1907 Bechhold published the first report to systematically study the properties of microporous membranes. 19 18 Zsigmondy and others first put forward the method of producing nitrocellulose microporous filter membrane on a commercial scale, and obtained the patent in 192 1, and in G? Ttingen) established the world's first microporous membrane company "Sartorius GmbH", specializing in the production and sales of microporous membranes. After World War II, the United States and Britain also conducted extensive research on the manufacturing technology and application of microporous membranes, which promoted the rapid development of microfiltration technology, and the sales volume of microporous membranes ranked first among all synthetic membranes in the world. According to statistics of Freedonm, the world demand for microfiltration membrane materials was 740 million US dollars in 20001year, and by 2006 and 201year, this figure will reach 980 million US dollars and1290 million US dollars respectively.
The research and development of microfiltration technology in China was relatively late, basically starting in the early 1980s, but it developed rapidly. By the end of 2005, China microfiltration technology has formed an annual output value of 70 million yuan, accounting for 1/5 of the annual output value of China membrane industry, and its economic and social benefits are also very remarkable. Through the national "Tenth Five-Year Plan" and "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" scientific and technological research, China's microfiltration technology has changed the situation that only cellulose acetate-nitric acid (CA-CN) membrane exists, and successively developed cellulose acetate (CA), polystyrene (PS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), nylon, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and other membranes and tubes. In recent ten years, China has made great progress in microfiltration membranes, modules and corresponding supporting equipment, which have been widely used in medicine, beverage, drinking water, food, electronics, petrochemical industry, analysis and testing, environmental protection and other fields.
Compared with the foreign level, the performance of conventional microfiltration membrane in China is basically the same as that of similar foreign products. Folding filter element has replaced imported products in many occasions, but it still lags behind foreign countries in cross-flow microfiltration membrane and assembly technology and its engineering application, which inhibits the application of microfiltration technology in advanced treatment of high turbidity water.