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Morgante C, Moghadamfar T, Lopez J, Cortina JL, Tamburini A. Evaluation of enhanced nanofiltration membranes for improving magnesium recovery schemes from seawater/brine: Integrating experimental performing data with a techno-economic assessment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 360:121192. [PMID: 38781880 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121192] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The global demand for valuable metals and minerals necessitates the exploration of alternative, sustainable approaches to mineral recovery. Seawater mining has emerged as a promising option, offering a vast reserve of minerals and an environmentally friendly alternative to land-based mining. Among the various techniques, Nanofiltration (NF) has gained significant attention as a preliminary treatment step in Minimum Liquid Discharge (MLD) and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) schemes. This study focused on the potential of two underexplored commercial polyamide based NF membranes, Synder NFX and Vontron VNF1, with enhanced divalent over monovalent separation factors, in optimizing the extraction of magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) from seawater and seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brines. The research encompassed a thorough characterization of the membranes utilizing advanced physic-chemical analytical techniques, followed by rigorous experimental assessments using synthetic seawater and SWRO brine in concentration configuration. The findings highlighted the superior selectivity of NFX for magnesium recovery from SWRO brine and the promising concentration factors of VNF1 for seawater treatment. Cross-validation of experimental data with a mathematical model demonstrated the model's reliability as a process design tool in predicting membrane performance. A comprehensive techno-economic evaluation demonstrates the potential of NFX, operating optimally at 23 bar pressure and 70% permeate recovery rate, to yield an estimated annual revenue of 5.683 M€/yr through Mg(OH)2 production from SWRO brine for a plant with a nominal capacity of 0.8 Mm3/y. This research shed light on the promising role of NF membranes in enhancing mineral recovery taking benefit of their separation factors and emphasizes the economic viability of leveraging NF technology for maximizing magnesium recovery from seawater and SWRO brines.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Morgante
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Palermo - viale delle Scienze Ed.6, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - T Moghadamfar
- Chemical Engineering Department, Escola d'Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)-Barcelona TECH, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930, Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Research Center for Multiscale Science and Engineering, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Lopez
- Chemical Engineering Department, Escola d'Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)-Barcelona TECH, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930, Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Research Center for Multiscale Science and Engineering, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - J L Cortina
- Chemical Engineering Department, Escola d'Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)-Barcelona TECH, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930, Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Research Center for Multiscale Science and Engineering, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Tamburini
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Palermo - viale delle Scienze Ed.6, 90128, Palermo, Italy
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Ochonma P, Gao X, Gadikota G. Tuning Reactive Crystallization Pathways for Integrated CO 2 Capture, Conversion, and Storage via Mineralization. Acc Chem Res 2024; 57:267-274. [PMID: 38228186 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
ConspectusAchieving carbon neutrality requires realizing scalable advances in energy- and material-efficient pathways to capture, convert, store, and remove anthropogenic CO2 emission in air and flue gas while cogenerating multiple high-value products. To this end, earth-abundant Ca- and Mg-bearing alkaline resources can be harnessed to cogenerate Ca- and Mg-hydroxide, silica, H2, O2, and a leachate bearing high-value metals in an electrochemical approach with the in situ generation of a pH gradient, which is a significant departure from existing pH-swing-based approaches. To accelerate CO2 capture and mineralization, CO2 in dilute sources is captured using solvents to produce CO2-loaded solvents. CO2-loaded solvents are reacted Ca- and Mg-bearing hydroxides to produce Ca- and Mg-carbonates while regenerating the solvents. These carbonates can be used as a temporary or permanent store of CO2 emissions. When carbonates are used as a temporary store of CO2 emissions, electrochemical sorbent regeneration pathways can be harnessed to produce high-purity CO2 while regenerating Ca- and Mg-hydroxide and coproducing H2 and O2. Figure 1 is a schematic representation of this integrated approach.Tuning the molecular-scale and nanoscale interactions underlying these reactive crystallization mechanisms for carbon transformations is crucial for achieving kinetic, chemical, and morphological controls over these pathways. To this end, the feasibility of (i) crystallizing Ca- and Mg-hydroxide during the electrochemical desilication of earth-abundant alkaline industrial residues, (ii) accelerating the conversion of Ca- and Mg-carbonates for temporary or permanent carbon storage by harnessing regenerable solvents, and (iii) regenerating Ca- and Mg-hydroxide while coproducing high-purity CO2, O2, and H2 electrochemically is established.Evidence of the fractionation of heterogeneous slag to coproduce silica, Ca- and Mg-hydroxide, and a leachate bearing metals during electrochemical desilication provides the basis for further tuning the physicochemical parameters to improve the energy and material efficiency of these pathways. To address the slow kinetics of CO2 capture and mineralization starting from ultradilute emissions, reactive capture pathways that harness solvents such as Na-glycinate are shown to be effective. The extents of carbon mineralization of Ca(OH)2 and Mg(OH)2 are 97% and 78% using CO2-loaded Na-glycinate upon reacting for 3 h at 90 °C. During the regeneration of Ca- and Mg-hydroxide and high-purity CO2 from carbonate sources, charge efficiencies of as high as 95% were observed for the dissolution of MgCO3 and CaCO3 while stirring at 100 rpm. Higher yields of Mg(OH)2 are observed compared to that for Ca(OH)2 during sorbent regeneration due to the lower solubility of Mg(OH)2. These findings provide the scientific basis for further tuning these reactive crystallization pathways for closing material and carbon cycles to advance a sustainable climate, energy, and environmental future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prince Ochonma
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Xun Gao
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Greeshma Gadikota
