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Liang S, Fu K, Li X, Wang Z. Unveiling the spatiotemporal dynamics of membrane fouling: A focused review on dynamic fouling characterization techniques and future perspectives. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 328:103179. [PMID: 38754212 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2024.103179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Membrane technology has emerged as a crucial method for obtaining clean water from unconventional sources in the face of water scarcity. It finds wide applications in wastewater treatment, advanced treatment, and desalination of seawater and brackish water. However, membrane fouling poses a huge challenge that limits the development of membrane-based water treatment technologies. Characterizing the dynamics of membrane fouling is crucial for understanding its development, mechanisms, and effective mitigation. Instrumental techniques that enable in situ or real-time characterization of the dynamics of membrane fouling provide insights into the temporal and spatial evolution of fouling, which play a crucial role in understanding the fouling mechanism and the formulation of membrane control strategies. This review consolidates existing knowledge about the principal advanced instrumental analysis technologies employed to characterize the dynamics of membrane fouling, in terms of membrane structure, morphology, and intermolecular forces. Working principles, applications, and limitations of each technique are discussed, enabling researchers to select appropriate methods for their specific studies. Furthermore, prospects for the future development of dynamic characterization techniques for membrane fouling are discussed, underscoring the need for continued research and innovation in this field to overcome the challenges posed by membrane fouling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuling Liang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Kunkun Fu
- School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xuesong Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Zhiwei Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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2
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Roy Barman S, Gavit P, Chowdhury S, Chatterjee K, Nain A. 3D-Printed Materials for Wastewater Treatment. JACS AU 2023; 3:2930-2947. [PMID: 38034974 PMCID: PMC10685417 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
The increasing levels of water pollution pose an imminent threat to human health and the environment. Current modalities of wastewater treatment necessitate expensive instrumentation and generate large amounts of waste, thus failing to provide ecofriendly and sustainable solutions for water purification. Over the years, novel additive manufacturing technology, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, has propelled remarkable innovation in different disciplines owing to its capability to fabricate customized geometric objects rapidly and cost-effectively with minimal byproducts and hence undoubtedly emerged as a promising alternative for wastewater treatment. Especially in membrane technology, 3D printing enables the designing of ultrathin membranes and membrane modules layer-by-layer with different morphologies, complex hierarchical structures, and a wide variety of materials otherwise unmet using conventional fabrication strategies. Extensive research has been dedicated to preparing membrane spacers with excellent surface properties, potentially improving the membrane filtration performance for water remediation. The revolutionary developments in membrane module fabrication have driven the utilization of 3D printing approaches toward manufacturing advanced membrane components, including biocarriers, sorbents, catalysts, and even whole membranes. This perspective highlights recent advances and essential outcomes in 3D printing technologies for wastewater treatment. First, different 3D printing techniques, such as material extrusion, selective laser sintering (SLS), and vat photopolymerization, emphasizing membrane fabrication, are briefly discussed. Importantly, in this Perspective, we focus on the unique 3D-printed membrane modules, namely, feed spacers, biocarriers, sorbents, and so on. The unparalleled advantages of 3D printed membrane components in surface area, geometry, and thickness and their influence on antifouling, removal efficiency, and overall membrane performance are underlined. Moreover, the salient applications of 3D printing technologies for water desalination, oil-water separation, heavy metal and organic pollutant removal, and nuclear decontamination are also outlined. This Perspective summarizes the recent works, current limitations, and future outlook of 3D-printed membrane technologies for wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snigdha Roy Barman
- Department
of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Pratik Gavit
- Department
of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Saswat Chowdhury
- Department
of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Kaushik Chatterjee
- Department
of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
- Department
of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Amit Nain
- Department
of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
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3
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Singh CP, Patel RV, Yadav A, Kumar A. Numerical simulations of the effect on twisted spacer filaments on biofouling and scaling in the feed channel of reverse osmosis membrane modules. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.131333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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4
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Khatri M, Francis L, Hilal N. Modified Electrospun Membranes Using Different Nanomaterials for Membrane Distillation. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:338. [PMID: 36984725 PMCID: PMC10059126 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13030338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Obtaining fresh drinking water is a challenge directly related to the change in agricultural, industrial, and societal demands and pressure. Therefore, the sustainable treatment of saline water to get clean water is a major requirement for human survival. In this review, we have detailed the use of electrospun nanofiber-based membranes (ENMs) for water reclamation improvements with respect to physical and chemical modifications. Although membrane distillation (MD) has been considered a low-cost water reclamation process, especially with the availability of low-grade waste heat sources, significant improvements are still required in terms of preparing efficient membranes with enhanced water flux, anti-fouling, and anti-scaling characteristics. In particular, different types of nanomaterials have been explored as guest molecules for electrospinning with different polymers. Nanomaterials such as metallic organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolites, dioxides, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), etc., have opened unprecedented perspectives for the implementation of the MD process. The integration of nanofillers gives appropriate characteristics to the MD membranes by changing their chemical and physical properties, which significantly enhances energy efficiency without impacting the economic costs. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art status, the opportunities, open challenges, and pitfalls of the emerging field of modified ENMs using different nanomaterials for desalination applications.
