1
|
Chen R, Xu D, Zhao J, Tang X, Yang H, Liang H. Effects of cations on biofilms in gravity-driven membrane system: Filtration performance and mechanism investigation. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 254:121383. [PMID: 38432002 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121383] [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: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
The gravity-driven membrane (GDM) system is desirable for energy-efficient water treatment. However, little is known about the influence of cations on biofilm properties and GDM performance. In this study, typical cations (Ca2+ and Na+) were used to reveal the combined fouling behavior and mechanisms. Results showed that Ca2+ improved the stable flux and pollutant removal efficiency, while Na+ adversely affected the flux. Compared with GDM control, the concentration of pollutants was lower in Ca-GDM, as indicated by the low biomass, proteins, and polysaccharides. A heterogeneous and loose biofilm was observed in the Ca-GDM system, with roughness and porosity increasing by 43.06 % and 32.60 %, respectively. However, Na+ induced a homogeneous and dense biofilm, with porosity and roughness respectively reduced by 17.48 % and 22.04 %. The richness of bacterial communities increased in Ca-GDM systems, while it decreased in Na-GDM systems. High adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration in Ca-GDM system was consistent with the abundant bacteria and their high biological activity, which was helpful for the efficient removal of pollutants. The abundance of Apicomplexa, Platyhelminthes, Annelida and Nematoda increased after adding Ca2+, which was related to the formation of loose biofilms. Computational simulations indicated that the free volumes of the biofilms in Ca-GDM and Na-GDM were 13.7 and 13.2 nm3, respectively. The addition of cations changed intermolecular forces, Ca2+ induced bridging effects led to large and loose floc particles, while the significant dehydration of hydrated molecules in the Na-GDM caused obvious aggregation. Overall, microbiological characteristics and contaminant molecular interactions were the main reasons for differences in GDM systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China; School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, PR China
| | - Daliang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Jing Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Xiaobin Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Haiyang Yang
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Heng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang L, Graham N, Li G, Zhu Y, Yu W. Excessive Ozonation Stress Triggers Severe Membrane Biofilm Accumulation and Fouling. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:5899-5910. [PMID: 38502922 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The established benefits of ozone on microbial pathogen inactivation, natural organic matter degradation, and inorganic/organic contaminant oxidation have favored its application in drinking water treatment. However, viable bacteria are still present after the ozonation of raw water, bringing a potential risk to membrane filtration systems in terms of biofilm accumulation and fouling. In this study, we shed light on the role of the specific ozone dose (0.5 mg-O3/mg-C) in biofilm accumulation during long-term membrane ultrafiltration. Results demonstrated that ozonation transformed the molecular structure of influent dissolved organic matter (DOM), producing fractions that were highly bioavailable at a specific ozone dose of 0.5, which was inferred to be a turning point. With the increase of the specific ozone dose, the biofilm microbial consortium was substantially shifted, demonstrating a decrease in richness and diversity. Unexpectedly, the opportunistic pathogen Legionella was stimulated and occurred in approximately 40% relative abundance at the higher specific ozone dose of 1. Accordingly, the membrane filtration system with a specific ozone dose of 0.5 presented a lower biofilm thickness, a weaker fluorescence intensity, smaller concentrations of polysaccharides and proteins, and a lower Raman activity, leading to a lower hydraulic resistance, compared to that with a specific ozone dose of 1. Our findings highlight the interaction mechanism between molecular-level DOM composition, biofilm microbial consortium, and membrane filtration performance, which provides an in-depth understanding of the impact of ozonation on biofilm accumulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Nigel Graham
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Guibai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yongguan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Wenzheng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Feng J, Li X, Lu Z, Yang Y, Zhou Z, Liang H. Enhanced permeation performance of biofiltration-facilitated gravity-driven membrane (GDM) systems by in-situ application of UV and VUV: Comprehensive insights from thermodynamic and multi-omics perspectives. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 242:120254. [PMID: 37354843 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Biofouling is a major challenge limiting the practical application of biofiltration-facilitated gravity-driven membrane (GDM) systems in drinking water treatment. In this study, ultraviolet irradiation, including ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation, was used for in-situ purification of membrane tanks to control membrane biofouling. After using UV and VUV, the permeate flux increased significantly by 26.1% and 78.3%, respectively, which was mainly due to the decreased cake layer resistance (Rc). The permeability of the biofouling layer improved after UV and VUV application, as evidenced by the increased surface porosity and decreased thickness. The contents of loosely bound extracellular proteins (LB-PN) and tightly bound extracellular proteins (TB-PN) in the biofouling layer were reduced after UV and VUV irradiation. The decreased LB-PN and TB-PN improved the interfacial free energy between the fouling