerging as an environmentally friendly alternative for developing polymeric membranes due to their biological, biodegradable, recyclable, and biocompatible properties. However, the development of sustainable biopolymer-based membranes poses greater challenges to achieving a truly low environmental impact across all aspects of raw material production, manufacturing methods, operational systems, and waste disposal. Another challenge for its market competitiveness is achieving high functional and operational performance, wider applications, low commercial costs, and strong scale-up potential. This critical review assesses the current state of sustainability in membrane manufacturing based on recent literature. It also evaluates the role of biopolymers in sustainable membranes and discusses research opportunities in biopolymer production for membrane manufacturing, highlighting biotechnological tools, the circular economy and waste valorization.