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Giacobbo A, Pasqualotto IF, Machado Filho RCDC, Minhalma M, Bernardes AM, de Pinho MN. Ultrafiltration and Nanofiltration for the Removal of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds from Water: The Effect of Operating Pressure on Electrostatic Solute-Membrane Interactions. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:743. [PMID: 37623804 PMCID: PMC10456375 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13080743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
The present work investigates nanofiltration (NF) and ultrafiltration (UF) for the removal of three widely used pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), namely atenolol, sulfamethoxazole, and rosuvastatin. Four membranes, two polyamide NF membranes (NF90 and NF270) and two polyethersulfone UF membranes (XT and ST), were evaluated in terms of productivity (permeate flux) and selectivity (rejection of PhACs) at pressures from 2 to 8 bar. Although the UF membranes have a much higher molecular weight cut-off (1000 and 10,000 Da), when compared to the molecular weight of the PhACs (253-482 Da), moderate rejections were observed. For UF, rejections were dependent on the molecular weight and charge of the PhACs, membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), and operating pressure, demonstrating that electrostatic interactions play an important role in the removal of PhACs, especially at low operating pressures. On the other hand, both NF membranes displayed high rejections for all PhACs studied (75-98%). Hence, considering the optimal operating conditions, the NF270 membrane (MWCO = 400 Da) presented the best performance, achieving permeate fluxes of about 100 kg h-1 m-2 and rejections above 80% at a pressure of 8 bar, that is, a productivity of about twice that of the NF90 membrane (MWCO = 200 Da). Therefore, NF270 was the most suitable membrane for this application, although the tight UF membranes under low operating pressures displayed satisfactory results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Giacobbo
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Isabella Franco Pasqualotto
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Rafael Cabeleira de Coronel Machado Filho
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Miguel Minhalma
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal;
- Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Rua Conselheiro Emídio Navarro, 1, 1959-007 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Andréa Moura Bernardes
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Maria Norberta de Pinho
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal;
- Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
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2
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Du Y, Pramanik BK, Zhang Y, Jegatheesan V. Resource recovery from RO concentrate using nanofiltration: Impact of active layer thickness on performance. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 231:116265. [PMID: 37263466 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116265] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Modelling the removal of monovalent and divalent ions from seawater via nanofiltration is crucial for pre-treatment in seawater reverse osmosis systems. Effective separation of divalent ions through nanofiltration and allowing the permeate containing only monovalent ions to pass through the reverse osmosis system produces pure NaCl salt from the concentrate. However, the Donnan steric pore model and dielectric exclusion assume a uniformly distributed cylinder pore morphology, which is not representative of the actual membrane structure. This study analyzed the impact of membrane thickness on neutral solute removal and investigated the effect of two different methods for calculating the Peclet number on rejection rates of monovalent and divalent salts. Results show that membrane thickness has a significant effect on rejection rates, particularly for uncharged solutes in the range of 0.5-0.7 solute radius to membrane pore size ratio. Operating pressures above 10 bar favour the use of effective active layer thickness over the membrane pore size to calculate the Peclet number. At low pressures, using the effective active layer can lead to overestimation of monovalent salt rejection and underestimation of divalent salt rejection. This study highlights the importance of appropriate Peclet number calculation methods based on applied pressure when modelling membrane separation performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Du
- School of Engineering and Water: Effective Technologies and Tools (WETT) Research Centre, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Biplob Kumar Pramanik
- School of Engineering and Water: Effective Technologies and Tools (WETT) Research Centre, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Yang Zhang
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China; Engineering Research Centre for Chemical Pollution Control and Resource Recovery, Shandong Provincial Education Department, Qingdao, 266042, China.
| | - Veeriah Jegatheesan
- School of Engineering and Water: Effective Technologies and Tools (WETT) Research Centre, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.
