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Modi A, Kasher R. Nitrate removal from contaminated groundwater by micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration using a polyacrylonitrile membrane with a hydrogel-stabilized ZIF-L layer. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 254:121384. [PMID: 38479174 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121384] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Contamination of groundwater by nitrate from intensive agriculture is a serious problem globally. Excessive fertilization has led to nitrate contamination of the Coastal Aquifer in Israel. Here we report the efficient removal of nitrate from contaminated groundwater by micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) using a specially tailored membrane. Graft polymerization with hydrophilic poly(methacrylate) and incorporation of porous zeolitic imidazole framework ZIF-L nanoparticles imparted antifouling properties to the membrane. The resulting modified membrane showed high water permeance (82.2 ± 1.7 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1). The efficiency of nitrate removal by MEUF was tested using cetylpyridinium chloride as a surfactant in nitrate-contaminated groundwater collected from the Coastal Aquifer of Israel. The membrane reduced nitrate levels from 40-70 to levels of 6.8-29.5 mg·L-1, depending on the groundwater composition; further reduction to 6.1-24.1 mg·L-1 with complete surfactant rejection was achieved via two-stage membrane filtration, which showed high permeate flux (between 32.1 ± 0.9 and 45.9 ± 0.6 L·m-2·h-1) at 2 bar. The membrane maintained stable separation performance during multiple cycles, and the flux recovery ratio was >93 %. Nitrate concentrations fell well below the acceptable limit for drinking water, allowing the treated water to be used without restriction. Overall, the membrane has the potential to allow efficient removal by MEUF of nitrate from contaminated groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Modi
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel; Present address: Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Roni Kasher
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel.
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Regev C, Jiang Z, Kasher R, Miller Y. Distinct Antifouling Mechanisms on Different Chain Densities of Zwitterionic Polymers. Molecules 2022; 27:7394. [PMID: 36364221 PMCID: PMC9654173 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Antifouling polymer coating surfaces are used in widespread industries applications. Zwitterionic polymers have been identified as promising materials in developing polymer coating surfaces. Importantly, the density of the polymer chains is crucial for acquiring superior antifouling performance. This study introduces two different zwitterionic polymer density surfaces by applying molecular modeling tools. To assess the antifouling performance, we mimic static adsorption test, by placing the foulant model bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the surfaces. Our findings show that not only the density of the polymer chain affect antifouling performance, but also the initial orientation of the BSA on the surface. Moreover, at a high-density surface, the foulant either detaches from the surface or anchor on the surface. At low-density surface, the foulant does not detach from the surface, but either penetrates or anchors on the surface. The anchoring and the penetrating mechanisms are elucidated by the electrostatic interactions between the foulant and the surface. While the positively charged ammonium groups of the polymer play major role in the interactions with the negatively charged amino acids of the BSA, in the penetrating mechanism the ammonium groups play minor role in the interactions with the contact with the foulant. The sulfonate groups of the polymer pull the foulant in the penetrating mechanism. Our work supports the design of a high-density polymer chain surface coating to prevent fouling phenomenon. Our study provides for the first-time insights into the molecular mechanism by probing the interactions between BSA and the zwitterion surface, while testing high- and low-densities polymer chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clil Regev
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Be’er Sheva 84105, Israel
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel
| | - Zhongyi Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Roni Kasher
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel
| | - Yifat Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Be’er Sheva 84105, Israel
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beér-Sheva 84105, Israel
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Bourassi M, Pasichnyk M, Oesch O, Sundararajan S, Trávničková T, Soukup K, Kasher R, Gaálová J. Glycidyl and Methyl Methacrylate UV-Grafted PDMS Membrane Modification toward Tramadol Membrane Selectivity. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:752. [PMID: 34677519 PMCID: PMC8538421 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11100752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Pharmaceutical wastewater pollution has reached an alarming stage, as many studies have reported. Membrane separation has shown great performance in wastewater treatment, but there are some drawbacks and undesired byproducts of this process. Selective membranes could be used for pollutant investigation sensors or even for pollutant recovery. The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane was first tested on separated and mixed antibiotic (ATB) water solutions containing sulfamethoxazole (SM), trimethoprim (TMP), and tetracycline (TET). Then, the bare and ultra-violet grafted (UV-grafted) PDMS membranes (MMA-DMAEMA 10, GMA-DMAEMA 5, and GMA-DMAEMA 10) were tested in tramadol (TRA) separation, where the diffusion coefficient was evaluated. Finally, the membranes were tested in pertraction with a mixture of SM, TMP, TET, and TRA. The membranes were characterized using the following methods: contact angle measurement, FTIR, SEM/EDX, and surface and pore analysis. The main findings were that TET was co-eluted during mixed ATB pertraction, and GMA-DMAEMA 5 was found to selectively permeate TRA over the present ATBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdi Bourassi
- Faculty of Science Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University, Benátská 2, 128 01 Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the ASCR, v.v.i. Rozvojova 135, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (M.P.); (T.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.)
- Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers, Poitiers University, 86073 Poitiers, France;
| | - Mariia Pasichnyk
- Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the ASCR, v.v.i. Rozvojova 135, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (M.P.); (T.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.)
| | - Oscar Oesch
- Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers, Poitiers University, 86073 Poitiers, France;
| | - Swati Sundararajan
- Department of Desalination & Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel; (S.S.); (R.K.)
| | - Tereza Trávničková
- Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the ASCR, v.v.i. Rozvojova 135, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (M.P.); (T.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.)
| | - Karel Soukup
- Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the ASCR, v.v.i. Rozvojova 135, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (M.P.); (T.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.)
| | - Roni Kasher
- Department of Desalination & Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel; (S.S.); (R.K.)
| | - Jana Gaálová
- Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the ASCR, v.v.i. Rozvojova 135, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (M.P.); (T.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.)
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Modified Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Membranes for the Elimination of Antibiotics from Water. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:membranes11090720. [PMID: 34564537 PMCID: PMC8465475 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11090720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The hydrophilic and hydrophobic single-walled carbon nanotube membranes were prepared and progressively applied in sorption, filtration, and pertraction experiments with the aim of eliminating three antibiotics—tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim—as a single pollutant or as a mixture. The addition of SiO2 to the single-walled carbon nanotubes allowed a transparent study of the influence of porosity on the separation processes. The mild oxidation, increasing hydrophilicity, and reactivity of the single-walled carbon nanotube membranes with the pollutants were suitable for the filtration and sorption process, while non-oxidized materials with a hydrophobic layer were more appropriate for pertraction. The total pore volume increased with an increasing amount of SiO2 (from 743 to 1218 mm3/g) in the hydrophilic membranes. The hydrophobic layer completely covered the carbon nanotubes and SiO2 nanoparticles and provided significantly different membrane surface interactions with the antibiotics. Single-walled carbon nanotubes adsorbed the initial amount of antibiotics in less than 5 h. A time of 2.3 s was sufficient for the filtration of 98.8% of sulfamethoxazole, 95.5% of trimethoprim, and 87.0% of tetracycline. The thicker membranes demonstrate a higher adsorption capacity. However, the pertraction was slower than filtration, leading to total elimination of antibiotics (e.g., 3 days for tetracycline). The diffusion coefficient of the antibiotics varies between 0.7–2.7 × 10−10, depending on the addition of SiO2 in perfect agreement with the findings of the textural analysis and scanning electron microscopy observations. Similar to filtration, tetracycline is retained by the membranes more than sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim.
