How does a hollow fiber membrane work to filter water?

[RICKYtan]

What is the process?
And can/cannot it filter out?

 

[BvU]

What is the process?
And can/cannot it filter out?

The process is that the water molecules pass through little openings in the structure of the membrane that are so small nothing bigger gets through.

 

[RICKYtan]

Is it as simple as obtaining a handful of strands of HFM that are rubberbanded at both ends, filling a cup with pool water and carefully pouring (making sure all the water goes through it) on the HFM so that the water that makes it to the other end is collected in a bowl?? and that collected water will be "purified"?

 

[BvU]

What makes it to the other end hasn't passed through the membrane and is called the retentate. It's the stuff that goes through the membrane (the filtrate) that is considered the pure product.
It might just be a little more complicated than pouring a cup of pool water in at the top -- witness the petabytes of publications every year on the various subjects: achieving a reasonable throughput is awkward, energy effectiveness, selectivity, fouling, etc. etc. Google is your friend.

 

[256bits]

making sure all the water goes through it

Through what - out the other end. No. The membrane part of the HFM filters the particles, just as BVU stated.