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Matin A, Jillani SMS, Baig U, Ihsanullah I, Alhooshani K. Removal of pharmaceutically active compounds from water sources using nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes: Comparison of removal efficiencies and in-depth analysis of rejection mechanisms. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 338:117682. [PMID: 37003228 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117682] [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: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Trace organic compounds from effluent streams are not completely removed by conventional purification techniques and hence, contaminating groundwater sources. Herein, we report the removal efficiency and rejection mechanisms of three common pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs); caffeine (CFN), omeprazole (OMZ), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), using commercial nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes with different surface characteristics. The RO membranes showed near-complete removal of all PhACs with rejection rates >99%. On the other hand, retention capabilities for the NF membranes varied and were influenced by the characteristics of the PhACs, membranes, and the feed solution. In general, during long-term testing, the rejection did not show much variation and followed a trend compatible with the size exclusion (steric hindrance) mechanism. When a real matrix was used, the rejection of CFN by the more tight NF membranes, HL TFC and NFW decreased by ∼10%, whereas the removal of SMX by the loose NF membrane, XN45, increased by the same ratio. In short-term testing, the rejection of negatively charged SMX increased significantly (∼20-40%) at a higher pH of ∼8 and in the presence of salts. Fouling by the PhACs was more severe on the high-flux NF membranes, HL TFC and XN45, as witnessed by the significant change in Contact angle (CA) values (∼25-50°) as well as the flux decline (∼15%) during long-term testing. To summarize, the removal of PhACs by membranes is a complex phenomenon and depends upon a combination of several factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asif Matin
- IRC Membranes & Water Security, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia.
| | | | - Umair Baig
- IRC Membranes & Water Security, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - I Ihsanullah
- Chemical and Water Desalination Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Khalid Alhooshani
- Department of Chemistry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia
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4
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Zhu Y, Huang Z, Tang M, Li Q, Liu Y, Bai X. A charged nanocomposite membrane via co-deposition of gallic acid and polyethyleneimine-silver for improving separation and antibacterial properties. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2023; 87:711-728. [PMID: 36789713 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals have been continuously detected from surface water and groundwater. In order to improve the rejection performance of pharmaceuticals by a nanofiltration membrane (NF), a positively charged membrane was prepared by co-deposition of natural gallic acid and polyethyleneimine on the polyacrylonitrile hydrolysis membrane. Effects of gallic acid concentration, polyethylene imine concentration, reaction time, and the molecular weight of polyethylene imine were documented. The physical and chemical properties of the membrane were also investigated by surface morphology, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and molecular weight cut-off. The optimized membrane had a molecular weight cut-off of about 958 Da and possessed a pure water permeability of 74.21 L·m-2·h-1·MPa-1. The results exhibited salt rejection in the following order: MgCl2 > CaCl2 > MgSO4 > Na2CO3 > NaCl > Na2SO4, while the rejection ability of pharmaceuticals is as follows: amlodipine > atenolol > carbamazepine > ibuprofen, suggesting that the positively charged membrane has enhanced retention to both divalent cations and charged pharmaceuticals. In addition, the antibacterial membrane was obtained by loading silver nanoparticles onto the positively charged membrane, which greatly improved the antibacterial ability of the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Zhonghua Huang
- Key Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Mengdi Tang
- Key Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Qunxia Li
- Key Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Yulong Liu
- Key Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Xinhui Bai
- Key Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
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5
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Appraising efficacy of existing and advanced technologies for the remediation of beta-blockers from wastewater: A review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:25427-25451. [PMID: 35094282 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-18287-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The discharge of emerging pollutants, such as beta-blockers (BB), has been recognized as one of the major threats to the environment due to the ecotoxicity associated with these emerging pollutants. The BB are prescribed to treat high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases; however, even at lower concentration, these pollutants can pose eco-toxic impacts towards aquatic organisms. Additionally, owing to their recalcitrant nature, BB are not effectively removed through conventional technologies, such as activated sludge process, trickling filter and moving bed bioreactor; thus, it is essential to understand the degradation mechanism of BB in established as well as embryonic technologies, like adsorption, electro-oxidation, Fenton process, ultraviolet-based advance oxidation process, ozonation, membrane systems, wetlands and algal treatment. In this regard, this review articulates the recalcitrant nature of BB and their associated removal technologies. Moreover, the major advantages and limitations of these BB removal technologies along with the recent advancements with regard to the application of innovative materials and strategies have also been elucidated. Therefore, the present review intends to aid the researchers in improving the BB removal efficiency of these technologies, thus alleviating the problem of the release of BB into the environment.
