1
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Gebreslassie G, Desta HG, Dong Y, Zheng X, Zhao M, Lin B. Advanced membrane-based high-value metal recovery from wastewater. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 265:122122. [PMID: 39128331 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Considering the circular economy and environmental protection, sustainable recovery of high-value metals from wastewater has become a prominent concern. Unlike conventional methods featuring extensive chemicals or energy consumption, membrane separation technology plays a crucial role in facilitating the sustainable and efficient recovery of valuable metals from wastewater due to its attractive features. In this review, we first briefly summarize the sustainable supply chain and significance of sustainable recovery of aqueous high-value metals. Then, we review the most recent advances and application potential in promising state-of-the-art membrane-based technologies for recovery of high-value metals (silver, gold, rhenium, platinum, ruthenium, palladium, iridium, osmium, and rhodium) from wastewater effluents. In particular, pressure-based membranes, liquid membranes, membrane distillation, forward osmosis, electrodialysis and membrane-based hybrid technologies and their mechanism of high-value metal recovery is thoroughly discussed. Then, engineering application and economic sustainability are also discussed for membrane-based high-value metal recovery. The review finally concludes with a critical and insightful overview of the techno-economic viability and future research direction of membrane technologies for efficient high-value metal recovery from wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gebrehiwot Gebreslassie
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Department of Industrial Chemistry, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Halefom G Desta
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yingchao Dong
- School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, China.
| | - Xiangyong Zheng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.
| | - Min Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.
| | - Bin Lin
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
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2
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Sun K, Lyu Q, Zheng X, Liu R, Tang CY, Zhao M, Dong Y. Enhanced water treatment performance of ceramic-based forward osmosis membranes via MOF interlayer. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 254:121395. [PMID: 38452527 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121395] [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: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) membrane processes could operate without hydraulic pressures, enabling the efficient treatment of wastewaters with mitigated membrane fouling and enhanced efficiency. Designing a high-performance polyamide (PA) layer on ceramic substrates remains a challenge for FO desalination applications. Herein, we report the enhanced water treatment performance of thin-film nanocomposite ceramic-based FO membranes via an in situ grown Zr-MOF (UiO-66-NH2) interlayer. With the Zr-MOF interlayer, the ceramic-based FO membranes exhibit lower thickness, higher cross-linking degree, and increased surface roughness, leading to higher water flux of 27.38 L m-2 h-1 and lower reverse salt flux of 3.45 g m-2 h-1. The ceramic-based FO membranes with Zr-MOF interlayer not only have an application potential in harsh environments such as acidic solution (pH 3) and alkaline solution (pH 11), but also exhibit promising water and reverse salt transport properties, which are better than most MOF-incorporated PA membranes. Furthermore, the membranes could reject major species (ions, oil and organics) with rejections >94 % and water flux of 22.62-14.35 L m-2 h-1 in the treatment of actual alkaline industrial wastewater (pH 8.6). This rational design proposed in this study is not only applicable for the development of a high-quality ceramic-based FO membrane with enhanced performance but also can be potentially extended to more challenging water treatment applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo Sun
- School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Qiang Lyu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, Shandong 266580, China
| | - Xiangyong Zheng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Renlan Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Min Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
| | - Yingchao Dong
- School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
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3
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Shawky AM, Kotp YH, Mousa MA, Aboelfadl MMS, Hekal EE, Zakaria K. Effect of titanium oxide/reduced graphene (TiO 2/rGO) addition onto water flux and reverse salt diffusion thin-film nanocomposite forward osmosis membranes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:24584-24598. [PMID: 38448772 PMCID: PMC10998813 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32500-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis (FO) membranes have attracted significant attention due to their potential for solving global water scarcity problems. In this study, we investigate the impact of titanium oxide (TiO2) and titanium oxide/reduced graphene (TiO2/rGO) additions on the performance of TFN-FO membranes, specifically focusing on water flux and reverse salt diffusion. Membranes with varying concentrations of TiO2 and TiO2/rGO were fabricated as interfacial polymerizing M-phenylenediamine (MPD) and benzenetricarbonyl tricholoride (TMC) monomers with TiO2 and its reduced graphene composites (TiO2/rGO). The TMC solution was supplemented with TiO2 and its reduced graphene composites (TiO2/rGO) to enhance FO performance and reverse solute flux. All MPD/TMC polyamide membranes are characterized using various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurements. The results demonstrate that incorporating TiO2/rGO into the membrane thin layer improves water flux and reduces reverse salt diffusion. In contrast to the TFC membrane (10.24 L m-2h-1 and 6.53 g/m2 h), higher water flux and higher reverse solute flux were detected in the case of TiO2and TiO2/rGO-merged TFC skin membranes (18.81 and 24.52 L m-2h-1 and 2.74 and 2.15 g/m2 h, respectively). The effects of TiO2 and TiO2/rGO stacking on the skin membrane and the performance of TiO2 and TiO2/rGO skin membranes have been thoroughly studied. Additionally, being investigated is the impact of draw solution concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amira M Shawky
- Sanitary and Environmental Institute (SEI), Housing and Building National Research Center (HBRC), Giza, 1770, Egypt.
