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Wang Y, Zhu Y, Gupta P, Singamaneni S, Lee B, Jun YS. The Roles of Oil-Water Interfaces in Forming Ultrasmall CaSO 4 Nanoparticles. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:29390-29401. [PMID: 38787535 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
In natural and engineered environmental systems, calcium sulfate (CaSO4) nucleation commonly occurs at dynamic liquid-liquid interfaces. Although CaSO4 is one of the most common minerals in oil spills and oil-water separation, the mechanisms driving its nucleation at these liquid-liquid interfaces remain poorly understood. In this study, using in situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we examined CaSO4 nucleation at oil-water interfaces and found that within 60 minutes of reaction, short rod-shaped nanoparticles (with a radius of gyration (Rg) of 17.2 ± 2.7 nm and a length of 38.2 ± 5.8 nm) had formed preferentially at the interfaces. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) analysis identified these nanoparticles as gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O). In addition, spherial nanoparticles measuring 4.1 nm in diameter were observed at oil-water interfaces, where surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) revealed an elevated pH compared to the bulk solution. The negatively charged oil-water interfaces preferentially adsorb calcium ions, collectively promoting CaSO4 formation there. CaSO4 particle formation at the oil-water interface follows a nonclassical nucleation (N-CNT) pathway by forming ultrasmall amorphous spherical particles which then aggregate to form intermediate nanoparticles, subsequently growing into nanorod-shaped gypsum. These findings of this study provide insights into mineral scaling during membrane separation and can inform more efficient oil transport in energy recovery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Yaguang Zhu
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Prashant Gupta
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Srikanth Singamaneni
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Byeongdu Lee
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Young-Shin Jun
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
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Chang H, Zhu Y, Huang L, Yan Z, Qu F, Liang H. Mineral scaling induced membrane wetting in membrane distillation for water treatment: Fundamental mechanism and mitigation strategies. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 247:120807. [PMID: 37924685 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
The scaling-induced wetting phenomenon seriously affects the application of membrane distillation (MD) technology in hypersaline wastewater treatment. Unlike the large amount of researches on membrane scaling and membrane wetting, scaling-induced wetting is not sufficiently studied. In this work, the current research evolvement of scaling-induced wetting in MD was systematically summarized. Firstly, the theories involving scaling-induced wetting were discussed, including evaluation of scaling potential of specific solutions, classical and non-classical crystal nucleation and growth theories, observation and evolution of scaling-induced processes. Secondly, the primary pretreatment methods for alleviating scaling-induced wetting were discussed in detail, focusing on adding agents composed of coagulation, precipitation, oxidation, adsorption and scale inhibitors, filtration including granular filtration, membrane filtration and mesh filtration and application of external fields including sound, light, heat, electromagnetism, magnetism and aeration. Then, the roles of operation conditions and cleaning conditions in alleviating scaling-induced wetting were evaluated. The main operation parameters included temperature, flow rate, pressure, ultrasound, vibration and aeration, while different types of cleaning reagents, cleaning frequency and a series of assisted cleaning measures were summarized. Finally, the challenges and future needs in the application of nucleation theory to scaling-induced wetting, the speculation, monitoring and mitigation of scaling-induced wetting were proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiqing Chang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China.
| | - Yingyuan Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China
| | - Lin Huang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China
| | - Zhongsen Yan
- College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Fangshu Qu
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Heng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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Sun C, Lin B, Zheng X, Dong Y, Zhao M, Tang CY. Robust ceramic-based graphene membrane for challenging water treatment with enhanced fouling and scaling resistance. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 243:120348. [PMID: 37516075 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120348] [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: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Membrane fouling and scaling are two challenges for efficient treatment of hypersaline wastewater, greatly hindering separation performance and operation stability of desalination membranes. In this work, we report a smooth ceramic-based graphene desalination membrane, exhibiting enhanced anti-fouling and anti-scaling ability and operational performance for efficient treatment of both synthetic and real industrial wastewaters, outperforming polypropylene (PP) membrane. For treatment of hypersaline waters containing organic or inorganic substance, we demonstrate that the graphene membrane exhibits more stable water flux and almost complete salt rejection (>99.9%) during constant operation. Enhanced anti-fouling and desalination performance of graphene membrane could be attributed to the lower attractive interaction force with foulant (-4.65 mJ m-2), lower surface roughness (Ra = 2.2 ± 0.1 nm) and higher affinity with water than PP membrane. Furthermore, an anti-scaling mechanism enabled by graphene membrane is evidenced, with a highlight on the roles of smooth graphene surface with lower roughness, less nucleation sites and lower binding force with scaling crystals. Importantly, even for industrial petrochemical wastewater, such a graphene membrane also exhibits relatively more stable water flux and promising oil and ions rejection during long-term operation, outperforming PP membrane. This study further confirms a promising practical application potential of robust ceramic-based graphene membrane for efficient treatment of more challenging hypersaline wastewater with complicated compositions, which is not feasible by conventional desalination membranes.
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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
| | - Bin Lin
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 611731 Chengdu, China
| | - Xiangyong Zheng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, 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.
| | - Min Zhao
- 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.
