Composite Nanofiltration Membranes for Water Treatment: Implementation and Educational Issues

Abstract

This paper implements a Case Study Analysis method within the Mechanical engineering masters’ course Module T210M109 Microelectromechanical Systems Design at Kaunas University of Technology. This method guides students through experimental planning, fabrication, characterization, and interpretation, leading to deeper understanding of membrane composition and its structure, and relationship between properties and real-world engineering application areas. The paper examines the implementation and educational issues in design of composite nanofiltration membranes used in removal of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) from water. It highlights both, the scientific challenges of membrane fabrication and the pedagogical value of integrating Case Study Analysis into engineering. Thus, students demonstrated improved ability to make technical decisions, analyze the cases of different microfabrication techniques and interpret the obtained results with the help of Case Study method.