| | - Yousra H Kotp
- Hydrogeochemistry Dept, Desert Research Center, El Mataryia, Cairo, 11753, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud A Mousa
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | | | - Eisa E Hekal
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo, 11566, Egypt
| | - Khaled Zakaria
- Department of Analysis and Evaluation, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Nasr City, 11727, Cairo, Egypt
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4
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Liu W, Long L, Yang Z, Wang L, Gan Q, Zhou S, Sarkar P, Guo H, Tang CY. Enhancing the removal of organic micropollutants by nanofiltration membrane with Fe (III)-tannic acid interlayer: Mechanisms and environmental implications. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 245:120623. [PMID: 37729696 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Nanofiltration technology has been applied in a variety of water treatment scenarios. However, conventional thin-film composite (TFC) membranes fail to remove emerging organic micropollutants (OMPs) efficiently. Here we applied thin-film nanocomposite membrane with an interlayer (TFNi) of Fe (III)-tannic acid to remove various types of OMPs, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Compared to the pristine TFC membrane, TFNi membrane exhibited crumpled morphology and its rejection layer was denser, better cross-linked and possessed smaller average pore size with narrower distribution. Significant enhancement in water-OMPs selectivity of PhACs and PFASs was observed. The mechanism lies in the effects of interlayer in improving the membrane permeance to water and meanwhile reducing the permeance to some OMPs by enhancing size exclusion effects. This work confirms the effectiveness of using TFNi membrane to simultaneously enhance the OMPs rejection and water permeance. The unraveled mechanism might inspire the future development of high-performance nanofiltration membranes targeting OMPs removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyu Liu
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Li Long
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Zhe Yang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Qimao Gan
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shenghua Zhou
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Pulak Sarkar
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hao Guo
- Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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5
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Akbar Heidari A, Mahdavi H. Recent Advances in the Support Layer, Interlayer and Active Layer of TFC and TFN Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN) Membranes: A Review. CHEM REC 2023:e202300189. [PMID: 37642266 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202300189] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Although separation of solutes from organic solutions is considered a challenging process, it is inevitable in various chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. OSN membranes are the heart of OSN technology that are widely utilized to separate various solutes and contaminants from organic solvents, which is now considered an emerging field. Hence, numerous studies have been attracted to this field to manufacture novel membranes with outstanding properties. Thin-film composite (TFC) and nanocomposite (TFN) membranes are two different classes of membranes that have been recently utilized for this purpose. TFC and TFN membranes are made up of similar layers, and the difference is the use of various nanoparticles in TFN membranes, which are classified into two types of porous and nonporous ones, for enhancing the permeate flux. This study aims to review recent advances in TFC and TFN membranes fabricated for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) applications. Here, we will first study the materials used to fabricate the support layer, not only the membranes which are not stable in organic solvents and require to be cross-linked, but also those which are inherently stable in harsh media and do not need any cross-linking step, and all of their advantages and disadvantages. Then, we will study the effects of fabricating different interlayers on the performance of the membranes, and the mechanisms of introducing an interlayer in the regulation of the PA structure. At the final step, we will study the type of monomers utilized for the fabrication of the active layer, the effect of surfactants in reducing the tension between the monomers and the membrane surface, and the type of nanoparticles used in the active layer of TFN membranes and their effects in enhancing the membrane separation performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Akbar Heidari
- School of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Tehran, 1417614411, Tehran, Iran E-mail: addresses
| | - Hossein Mahdavi
- School of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Tehran, 1417614411, Tehran, Iran E-mail: addresses
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6
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Nano-striped polyamide membranes enabled by vacuum-assisted incorporation of hierarchical flower-like MoS2 for enhanced nanofiltration performance. J Memb Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.121250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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7
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Hong Y, Hua D, Pan J, Cheng X, Xu K, Huo Z, Zhan G. Fabrication of Polyamide Membranes by Interlayer-assisted Interfacial Polymerization Method With Enhanced Organic Solvent Nanofiltration Performance. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.131075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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8
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Wu L, Li Q, Ma C, Li M, Yu Y. A novel conductive carbon-based forward osmosis membrane for dye wastewater treatment. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 308:136367. [PMID: 36088972 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) membrane fouling is one of the main reasons that hinder the further application of FO technology in the treatment of dye wastewater. To alleviate membrane fouling, a conductive coal carbon-based substrate and polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) interlayer composite FO membrane (CPFO) was prepared by interfacial polymerization (IP). CPFO-10 membrane prepared by depositing 10 mL of PDA NPs solution exhibited an optimum performance with water flux of 7.56 L/(m2h) for FO mode and 10.75 L/(m2h) for pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) mode, respectively. For rhodamine B and chrome black T dye wastewater treatment, the water flux losses were reduced by 21.6%, and 14.5% under the voltages of +1.5 V, and -1.5 V, respectively, compared with no voltage applied after the device was operated for 8 h. The applied voltage had little effect on the fouling mitigation performance of the CPFO membrane for neutral charged cresol red. After the device was operated for 4 cycles, the rejection rates of dyes wastewater treated by the CPFO membranes with applied voltage were close to 100%. The flux decline rate and flux recovery rate of CPFO membrane for rhodamine B and chrome black T wastewater treatment under application of +1.5 V and -1.5 V voltage after 4 cycles were 11.6%, 99.2%, and 16.7%, 98.9%, respectively. Therefore, the voltage-applied CPFO membrane still maintained good rejection and antifouling performance in long-term operation. This study provides a new insight into the preparation of conductive FO membranes for dye wastewater treatment and membrane fouling control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wu
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun, 130000, China
| | - Qianqian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, China
| | - Cong Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, China; Tianjin Haiyuanhui Technology Co., Ltd., Tianjin, 300457, China.
