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Farid MU, Kharraz JA, Sun J, Boey MW, Riaz MA, Wong PW, Jia M, Zhang X, Deka BJ, Khanzada NK, Guo J, An AK. Advancements in Nanoenabled Membrane Distillation for a Sustainable Water-Energy-Environment Nexus. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2307950. [PMID: 37772325 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202307950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of nano innovations in membrane distillation (MD) has garnered increasing scientific interest. This enables the exploration of state-of-the-art nano-enabled MD membranes with desirable properties, which significantly improve the efficiency and reliability of the MD process and open up opportunities for achieving a sustainable water-energy-environment (WEE) nexus. This comprehensive review provides broad coverage and in-depth analysis of recent innovations in nano-enabled MD membranes, focusing on their role in achieving desirable properties, such as strong liquid-repellence, high resistance to scaling, fouling, and wetting, as well as efficient self-heating and self-cleaning functionalities. The recent developments in nano-enhanced photothermal-catalytic applications for water-energy co-generation within a single MD system are also discussed. Furthermore, the bottlenecks are identified that impede the scale-up of nanoenhanced MD membranes and a future roadmap is proposed for their sustainable commercialiation. This holistic overview is expected to inspire future research and development efforts to fully harness the potential of nano-enabled MD membranes to achieve sustainable integration of water, energy, and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Usman Farid
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Jehad A Kharraz
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jiawei Sun
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Min-Wei Boey
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Muhammad Adil Riaz
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Pak Wai Wong
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Mingyi Jia
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Xinning Zhang
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Bhaskar Jyoti Deka
- Department of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, 247667, India
- Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, 247667, India
| | - Noman Khalid Khanzada
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- NYUAD Water Research Center, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jiaxin Guo
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Alicia Kyoungjin An
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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Cairone S, Hegab HM, Khalil H, Nassar L, Wadi VS, Naddeo V, Hasan SW. Novel eco-friendly polylactic acid nanocomposite integrated membrane system for sustainable wastewater treatment: Performance evaluation and antifouling analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168715. [PMID: 38008330 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Water contamination caused by heavy metals, nutrients, and organic pollutants of varying particle sizes originating from domestic and industrial processes poses a significant global challenge. There is a growing concern, particularly regarding the presence of heavy metals in freshwater sources, as they can be toxic even at low concentrations, posing risks to human health and the environment. Currently, membrane technologies are recognized as effective and practical for treating domestic and industrial wastewater. However, these technologies are hindered by fouling issues. Furthermore, the utilization of conventional membranes leads to the accumulation of non-recyclable synthetic polymers, commonly used in their production, resulting in adverse environmental consequences. In light of our previously published studies on environmentally friendly, biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposite mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), we selected two top-performing PLA-based ultrafiltration nanocomposite membranes: one negatively charged (PLA-M-) and one positively charged (PLA-M+). We integrated these membranes into systems with varying arrangements to control fouling and eliminate heavy metals, organic pollutants, and nutrients from raw municipal wastewater collected by the local wastewater treatment plant in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The performance of two integrated systems (i.e., PLA-M+/PLA-M- and PLA-M-/PLA-M+) was compared in terms of permeate flux, contaminant removal efficiencies, and fouling mitigation. The PLA-M+/PLA-M- system achieved removal efficiencies of 79.6 %, 92.6 %, 88.7 %, 85.2 %, 98.9 %, 94 %, 83.3 %, and 98.3 % for chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate (NO3--N), phosphate (PO43--P), ammonium (NH4+-N), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu), respectively. On the other hand, the PLA-M-/PLA-M+ system recorded removal efficiencies of 85.8 %, 95.9 %, 100 %, 81.9 %, 99.3 %, 91.9 %, 72.9 %, and 98.9 % for COD, NO3--N, PO43--P, NH4+-N, Fe, Zn, Ni, and Cu, respectively. Notably, the PLA-M-/PLA-M+ system demonstrated superior antifouling resistance, making it the preferred integrated system. These findings demonstrate the potential of eco-friendly PLA nanocomposite UF-MMMs as a promising alternative to petroleum-based polymeric membranes for efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Cairone
- Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II #1320, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Hanaa M Hegab
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hiyam Khalil
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Lobna Nassar
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Vijay S Wadi
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Vincenzo Naddeo
- Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II #1320, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Shadi W Hasan