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Reddy Bogireddy NK, Mejia YR, Aminabhavi TM, Barba V, Becerra RH, Ariza Flores AD, Agarwal V. The identification of byproducts from the catalytic reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol: A systematic spectroscopic study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 316:115292. [PMID: 35658257 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Acetaminophenol, commonly recognized as paracetamol (considered safer than aspirin) is formed by nitration of phenol (4-nitrophenol (4-NP)) for its conversion to 4-aminophenol (4-AP), followed by the acetylation for the final product. As 4-NP is an intermediate product in acetaminophenol (paracetamol) production from phenol the dynamic analysis of acetylation of amine group is important. This study focuses on the feasibility of spectroscopic studies to monitor the removal of 4-NP using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) probe reaction in the presence of silver, gold, and bimetallic Ag/Au nanoparticles. UV-visible absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements reveal the formation of 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), hydroquinone (HQ), and phenol (Ph) as the final products, in addition to the formation of typically reported 4-AP. The intermediates of NaBH4 seem to play a significant role in the formation of BQ, which converts to HQ in the basic medium followed by the formation of phenol in an acidic medium. Complete kinetic analysis with respect to spectroscopic studies of the standard compounds is presented. Similar results were obtained with 4-NP spiked river and seawater samples. The present findings may lead to catalytic benchmarking that can differ from most of the current practices and highlight the importance of adopting a holistic approach towards the fundamental understanding of 4-NP catalytic reduction that must take into account the concentration of NaBH4 and pH interdependencies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yetzin Rodriguez Mejia
- Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma Del Estado de México, Paseo Colón esq, Paseo Tollocan s/n, Toluca, Estado de México, C.P., 50120, Mexico
| | - Tejraj M Aminabhavi
- School of Advanced Sciences, KLE Technological University, Hubballi, Karnataka, 580031, India; School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Mohali, 248 007, India
| | - Victor Barba
- Centro de Investigaciones Químicas-IICBA, Universidad Autónoma Del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos CP, 62209, Mexico
| | - Raul Herrera Becerra
- Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, C.P., 04510, Mexico
| | - A David Ariza Flores
- CONACyT-Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Karakorum 1470, Lomas 4ta Secc, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., 78210, Mexico
| | - Vivechana Agarwal
- Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, UAEM, Av. Univ. 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62209, Mexico.
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7
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Bina B, Fatehizadeh A, Taheri E, Heydari M, Darvishmotevalli M, Bazmeh A. Atenolol removal from aqueous solutions using Bi 2O 3/TiO 2 under UV-C and visible light irradiations. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY 2022:1-22. [DOI: 10.1080/03067319.2022.2085045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bijan Bina
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering Environment Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan Iran
| | - Ali Fatehizadeh
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering Environment Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan Iran
| | - Ensiyeh Taheri
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering Environment Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan Iran
| | - Maryam Heydari
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
| | - Mohammad Darvishmotevalli
- Research Center for Health, Safety and Environment (RCHSE), Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Asiyeh Bazmeh
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Student Research Committee, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan
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Shen Q, Xing DY, Sun F, Dong W, Zhang F. Designed water channels and sieving effect for heavy metal removal by a novel silica-poly(ionic liquid) nanoparticles TFN membrane. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Xu M, Feng X, liu Z, Han X, Zhu J, Wang J, Bruggen BVD, Zhang Y. MOF laminates functionalized polyamide self-cleaning membrane for advanced loose nanofiltration. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.119150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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10
