Membrane Science and Technology

Position：Home >> Abstract

Surface-coated modified nanofiltration membranes: Preparation and application for lithium extraction from salt lakes

Authors： ZHANG Huaxia1, ZHANG Jintao2, PEI Qiong1, ZHANG Ke2,
HAO Changqing3, LI Li3, XU Zhenliang4

Units： 1. East China Engineering Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Hefei 230022, China;
2. Tibet Mineral Development Co., Ltd., Lhasa 850000, China; 3. Guangdong Ospura Co., Ltd.,
Shantou 515000, China; 4. Chemical Engineering Research Center, East China University
of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China

KeyWords： nanofiltration membranes; lithium extraction from salt lakes; magnesium/lithium separation; antifouling; membrane modification

ClassificationCode：TQ028

year,volume(issue):pagination： 2026, 46(4):157-163

Abstract：

Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are crucial for lithium extraction from salt lakes owing to their selective filtration capability, high operational efficiency, and low energy consumption. This study selected the NF-HR nanofiltration membrane as the test material. The membrane surface was coated to modify its properties. Changes in surface structure, hydrophilicity, and Zeta potential before and after modification were analyzed. The magnesium/lithium separation performance and fouling resistance were evaluated. The results revealed that the NF-P1 membrane showed enhanced hydrophilicity, reduced surface roughness, weakened negative surface charge, and achieved a Mg/Li separation factor of 60.4. The NF-P2 membrane showed improved hydrophilicity, decreased surface roughness, a positively charged surface, and achieved a Mg/Li separation factor of 117.5. Furthermore, both NF-P1 and NF-P2 membranes showed significantly lower flux decline rates and higher cleaning recovery rates than the NF-HR membrane. These findings demonstrate that surface coating modification is an effective strategy to enhance both Mg/Li separation and fouling resistance of NF membranes, and can be readily adapted for industrial-scale production, thereby offering valuable guidance for future large-scale applications in lithium recovery from salt lake brines.

Funds：

西藏自治区科技计划项目（XZ202401ZY0022）

AuthorIntro：

张华夏（1981-），男，安徽合肥人，高级工程师，研究方向为无机化学与膜技术应用.*通讯作者，E-mail： haochangqing1990@hotmail.com

Reference：

[1]赵梓淇,贾萌萌,卢纵,等.盐湖提锂技术研究进展[J]. 盐湖研究, 2025,33(4):109-124.
[2]付小方，祝婷，郝雪峰，等. 全球锂矿资源勘探开发现状与供需分析[J]. 矿产勘查，2025, 16(1): 1-15.
[3]Wen H, Liu Z, Xu J, et al. Nanofiltration membrane for enhancement in lithium recovery from salt-lake brine: A review[J]. Desalination，2024，591：117967.
[4]Zheng R, Xu S, Zhong S, et al. Enhancing ion selectivity of nanofiltration membranes via heterogeneous charge distribution[J]. EST，2024，58(51)：22818-22828.
[5]Ji W, Li Y, Duan F, et al. Maintaining high magnesium/lithium selectivity in nanofiltration at high salinity: optimizing membrane charge distribution for synergistic Donnan and ion adhesion effects[J]. J Membr Sci，2025: 124160.
[6]Hadidi M，Zydney A L. Fouling behavior of zwitterionic membranes: Impact of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions[J]. J Membr Sci，2014，452：97-103.
[7]Zhang W X，Jiang F. Membrane fouling in aerobic granular sludge (AGS)-membrane bioreactor (MBR): Effect of AGS size[J]. Water Res，2019，157：445-453.
[8]张桢琳，王露，程亮，等. 表面接枝法荷正电复合纳滤膜制备及其镁锂分离性能[J]. 膜科学与技术，2024，44(2)： 1-7.
[9]Bai C L，Gu Z Y，Gao X R，et al. Stepwise increasing TMC concentration in NF membranes fabrication for controlled PA layer thickness, compactness, and charge distribution: Maintaining high permeance, enhancing desalination, and mechanistic insights[J]. Sep Purif Technol，2025，359：130404.
[10]Zhang Y , Fan Y, Zhou G, et al. Based on high cross-linked structure design to fabricate PEI-based nanofiltration membranes for Mg2+/Li+ separation[J]. J Membr Sci, 2024,693:122351.
[11]Li L, Zhu G, Tong Y, et al. Polyethyleneimine modified polyamide composite nanofiltration membrane for separation of lithium and magnesium[J]. J Water Process Eng,2023, 54:103894.
[12]Hachisuka H, Ikeda K.Reverse osmosis composite membrane and reverse osmosis treatment method for water using the same:US19980055555[P].US6413425B1[2026-06-25].
[13]Zhou Y，Yu S，Gao C，et al. Surface modification of thin film composite polyamide membranes by electrostatic self deposition of polycations for improved fouling resistance[J]. Sep Purif Technol，2009，66（2）：287-294.
[14]Jia R, Li H, Xu Z, et al. Surfactants intervened construction of NF membranes for lithiumextraction in high Mg2+/Li+ ratio and high concentration environments[J]. J Membr Sci, 2025, 726: 124048.
[15]Jia R, Jin X, Xu Z, et al. Surfactant-interlayer assisted interfacial polymerization for constructing Janus nanofiltration membranes: Enhanced Li+/Mg2+ separation efficiency[J]. J Membr Sci, 2024, 712: 123235.
[16]Liu C，Guo Y，Wei X，et al. An outstanding antichlorine and antibacterial membrane with quaternary ammonium salts of alkenes via in situ polymerization for textile wastewater treatment[J]. Chem Eng J，2020，384：123306.
[17]倪红旭. 荷正电LDH纳滤膜的制备及其镁锂分离性能研究[D]. 北京:北京工业大学, 2023.

Service：

【Download】【Collect】

《膜科学与技术》编辑部 Address: Bluestar building, 19 east beisanhuan road, chaoyang district, Beijing; 100029 Postal code; Telephone：010-80492417/010-80485372; Fax：010-80485372 ; Email：mkxyjs@163.com