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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Chandra Bhoumick M, Paul S, Roy S, Mitra S. Selective Recovery of Ethyl Acetate by Air-Sparged Membrane Distillation Using Carbon Nanotube-Immobilized Membranes and Process Optimization via a Response Surface Approach. Ind Eng Chem Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.2c03893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mitun Chandra Bhoumick
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Sumona Paul
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Sagar Roy
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Somenath Mitra
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
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Xiao M, Shang Y, Ji L, Yan M, Chen F, He Q, Yan S. Enhancing the Ammonia Selectivity by Using Nanofiber PVDF Composite Membranes Fabricated with Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:1164. [PMID: 36422156 PMCID: PMC9694202 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12111164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Conventional hydrophobic membrane-based membrane distillation (MD) has been applied for ammonia recovery from an anaerobic digestion (AD) effluent. However, the typical hydrophobic membranes do not have selectivity for ammonia and water vapor, which results in high energy consumption from the water evaporation. To enhance the selectivity during the ammonia recovery process, the functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber membranes were fabricated by electrospinning, and the effects of different CNTs and their contents on the performance of nanofiber membranes were investigated. The results indicate that CNTs can be successfully incorporated into nanofibers by electrospinning. The contact angles of the composite membrane are all higher than those of commercial membrane, and the highest value 138° can be obtained. Most importantly, under the condition of no pH adjustment, the ammonia nitrogen transfer coefficient reaches the maximum value of 3.41 × 10-6 m/s, which is about twice higher than that of commercial membranes. The ammonia separation factor of the carboxylated CNT (C-CNT) composite membrane is higher than that of the hydroxylated CNT(H-CNT) composite membrane. Compared with the application of the novel C-CNT composite membrane, the ammonia separation factor is 47% and 25% higher than that of commercial and neat PVDF membranes. This work gives a novel approach for enhancing ammonia and water selectivity during AD effluent treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Xiao
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment in Mid-Lower Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yu Shang
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment in Mid-Lower Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Long Ji
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment in Mid-Lower Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Mingwei Yan
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment in Mid-Lower Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Feng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Chemical Materials and Devices-Ministry of Education, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
| | - Qingyao He
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment in Mid-Lower Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shuiping Yan
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, No.1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment in Mid-Lower Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430070, China
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Bhoumick MC, Roy S, Mitra S. Reduction and Elimination of Humic Acid Fouling in Air Sparged Membrane Distillation Using Nanocarbon Immobilized Membrane. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27092896. [PMID: 35566247 PMCID: PMC9103841 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we present the treatment of humic acid solution via carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (CNIM) distillation assisted by air sparging (AS). Carbon nanotubes offer excellent hydrophobicity to the modified membrane surface and actively transport water vapor molecules through the membrane to generate higher vapor flux and better rejection of humic acid. The introduction of air sparging in the membrane distillation (MD) system has changed the humic substance fouling by changing the colloidal behavior of the deposits. This modified MD system can sustain a higher run time of separation and has enhanced the evaporation efficiency by 20% more than the regular membrane distillation. The air sparging has reduced the deposition by 30% in weight and offered lesser fouling of membrane surface even after a longer operating cycle. The water vapor flux increased with temperature and decreased as the volumetric concentrating factor (VCF) increased. The mass transfer coefficient was found to be the highest for the air sparged—carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (AS-CNIM) integrated membrane distillation. While the highest change in mass transfer coefficient (MTC) was found for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane with air sparging at 70 °C.