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun, 130000, China
| | - Yujuan Yu
- Center of Environmental Emergency and Accident Investigation of Changchun, Changchun, 130000, China
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9
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Wang J, Wang L, He M, Wang X, Lv Y, Huang D, Wang J, Miao R, Nie L, Hao J, Wang J. Recent advances in thin film nanocomposite membranes containing an interlayer (TFNi): fabrication, applications, characterization and perspectives. RSC Adv 2022; 12:34245-34267. [PMID: 36545600 PMCID: PMC9706687 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra06304b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes have been applied widely for desalination and wastewater reuse in the last 5-10 years. A novel thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane featuring a nanomaterial interlayer (TFNi) has emerged in recent years and attracted the attention of researchers. The novel TFNi membranes are prepared from different nanomaterials and with different loading methods. The choices of intercalated nanomaterials, substrate layers and loading methods are based on the object to be treated. The introduction of nanostructured interlayers improves the formation of the PA separation layer and provides ultrafast water molecule transport channels. In this manner, the TFNi membrane mitigates the trade-off between permeability and selectivity reported for polyamide composite membranes. In addition, TFNi membranes enhance the removal of metal ions and organics and the recovery of organic solvents during nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, which is critical for environmental ecology and industrial applications. This review provides statistics and analyzes the developments in TFNi membranes over the last 5-10 years. The latest research results are reviewed, including the selection of the substrate and interlayer materials, preparation methods, specific application areas and more advanced characterization methods. Mechanistic aspects are analyzed to encourage future research, and potential mechanisms for industrialization are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Wang
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Lei Wang
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Miaolu He
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Xudong Wang
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Yongtao Lv
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Danxi Huang
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Jin Wang
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Rui Miao
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Lujie Nie
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Jiajin Hao
- Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resources, Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering No. 13 Yan Ta Road Shaanxi Province Xi'an 710055 China
- School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology No. 13 Yan Ta Road Xi'an 710055 China
| | - Jianmin Wang
- Zhongfan International Engineering Design Co. Lian Hu Road, No. 6 Courtyard Xi'an 710082 China
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Wang Y, Ma B, Ulbricht M, Dong Y, Zhao X. Progress in alumina ceramic membranes for water purification: Status and prospects. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 226:119173. [PMID: 36252299 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ceramic membranes have gained increasing attention in recent years for the removal of various contaminants from water. Alumina membrane is considered as one of the most important ceramic membranes, which plays important roles not only in separation processes such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration, but also in catalysis- and adsorption- enhanced separation applications in water purification and wastewater treatment. However, there is currently still lack of a comprehensive critical review about alumina membranes for water purification. In this review, we first discuss recent developments of alumina membranes, and then critically introduce the state-of-the-art strategies for lowering fabrication cost, improving membrane performances and mitigating membrane fouling. Especially, aiming to improve membrane performance, some emerging methods are summarized such as tailoring membrane structure, developing flexible membranes, designing nano-pores for precise separation, and enhancing multi-functionalities. In addition, engineering applications of alumina membranes for water purification are also briefly introduced. Finally, the prospects for future research on alumina membranes are proposed, such as economic preparation/application, challenging precise separation, enriching multi-functionalities, and clarifying separation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Baiwen Ma
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Duisburg-Essen Department of Technical Chemistry II, Essen 45117, Germany
| | - Mathias Ulbricht
- University of Duisburg-Essen Department of Technical Chemistry II, Essen 45117, Germany
| | - Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
| | - Xu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
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11
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Tian M, Ma T, Goh K, Pei Z, Chong JY, Wang YN. Forward Osmosis Membranes: The Significant Roles of Selective Layer. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12100955. [PMID: 36295714 PMCID: PMC9607867 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12100955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising separation technology to overcome the challenges of pressure-driven membrane processes. The FO process has demonstrated profound advantages in treating feeds with high salinity and viscosity in applications such as brine treatment and food processing. This review discusses the advancement of FO membranes and the key membrane properties that are important in real applications. The membrane substrates have been the focus of the majority of FO membrane studies to reduce internal concentration polarization. However, the separation layer is critical in selecting the suitable FO membranes as the feed solute rejection and draw solute back diffusion are important considerations in designing large-scale FO processes. In this review, emphasis is placed on developing FO membrane selective layers with a high selectivity. The effects of porous FO substrates in synthesizing high-performance polyamide selective layer and strategies to overcome the substrate constraints are discussed. The role of interlayer in selective layer synthesis and the benefits of nanomaterial incorporation will also be reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Tian
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
| | - Tao Ma
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
| | - Kunli Goh
- Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
| | - Zhiqiang Pei
- Beijing Origin Water Membrane Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 101417, China
| | - Jeng Yi Chong
- Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
| | - Yi-Ning Wang
- Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
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12
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Applying new configuration for thermal integration of ethane cracking and CLC processes to enhance the ethylene and hydrogen productions. Chem Eng Res Des 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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13
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Mo J, Li X, Yang Z. Dissecting the structure-property relationship of ceramic membrane with asymmetric multilayer structures for maximizing permselectivity. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 220:118658. [PMID: 35640511 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118658] [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: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Robust ceramic membranes presented attractive features of easy cleaning and excellent stability compared to polymeric membranes. Nevertheless, their inherent relationships between the membrane microstructures and separation properties are not completely clear. In this work, we established a quantitative structure-property model using α-Al2O3 membrane on account of the theory of filtrated cake to predict the effects of membrane structure-controlled factors (i.e., α-Al2O3 particle size and layer thickness) on separation performances (i.e., solute rejection and water permeance). The simulation results show that membrane pore size mainly depends upon α-Al2O3 particle size rather than the layer thickness. When the microstructure of top layer in a double-layer asymmetric ceramic membrane is fixed, there exists optimum particle size and layer thickness that constitute the support layer to achieve maximum water permeance. For a triple-layer ceramic membrane, a similar matching relationship exists between top layer and intermediate layer, indicating that the intermediate layer has a vital role in determining water permeance. While the bottom layer has little effect on overall separation property. Finally, the upper-bound tradeoff relationship between permeance and selectivity is further established for the α-Al2O3 membrane. This study reveals the structure-property relationship of ceramic membrane and provides insights into performance enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Mo
- 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; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, 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; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China.
