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Kirk CH, Chong CYD, Wang X, Sun J, Zhao Q, Wang J. Nanofiltration Ceramic Membranes as a Feasible Two-Pronged Approach toward Desalination and Lithium Recovery. GLOBAL CHALLENGES (HOBOKEN, NJ) 2024; 8:2300151. [PMID: 38356683 PMCID: PMC10862150 DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202300151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Ceramic membranes are taking center stage for separation technologies in water treatment. Among them, ceramic nanofiltration membranes are at the forefront of membrane technologies. The desalination of seawater using ceramic nanofiltration membranes is a potential application toward increasing the global water supply and tackling water scarcity. However, while the high fabrication cost poses a challenge to their large-scale applications, high-value separation applications can help to offset the overall cost. In this regard, ceramic nanofiltration membranes can also be explored as a viable option for high-value lithium extraction from the waste seawater brine. In order to determine the potential of nanofiltration ceramic membranes for desalination and lithium recovery from seawater, the current efficiency of salt rejection across various operation parameters must be thoroughly evaluated. Specifically, the interactions between the Donnan exclusion, steric exclusion, zeta potential, and salt concentration play an important role in determining the salt rejection efficiency. Several strategies are then proposed to guide ceramic nanofiltration membranes toward potentially practical applications regarding desalination and lithium recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin Ho Kirk
- Department of Material Science and EngineeringFaculty of EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore117574Singapore
| | | | - Xingyang Wang
- Department of Material Science and EngineeringFaculty of EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore117574Singapore
| | - Jianguo Sun
- Department of Material Science and EngineeringFaculty of EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore117574Singapore
| | - Qi Zhao
- Department of Material Science and EngineeringFaculty of EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore117574Singapore
| | - John Wang
- Department of Material Science and EngineeringFaculty of EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore117574Singapore
- National University of Singapore (Chongqing) Research InstituteChongqing Liang Jiang New AreaChongqing401120China
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Ahmad NNR, Mohammad AW, Mahmoudi E, Ang WL, Leo CP, Teow YH. An Overview of the Modification Strategies in Developing Antifouling Nanofiltration Membranes. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12121276. [PMID: 36557183 PMCID: PMC9780855 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12121276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater deficiency has become a significant issue affecting many nations' social and economic development because of the fast-growing demand for water resources. Nanofiltration (NF) is one of the promising technologies for water reclamation application, particularly in desalination, water, and wastewater treatment fields. Nevertheless, membrane fouling remains a significant concern since it can reduce the NF membrane performance and increase operating expenses. Consequently, numerous studies have focused on improving the NF membrane's resistance to fouling. This review highlights the recent progress in NF modification strategies using three types of antifouling modifiers, i.e., nanoparticles, polymers, and composite polymer/nanoparticles. The correlation between antifouling performance and membrane properties such as hydrophilicity, surface chemistry, surface charge, and morphology are discussed. The challenges and perspectives regarding antifouling modifiers and modification strategies conclude this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nor Naimah Rosyadah Ahmad
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| | - Abdul Wahab Mohammad
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
- Chemical and Water Desalination Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Correspondence: author:
| | - Ebrahim Mahmoudi
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| | - Wei Lun Ang
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| | - Choe Peng Leo
- School of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal 14300, Malaysia
| | - Yeit Haan Teow
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
- Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
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Cabrera SM, Winnubst L, Richter H, Voigt I, McCutcheon J, Nijmeijer A. Performance evaluation of an industrial ceramic nanofiltration unit for wastewater treatment in oil production. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 220:118593. [PMID: 35671683 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
An industrial ceramic nanofiltration membrane (pore size 0.9 nm) was tested in a Canadian oil field for more than 12,500 h to treat wastewater directly from daily operations, without any type of pre-treatment. This wastewater contained a high content of total suspended solids (13 to 510 mg/kg), and total organic carbon (31 to 134 mg/kg). The membrane unit was operated at different transmembrane pressure (TMP) set points (4-16 bar) and recovery set points (40-80%). The data show that ion and compound rejection depend strongly on a combination of both TMP and recovery, with the largest rejection occurring at low recovery values and high TMP values. Two mechanisms were responsible for rejection: sieving, which mostly impacted compound rejection, and electrostatic phenomena that impacted ion rejection. It is shown that ion rejection depends linearly on charge density of the ion. Ion rejection was measured as high as 85% and compounds (such as TSS) were rejected as high as 100%. The specific flux varied between 1-10 L/(m2.h.bar). Results from this field testing indicate the possibility of using these types of ceramic membranes for oil field wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Motta Cabrera
- Inorganic Membranes, MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O Box 217, AE Enschede 7500, the Netherlands
| | - Louis Winnubst
- Inorganic Membranes, MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O Box 217, AE Enschede 7500, the Netherlands.
