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Golgoli M, Farahbakhsh J, Najafi M, Khiadani M, Johns ML, Zargar M. Resilient forward osmosis membranes against microplastics fouling enhanced by MWCNTs/UiO-66-NH 2 hybrid nanoparticles. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 359:142180. [PMID: 38679179 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The escalating presence of microplastics (MPs) in wastewater necessitates the investigation of effective tertiary treatment process. Forward osmosis (FO) emerges as an effective non-pressurized membrane process, however, for the effective implementation of FO systems, the development of fouling-resistance FO membranes with high-performance is essential. This study focuses on the integration of MWCNT/UiO-66-NH2 as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) nanocomposites in thin film composite (TFC) FO membranes, harnessing the synergistic power of hybrid nanoparticles in FO membranes. The results showed that the addition of MWCNT/UiO-66-NH2 in the aqueous phase during polyamide formation changed the polyamide surface structure, and enhanced membranes' hydrophilicity by 44%. The water flux of the modified FO membrane incorporated with 0.1 wt% MWCNTs/UiO-66-NH2 increased by 67% and the reverse salt flux decreased by 22% as in comparison with the control membrane. Moreover, the modified membrane showed improved antifouling behavior against both organic foulant and MPs. The MWCNT/UiO-66-NH2 membrane experienced 35% flux decline while the control membrane experienced 65% flux decline. This proves that the integration of MWCNT/UiO-66-NH2 nanoparticles into TFC FO membranes is a viable approach in creating advanced FO membranes with high antifouling propensity with potential to be expanded further to other membrane applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Golgoli
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Javad Farahbakhsh
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Mohadeseh Najafi
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Mehdi Khiadani
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Michael L Johns
- Fluid Science & Resources Division, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Masoumeh Zargar
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.
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Molina S, Ocaña-Biedma H, Rodríguez-Sáez L, Landaburu-Aguirre J. Experimental Evaluation of the Process Performance of MF and UF Membranes for the Removal of Nanoplastics. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:683. [PMID: 37505049 PMCID: PMC10384815 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13070683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Despite the high removal ability of the wastewater treatment technologies, research efforts have been limited to the relatively large-sized microplastics, leaving nanoplastics outside the studied size spectrum. This study aims to evaluate the process performance of MF and UF membranes for the removal of single and mixed solutions of polystyrene nanospheres (120 and 500 nm) and BSA. The process performance was evaluated in terms of the rejection coefficient, the normalized flux, and the permeability recovery. The fouling mechanism of these pollutants was studied, evaluating the effect of different membrane materials, membrane pore sizes, and nanoplastic sizes, as well as the synergetic effect of the mixture of foulants. This study was complemented by surface membrane characterization. Polystyrene nanospheres were successfully removed with all the membranes studied, except for the MF membrane that obtained PS 120 nm rejection coefficients of 26%. Single nanoplastic particles were deposited in UF membranes creating a pore blocking and cake layer formation, whilst the nanoplastics of 120 nm were accumulated inside the MF membrane creating an internal pore blocking. In mixed solutions, the BSA acted in two different ways: (i) as a stabilizer, hindering the deposition of nanoplastics and (ii) as a main foulant that caused a substantial flux reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Molina
- IMDEA Water Institute, Punto Com. nº 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Helena Ocaña-Biedma
- IMDEA Water Institute, Punto Com. nº 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Rodríguez-Sáez
- IMDEA Water Institute, Punto Com. nº 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
- Chemical Engineering Department, University of Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km 33,600, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
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Zou H, Huang J, Zhang M, Lin H, Teng J, Huang Z. Mitigation of protein fouling by magnesium ions and the related mechanisms in ultrafiltration process. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 310:136817. [PMID: 36241107 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Although protein is an important membrane foulant in the water body that may be significantly affected by the coexisting common cation magnesium (Mg2+), the effect of Mg2+ on protein fouling is rarely reported. In this context, this study selected bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the model foulant, and investigated its fouling characteristics at different Mg2+ concentrations (0-100 mM). Filtration tests showed that the protein fouling can be significantly mitigated by adding Mg2+, and the specific filtration resistance (SFR) of pure BSA (3.56 × 1014 m kg-1) was at least 5 times that of BSA-Mg2+ solutions (0.5-100 mM). In addition, an optimal Mg2+ concentration exists, which can achieve the lowest BSA SFR. A series of characterizations indicated that the main contributors to the differences in BSA SFR were the changes in BSA adhesion capacity and the thickness and structure of the foulant layer. Basically, the above results were attributed to the hydration repulsion effect of Mg2+, which prevented tight adhesion of foulants to the membrane. Moreover, the lowest BSR SFR at 1 mM Mg2+ was achieved not only by the hydration repulsion effect but also by the particle size compression due to the conformational change of BSA molecules. This combined effect led to the lowest foulant retention on the membrane surface and delivered to the lowest SFR. This study conducts a thorough inspection into the specific effect of Mg2+ on protein fouling and provides a fresh insight into protein fouling control in the UF process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zou
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.
| | - Jiahui Huang
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.
| | - Meijia Zhang
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.
| | - Hongjun Lin
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.
| | - Jiaheng Teng
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.
| | - Zhengyi Huang
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.