| | - Zhifeng Yang
- 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; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
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14
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Dong Y, Wu H, Yang F, Gray S. Cost and efficiency perspectives of ceramic membranes for water treatment. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 220:118629. [PMID: 35609431 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
More robust ceramic membranes with tailorable structures and functions are increasingly employed for water treatment, particularly in some harsh applications for their ultra-long service lifespan due to their high mechanical, structural, chemical and thermal stability and anti-fouling properties. Decreasing cost and enhancing efficiency are two key but quite challenging application-oriented issues for broader and larger-scale engineering application of current ceramic membranes, and are required to make ceramic membranes a highly efficient and economic water treatment technique. In this review, we critically discuss these two significant concerns of both cost and efficiency for water treatment ceramic membranes, focusing on an overview of various advanced strategies and mechanism insights. A brief up-to-date discussion is first introduced about recent developments of ceramic membranes covering the major advances of novel membranes and applications. Then some promising strategies for decreasing the cost of ceramic membranes are discussed, including membrane material cost and processing cost. To fully address the issue of moderate efficiency with single separation function, valuable and considerable insights are provided into recent major progress and mechanism understandings in application with other unit processes, such as advanced oxidation and electrochemistry techniques, to significantly enhance treatment efficiency. Subsequently, a review of recent ceramic membrane applications emphasizing harsh operating environments is presented, such as oil-water separation, saline water, refractory organic and emerging contaminant wastewater treatment. Finally, engineering application, conclusions, and future perspectives of ceramic membrane for water treatment applications are critically discussed offering new insight based on understanding the issues of cost and efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
| | - Hui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Fenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Stephen Gray
- Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, Australia
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15
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Xu D, Luo X, Jin P, Zhu J, Zhang X, Zheng J, Yang L, Zhu X, Liang H, Van der Bruggen B. A novel ceramic-based thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane with enhanced performance and regeneration potential. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 215:118264. [PMID: 35303558 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The rational design of a ceramic-based nanofiltration membrane remains a significant challenge due to its performance and fabrication cost. Herein, we report a high-performance ceramic-based thin-film composite (TFC) membrane fabricated via a typical interfacial polymerization on an interwoven net substrate assembled by titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanowires. The chemical properties and morphologies were systematically investigated for ceramic substrates and their corresponding TFC membranes. Due to the significantly improved hydrophilicity of the TiO2 framework, more reactive amine monomers were uniformly adsorbed on the modified surface of the ceramic substrate, yielding an ultrathin polyamide layer with less resistance. In addition, the smooth surface and decreased pore size of the TiO2 framework contributed to forming a defect-free polyamide layer. As a result, the obtained ceramic-based TFC membrane evinced high permeance of 26.4 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and excellent salt rejection efficiency, leading to simultaneous improvements compared with the control TFC membrane without the TiO2 framework. Notably, the potential regeneration ability of the ceramic-based TFC membrane could be achieved via facile low-temperature calcination and re-polymerization process due to the varied thermostability between the polyamide layer and the robust ceramic substrate. The operation of regeneration helped to prolong the lifetime and decrease the cost for the ceramic-based TFC membrane. This research provides a feasible protocol to fabricate sustainable ceramic-based nanofiltration membranes with enhanced performance for water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daliang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, P. R. China; Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Xinsheng Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, P. R. China
| | - Pengrui Jin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Junyong Zhu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, P. R. China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Junfeng Zheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Liu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, P. R. China
| | - Xuewu Zhu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, P. R. China
| | - Heng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, P. R. China.
| | - Bart Van der Bruggen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium; Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
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16
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Zhou W, Wu P, Zhang L, Yao S, Zhu D, Cai Y. Layer-by-layer assembly of nanocomposite interlayers on a kaolin substrate for enhancing membrane performance of Pb(II) and Cd(II) removal. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 820:153149. [PMID: 35038506 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Developing an ultra-thin polyamide selective layer with sufficient mechanical robustness on a highly porous ceramic substrate is challenging for removing heavy metal ions from wastewater. We synthesized a reliable ceramic-polyamide membrane by assembling nanocomposite interlayers of alumina and carbon black on the kaolin substrate. The surface morphology, pore size distribution, and roughness of ceramic substrates were improved by introducing the nanocomposite interlayer. The corresponding optimized water flux, Pb(II), and Cd(II) removal efficiency are 2.75 L m-2 h-1, 98.44%, and 97.51%, respectively, which are better than those of the polyamide films constructed directly on the ceramic substrate. This facile structure provides more active sites for forming ultrathin polyamide layers with satisfactory mechanical robustness. This paper provides a new perspective for fabricating efficient heavy metal ions filters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhou
- College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Pute Wu
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
| | - Lin Zhang
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Shengyu Yao
- College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Delan Zhu
- College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Yaohui Cai
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
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17
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Sun C, Lyu Q, Si Y, Tong T, Lin LC, Yang F, Tang CY, Dong Y. Superhydrophobic Carbon Nanotube Network Membranes for Membrane Distillation: High-Throughput Performance and Transport Mechanism. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:5775-5785. [PMID: 35465657 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c08842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing sustainable water purification, current desalination membranes still suffer from insufficient permeability and treatment efficiency, greatly hindering extensive practical applications. In this work, we provide a new membrane design protocol and molecule-level mechanistic understanding of vapor transport for the treatment of hypersaline waters via a membrane distillation process by rationally fabricating more robust metal-based carbon nanotube (CNT) network membranes, featuring a superhydrophobic superporous surface (80.0 ± 2.3% surface porosity). With highly permeable ductile metal hollow fibers as substrates, the construction of a superhydrophobic (water contact angle ∼170°) CNT network layer endows the membranes with not only almost perfect salt rejection (over 99.9%) but a promising water flux (43.6 L·m-2·h-1), which outperforms most existing inorganic distillation membranes. Both experimental and molecular dynamics simulation results indicate that such an enhanced water flux can be ascribed to an ultra-low liquid-solid contact interface (∼3.23%), allowing water vapor to rapidly transport across the membrane structure via a combined mechanism of Knudsen diffusion (more dominant) and viscous flow while efficiently repelling high-salinity feed via forming a Cassie-Baxter state. A more hydrophobic surface is more in favor of not only water desorption from the CNT outer surface but superfast and frictionless water vapor transport. By constructing a new superhydrophobic triple-phase interface, the conceptional design strategy proposed in this work can be expected to be extended to other membrane material systems as well as more water treatment applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyi Sun
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Qiang Lyu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, Shandong 266580, China
| | - Yiran Si
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Tiezheng Tong
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Li-Chiang Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Fenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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18
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Fu M, Deng X, Wang SQ, Yang F, Lin LC, Zaworotko MJ, Dong Y. Scalable robust nano-porous Zr-based MOF adsorbent with high-capacity for sustainable water purification. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.120620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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19
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Robust ultrathin nanoporous MOF membrane with intra-crystalline defects for fast water transport. Nat Commun 2022; 13:266. [PMID: 35017513 PMCID: PMC8752604 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27873-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Rational design of high-performance stable metal–organic framework (MOF) membranes is challenging, especially for the sustainable treatment of hypersaline waters to address critical global environmental issues. Herein, a molecular-level intra-crystalline defect strategy combined with a selective layer thinning protocol is proposed to fabricate robust ultrathin missing-linker UiO-66 (ML-UiO-66) membrane to enable fast water permeation. Besides almost complete salt rejection, high and stable water flux is achieved even under long-term pervaporation operation in hash environments, which effectively addresses challenging stability issues. Then, detailed structural characterizations are employed to identify the type, chemical functionality, and density of intra-crystalline missing-linker defects. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations shed light on the positive atomistic role of these defects, which are responsible for substantially enhancing structural hydrophilicity and enlarging pore window, consequently allowing ultra-fast water transport via a lower-energy-barrier pathway across three-dimensional sub-nanochannels during pervaporation. Unlike common unfavorable defect effects, the present positive intra-crystalline defect engineering concept at the molecular level is expected to pave a promising way toward not only rational design of next-generation MOF membranes with enhanced permeation performance, but additional water treatment applications. The development of highly water-permeable membranes is key for the treatment of high salinity waters. Here the authors enhance the water permeability of a metal-organic framework nanoporous membrane via an intra-crystalline defect engineering strategy.