| | - Hannes Richter
- Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, Michael-Faraday-Str. 1, Hermsdorf 07629, Germany
| | - Ingolf Voigt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, Michael-Faraday-Str. 1, Hermsdorf 07629, Germany
| | - Jeffrey McCutcheon
- University of Connecticut, 191 Auditorium Road, Unit 3222, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Arian Nijmeijer
- Inorganic Membranes, MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O Box 217, AE Enschede 7500, the Netherlands
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Chen M, Heijman SGJ, Rietveld LC. State-of-the-Art Ceramic Membranes for Oily Wastewater Treatment: Modification and Application. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:888. [PMID: 34832117 PMCID: PMC8625480 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11110888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Membrane filtration is considered to be one of the most promising methods for oily wastewater treatment. Because of their hydrophilic surface, ceramic membranes show less fouling compared with their polymeric counterparts. Membrane fouling, however, is an inevitable phenomenon in the filtration process, leading to higher energy consumption and a shorter lifetime of the membrane. It is therefore important to improve the fouling resistance of the ceramic membranes in oily wastewater treatment. In this review, we first focus on the various methods used for ceramic membrane modification, aiming for application in oily wastewater. Then, the performance of the modified ceramic membranes is discussed and compared. We found that, besides the traditional sol-gel and dip-coating methods, atomic layer deposition is promising for ceramic membrane modification in terms of the control of layer thickness, and pore size tuning. Enhanced surface hydrophilicity and surface charge are two of the most used strategies to improve the performance of ceramic membranes for oily wastewater treatment. Nano-sized metal oxides such as TiO2, ZrO2 and Fe2O3 and graphene oxide are considered to be the potential candidates for ceramic membrane modification for flux enhancement and fouling alleviation. The passive antifouling ceramic membranes, e.g., photocatalytic and electrified ceramic membranes, have shown some potential in fouling control, oil rejection and flux enhancement, but have their limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingliang Chen
- Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands; (S.G.J.H.); (L.C.R.)
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Abstract
Activities and/or processes in different segments of the petroleum industry, including upstream and downstream, generate aqueous waste streams containing oil and various contaminants that require treatment/purification before release/reuse. Nanofiltration (NF) technology has been approved as an efficient technology for treating wastewater streams from the petroleum industry. The primary critical issues in an NF treatment process can be listed as mitigation of membrane fouling; selection of appropriate pre-treatment process; and selection of a suitable, cost-effective, non-hazardous cleaning strategy. In this study, NF separation mechanisms, membrane fabrication/modification, effective factors on NF performance, and fouling are briefly reviewed. Then, a summary of recent NF treatment studies on various petroleum wastewaters and performance evaluation is presented. Finally, based on the gaps identified in the field, the conclusions and future perspectives are discussed.
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Padmanabhan NT, Thomas N, Louis J, Mathew DT, Ganguly P, John H, Pillai SC. Graphene coupled TiO 2 photocatalysts for environmental applications: A review. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 271:129506. [PMID: 33445017 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Nanostructured photocatalysts have always offered opportunities to solve issues concerned with the environmental challenges caused by rapid urbanization and industrialization. These materials, due to their tunable physicochemical characteristics, are capable of providing a clean and sustainable ecosystem to humanity. One of the current thriving research focuses of visible-light-driven photocatalysts is on the nanocomposites of titanium dioxide (TiO2) with carbon nanostructures, especially graphene. Coupling TiO2 with graphene has proven more active by photocatalysis than TiO2 alone. It is generally considered that graphene sheets act as an electron acceptor facilitating the transfer and separation of photogenerated electrons during TiO2 excitation, thereby reducing electron-hole recombination. This study briefly reviews the fundamental mechanism and interfacial charge-transfer dynamics in TiO2/graphene nanocomposites. Design strategies of various graphene-based hybrids are highlighted along with some specialized synthetic routes adopted to attain preferred properties. Importantly, the enhancing interfacial charge transfer of photogenerated e¯CB through the graphene layers by morphology orientation of TiO2, predominated exposure of their high energy crystal facets, defect engineering, enhancing catalytic sites in graphene, constructing dedicated architectures, tuning the nanomaterial dimensionality at the interface, and employing the synergism adopted through various modifications, are systematically compiled. Portraying the significance of these photocatalytic hybrids in environmental remediation, important applications including air and water purification, self-cleaning surfaces, H2 production, and CO2 reduction to desired fuels, are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha T Padmanabhan
- Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India
| | - Nishanth Thomas
- Nanotechnology and Bio-engineering Research Group, Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland; Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research (PEM), Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland
| | - Jesna Louis
- Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India; Inter University Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India
| | - Dhanu Treasa Mathew
- Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India
| | - Priyanka Ganguly
- Nanotechnology and Bio-engineering Research Group, Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland; Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research (PEM), Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland
| | - Honey John
- Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India; Inter University Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India
| | - Suresh C Pillai
- Nanotechnology and Bio-engineering Research Group, Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland; Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research (PEM), Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland.
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