Progress on reinforced braided hollow fiber membranes in separation technologies: A review

Advantages of hollow fiber membranes include high specific area, possibility of back flushing, and lower pretreatment and maintenance requirements. Aggressive back flushing or airflow, however, can damage hollow fibers. Reinforced braided hollow fibers offer a solution for increasing mechanical strength and extending useful lifetime of hollow fiber membranes. The present review discusses the effects of support layer, spinneret design, polymer type and production speed on properties of reinforced braided hollow fiber membranes. The review concludes with a summary of applications enabled by such mechanical reinforcement.