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20
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Peng LE, Yang Z, Long L, Zhou S, Guo H, Tang CY. A critical review on porous substrates of TFC polyamide membranes: Mechanisms, membrane performances, and future perspectives. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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21
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Wang X, Sun K, Zhang G, Yang F, Lin S, Dong Y. Robust zirconia ceramic membrane with exceptional performance for purifying nano-emulsion oily wastewater. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 208:117859. [PMID: 34801820 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
While membrane-based oil-water separation has been widely explored, using conventional membranes to treat oily wastewaters remains practically challenging especially when such wastewaters contain more stable nano-sized oil droplets and are of high oil content, and harsh chemical conditions. Herein, we report a novel protocol of efficiently separating both synthetic and real oil nano-emulsions via specially designed robust zirconia membranes. The best-performing zirconia membrane, fabricated at low sintering temperature, has relatively uniform sub-100 nm pores and is underwater superoleophobic. Such zirconia membranes possess not only outstanding separation performance under long-term operation but robust structural stability at harsh conditions. At different cross-flow velocities, a combined model of intermediate pore blocking and cake filtration dominated membrane fouling behavior. Specifically, at high pH value (especially > pH(IEP)), membrane fouling was effectively mitigated due to a dominant role of electrostatic repulsion interaction at membrane-oil interface. Compared with conventional and commercial ceramic membranes, our zirconia membrane is the first reported in literature that can effectively reject nano-sized oil droplets (∼18 nm) with over 99% rejection. Moreover, the zirconia membrane has also been challenged with real degreasing wastewater with very high oil content (∼4284 mg L-1) and pH (∼12.4) and delivered consistently high separation performance over many operation cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueling Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Kuo Sun
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Guoquan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Fenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Shihong Lin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, United States
| | - Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China.
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22
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Li W, Yang Z, Yang W, Guo H, Tang CY. Vapor‐phase polymerization of high‐performance thin‐film composite membranes for nanofiltration. AIChE J 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.17517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wanbin Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment Jinan University Guangzhou China
- Department of Civil Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China
| | - Zhe Yang
- Department of Civil Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China
| | - Wulin Yang
- Department of Civil Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering Peking University Beijing China
| | - Hao Guo
- Department of Civil Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China
| | - Chuyang Y. Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China
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23
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Li H, Fu M, Wang SQ, Zheng X, Zhao M, Yang F, Tang CY, Dong Y. Stable Zr-Based Metal-Organic Framework Nanoporous Membrane for Efficient Desalination of Hypersaline Water. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:14917-14927. [PMID: 34661395 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Treatment of hypersaline waters is a critical environmental challenge. Pervaporation (PV) desalination is a promising technique to address this challenge, but current PV membranes still suffer from challenging issues such as low flux and insufficient stability. Herein, we propose in situ nanoseeding followed by a secondary growth strategy to fabricate a high-quality stable metal-organic framework (MOF) thin membrane (UiO-66) for high-performance pervaporation desalination of hypersaline waters. To address the issue of membrane quality, a TiO2 nano-interlayer was introduced on coarse mullite substrates to favor the growth of a UiO-66 nanoseed layer, on which a well-intergrown UiO-66 selective membrane layer with thickness as low as 1 μm was finally produced via subsequent secondary growth. The PV separation performance for hypersaline waters was systematically investigated at different salt concentrations, feed temperatures, and long-term operation in different extreme chemical environments. Besides having nearly complete rejection (99.9%), the UiO-66 membrane exhibited high flux (37.4 L·m-2·h-1) for hypersaline waters, outperforming current existing zeolite and MOF membranes. The membrane also demonstrated superior long-term operational stability under various harsh environments (hypersaline, hot, and acidic/alkaline feed water) and mild fouling behavior. The rational design proposed in this study is not only applicable for the development of a high-quality UiO-66 membrane enabling harsh hypersaline water treatment but can also be potentially extended to other next-generation nanoporous MOF membranes for more environmental applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haotian Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Mao Fu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Shi-Qiang Wang
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland
| | - Xiangyong Zheng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Min Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Fenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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24
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Sun PF, Yang Z, Song X, Lee JH, Tang CY, Park HD. Interlayered Forward Osmosis Membranes with Ti 3C 2T x MXene and Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Municipal Wastewater Concentration. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:13219-13230. [PMID: 34314168 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c01968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) hybrid systems have the potential to simultaneously recover nutrients and water from wastewater. However, the lack of membranes with high permeability and selectivity has limited the development and scale-up of these hybrid systems. In this study, we fabricated a novel thin-film nanocomposite membrane featuring an interlayer of Ti3C2Tx MXene intercalated with carbon nanotubes (M/C-TFNi). Owing to the enhanced confinement effect on interfacial degassing and increased amine monomer sorption by the interlayer, the resulting M/C-TFNi FO membrane has a greater degree of cross-linking and roughness. In comparison with the thin-film composite (TFC) membrane without an interlayered structure, the M/C-TFNi membrane attained a water flux that was four times higher and a lower specific salt flux. Notably, the M/C-TFNi membrane exhibited excellent concentration efficiency for real municipal wastewater and enhanced rejection of ammonia nitrogen, which breaks the permeability-selectivity upper bound. This study provides a new avenue for the rational design and development of high-performance FO membranes for environmental applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng-Fei Sun
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea
| | - Zhe Yang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoxiao Song
- Centre for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, P. R. China
