Micellar enhanced ultrafiltration of eosin dye using hexadecyl pyridinium chloride

Arsenate removal from aqueous solutions using micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration

In this study, arsenate (As-V) removal using micellar enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) modified by cationic surfactants was studied by a dead-end polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane apparatus. The UF membrane has been produced by a phase inversion process. The prepared membrane was characterized and analyzed for morphology and membrane properties. The influence of operating parameters such as initial concentrations of As-V, surfactants, pH, membrane thickness, and co-existing anions on the removal of As-V, surfactant rejection, and permeate flux have been studied. The experimental results show that from the two different cationic surfactants used the CPC (cetyl-pyridinium chloride) efficiency (91.7%) was higher than that of HTAB (hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide) (83.7%). The highest As-V removal was 100%, and was achieved using initial feed concentrations of 100-1000 μg/L, at pH 7 with a membrane thickness of 150 μm in a dead-end filtration system. This efficiency for As-V removal was similar to that obtained using a cross-flow system. Nevertheless, this flux reduction was less than the reduction achieved in the dead-end filtration process. The PAN fabricated membrane in comparison to the RO and NF processes selectively removed the arsenic and the anions, in the water taken from the well, and had no substantial effect on the cations.

Preparation of carboxymethyl salix wood powder as a superadsorbent for removal of methylene blue from wastewater

Carboxymethyl salix wood powder was prepared as a superadsorbent for removal of methylene blue from wastewater.

A pilot plant study of the degradation of Brilliant Green dye using ozone microbubbles: mechanism and kinetics of reaction

Oxidation of Brilliant Green dye was performed using ozone microbubbles in a pilot plant scale. Decolourisation was very effective at both acidic and alkaline pH. The colour of the aqueous solution was below detectable limit after 30 min at 1.7 mg/s ozone generation rate. The reaction between the dye and ozone was first-order in nature with respect to both ozone and the dye. The enhancement factor increased with increasing dye concentration. The samples were analysed by the ultra-violet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. From the GC-MS analysis, 13 intermediates were detected as oxidation products of this dye at various stages of oxidation. The changes in the FTIR spectra showed the destruction of the dye and the formation of new compounds. The oxidation mechanism was divided into two reaction pathways. The mineralisation of Brilliant Green was up to 80% in 60 min, as determined by total organic carbon analysis.

Novelties of combustion synthesized titania ultrafiltration membrane in efficient removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous effluent

In this study, titania nanoparticles were synthesized by combustion and used to make ultrafiltration membrane. Characteristics of titania membranes such as textural evaluation, surface morphology, pure water permeability and protein rejection were investigated. Titania membrane sintered at 450 °C showed pure water permeability 11 × 10−2 L h−1 m−2 kPa−1 and 76% protein rejection. The membrane presented good water flux and retention properties with regards to protein and methylene blue dye. Ultrafiltration process was operated at lower pressure (100 kPa) and showed 99% removal of methylene blue using adsorptive micellar flocculation at sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration below its critical micellar concentration. Ferric chloride was used as the coagulant. The method of making titania membrane and its use are new. These studies can be extended to other dyes and pollutants.

Adsorption of Brilliant Green onto Luffa Cylindrical Sponge: Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Thermodynamic Studies

The sponge of Luffa cylindrical (LFC), a fibrous material, was employed as adsorbent for the removal of Brilliant Green (BGD) from aqueous effluent via batch studies. The optimum removal of BGD was found at pH 8.2 and the equilibrium was attained within 3 hours. The kinetic data are analyzed using several models including pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, power function, simple elovich, intraparticle diffusion, and liquid film diffusion. The fitting of the different kinetics models to the experimental data, tested by error analysis, using the linear correlation coefficient r2 and chi-square analysis χ2, showed that the mechanism of adsorption process was better described by pseudo-second-order and power function kinetic models. The equilibrium isotherm data were analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models and the sorption process was described by the Langmuir isotherm with maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 18.2 mg/g at 303 K. The thermodynamic properties ΔG0, ΔH0, and ΔS0 showed that adsorption of BGD onto LFC was spontaneous, endothermic, and feasible within the temperature range of 303–313 K.

Simplified Colorimetric Method Using Reactive Orange 16 for Analysis of Cationic Surfactant

The concentration of surfactant is usually determined by a colorimetric method. A simplified colorimetric method for determining cationic surfactant was proposed which has advantages over the existing colorimetric method where less chemical is used and the overall time to perform the analysis per sample is reduced by half. These methods were tested based on analyzing the ionic interaction of cationic surfactant-reactive orange 16 (PBE-RO16) mixtures. A linear correlation was observed between the absorbance ratio of PBE-RO16 mixture/dye and PBE concentration. Results obtained from this study shows that the error between the two methods is only about ±20% except for PBE concentration less than 20 mg/L. Therefore, the proposed simplified colorimetric method can be considered as an alternative method for determination of cationic surfactant in aqueous solution in the future.