itself and between the fouling and the membrane, which contributed to the reduction of interfacial cohesion and adhesion, resulting in a looser and thinner biofouling layer and a cleaner membrane. The concentration of protein-like material in the membrane tank decreased after UV and VUV irradiation, significantly altering the bacterial community structure on the membrane surface (Mantel's r > 0.7, p < 0.05). The changes in the metabolic state were responsible for the differences in the LB-PN and TB-PN contents. The inhibition of "Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism" and "Glycine, serine and threonine metabolism" reduced amino acid biosynthesis, which restricted the secretion of LB-PN and TB-PN. Critical genera in the Proteobacteria phylum, such as Hirschia, Rhodobacter, Nordella, Candidatus_Berkiella, and Limnohabitans, were involved in metabolite transformation. Overall, the in-situ application of UV and VUV can be an effective alternative strategy to mitigate membrane biofouling, which would facilitate the practical application of biofiltration-facilitated GDM systems in drinking water treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianyong Feng
- College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Urban Construction, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Xing Li
- College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Urban Construction, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Zedong Lu
- College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Urban Construction, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yanling Yang
- College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Urban Construction, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhou
- College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Urban Construction, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Heng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu M, Lu Q, Yu W. The improvement of heavy metals removal by wood membrane in drinking water treatment: Comparison with polymer membrane and associated mechanism. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 324:138297. [PMID: 36893869 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The application of commercial membranes is limited by the secondary pollution such as the usage of toxic chemicals for the membrane preparation and the disposal of aged membranes. Therefore, the green and environmentally friendly membranes are extremely promising for the sustainable development of membrane filtration in water treatment. In this study, the comparison of wood membrane with the pore size of tens microns (μm) and polymer membrane with the pore size of 0.45 μm was made to study the heavy metals removal in drinking water treatment by gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration system, and there was an improvement in the removal of Fe, Cu and Mn by wood membrane. The sponge-like structure of fouling layer for wood membrane made the retention time of heavy metals prolonged in contrast to the cobweb-like structure of polymer membrane. The carboxylic group (-COOH) content of fouling layer for wood membrane was greater than that for polymer membrane. Additionally, the population abundance of heavy metal-capturing microbes on the surface of wood membrane was higher compared with polymer membrane. The wood membrane provides a promising route to producing facile, biodegradable and sustainable membrane as a green alternative to polymer membranes in heavy metal removal from drinking water.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Minmin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
| | - Qingxuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; School of Energy and Environment, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, China.
| | - Wenzheng Yu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Liu J, Fu W, Yu X, Yang H, Zhao D, Wang Z, Wang L, Li X, Tang CY. Relating critical and limiting fluxes to metastable and long-term stable fluxes in colloidal membrane filtration through collision-attachment theory. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 238:120010. [PMID: 37146393 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
In membrane technology for water/wastewater treatment, the concepts of critical flux (JC) and limiting flux (JL) suggest the existence of a threshold flux below which no fouling occurs. However, their important roles on stable flux duration have not been sufficiently understood. This work adopts a collision-attachment approach to clarify the relationship of JC, JL to metastable (i.e., short-term stable) and long-term stable fluxes based on their dependence on initial flux (J0), foulant-clean-membrane energy barrier (Ef-m), and foulant-fouled-membrane energy barrier (Ef-f). When J0 is below JL, water flux remains stable over a long time even for the case of J0 over JC, thanks to the strongly repulsive Ef-f. At J0 > JL and J0 > JC, the water flux is unstable at the beginning of filtration, and the flux ultimately decreases to JL as the long-term stable flux. Under the condition of JL < J0 ≤ JC, an initial metastable flux appears owing to the high Ef-m, with longer metastable period observed at lower J0 and for more hydrophilic/charged membrane or colloids. Nevertheless, rapid flux decline occurs subsequently due to the energy barrier shifting to weak Ef-f, and the water flux eventually degenerates to JL in long-term fouling duration. Our results provide significant guidelines for fouling control strategies with respect to membrane design, feedwater pretreatment, and operational optimization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junxia Liu
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wei Fu
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xuri Yu
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Haiyan Yang
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Dongsheng Zhao
- College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China
| | - Zhihong Wang
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Lin Wang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China.