| | - Jeong Hoon Lee
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Hee-Deung Park
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea
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25
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Park KH, Sun PF, Kang EH, Han GD, Kim BJ, Jang Y, Lee SH, Shim JH, Park HD. Photocatalytic anti-biofouling performance of nanoporous ceramic membranes treated by atomic layer deposited ZnO. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.118935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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26
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Im SJ, Fortunato L, Jang A. Real-time fouling monitoring and membrane autopsy analysis in forward osmosis for wastewater reuse. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 197:117098. [PMID: 33831777 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Forward osmosis process in emerging technology which can applicable in wastewater reuse and desalination simultaneously. In this study, the development of fouling on the FO membrane surface was monitored in real-time. The investigation of fouling layer physical and chemical characteristics was assessed by performance evaluation and in-depth analysis of fouling layer. Non-invasive visual monitoring and in-depth autopsy, combined with the performance and image analyses provided a better understanding of fouling phenomena. The relative roughness of the fouling layer was correlated with water flux decrease while the fouling layer thickness decreased rapidly when fouling was stabilized. From 66-day operation using the primary wastewater as the feed, membrane fouling development was classified into 4 phases: virgin performance, initial deposition, stabilization and aggregation. With the growing fouling layer and with aggregation, the removal rate of organic matter was reduced from 99 to 70%. Conversely, the removal rate of inorganic matter was maintained at a level higher than 90%. The fractionation of physical and chemical extraction had the following characteristics: TPI>HPI>HPO and HPI>TPI>HPO respectively. Also, low molecular weight and building blocks like organic matter were observed with a high composition ratio of fouling layer. Through the correlation between the process performance, real-time monitoring of fouling layer formation and deep-layer fouling analysis, it was possible to identify the major membrane contaminants and propose process optimization guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Ju Im
- Graduate School of Water Resources, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16419, South Korea
| | - Luca Fortunato
- Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Am Jang
- Graduate School of Water Resources, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16419, South Korea.
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27
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Wang D, Zhang Y, Cai Z, You S, Sun Y, Dai Y, Wang R, Shao S, Zou J. Corn Stalk-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots with Abundant Amino Groups as a Selective-Layer Modifier for Enhancing Chlorine Resistance of Membranes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:22621-22634. [PMID: 33950689 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c04777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Low permeability and chlorine resistance of normal thin-film composite (TFC) membranes restrict their practical applications in many fields. This study reports the preparation of a high chlorine-resistant TFC membrane for forward osmosis (FO) by incorporating corn stalk-derived N-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) into the selective polyamide (PA) layer to construct a polydopamine (PDA) sub-layer (PTFCCQD). Membrane modification is characterized by surface morphology, hydrophilicity, Zeta potential, and roughness. Results show that TFCCQD (without PDA pretreatment) and PTFCCQD membranes possess greater negative surface charges and thinner layer-thickness (less than 68 nm). With N-CQDs and PDA pretreatment, the surface roughness of the PTFCCQD membrane decreases significantly with the co-existence of microsized balls and flocs with a dense porous structure. With the variation of concentration and type of draw solution, the PTFCCQD membrane exhibits an excellent permeability with low J(reverse salt flux)/J(water flux) values (0.1-0.25) due to the enhancement of surface hydrophilicity and the shortening of permeable paths. With 16,000 ppm·h chlorination, reverse salt flux of the PTFCCQD membrane (8.4 g m-2 h-1) is far lower than those of TFCCQD (136.2 g m-2 h-1), PTFC (127.6 g m-2 h-1), and TFC (132 g m-2 h-1) membranes in FO processes. The decline of salt rejection of the PTFCCQD membrane is only 8.2%, and the normalized salt rejection maintains 0.918 in the RO system (16,000 ppm·h chlorination). Super salt rejection is ascribed to the existence of abundant N-H bonds (N-CQDs), which are preferentially chlorinated by free chlorine to reduce the corrosion of the PA layer. The structure of the PA layer is stable during chlorination also due to the existence of various active groups grafted on the surface. This study may pave a new direction for the preparation of durable biomass-derivative (N-CQD)-modified membranes to satisfy much more possible applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Zhuang Cai
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Shijie You
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Yubo Sun
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Ying Dai
- School of Civil Engineering, Heilongjiang Institute of Technology, Harbin 150050, China
| | - Rongyue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Siliang Shao
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Jinlong Zou
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
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Binger ZM, O'Toole G, Achilli A. Evidence of solution-diffusion-with-defects in an engineering-scale pressure retarded osmosis system. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Alleviation of Reverse Salt Leakage across Nanofiber Supported Thin-Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane via Heat-Curing in Hot Water. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:membranes11040237. [PMID: 33801696 PMCID: PMC8066147 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11040237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Electrospun nanofiber with interconnected porous structure has been studied as a promising support layer of polyamide (PA) thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membrane. However, its rough surface with irregular pores is prone to the formation of a defective PA active layer after interfacial polymerization, which shows high reverse salt leakage in FO desalination. Heat-curing is beneficial for crosslinking and stabilization of the PA layer. In this work, a nanofiber-supported PA TFC membrane was conceived to be cured on a hot water surface with preserved phase interface for potential “defect repair”, which could be realized by supplementary interfacial polymerization of residual monomers during heat-curing. The resultant hot-water-curing FO membrane with a more uniform superhydrophilic and highly crosslinked PA layer exhibited much lower reverse salt flux (FO: 0.3 gMH, PRO: 0.8 gMH) than that of oven-curing FO membrane (FO: 2.3 gMH, PRO: 2.2 gMH) and achieved ∼4 times higher separation efficiency. It showed superior stability owing to mitigated reverse salt leakage and osmotic pressure loss, with its water flux decline lower than a quarter that of the oven-curing membrane. This study could provide new insight into the fine-tuning of nanofiber-supported TFC FO membrane for high-quality desalination via a proper selection of heat-curing methods.