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Ahmed MA, Amin S, Mohamed AA. Fouling in reverse osmosis membranes: monitoring, characterization, mitigation strategies and future directions. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14908. [PMID: 37064488 PMCID: PMC10102236 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Water scarcity has been a global challenge for many countries over the past decades, and as a result, reverse osmosis (RO) has emerged as a promising and cost-effective tool for water desalination and wastewater remediation. Currently, RO accounts for >65% of the worldwide desalination capacity; however, membrane fouling is a major issue in RO processes. Fouling reduces the membrane's lifespan and permeability, while also increases the operating pressure and chemical cleaning frequency. Overall, fouling reduces the quality and quantity of desalinated water, and thus hinders the sustainable application of RO membranes by disturbing its efficacy and economic aspects. Fouling arises from various physicochemical interactions between water pollutants and membrane materials leading to foulants' accumulation onto the membrane surfaces and/or inside the membrane pores. The current review illustrates the main types of particulates, organic, inorganic and biological foulants, along with the major factors affecting its formation and development. Moreover, the currently used monitoring methods, characterization techniques and the potential mitigation strategies of membrane fouling are reviewed. Further, the still-faced challenges and the future research on RO membrane fouling are addressed.
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6
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Hydrodynamic effects of non-uniform feed spacer structures on energy loss and mass transfer in spiral wound module. J Memb Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
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7
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Improved quantitative evaluation of the fouling potential in spacer-filled membrane filtration channels through a biofouling index based on the relative pressure drop. J Memb Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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8
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From academia to industry: Success criteria for upscaling nanofiltration membranes for water and solvent applications. J Memb Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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9
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Zhou Z, Ladner DA. Computational modeling of discrete-object feed spacers attached directly onto reverse osmosis membranes for enhanced module packing capacity and improved hydrodynamics. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.121727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Lejarazu-Larrañaga A, Landaburu-Aguirre J, Senán-Salinas J, Ortiz JM, Molina S. Thin Film Composite Polyamide Reverse Osmosis Membrane Technology towards a Circular Economy. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12090864. [PMID: 36135883 PMCID: PMC9502371 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12090864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
It is estimated that Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination will produce, by 2025, more than 2,000,000 end-of-life membranes annually worldwide. This review examines the implementation of circular economy principles in RO technology through a comprehensive analysis of the RO membrane life cycle (manufacturing, usage, and end-of-life management). Future RO design should incorporate a biobased composition (biopolymers, recycled materials, and green solvents), improve the durability of the membranes (fouling and chlorine resistance), and facilitate the recyclability of the modules. Moreover, proper membrane maintenance at the usage phase, attained through the implementation of feed pre-treatment, early fouling detection, and membrane cleaning methods can help extend the service time of RO elements. Currently, end-of-life membranes are dumped in landfills, which is contrary to the waste hierarchy. This review analyses up to now developed alternative valorisation routes of end-of-life RO membranes, including reuse, direct and indirect recycling, and energy recovery, placing a special focus on emerging indirect recycling strategies. Lastly, Life Cycle Assessment is presented as a holistic methodology to evaluate the environmental and economic burdens of membrane recycling strategies. According to the European Commission's objectives set through the Green Deal, future perspectives indicate that end-of-life membrane valorisation strategies will keep gaining increasing interest in the upcoming years.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jorge Senán-Salinas
- BETA Tech. Center, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Ctra. de Roda, 70, 08500 Vic, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Ortiz
- IMDEA Water Institute, Avenida Punto Com, 2, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
| | - Serena Molina
- IMDEA Water Institute, Avenida Punto Com, 2, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
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11
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Liu C, Wang Z, He Q, Jackson J, Faria AF, Zhang W, Song D, Ma J, Sun Z. Facile preparation of anti-biofouling reverse osmosis membrane embedded with polydopamine-nano copper functionality: Performance and mechanism. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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12
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Khalil A, Francis L, Hashaikeh R, Hilal N. 3D
printed membrane‐integrated spacers for enhanced antifouling in ultrafiltration. J Appl Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/app.53019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah Khalil
- NYUAD Water Research Center New York University Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
| | - Lijo Francis
- NYUAD Water Research Center New York University Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
| | - Raed Hashaikeh
- NYUAD Water Research Center New York University Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
| | - Nidal Hilal
- NYUAD Water Research Center New York University Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
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Liu C, He Q, Song D, Jackson J, Faria AF, Jiang X, Li X, Ma J, Sun Z. Electroless deposition of copper nanoparticles integrates polydopamine coating on reverse osmosis membranes for efficient biofouling mitigation. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 217:118375. [PMID: 35405551 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118375] [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: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this study, highly antimicrobial CuNPs were integrated into a hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) coating and immobilized on a RO TFC membrane via a mild and facile reduction approach to form a stable and durable dual-functional layer. Based on the XDLVO analysis, the introduction of PDA increased the membrane-foulant total interaction energy (ΔGmwf) to 14.13 mJ/m2, resulting in improved anti-adhesive properties as demonstrated by a 37% decrease in BSA adsorption for the modified membranes. The well dispersed and high loadings of CuNPs induced by PDA conferred strong bacterial toxicity to the modified membranes, reducing the viability of E. coli by 76%. Furthermore, the presence of catechol groups on PDA favors the formation of covalent bond with CuNPs, thus prolonging the durability of the copper-based anti-biofouling membranes. The combination of PDA coating and CuNPs functionalization imparts the membrane with simultaneous anti-adhesive and anti-microbial properties, leading to a substantial reduction in biofouling propensity in dynamic biofouling experiments. Specifically, the flux decline due to biofouling observed for the modified membranes significantly decreased from 65% to 39%, and biofilm thickness and TOC biomass were 58%, and 55% lower, respectively. This study provides a facile and versatile strategy to construct high performance RO membranes with excellent anti-biofouling functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caihong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
| | - Qiang He
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
| | - Dan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Jennifer Jackson
- Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE), Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-6580, USA
| | - Andreia F Faria
- Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE), Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-6580, USA
| | - Xihui Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
| | - Xueyan Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Jun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Zhiqiang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
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Lin W, Wang Q, Sun L, Wang D, Cabrera J, Li D, Hu L, Jiang G, Wang XM, Huang X. The critical role of feed spacer channel porosity in membrane biofouling: Insights and implications. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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