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Abolhasani MM, Naebe M, Hassanpour Amiri M, Shirvanimoghaddam K, Anwar S, Michels JJ, Asadi K. Hierarchically Structured Porous Piezoelectric Polymer Nanofibers for Energy Harvesting. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2020; 7:2000517. [PMID: 32670767 PMCID: PMC7341085 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202000517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Hierarchically porous piezoelectric polymer nanofibers are prepared through precise control over the thermodynamics and kinetics of liquid-liquid phase separation of nonsolvent (water) in poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) solution. Hierarchy is achieved by fabricating fibers with pores only on the surface of the fiber, or pores only inside the fiber with a closed surface, or pores that are homogeneously distributed in both the volume and surface of the nanofiber. For the fabrication of hierarchically porous nanofibers, guidelines are formulated. A detailed experimental and simulation study of the influence of different porosities on the electrical output of piezoelectric nanogenerators is presented. It is shown that bulk porosity significantly increases the power output of the comprising nanogenerator, whereas surface porosity deteriorates electrical performance. Finite element method simulations attribute the better performance to increased volumetric strain in bulk porous nanofibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mahdi Abolhasani
- Max‐Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 10Mainz55128Germany
- Chemical Engineering DepartmentUniversity of KashanKashan8731753153Iran
| | - Minoo Naebe
- Carbon NexusInstitute for Frontier MaterialsDeakin UniversityGeelong3217Australia
| | | | | | - Saleem Anwar
- Max‐Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 10Mainz55128Germany
- School of Chemical & Materials EngineeringNational University of Sciences & TechnologySector H‐12IslamabadPakistan
| | - Jasper J. Michels
- Max‐Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 10Mainz55128Germany
| | - Kamal Asadi
- Max‐Planck Institute for Polymer ResearchAckermannweg 10Mainz55128Germany
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Alvarado AG, Rabelero M, Aguilar J, Flores Mejia J, Moscoso Sánchez FJ. Synthesis and characterization of butyl acrylate-co-poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate obtained by microemulsion polymerization. Des Monomers Polym 2020; 23:40-49. [PMID: 32284706 PMCID: PMC7144295 DOI: 10.1080/15685551.2020.1739506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthesis and characterization of copolymers of n-Butyl Acrylate (BA) and Poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) were realized by microemulsion. In this synthesis, the relation of PEGDMA 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% wt with respect to BA was changed. The copolymers obtained were characterized by the determination of conversions (gravimetry), infrared spectroscopy: Fourier transform (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results confirmed the synthesis of BA-co – PEGDMA copolymers by the identification of characteristic FTIR bands and which determined the glass transition temperature of the copolymers. The conversions were found in the range of 85% to 90%. Within the stability of the produced latex, it was observed that at 10% and 30% wt. of PEGDMA the systems were stable, but when more PEGDMA was added up 40% to 50% wt., the system became unstable. The stability of produced latexes depends on the PEGDMA contents and this must be less than 30% wt.; meanwhile the PEGDMA content greater than 30% wt. leads to unstable latexes, forming clots. Copolymers showed single glass transition temperatures between −53.37°C and −16.58°C, depending on the composition of PEGDMA in the copolymers. Resulting in the different arrangements of units of PEGDMA along in the chain affected the thermal properties of the final copolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham G Alvarado
- Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica Eléctrica, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México
| | - Martin Rabelero
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México
| | - Jacobo Aguilar
- Departamento de Ciencias Tecnológicas, Centro Universitario de la Ciénega, Universidad de Guadalajara, Ocotlán, México
| | - Jorge Flores Mejia
- Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México
| | - Francisco J Moscoso Sánchez
- Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México
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Shtreimer Kandiyote N, Avisdris T, Arnusch CJ, Kasher R. Grafted Polymer Coatings Enhance Fouling Inhibition by an Antimicrobial Peptide on Reverse Osmosis Membranes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:1935-1943. [PMID: 30576152 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial biofilms that are formed on surfaces are highly detrimental to many areas of industry and medicine. Seawater desalination by reverse osmosis (RO) suffers from biofilm growth on the membranes (biofouling), which limits its widespread use because biofouling decreases water permeance and necessitates module cleaning and replacement, leading to increased economic and environmental costs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) bound covalently to RO membranes inhibit biofilm growth and might delay membrane biofouling. Here we examined how various hydrophilic membrane coatings composed of zwitterionic, neutral, positively charged, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-grafted polymers affected the biocidal activity and the biofilm inhibition of a covalently bonded AMP on RO membranes. AMP magainin-2 was linked by the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction to a series of RO membranes that were grafted with different methacrylate polymers. Surface characterization by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and water drop contact angle gave evidence of successful RO modifications, and zeta potential analysis reflected the increase in surface charge due to the linked, positively charged peptide. All AMP-modified membranes inhibited Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth compared to unmodified membranes, and the grafted methacrylic polymers did not significantly interfere with the peptide activity. On the other hand, membranes coated with zwitterionic and other acrylate polymers including AMP attachment inhibited biofilm growth more than either the AMP or the polymer coating alone. This enhancement led to ∼20% less biofilm biovolume on the membrane surfaces. The combination of antimicrobial coatings with polymer coatings known to resist fouling might aid future designs of surface coatings susceptible to biofilm growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitzan Shtreimer Kandiyote
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment , Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Sede-Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben Gurion , Israel
| | - Tehila Avisdris
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment , Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Sede-Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben Gurion , Israel
| | - Christopher J Arnusch
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment , Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Sede-Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben Gurion , Israel
| | - Roni Kasher
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment , Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Sede-Boqer Campus, 8499000 Midreshet Ben Gurion , Israel
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