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Tong T, Liu X, Li T, Park S, Anger B. A Tale of Two Foulants: The Coupling of Organic Fouling and Mineral Scaling in Membrane Desalination. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7129-7149. [PMID: 37104038 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Membrane desalination that enables the harvesting of purified water from unconventional sources such as seawater, brackish groundwater, and wastewater has become indispensable to ensure sustainable freshwater supply in the context of a changing climate. However, the efficiency of membrane desalination is greatly constrained by organic fouling and mineral scaling. Although extensive studies have focused on understanding membrane fouling or scaling separately, organic foulants commonly coexist with inorganic scalants in the feedwaters of membrane desalination. Compared to individual fouling or scaling, combined fouling and scaling often exhibits different behaviors and is governed by foulant-scalant interactions, resembling more complex but practical scenarios than using feedwaters containing only organic foulants or inorganic scalants. In this critical review, we first summarize the performance of membrane desalination under combined fouling and scaling, involving mineral scales formed via both crystallization and polymerization. We then provide the state-of-the-art knowledge and characterization techniques pertaining to the molecular interactions between organic foulants and inorganic scalants, which alter the kinetics and thermodynamics of mineral nucleation as well as the deposition of mineral scales onto membrane surfaces. We further review the current efforts of mitigating combined fouling and scaling via membrane materials development and pretreatment. Finally, we provide prospects for future research needs that guide the design of more effective control strategies for combined fouling and scaling to improve the efficiency and resilience of membrane desalination for the treatment of feedwaters with complex compositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiezheng Tong
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Xitong Liu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Tianshu Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Shinyun Park
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Bridget Anger
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
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Yu H, Yang H, Wei G, Mameda N, Qu F, Rong H. UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) Pretreatment for Ultrafiltration of Microcystis aeruginosa-Laden Water: Fe(II)/Fe(III) Triggered Synergistic Oxidation and Coagulation. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:membranes13050463. [PMID: 37233524 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13050463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Ultrafiltration (UF) has been proven effective in removing algae during seasonal algal blooms, but the algal cells and the metabolites can induce severe membrane fouling, which undermines the performance and stability of the UF. Ultraviolet-activated sulfite with iron (UV/Fe(II)/S(IV)) could enable an oxidation-reduction coupling circulation and exert synergistic effects of moderate oxidation and coagulation, which would be highly preferred in fouling control. For the first time, the UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) was systematically investigated as a pretreatment of UF for treating Microcystis aeruginosa-laden water. The results showed that the UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) pretreatment significantly improved the removal of organic matter and alleviated membrane fouling. Specifically, the organic matter removal increased by 32.1% and 66.6% with UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) pretreatment for UF of extracellular organic matter (EOM) solution and algae-laden water, respectively, while the final normalized flux increased by 12.0-29.0%, and reversible fouling was mitigated by 35.3-72.5%. The oxysulfur radicals generated in the UV/S(IV) degraded the organic matter and ruptured the algal cells, and the low-molecular-weight organic matter generated in the oxidation penetrated the UF and deteriorated the effluent. The over-oxidation did not happen in the UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) pretreatment, which may be attributed to the cyclic redox Fe(II)/Fe(III) coagulation triggered by the Fe(II). The UV-activated sulfate radicals in the UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) enabled satisfactory organic removal and fouling control without over-oxidation and effluent deterioration. The UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) promoted the aggregation of algal foulants and postponed the shift of the fouling mechanisms from standard pore blocking to cake filtration. The UV/Fe(II)/S(IV) pretreatment proved effective in enhancing the UF for algae-laden water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huarong Yu
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Haiyang Yang
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guangmei Wei
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Naresh Mameda
- Department of Engineering Chemistry, College of Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram 522303, India
| | - Fangshu Qu
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hongwei Rong
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