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Li Y, Yang Y, Feng Y, Pu J, Hou LA. Combined effects of Pseudomonas quinolone signal-based quorum quenching and graphene oxide on the mitigation of biofouling and improvement of the application potential for the thin-film composite membrane. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 760:143348. [PMID: 33162137 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biofouling caused by the growth of the biofilm is the main bottleneck that limits the effective operation of thin-film composite (TFC) membrane in the forward osmosis (FO) process. This study investigated the combined effects of graphene oxide (GO) immobilized thin-film nanocomposite (TFN-S) membrane and Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS)-based quorum quenching on biofouling mitigation, especially under the operation of pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) mode, and the influence of methyl anthranilate (MA) inhibitor on the composition and structure of biofilm was also evaluated. Synthetic wastewater was used as the feed solution, in which the model strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa was added to simulate biofouling. The results showed that GO modification and MA addition both efficiently mitigated flux decline and EPS secretion, but the interference of PQS pathway on biofouling control was better than GO embedding. TFN-S membrane with MA addition exhibited superior anti-biofouling performance based on the combined effects of GO and MA. The alleviated concentration polarization and enhanced hydrophilicity of the TFN-S membrane reduced the flux decline in the early stage. Additionally, the antibacterial property of GO inhibited the viability of the attached bacteria (under PRO mode) and MA further mitigated the EPS secretion and biofilm development in the later stage. In the presence of PQS inhibitor MA, live/total cells ratio was 15% and 13% higher than that of TFC membrane in FO and PRO modes, respectively. Furthermore, exogenous addition of MA led to a relatively loose biofilm structure, resulting in high membrane permeability in the biofouling formation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Yu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Yuruo Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Jian Pu
- Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan.
| | - Li-An Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Xi'an High-Tech Institute, Xi'an 710025, China.
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31
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Shi Y, Zhang M, Zhang H, Yang F, Tang CY, Dong Y. Recent development of pressure retarded osmosis membranes for water and energy sustainability: A critical review. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 189:116666. [PMID: 33302146 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
With the goal of zero-liquid discharge and green energy harvest, extraction of abundant green energy from saline water via pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) technology is a promising but challenging issue for water treatment technologies to achieve water and energy sustainability. Development of high performance PRO membranes has received increased concerns yet still under controversy in practical applications. In this review, a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of some key historical developments is first introduced covering the major advances of PRO engineering applications and novel membranes especially made in recent years. Then the critical performance indicators of PRO membranes including water flux and power density are briefly discussed. Subsequently, sufficient discussion on four performance limiting factors in PRO membrane and process is presented including concentration polarization, reverse solute diffusion, membrane fouling and mechanical stability. To fully address these issues, an updated insight is provided into recent major progresses on advanced fabrication and modification techniques of novel PRO membranes featuring enhanced performance with different configurations and materials, which are also reviewed in detail based on the viewpoint of design rationales. Afterwards, antifouling strategies and engineering applications are critically introduced. Finally, conclusions and future perspective of PRO membrane for practical operation are briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongxuan Shi
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Mingming Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Hanmin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Fenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
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Yang Z, Sun PF, Li X, Gan B, Wang L, Song X, Park HD, Tang CY. A Critical Review on Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes with Interlayered Structure: Mechanisms, Recent Developments, and Environmental Applications. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:15563-15583. [PMID: 33213143 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The separation properties of polyamide reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes, widely applied for desalination and water reuse, are constrained by the permeability-selectivity upper bound. Although thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes incorporating nanomaterials exhibit enhanced water permeance, their rejection is only moderately improved or even impaired due to agglomeration of nanomaterials and formation of defects. A novel type of TFN membranes featuring an interlayer of nanomaterials (TFNi) has emerged in recent years. These novel TFNi membranes show extraordinary improvement in water flux (e.g., up to an order of magnitude enhancement) along with better selectivity. Such enhancements can be achieved by a wide selection of nanomaterials, ranging from nanoparticles, one-/two-dimensional materials, to interfacial coatings. The use of nanostructured interlayers not only improves the formation of polyamide rejection layers but also provides an optimized water transport path, which enables TFNi membranes to potentially overcome the longstanding trade-off between membrane permeability and selectivity. Furthermore, TFNi membranes can potentially enhance the removal of heavy metals and micropollutants, which is critical for many environmental applications. This review critically examines the recent developments of TFNi membranes and discusses the underlying mechanisms and design criteria. Their potential environmental applications are also highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Yang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, P. R. China
| | - Peng-Fei Sun
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, P. R. China
| | - Xianhui Li
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Bowen Gan
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- Centre for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, P. R. China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoxiao Song
- Centre for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, P. R. China
| | - Hee-Deung Park
- School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, P. R. China
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33
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Yuan B, Wang M, Wang B, Yang F, Quan X, Tang CY, Dong Y. Cross-linked Graphene Oxide Framework Membranes with Robust Nano-Channels for Enhanced Sieving Ability. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:15442-15453. [PMID: 33185431 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
It remains challenging for graphene oxide (GO) membranes to achieve highly efficient performance and sufficient stability for aqueous molecule/ion precise separations. Herein, a molecular-level rational structure design protocol was proposed to develop ceramic-based graphene oxide framework (GOF) membranes with significantly enhanced sieving performance and stability for efficient removal of salts and micropollutants. Via a molecular cross-linking strategy, interlayered nanochannels between GO nanosheets can be rationally designed, featuring precisely tailorable channel size, promising surface chemistries and remarkably robust stability suitable for aqueous separation. Due to a significantly decreased nanochannel size, cross-linking of TU (thiourea) molecule significantly improved monovalent salt rejection (95.6% for NaCl), outperforming existing state-of-the-art GO-based, commercial organic nanofiltration and emerging two-dimensional MoS2 membranes, while moderately decreasing water permeability. In comparison, the GOF membranes cross-linked with MPD (m-phenylenediamine) exhibited a simultaneous increase in permeability and rejection for both salts and micropollutants (21.0% and 53.3% enhancement for chloramphenicol (CAP) solution), breaking their conventional trade-off issue. Cross-linking mechanism indicates that more robust nanochannels were formed by stronger covalent bonds via dehydration condensation between amine (TU/MPD) and carboxyl groups (GO), and nucleophilic addition between amine (TU/MPD) and epoxy groups (GO). Molecule/ion separation mechanism involved size sieving (steric hindrance), electrostatic interaction, Donnan effect, and partial dehydration effect. This work provides a novel protocol for rationally designing size and surface chemistry of highly robust GO nanochannels at a subnanometer level to construct water-stable functional GOF membranes with enhanced sieving performance for water treatment applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoqiu Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Mingxin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Fenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xie Quan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong China
| | - Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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34
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Yang Z, Wang F, Guo H, Peng LE, Ma XH, Song XX, Wang Z, Tang CY. Mechanistic Insights into the Role of Polydopamine Interlayer toward Improved Separation Performance of Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:11611-11621. [PMID: 32786553 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Interlayered thin-film nanocomposite membranes (TFNi) are an emerging type of membranes with great potential to overcome the permeability-selectivity upper bound of conventional thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. However, the exact roles of the interlayer and the corresponding mechanisms leading to enhanced separation performance of TFNi membranes remain poorly understood. This study reports a polydopamine (PDA)-intercalated TFNi nanofiltration membrane (PA-PSF2, PDA coating time of 2 h) that possessed nearly an order of magnitude higher water permeance (14.8 ± 0.4 Lm-2 h-1 bar-1) than the control TFC membrane (PA-PFS0, 2.4 ± 0.5 Lm-2 h-1 bar-1). The TFNi membrane further showed enhanced rejection toward a wide range of inorganic salts and small organic molecules (including antibiotics and endocrine disruptors). Detailed mechanistic investigation reveals that the membrane separation performance was enhanced due to both the direct "gutter" effect of the PDA interlayer and its indirect effects resulting from enhanced polyamide formation on the PDA-coated substrate, with the "gutter" effect playing a more dominant role. This study provides a mechanistic and comprehensive framework for the future development of TFNi membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Yang
- Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR 999077, P. R. China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR 999077, P. R. China
| | - Hao Guo
- Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR 999077, P. R. China
| | - Lu Elfa Peng
- Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR 999077, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Hua Ma
- School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong Road 130, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Xiao Song
- Center for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, P. R. China
| | - Zhiwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR 999077, P. R. China
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35
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Ni W, Li Y, Zhao J, Zhang G, Du X, Dong Y. Simulation Study on Direct Contact Membrane Distillation Modules for High-Concentration NaCl Solution. MEMBRANES 2020; 10:membranes10080179. [PMID: 32764326 PMCID: PMC7465829 DOI: 10.3390/membranes10080179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Membrane distillation technology, as a new membrane-based water treatment technology that combines the membrane technology and evaporation process, has the advantages of using low-grade heat, working at atmospheric pressure with simple configuration, etc. In this study, heat and mass transfer were coupled at the membrane surfaces through the user-defined function program. The effects of feed temperature, feed velocity and permeate velocity on temperature polarization were mainly investigated for a high-concentration NaCl solution. The temperature polarization was increased with the increase of feed temperature and the decrease of feed and permeate velocity. The effects of temperature, inlet velocity and solution concentration on the evaporation efficiency of the membrane module for co- and counter-current operations were investigated in detail. The counter-current operation performed better than co-current operation in most cases, except for the condition where the NaCl concentration was relatively low or the module length was long enough. In addition, the optimal membrane thickness for both PVDF and PTFE was studied. The optimal membrane thickness was found in the range of 10 to 20 μm, which corresponded to the highest permeate flux for the selected materials, pore size distribution, and operation conditions. Membrane material with lower thermal conductivity and larger porosity was prone to get higher permeate flux and had larger optimal membrane thickness. Increasing feed velocity or feed temperature could decrease the optimal membrane thickness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiming Ni
- Key Laboratory of Power Station Energy Transfer Conversion and System (North China Electric Power University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China; (W.N.); (J.Z.); (G.Z.)
| | - Yongli Li
- Key Laboratory of Power Station Energy Transfer Conversion and System (North China Electric Power University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China; (W.N.); (J.Z.); (G.Z.)
- Correspondence: (Y.L.); (X.D.); Tel.: +86-(10)-61773918 (Y.L.); +86-(10)-61773923 (X.D.)
| | - Juezhen Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Power Station Energy Transfer Conversion and System (North China Electric Power University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China; (W.N.); (J.Z.); (G.Z.)
| | - Gaoyuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Power Station Energy Transfer Conversion and System (North China Electric Power University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China; (W.N.); (J.Z.); (G.Z.)
| | - Xiaoze Du
- School of Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China
- Correspondence: (Y.L.); (X.D.); Tel.: +86-(10)-61773918 (Y.L.); +86-(10)-61773923 (X.D.)
| | - Yingchao Dong
- School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China;
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36
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Si Y, Sun C, Li D, Yang F, Tang CY, Quan X, Dong Y, Guiver MD. Flexible Superhydrophobic Metal-Based Carbon Nanotube Membrane for Electrochemically Enhanced Water Treatment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:9074-9082. [PMID: 32544323 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c01084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Treatment of highly saline wastewaters via conventional technology is a key challenging issue, which calls for efficient desalination membranes featuring high flux and rejection, low fouling, and excellent stability. Herein, we report a high-strength and flexible electro-conductive stainless steel-carbon nanotube (SS-CNT) membrane, exhibiting significantly enhanced anticorrosion and antifouling ability via a microelectrical field-coupling strategy during membrane distillation. The membrane substrates exhibited excellent mechanical strength (244.2 ± 9.8 MPa) and ductility, thereby overcoming the critical bottleneck of brittleness of traditional inorganic membranes. By employing a simple surface activation followed by self-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition, CNT was grown in situ on SS substrates via a tip-growth mechanism to finally form robust superhydrophobic SS-CNT membrane. To address the challenging issues of significant corrosion and fouling, using a negative polarization microelectrical field-coupling strategy, simultaneously enhanced antifouling and anticorrosion performance was realized for treatment of organic high salinity waters while exhibiting stable high flux and rejection via an electrostatic repulsion and electron supply mechanism. This application-oriented rational design protocol can be potentially used to extend toward high performance composite membranes derived from other electro-conductive metal substrates functionally decorated with CNT network and to other applications in water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Si
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Chunyi Sun
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Dongfeng Li
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China
| | - Fenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong S.A.R., P. R. China
| | - Xie Quan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Yingchao Dong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Michael D Guiver
- State Key Laboratory of Engines, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
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