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Facile synthesis of highly dispersed Ru/functionalized CMK-3 catalyst with superior catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) performance of ammonia. Chem Phys Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2022.139475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Chandra Bhoumick M, Roy S, Mitra S. Enrichment of 1, 4-dioxane from water by sweep gas membrane distillation on nano-carbon immobilized membranes. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.119360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Bhoumick MC, Roy S, Mitra S. Synergistic effect of air sparging in direct contact membrane distillation to control membrane fouling and enhancing flux. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.118681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Xu B, He Z. Ammonia recovery from simulated anaerobic digestate using a two-stage direct contact membrane distillation process. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH : A RESEARCH PUBLICATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION 2021; 93:1619-1626. [PMID: 33655629 DOI: 10.1002/wer.1545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia is a key inorganic contaminant in wastewater and an important nutrient element for agriculture. Herein, a two-stage direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system was developed and investigated for ammonia recovery from a synthetic anaerobic digestate. In the 1st stage DCMD (DCMD-1), both ammonia and water moved across MD membrane to realize ammonia separation, while in the 2nd stage (DCMD-2), only water migrated and as a result ammonia was concentrated. It was found that increasing the initial feed solution pH could enhance ammonia removal in the DCMD-1 from 16.0 ± 2.0% (no pH adjustment) to 84.2 ± 1.9% (pH 12). A higher feed solution temperature increased both ammonia flux and water flux. The optimal condition was determined as an initial feed pH of 12, a feed temperature of 60°C, and the 0.6 M H2 SO4 adsorption solution. With the addition of the DCMD-2, the ammonia concentration was improved from 3 g L-1 to 7.8 ± 0.2 g L-1 , which was further enhanced to 26.3 ± 3.0 g L-1 after five batches of operation. These results have demonstrated the feasibility of a two-stage DCMD system for ammonia recovery from anaerobic digestate and warrant further investigation of several key issues that may advance this technology. PRACTITIONER POINTS: A two-stage membrane distillation system is developed to remove and recover ammonia from anaerobic digester effluents. The system uses ammonia/ammonium equilibrium to separate ammonia in the 1st stage and then concentrate it in the 2nd stage. A high initial pH of the feed solution plays a key role in achieving high ammonia removal. Minimizing the volume of permeate solution can increase the ammonia concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Xu
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Zhen He
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Leaper S, Abdel-Karim A, Gorgojo P. The use of carbon nanomaterials in membrane distillation membranes: a review. Front Chem Sci Eng 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11705-020-1993-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMembrane distillation (MD) is a thermal-based separation technique with the potential to treat a wide range of water types for various applications and industries. Certain challenges remain however, which prevent it from becoming commercially widespread including moderate permeate flux, decline in separation performance over time due to pore wetting and high thermal energy requirements. Nevertheless, its attractive characteristics such as high rejection (ca. 100%) of nonvolatile species, its ability to treat highly saline solutions under low operating pressures (typically atmospheric) as well as its ability to operate at low temperatures, enabling waste-heat integration, continue to drive research interests globally. Of particular interest is the class of carbon-based nanomaterials which includes graphene and carbon nanotubes, whose wide range of properties have been exploited in an attempt to overcome the technical challenges that MD faces. These low dimensional materials exhibit properties such as high specific surface area, high strength, tuneable hydrophobicity, enhanced vapour transport, high thermal and electrical conductivity and others. Their use in MD has resulted in improved membrane performance characteristics like increased permeability and reduced fouling propensity. They have also enabled novel membrane capabilities such as in-situ fouling detection and localised heat generation. In this review we provide a brief introduction to MD and describe key membrane characteristics and fabrication methods. We then give an account of the various uses of carbon nanomaterials for MD applications, focussing on polymeric membrane systems. Future research directions based on the findings are also suggested.
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Chan M, Abdullah N, Rageh E, Kumaran P, Tee Y. Oxidation of ammonia using immobilised FeCu for water treatment. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2020.117612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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12
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Enhanced Performance of Carbon Nanotube Immobilized Membrane for the Treatment of High Salinity Produced Water via Direct Contact Membrane Distillation. MEMBRANES 2020; 10:membranes10110325. [PMID: 33142940 PMCID: PMC7693716 DOI: 10.3390/membranes10110325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising desalination technology for the treatment of high salinity water. Here, we investigated the fouling characteristics of produced water obtained from hydraulic fracturing by implementing a carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (CNIM) via direct contact membrane distillation. The CNIM exhibited enhanced water vapor flux and antifouling characteristics compared to the pristine membrane. The normalized flux decline with the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane after 7 h of operation was found to be 18.2% more than the CNIM. The addition of 1-Hydroxy Ethylidene-1, 1-Diphosphonic acid (HEDP) antiscalant was found to be effective in reducing the membrane fouling. The salt deposition on the membrane surface was 77% less in the CNIM, which was further reduced with the addition of HEDP in the feed by up to 135.4% in comparison with the PTFE membrane. The presence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the membrane surface also facilitated the regenerability of the membrane. The results indicated that the CNIM regained 90.9% of its initial water flux after washing, whereas the unmodified PTFE only regained 81.1% of its initial flux after five days of operation.
