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Giacobbo A, Pasqualotto IF, Machado Filho RCDC, Minhalma M, Bernardes AM, de Pinho MN. Ultrafiltration and Nanofiltration for the Removal of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds from Water: The Effect of Operating Pressure on Electrostatic Solute-Membrane Interactions. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:743. [PMID: 37623804 PMCID: PMC10456375 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13080743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
The present work investigates nanofiltration (NF) and ultrafiltration (UF) for the removal of three widely used pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), namely atenolol, sulfamethoxazole, and rosuvastatin. Four membranes, two polyamide NF membranes (NF90 and NF270) and two polyethersulfone UF membranes (XT and ST), were evaluated in terms of productivity (permeate flux) and selectivity (rejection of PhACs) at pressures from 2 to 8 bar. Although the UF membranes have a much higher molecular weight cut-off (1000 and 10,000 Da), when compared to the molecular weight of the PhACs (253-482 Da), moderate rejections were observed. For UF, rejections were dependent on the molecular weight and charge of the PhACs, membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), and operating pressure, demonstrating that electrostatic interactions play an important role in the removal of PhACs, especially at low operating pressures. On the other hand, both NF membranes displayed high rejections for all PhACs studied (75-98%). Hence, considering the optimal operating conditions, the NF270 membrane (MWCO = 400 Da) presented the best performance, achieving permeate fluxes of about 100 kg h-1 m-2 and rejections above 80% at a pressure of 8 bar, that is, a productivity of about twice that of the NF90 membrane (MWCO = 200 Da). Therefore, NF270 was the most suitable membrane for this application, although the tight UF membranes under low operating pressures displayed satisfactory results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Giacobbo
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Isabella Franco Pasqualotto
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Rafael Cabeleira de Coronel Machado Filho
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Miguel Minhalma
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal;
- Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Rua Conselheiro Emídio Navarro, 1, 1959-007 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Andréa Moura Bernardes
- Post-Graduation Program in Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (PPGE3M), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves n. 9500, Porto Alegre 91509-900, Brazil; (I.F.P.); (R.C.d.C.M.F.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Maria Norberta de Pinho
- Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal;
- Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, n. 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
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Giacobbo A, Bernardes AM. Membrane Separation Process in Wastewater and Water Purification. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12030259. [PMID: 35323734 PMCID: PMC8953940 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12030259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The current scenario of increasing water scarcity and degradation of water bodies has led to the development of processes and technologies that provide more suitable treatment for both water and wastewater [...]
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Giacobbo
- Correspondence: (A.G.); (A.M.B.); Tel.: +55-51-3308-9428 (A.G. & A.M.B.)
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