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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Romano S, Trespi S, Achermann R, Battaglia G, Raponi A, Marchisio D, Mazzotti M, Micale G, Cipollina A. The Role of Operating Conditions in the Precipitation of Magnesium Hydroxide Hexagonal Platelets Using NaOH Solutions. CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN 2023; 23:6491-6505. [PMID: 37692336 PMCID: PMC10485817 DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.3c00462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2, is an inorganic compound extensively employed in several industrial sectors. Nowadays, it is mostly produced from magnesium-rich minerals. Nevertheless, magnesium-rich solutions, such as natural and industrial brines, could prove to be a great treasure. In this work, synthetic magnesium chloride and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions were used to recover Mg(OH)2 by reactive crystallization. A detailed experimental campaign was conducted aiming at producing grown Mg(OH)2 hexagonal platelets. Experiments were carried out in a stirred tank crystallizer operated in single- and double-feed configurations. In the single-feed configuration, globular and nanoflakes primary particles were obtained, as always reported in the literature when NaOH is used as a precipitant. However, these products are not complying with flame-retardant applications that require large hexagonal Mg(OH)2 platelets. This work suggests an effective precipitation strategy to favor crystal growth while, at the same time, limiting the nucleation mechanism. The double-feed configuration allowed the synthesis of grown Mg(OH)2 hexagonal platelets. The influence of reactant flow rates, reactant concentrations, and reaction temperature was analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures were also taken to investigate the morphology of Mg(OH)2 crystals. The proposed precipitation strategy paves the road to satisfy flame-retardant market requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Romano
- Dipartimento
di Ingegneria, Università degli studi
di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Silvio Trespi
- Institute
of Energy and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ramona Achermann
- Institute
of Energy and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giuseppe Battaglia
- Dipartimento
di Ingegneria, Università degli studi
di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonello Raponi
- Department
of Applied Science and Technology, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - Daniele Marchisio
- Department
of Applied Science and Technology, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - Marco Mazzotti
- Institute
of Energy and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giorgio Micale
- Dipartimento
di Ingegneria, Università degli studi
di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Andrea Cipollina
- Dipartimento
di Ingegneria, Università degli studi
di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
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Herrero-Gonzalez M, López J, Virruso G, Cassaro C, Tamburini A, Cipollina A, Cortina JL, Ibañez R, Micale G. Analysis of Operational Parameters in Acid and Base Production Using an Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes Pilot Plant. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:200. [PMID: 36837703 PMCID: PMC9965870 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13020200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In agreement with the Water Framework Directive, Circular Economy and European Union (EU) Green Deal packages, the EU-funded WATER-MINING project aims to validate next-generation water resource solutions at the pre-commercial demonstration scale in order to provide water management and recovery of valuable materials from alternative sources. In the framework of the WATER-MINING project, desalination brines from the Lampedusa (Italy) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant will be used to produce freshwater and recover valuable salts by integrating different technologies. In particular, electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) will be used to produce chemicals (NaOH and HCl). A novel EDBM pilot plant (6.4 m2, FuMa-Tech) has been installed and operated. The performance of EDBM for single pass under different flowrates (2-8 L·min-1) for acid, base and saline channels, and two current densities (200 and 400 A·m-2), has been analyzed in terms of specific energy consumption (SEC) and current efficiency (CE). Results showed that by increasing the flowrates, generation of HCl and NaOH slightly increased. For example, ΔOH- shifted from 0.76 to 0.79 mol·min-1 when the flowrate increased from 2 to 7.5 L·min-1 at 200 A·m-2. Moreover, SEC decreased (1.18-1.05 kWh·kg-1) while CE increased (87.0-93.4%), achieving minimum (1.02 kWh·kg-1) and maximum (99.4%) values, respectively, at 6 L·min-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Herrero-Gonzalez
- Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain
- Dipartamento di Ingeniería, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Julio López
- Dipartamento di Ingeniería, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
- Chemical Engineering Department, Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)-Barcelona TECH, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Cantabria, Spain
- Barcelona Research Center for Multiscale Science and Engineering, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Giovanni Virruso
- Dipartamento di Ingeniería, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Calogero Cassaro
- Dipartamento di Ingeniería, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Tamburini
- Dipartamento di Ingeniería, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
- ResourSEAs SrL, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Andrea Cipollina
- Dipartamento di Ingeniería, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Jose Luis Cortina
- Chemical Engineering Department, Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)-Barcelona TECH, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Cantabria, Spain
- Barcelona Research Center for Multiscale Science and Engineering, Campus Diagonal-Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Cantabria, Spain
- CETaqua, Carretera d’Esplugues, 75, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Ibañez
- Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Giorgio Micale
- Dipartamento di Ingeniería, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
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Turek M, Mitko K, Skóra P, Dydo P, Jakóbik-Kolon A, Warzecha A, Tyrała K. Improving the Performance of a Salt Production Plant by Using Nanofiltration as a Pretreatment. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:1191. [PMID: 36557098 PMCID: PMC9787835 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12121191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The Dębieńsko plant in Czerwionka-Leszczyny, Poland, producing evaporated salt from the saline mine water, faces increasing operating costs due to its high energy consumption. To improve the performance of the plant, a two-pass nanofiltration with intermediate crystallization of gypsum was proposed as a pretreatment. Based on the results of pilot-scale research, it was found that the removal of most of the calcium, magnesium, and sulfate allows a substantial reduction in the concentration of these components in the concentrated brine, which is then directed to a sodium chloride crystallization evaporator. This makes it possible to increase salt yield from the current 58.8% to 76.1% and indirectly reduce energy consumption from 1350 kWh/t to 1068 kWh/t. At the same time, the volume of the highly saline post-crystallization lyes is decreased by 66%, and a new stream is obtained: a Mg-rich solution, which could be used for magnesium hydroxide recovery.
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