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Elnabawy E, Elsherbiny IMA, Abdelsamad AMA, Anis B, Hassan A, Ulbricht M, Khalil ASG. Tailored CNTs Buckypaper Membranes for the Removal of Humic Acid and Separation of Oil-in-Water Emulsions. MEMBRANES 2020; 10:membranes10050097. [PMID: 32408564 PMCID: PMC7281685 DOI: 10.3390/membranes10050097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a robust material and proven as a promising candidate for a wide range of electronic, optoelectronic and environmental applications. In this work, two different methods were utilized for the preparation of CNTs exhibiting different aspect ratios via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The as-prepared CNTs were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2adsorption isotherms, thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy in order to investigate their morphological and structural properties. Free-standing CNTs "buckypaper" membranes were fabricated, characterized and tailored to meet the requirements of two applications, i.e., (1) the removal of humic acid (HA) from water and (2) separation of oil-in-water emulsions. It was revealed that the hydrophobic buckypapers showed high separation performance for Shell oil-in-water emulsions filtration, with up to 98% through the accumulation of oil droplets onto the membrane surface. The absorption capacity of buckypaper membranes for various organic liquids (oil, chloroform and toluene) was evaluated over 10 absorption cycles to investigate their recyclability and robustness. Moreover, surface modification was introduced to the pristine CNTs to increase their surface hydrophilicity and improve the pure water permeability of buckypapers. These modified buckypapers showed high flux for HA solutions and excellent HA rejection efficiency up to 95%via size exclusion and electrostatic repulsion mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman Elnabawy
- Physics Department and Center for Environmental and Smart Technology, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt; (E.E.); (A.H.)
| | - Ibrahim M. A. Elsherbiny
- Lehrstuhlfür Technische Chemie II, and Center for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany; (I.M.A.E.); (A.M.A.A.); (M.U.)
| | - Ahmed M. A. Abdelsamad
- Lehrstuhlfür Technische Chemie II, and Center for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany; (I.M.A.E.); (A.M.A.A.); (M.U.)
- Water Pollution Dept, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
| | - Badawi Anis
- Spectroscopy Dept, Physics Division, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt;
| | - Abdelwahab Hassan
- Physics Department and Center for Environmental and Smart Technology, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt; (E.E.); (A.H.)
| | - Mathias Ulbricht
- Lehrstuhlfür Technische Chemie II, and Center for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany; (I.M.A.E.); (A.M.A.A.); (M.U.)
| | - Ahmed S. G. Khalil
- Physics Department and Center for Environmental and Smart Technology, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt; (E.E.); (A.H.)
- Materials Science & Engineering Department, School of Innovative Design Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), 179 New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria 21934, Egypt
- Correspondence:
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Intrchom W, Roy S, Mitra S. Removal and Recovery of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) from Water Using Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Oxide Immobilized Membranes. NANOMATERIALS 2020; 10:nano10030578. [PMID: 32235731 PMCID: PMC7153393 DOI: 10.3390/nano10030578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a widely used gasoline additive that has high water solubility, and is difficult to separate from contaminated ground and surface waters. We present the development in functionalized carbon nanotube-immobilized membranes (CNIM-f) and graphene oxide-immobilized membranes (GOIM) for enhanced separation of MTBE via sweep gas membrane distillation (SGMD). Both types of modified membranes demonstrated high performance in MTBE removal from its aqueous mixture. Among the membranes studied, CNIM-f provided the best performance in terms of flux, removal efficiency, mass transfer coefficients and overall selectivity. The immobilization f-CNTs and GO altered the surface characteristics of the membrane and enhanced partition coefficients, and thus assisted MTBE transport across the membrane. The MTBE flux reached as high as 1.4 kg/m2 h with f-CNTs, which was 22% higher than that of the unmodified PTFE membrane. The maximum MTBE removal using CNIM-f reached 56% at 0.5 wt % of the MTBE in water, and at a temperature of 30 °C. With selectivity as high as 60, MTBE recovery from contaminated water is very viable using these nanocarbon-immobilized membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Somenath Mitra
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +973-596-5611; Fax: 973-596-3586
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15
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Scaling Reduction in Carbon Nanotube-Immobilized Membrane during Membrane Distillation. WATER 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/w11122588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) is fast evolving as a desalination technology for high-salinity waters where scaling remains a major challenge. This paper reports the scaling reduction in carbon nanotube-immobilized membranes (CNIMs) and by the use of the antiscalant polyacrylic acid. High concentrations of CaSO4, CaCO3, and BaSO4 were deliberately used to initiate scaling on the membranes. It was observed that after ten hours of operation in a highly scaling CaSO4 environment, the CNIM showed 127% higher flux than what was observed on a membrane without the CNTs. The trends were similar with CaCO3 and BaSO4, where the CNIM showed significantly improved antiscaling behavior. The normalized flux declination for CNIM was found to be 45%, 30%, and 53% lower compared to the pristine membrane with CaSO4, CaCO3, and BaSO4 solutions, respectively. The use of antiscalant in the feed solution was also found to be effective in improving antiscaling behavior, which reduced salt deposition up to 28%, and the water vapor flux was 100% and 18% higher for the pristine polypropylene and CNIM, respectively. Results also showed that the presence of CNTs facilitated the removal of deposited salts by washing, and the CNIM regained 97% of its initial water flux, whereas the polypropylene only regained 85% of the original value.
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