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Almanassra IW, Jaber L, Backer SN, Chatla A, Kochkodan V, Al-Ansari T, Shanableh A, Atieh MA. Oxidized carbide-derived carbon as a novel filler for improved antifouling characteristics and permeate flux of hybrid polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 313:137425. [PMID: 36460158 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137425] [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: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Polyethersulfone (PES) is a widely used polymer for ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fabrication. In the current study, carbide-derived carbon (CDC) oxidized by acid treatment was utilized as a filler to fabricate a novel PES composites UF membranes. The successful oxidation of CDC was validated from presence of oxygen containing functional groups and improved oxygen content, from 5.08 at.% for CDC to 26.22 at.% for oxidized CDC (OCDC). The OCDC PES UF membranes were prepared at different loadings of OCDC between 0.5 and 3.0 wt%. The membrane porosity, pore size and surface free energy found to be improved while a noticeable reduction in water contact angle was observed with OCDC loading implying the improved hydrophilicity of PES membranes. Consequently, the pure water flux found to improve from 151.6 to 569.6 (L/(m2. h)) for the 3.0 wt% modified OCDC membrane (M-3) which is 3.8 folds of the bare PES membrane. The antifouling characteristics were evaluated by humic acid (HA) filtration. The results revealed a significant enhancement in HA rejection with OCDC loading, the highest rejection was 96.8% for M-3 membrane. Additionally, the adsorption capacity of OCDC modified membranes found to decrease with OCDC loading indicating improved rejection of HA from the membrane surface. Moreover, M-3 demonstrated the maximum flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 92.3%. Reusability of the fabricated membranes was evaluated by deionized water/humic acid cycling filtration. The FRR was higher than 86.7% over three cycles of pure water/HA filtration for 140 min, indicated the excellent stability and reusability of the membranes. Overall, the OCDC was an effective filler for enhancing the PES UF membranes antifouling and permeability properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismail W Almanassra
- Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering (RISE), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Lubna Jaber
- Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering (RISE), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Anjaneyulu Chatla
- Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering (RISE), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Viktor Kochkodan
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Tareq Al-Ansari
- College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Abdallah Shanableh
- Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering (RISE), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Muataz Ali Atieh
- Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering (RISE), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Chemical and Water Desalination Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
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Lian J, Cheng X, Zhu X, Luo X, Xu J, Tan F, Wu D, Liang H. Mutual activation between ferrate and calcium sulfite for surface water pre-treatment and ultrafiltration membrane fouling control. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:159893. [PMID: 36336042 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this work, ferrate (Fe(VI)) and calcium sulfite (CaSO3) were combined to treat surface water for improving ultrafiltration (UF) performance. During the pre-treatment process, the Fe(VI) and CaSO3 activated each other and a variety of active species (Fe(V), Fe(IV), OH, SO4-, 1O2, etc.) were generated. All of the five fluorescent components were effectively eliminated to different extents. With Fe(VI)/CaSO3 = 0.05/0.15 mM, the dissolved organic carbon and UV254 reduced by 44.33 % and 50.56 %, respectively. After UF, these values were further decreased with the removal rate of 50.27 % and 70.79 %. In the UF stage, the terminal J/J0 increased to 0.42 from 0.17, with the reversible and irreversible fouling decreased by 67.08 % and 79.45 % at most. The membrane pore blocking was significantly mitigated, as well as the foulants deposition on membrane surfaces was decreased to some extent. The complete blocking was altered to standard blocking and intermediate blocking, the volume when entering cake filtration was also delayed slightly. The extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory was employed to judge the interface fouling behavior, and the results indicated that the foulants became more hydrophilic, as well as the adhesion trend between foulants and membrane surface was weakened. Overall, these results provide a theoretical foundation for the practical application of the combined Fe(VI)/CaSO3-UF process in surface water purification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinchuan Lian
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Xiaoxiang Cheng
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, PR China; Resources and Environment Innovation Institute, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, PR China.
| | - Xuewu Zhu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Xinsheng Luo
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Jingtao Xu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Fengxun Tan
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, PR China
| | - Daoji Wu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, PR China; Resources and Environment Innovation Institute, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, PR China
| | - Heng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, PR China
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