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Golgoli M, Khiadani M, Sen TK, Razmjou A, Johns ML, Zargar M. Synergistic effects of microplastics and organic foulants on the performance of forward osmosis membranes. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 311:136906. [PMID: 36270521 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging contaminants that are abundantly present in the influent and effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Forward osmosis (FO) is an advanced treatment technology with potential applications in WWTPs. The presence of MPs in WWTP effluents can contribute to FO fouling and performance deterioration. This study focuses on FO membrane fouling by MPs of different sizes, and the interactional impacts of MPs and Humic acid (HA) (as the most common organic foulant in WWTPs) on FO membrane performance. The synergistic effect of combined MPs and HA fouling is shown to cause higher flux decline for FO membranes than that of HA or MPs alone. Reverse salt flux increased in the presence of MPs, and decreased when HA was present. Further, full flux recovery was obtained for all fouled membranes after hydraulic cleaning. This indicates the efficiency of FO systems for treating wastewater with high fouling potential. This study highlights the necessity of considering MPs in studying fouling behaviour, and for mitigation strategies of membranes used in WWT. The fundamentals created here can be further extended to other membrane-assisted separation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Golgoli
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Mehdi Khiadani
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia
| | - Tushar Kanti Sen
- Chemical Engineering Department, King Faisal University, P.O. Box: 380, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amir Razmjou
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia; UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; Mineral Recovery Research Center (MRRC), School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Perth, WA 6027, Australia
| | - Michael L Johns
- Fluid Science & Resources Division, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Masoumeh Zargar
- School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia; Mineral Recovery Research Center (MRRC), School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Perth, WA 6027, Australia.
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Gao Z, Chen Q, Song X, Wang J, Cai W. Microbial Responses to Various Types of Chemical Regents during On-Line Cleaning of UF Membranes. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:920. [PMID: 36295679 PMCID: PMC9606962 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12100920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ultrafiltration is widely used to treat various environmental waters, and on-line membrane cleaning with various chemical reagents is frequently employed to sustain the filtration flux. However, the residue of cleaning agents in the ultrafiltration system is unavoidable, which may affect microbiological properties and biofilm formation during the next-round filtration. By investigating the changes in microbial characteristics, and their biofouling behaviors after exposure to HCl, NaOH, NaClO, citric acid (CA), and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), this study fills a knowledge gap in microbial responses to various types of chemical cleaning agents in an ultrafiltration system. The result shows that HCl, NaOH, and NaClO affect the bacterial properties and subsequent attachment on the membrane surface, while CA and SDS have no obvious influence on microorganisms. Specifically, HCl, NaOH, and NaClO reduce the hydrophobicity and mean size of suspended microorganisms, increase the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) release, and trigger intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, resulting in the death of a large quantity of microorganisms. Due to the self-protecting strategy, plenty of living cells aggregate on the membrane surface and form a cake layer with a stratified structure, causing more severe membrane biofouling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyuan Gao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 102488, China
| | - Qiuying Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 102488, China
| | - Xiaolan Song
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 102488, China
| | - Jingwei Wang
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Weiwei Cai
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 102488, China
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Gao Z, Zhao ZP, Cai W. Chemically induced alteration in PAC characteristics and its influences on PAC/UF water treatment: Implications for on-line membrane cleaning with NaClO. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.121130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Zhang B, Tang H, Gu X, Li X, Zhang B, Shen Y, Shi W. Discrepant effects of monovalent cations on membrane fouling induced by colloidal polymer: Evaluation and mechanism investigation. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 295:133939. [PMID: 35149021 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how ionic conditions affect membrane fouling induced by anionic polyacrylamide (APAM) is important for achieving long-term and stable operation of a polymer flooding produced wastewater (PFPW) membrane separation process. However, there is lack of studies on the effects of monovalent cations (Na+ and K+) on APAM-based membrane fouling. In this work, the effects of Na+ and K+ on filtration efficiency, flux decline behavior, fouling resistance, and cleaning efficiency were studied through a series of microfiltration tests. Moreover, the influencing mechanism of membrane fouling was further comprehensively revealed from the aspects of the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory, the hydration force, and the microstructure characterizations. The XDLVO theory agreed well with membrane fouling behavior at various ionic strengths. The increase in ionic strength (0-10,000 mg/L) of Na+ and K+ exacerbated the reduction of relative flux (J/J0) and the accumulation of fouling resistance, as well as made the porous APAM-induced fouling layer denser and more compact, boosting removal efficiency. Furthermore, K+ had a stronger aggravating effect on membrane fouling than Na+. Specifically, the final value of J/J0 for APAM+K+ (0.08) was lower than that for APAM + Na+ (0.12), and the fouling resistance for APAM+K+ (12.25 × 1011 m-1) was higher than that for APAM + Na+ (12.01 × 1011 m-1) at an ionic strength of 10,000 mg/L, which was owing to the larger hydration force caused by Na+ with a smaller ionic radius. This research offers practical guidance for the PFPW membrane filtering process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Zhang
- National Research Base of Intelligent Manufacturing Service, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, 400067, China
| | - Heli Tang
- National Research Base of Intelligent Manufacturing Service, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, 400067, China
| | - Xiaolong Gu
- National Research Base of Intelligent Manufacturing Service, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, 400067, China
| | - Xiaohong Li
- National Research Base of Intelligent Manufacturing Service, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, 400067, China
| | - Bing Zhang
- School of Environmental and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China.
| | - Yu Shen
- National Research Base of Intelligent Manufacturing Service, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, 400067, China; Chongqing South-to-Thais Environmental Protection Technology Research Institute Co.Ltd., Chongqing, 400060, China.
| | - Wenxin Shi
- School of Environmental and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
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Simultaneous coupling of fluidized granular activated carbon (GAC) and powdered activated carbon (PAC) with ultrafiltration process: A promising synergistic alternative for water treatment. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.120085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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