Micellar enhanced ultrafiltration process for the treatment of olive mill wastewater

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is an important environmental pollution problem, especially in the Mediterranean, which is the main olive oil production region worldwide. Environmental impact of OMW is related to its high organic load and particularly to the phytotoxic and antibacterial action of its phenolic content. In fact, polyphenols are known as powerful antioxidants with interesting nutritional and pharmaceutical properties. In the present work, the efficiency of OMW Micellar Enhanced Ultrafiltration (MEUF) treatment for removal and concentration of polyphenols was investigated, using an anionic surfactant (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate salt, SDS) and a hydrophobic poly(vinyldene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane. The effects of the process experimental conditions on the permeate flux were investigated, and the secondary membrane resistance created by SDS molecules was evaluated. The initial fluxes of OMW processing by MEUF using SDS were 25.7 and 44.5 l/m2 h under transmembrane pressures of 3.5 and 4.5 bar, respectively. The rejection rate of polyphenols without using any surfactant ranged from 5 to 28%, whereas, it reached 74% when SDS was used under optimum pH (pH 2). The MEUF provides a slightly colored permeate (about 88% less dark), which requires clearly less chemical oxygen demand (COD) for its oxidation (4.33% of the initial COD). These results showed that MEUF process can efficiently be applied to the treatment of OMW and for the concentration and recovery of polyphenols.

Fuzzy modeling and simulation for lead removal using micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF)

In the present paper, a three factor, three-level response surface design based on Box-Behnken design (BBD) was developed for maximizing lead removal from aqueous solution using micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF). Due to extremely complexity and nonlinearity of membrane separation processes, fuzzy logic (FL) models have been driven to simulate MEUF process under a wide range of initial and hydrodynamic conditions. Instead of using mathematical model, fuzzy logic approach provides a simpler and easier approach to describe the relationships between the processing variables and the metal rejection and permeation flux. Statistical values, which quantify the degree of agreement between experimental observations and numerically calculated values, were found greater than 91% for all cases. The results show that predicted values obtained from the fuzzy model were in very good agreement with the reported experimental data.

Optimizing adsorption of crystal violet dye from water by magnetic nanocomposite using response surface modeling approach

A magnetic nanocomposite was developed and characterized. Adsorption of crystal violet (CV) dye from water was studied using the nanocomposite. A four-factor central composite design (CCD) combined with response surface modeling (RSM) was employed for maximizing CV removal from aqueous solution by the nanocomposite based on 30 different experimental data obtained in a batch study. Four independent variables, viz. temperature (10-50°C), pH of solution (2-10), dye concentration (240-400 mg/l), and adsorbent dose (1-5 g/l) were transformed to coded values and a second-order quadratic model was built to predict the responses. The significance of independent variables and their interactions were tested by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test statistics. Adequacy of the model was tested by the correlation between experimental and predicted values of the response and enumeration of prediction errors. Optimization of the process variables for maximum adsorption of CV by nanocomposite was performed using the quadratic model. The Langmuir adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was determined as 81.70 mg/g. The model predicted maximum adsorption of 113.31 mg/g under the optimum conditions of variables (concentration 240 mg/l; temperature 50°C; pH 8.50; dose 1g/l), which was very close to the experimental value (111.80 mg/g) determined in batch experiment.

Produced water treatment by micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration

A water treatment approach combining ultrafiltration (UF) and micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) techniques was used for the removal of organic contaminants in field produced water samples from Canada and the United States. Free oil droplets and suspended solids were separated by initial UF treatments while MEUF was necessary for the removal of dissolved organics. It was shown that the amphiphilic characteristics of some organics commonly existing in produced water contributed to lowering the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant employed. Lower surfactant concentrations could, therefore, be employed leading to lower fouling and back contamination and higher permeate flux. In addition, the incorporation of organic contaminants into the structure of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) micelles resulted in larger size and higher dissolution capacity of the "mixed micelles". The performance of polymeric and ceramic membranes of different molecular weight cutoffs (MWCOs) was evaluated by analyzing the permeate flux, recovery ratio, and solute percent rejection as functions of trans-membrane pressure (TMP). A mathematical model based on Darcy's law and the resistance in-series model successfully described the flux decline as a function of TMP for the two field samples and the two membranes studied.

Adsorption characteristics of brilliant green dye on kaolin

Experimental investigations were carried out to adsorb toxic brilliant green dye from aqueous medium using kaolin as an adsorbent. Characterization of kaolin is done by measuring: (i) particle size distribution using particle size analyzer, (ii) BET surface area using BET surface analyzer, and (iii) structural analysis using X-ray diffractometer. The effects of initial dye concentration, contact time, kaolin dose, stirring speed, pH and temperature were studied for the adsorption of brilliant green in batch mode. Adsorption experiments indicate that the extent of adsorption is strongly dependent on pH of solution. Free energy of adsorption (DeltaG0), enthalpy (DeltaH0) and entropy (DeltaS0) changes are calculated to know the nature of adsorption. The calculated values of DeltaG0 at 299K and 323K indicate that the adsorption process is spontaneous. The estimated values of DeltaH0 and DeltaS0 both show the negative sign, which indicate that the adsorption process is exothermic and the dye molecules are organized on the kaolin surface in less randomly fashion than in solution. The adsorption kinetic has been described by first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle-diffusion models. It was observed that the rate of dye adsorption follows pseudo-second-order model for the dye concentration range studied in the present case. Standard adsorption isotherms were used to fit the experimental equilibrium data. It was found that the adsorption of brilliant green on kaolin follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.