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Wang C, Ma Z, Qiu Y, Wang C, Ren LF, Shen J, Shao J. Patterned dense Janus membranes with simultaneously robust fouling, wetting and scaling resistance for membrane distillation. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 242:120308. [PMID: 37451192 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Membrane fouling, wetting and scaling are three prominent challenges that severely hinder the practical applications of membrane distillation (MD). Herein, polyamide/polyvinylidene fluoride (PA/PVDF) Janus membrane comprising a hydrophobic PVDF substrate and a patterned dense PA layer by reverse interfacial polymerization (R-IP) was developed. Direct contact MD experiments demonstrated that PA/PVDF Janus membrane could exhibit simultaneously superior resistance towards surfactant-induced wetting, oil-induced fouling and gypsum-induced scaling without compromising flux. Importantly, the size-sieving effect, rather than the breakthrough pressure of the membrane, was revealed as the critical factor that probably endowed its resistance to wetting. Furthermore, a unique possible anti-scaling mechanism was unveiled. The superhydrophilic patterned dense PA layer with strong salt rejection capability not only prevented scale-precursor ions from intruding the substrate but also resulted in the high surface interfacial energy that inhibited the adhesion and growth of gypsum on the membrane surface, while its relatively low surface -COOH density benefited from R-IP process further ensured the membrane with a low scaling propensity. This study shall provide new insights and novel strategies in designing high-performance MD membranes and enable robust applications of MD facing the challenges of membrane fouling, wetting and scaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zhongbao Ma
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yangbo Qiu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Chengyi Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Long-Fei Ren
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
| | - Jiangnan Shen
- College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Jiahui Shao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
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Zhang H, Zhao X. Enhanced Anti-Wetting Methods of Hydrophobic Membrane for Membrane Distillation. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2300598. [PMID: 37219004 PMCID: PMC10427381 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Increasing issues of hydrophobic membrane wetting occur in the membrane distillation (MD) process, stimulating the research on enhanced anti-wetting methods for membrane materials. In recent years, surface structural construction (i.e., constructing reentrant-like structures), surface chemical modification (i.e., coating organofluorides), and their combination have significantly improved the anti-wetting properties of the hydrophobic membranes. Besides, these methods change the MD performance (i.e., increased/decreased vapor flux and increased salt rejection). This review first introduces the characterization parameters of wettability and the fundamental principles of membrane surface wetting. Then it summarizes the enhanced anti-wetting methods, the related principles, and most importantly, the anti-wetting properties of the resultant membranes. Next, the MD performance of hydrophobic membranes prepared by different enhanced anti-wetting methods is discussed in desalinating different feeds. Finally, facile and reproducible strategies are aspired for the robust MD membrane in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglong Zhang
- Lab of Environmental Science & TechnologyINETTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084P. R. China
| | - Xuan Zhao
- Lab of Environmental Science & TechnologyINETTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084P. R. China
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Wang Y, Liu J, Li Z, Liu X, Li W. Revisiting scaling of calcium sulfate in membrane distillation: Uncertainty of crystal-membrane interactions. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 239:120060. [PMID: 37209511 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Scaling of calcium sulfate (CaSO4) is a stumbling block to the development of membrane distillation (MD), which holds promise for the treatment of saline water/wastewater. Despite increasing efforts made to understand the scaling behavior of CaSO4 in a process of MD and thereby develop strategies for mitigating the negative effects, considerable uncertainty remains about occurrence of the wetting and structural damage that could result from the strong crystal-membrane interactions. This study combined experimental and theoretical approaches to corroborate that a higher degree of supersaturation could be achieved by concentrating the CaSO4 in the feed at a faster rate; the elevated supersaturation would be in favor of exerting substantially high crystallization pressure on the membrane structures. In particular, the theoretical analysis established two dimensionless groups for measuring the relative importance of the concentration effect and quantifying the essential role played by the crystalline growth, respectively. In addition to alleviating the uncertainty, this study would be beneficial to the design of MD processes with improved scaling resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yewei Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, P. R. China
| | - Jie Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, P. R. China
| | - Zhuo Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, P. R. China
| | - Xin Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, P. R. China
| | - Weiyi Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, P. R. China.
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Tong T, Liu X, Li T, Park S, Anger B. A Tale of Two Foulants: The Coupling of Organic Fouling and Mineral Scaling in Membrane Desalination. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7129-7149. [PMID: 37104038 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Membrane desalination that enables the harvesting of purified water from unconventional sources such as seawater, brackish groundwater, and wastewater has become indispensable to ensure sustainable freshwater supply in the context of a changing climate. However, the efficiency of membrane desalination is greatly constrained by organic fouling and mineral scaling. Although extensive studies have focused on understanding membrane fouling or scaling separately, organic foulants commonly coexist with inorganic scalants in the feedwaters of membrane desalination. Compared to individual fouling or scaling, combined fouling and scaling often exhibits different behaviors and is governed by foulant-scalant interactions, resembling more complex but practical scenarios than using feedwaters containing only organic foulants or inorganic scalants. In this critical review, we first summarize the performance of membrane desalination under combined fouling and scaling, involving mineral scales formed via both crystallization and polymerization. We then provide the state-of-the-art knowledge and characterization techniques pertaining to the molecular interactions between organic foulants and inorganic scalants, which alter the kinetics and thermodynamics of mineral nucleation as well as the deposition of mineral scales onto membrane surfaces. We further review the current efforts of mitigating combined fouling and scaling via membrane materials development and pretreatment. Finally, we provide prospects for future research needs that guide the design of more effective control strategies for combined fouling and scaling to improve the efficiency and resilience of membrane desalination for the treatment of feedwaters with complex compositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiezheng Tong
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Xitong Liu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Tianshu Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Shinyun Park
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Bridget Anger
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
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