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Lin J, Chen Q, Huang X, Yan Z, Lin X, Ye W, Arcadio S, Luis P, Bi J, Van der Bruggen B, Zhao S. Integrated loose nanofiltration-electrodialysis process for sustainable resource extraction from high-salinity textile wastewater. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 419:126505. [PMID: 34214850 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Effective extraction of useful resources from high-salinity textile wastewater is a critical pathway for sustainable wastewater management. In this study, an integrated loose nanofiltration-electrodialysis process was explored for simultaneous recovery of dyes, NaCl and pure water from high-salinity textile wastewater, thus closing the material loop and minimizing waste emission. Specifically, a loose nanofiltration membrane (molecular weight cutoff of ~800 Da) was proposed to fractionate the dye and NaCl in the high-salinity textile wastewater. Through a nanofiltration-diafiltration unit, including a pre-concentration stage and a constant-volume diafiltration stage, the dye could be recovered from the high-salinity textile wastewater, being enriched at a factor of ~9.0, i.e., from 2.01 to 17.9 g·L-1 with 98.4% purity. Assisted with the subsequent implementation of electrodialysis, the NaCl concentrate and pure water were effectively reclaimed from the salt-containing permeate coming from the loose nanofiltration-diafiltration. Simultaneously, the produced pure water was further recycled to the nanofiltration-diafiltration unit. This study shows the potential of the integration of loose nanofiltation-diafiltration with electrodialysis for sufficient resource extraction from high-salinity textile wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiuyang Lin
- School of Environment and Resources, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou, China
| | - Qin Chen
- School of Environment and Resources, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou, China
| | - Xuan Huang
- Jiangsu DDBS Environmental Remediation Co., Ltd., 210012 Nanjing, China
| | - Zhongsen Yan
- College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiaocheng Lin
- College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou, China.
| | - Wenyuan Ye
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China.
| | - Sotto Arcadio
- Department of Science Education, Rey Juan Carlos University, Fuenlabrada, Madrid 28942, Spain
| | - Patricia Luis
- Materials & Process Engineering (iMMC-IMAP), UCLouvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Jinhong Bi
- School of Environment and Resources, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou, China
| | - Bart Van der Bruggen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering for Sustainable Systems (ProcESS), KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Shuaifei Zhao
- Deakin University, Geelong, Institute for Frontier Materials, VIC 3216, Australia
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11
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Soares EV, Giacobbo A, Rodrigues MAS, de Pinho MN, Bernardes AM. The Effect of pH on Atenolol/Nanofiltration Membranes Affinity. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:membranes11090689. [PMID: 34564506 PMCID: PMC8467835 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11090689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Nanofiltration has been shown to be effective in removing pharmaceutical compounds from water and wastewater, so different mechanisms can influence treatment performance. In the present work, we carried out a case study evaluating the performance of two nanofiltration membranes in the removal of Atenolol (ATN)—a pharmaceutical compound widely used for the treatment of arterial hypertension—under different conditions such as operating pressure, ATN concentration, and solution pH. By determining the B parameter, which quantifies the solute/membrane affinity, we verified that the solution pH influenced the performance of the membranes, promoting attraction or repulsion between the ATN and the membranes. At pH 2.5, both membranes and ATN were positively charged, causing electrostatic repulsion, showing lower values of the B parameter and, consequently, higher ATN rejections. At such a pH, the mean ATN rejection for the loose membrane (NF270) was 82%, while for the tight membrane (NF90) it was 88%. On the other hand, at 12 bar pressure, the NF70 membrane (5.1 × 10 −5 m s−1) presented mean permeate fluxes about 2.8 times greater than the NF90 membrane (1.8 × 10−5 m s−1), indicating that NF270 is the most suitable membrane for this application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Veridiani Soares
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, n. 9500, Agronomia-Porto Alegre-RS, CEP 91509-900, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Giacobbo
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, n. 9500, Agronomia-Porto Alegre-RS, CEP 91509-900, Brazil
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marco Antônio Siqueira Rodrigues
- Post-Graduation Program in Materials Technology and Industrial Processes, Pure Sciences and Technology Institute, Feevale University, Rodovia RS-239, n. 2755, Vila Nova-Novo Hamburgo-RS, CEP 93525-075, Brazil
| | - Maria Norberta de Pinho
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
- Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andréa Moura Bernardes
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, n. 9500, Agronomia-Porto Alegre-RS, CEP 91509-900, Brazil
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