| | - Xianhui Li
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wan ZH, Guan J, Zhang CM, Fei WQ, Wang L, Wang SG, Sun XF. Establishing a high-performance anti-fouling PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane with improved Lewis acid-base interactions and hydrophilicity. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 314:137545. [PMID: 36526138 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137545] [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: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Membrane fouling and the trade-off between membrane permeability and selectivity restrict the potential applications of membrane filtration for water treatment. ZIF-8 was found having great permeability and antibiofouling performance, but with issue on particle aggregation makes it difficult to achieve high ZIFs loading and fabricate a defect-free molecular sieving membrane in previous research. In this study, we formed a scalable antibiofouling surface with improved permeability and fouling resistance on a PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane using a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The synergistic effects of being sandwiched between two different polyelectrolyte layers with opposite charges endowed the ZIF nanoparticles with improved stability and scalability for membrane modification. The PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane exhibited a satisfactory water flux of 120.78 LMH, which was 46.97% higher than that of the pristine PES membrane. The normalized water flux loss was serious in the absence of ZIF-8, and the flux increased with the ZIF-8 concentration. Antifouling tests suggested that the PEI-ZIF-PAA membrane possessed good antifouling performance due to the much higher surface hydrophilicity and positive Lewis acid-base interactions with foulants. The HA rejection increased with the ZIF-8 concentration and reached a maximum of 92.1% in the presence of 1.00% (w/v) ZIF-8. The membrane regeneration was tested under physical and chemical cleaning with flux recovery rates of about 85% and 95%. XDLVO analysis showed that the total interaction energy between HA and the PEI-ZIF-8-PAA membrane was 26.45 mJ/m2, and the superior antifouling performance was mainly attributed to Lewis acid-base interactions. This study indicates that ZIF-8 nanocrystals are promising materials for fabricating novel membranes for sewage treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhang-Hong Wan
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
| | - Jing Guan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Chun-Miao Zhang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Wen-Qing Fei
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
| | - Lin Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Shu-Guang Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Xue-Fei Sun
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; Anhui Province Engineering Research Center for Mineral Resources and Mine Environments, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Li C, Sun W, Lu Z, Ao X, Li S, Wang Z, Qi F, Ismailova O. Contribution of filtration and photocatalysis to DOM removal and fouling mechanism during in-situ UV-LED photocatalytic ceramic membrane process. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 226:119298. [PMID: 36327584 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119298] [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: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The use of ceramic membranes and ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) has advanced the application of photocatalytic membrane for water treatment. We systematically evaluated the contribution of filtration and photocatalysis to dissolved organic matter (DOM) removal and fouling mechanism during in-situ UV-LED photocatalytic ceramic membrane filtration. The results showed that physical rejection primarily led to removal of 4-15 kDa molecules and photocatalysis further increased the removal of 1-4 kDa molecules, causing small sized microbial humic-like or protein-like materials in the permeate. In-situ UV-LED photocatalysis had an excellent effect on membrane fouling mitigation regardless of DOM sources. The dominant fouling mechanism changed from partial blockage to gel layer formation with increasing Ca2+ concentration but did not change with UV treatment. Correlation analysis revealed that the removal of 1-4 kDa molecules contributed to the mitigation of both reversible and irreversible fouling resistance, and the small molecules were the major cause of irreversible fouling resistance. Removal of 1-4 kDa terrestrial humic acid-like contributed to the pore blockage mechanism for synthetic water. Removal of 4-15 kDa protein-like materials was closely correlated to the pore blockage mechanism for real water. Trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) formation potential (FP) were both significantly reduced after photocatalytic ceramic membrane process, but precursors of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) with high toxicity were not removed by filtration or by photocatalysis, which deserves attention. Membrane rejection made higher contribution to better DBPFP control than photocatalysis. This study provides novel insights into the impact of UV-LED on DOM removal, DBPFP control and fouling mitigation, promoting the development of photocatalytic ceramic membrane filtration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Wenjun Sun
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua, China.
| | - Zedong Lu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiuwei Ao
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Simiao Li
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing General Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd., Beijing China
| | - Zhenbei Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Fei Qi
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Oksana Ismailova
- Uzbekistan-Japan Innovation Center of Youth, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Feng J, Li X, Yang Y, Fan X, Zhou Z, Ren J, Tan X, Li H. Insight into biofouling mechanism in biofiltration-facilitated gravity-driven membrane (GDM) system: Beneficial effects of pre-deposited adsorbents. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.121017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
|
9
|
Enhanced filtration performance of biocarriers facilitated gravity-driven membrane (GDM) by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) pretreatment: Membrane biofouling characteristics and bacterial investigation. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
|