The improved membranes developed recently for reverse osmosis are nitrogen-containing polymers of the polyamide and polyurea class. Unfortunately these kinds of polymers are damaged by the presence of halogens and systems now in use require pretreatment removal steps adding to system complexity and cost. The proposed research will attempt to establish the precise nature of the polymer degradation by chlorine. Main reactions and side reactions will be identified by determining stability of polymer functional groups toward various chlorine species. This should lead directly to the development of halogen-resistant polymers. It is also expected to learn more about optimizing the operating conditions for the reverse-osmosis process.
