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Akoumeh R, Noun M, Ponnamma D, Al-Ejji M, Zadeh KM, Hawari AH, Song K, Hassan MK. A versatile route for the fabrication of micro-patterned polylactic-acid (PLA)-based membranes with tailored morphology via breath figure imprinting. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:3787-3797. [PMID: 38639209 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00107a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Breath figure imprinting, based on surface instabilities combined with fast polymer evaporation in a humid environment, enables the creation of micro-patterned membranes with tailored pore sizes. Despite being a simple procedure, it is still challenging to fully understand the dynamics behind the formation of hierarchical structuring. In this work, we used the breath figure technique to prepare porous PLA-based (polylactic acid) membranes with two distinctive additives, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). The selection of these additives was governed by their unique properties and the potential synergistic effects; when blended with PLA, the addition of NPs leads to more uniform structures with tunable characteristics and potential multifunctionality. This article sheds light on the multifaced interactions that intricate the interplays between PLA, PVDF, and ZnO, thus governing their assembly. Through a comprehensive investigation, we scrutinize the impact of blending PVDF and different concentrations of ZnO NPs on the morphology and chemical properties of the final self-assembled PLA membranes while presenting an advanced understanding of the potential applications of PLA-self-assembly porous membranes in various industrial sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayane Akoumeh
- Center for Advanced Materials Qatar University P.O. BOX 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Manale Noun
- Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, National Council for Scientific Research, B. P. 11-8281, Riad El Solh 1107, 2260 Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Deepalekshmi Ponnamma
- Materials Science and Technology Program, Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713, Doha, Qatar
| | - Maryam Al-Ejji
- Center for Advanced Materials Qatar University P.O. BOX 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Khadija M Zadeh
- Center for Advanced Materials Qatar University P.O. BOX 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Alaa H Hawari
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Kenan Song
- Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Georgia (UGA), 302 E. Campus Rd., Athens 30602, USA
- Adjunct Professor at the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks (MSN), Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University (ASU), Mesa, AZ 85212, USA
| | - Mohammad K Hassan
- Center for Advanced Materials Qatar University P.O. BOX 2713, Doha, Qatar.
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Naderi N, Ganjali F, Eivazzadeh-Keihan R, Maleki A, Sillanpää M. Applications of hollow nanostructures in water treatment considering organic, inorganic, and bacterial pollutants. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 356:120670. [PMID: 38531142 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120670] [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: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
One of the major issues of modern society is water contamination with different organic, inorganic, and contaminants bacteria. Finding cost-effective and efficient materials and methods for water treatment and environment remediation is among the scientists' most important considerations. Hollow-structured nanomaterials, including hollow fiber membranes, hollow spheres, hollow nanoboxes, etc., have shown an exciting capability for wastewater refinement approaches, including membrane technology, adsorption, and photocatalytic procedure due to their extremely high specific surface area, high porosity, unique morphology, and low density. Diverse hollow nanostructures could potentially eliminate organic contaminants, including dyes, antibiotics, oil/water emulsions, pesticides, and other phenolic compounds, inorganic pollutants, such as heavy metal ions, salts, phosphate, bromate, and other ions, and bacteria contaminations. Here, a comprehensive overview of hollow nanostructures' fabrication and modification, water contaminant classification, and recent studies in the water treatment field using hollow-structured nanomaterials with a comparative attitude have been provided, indicating the privilege abd detriments of this class of nanomaterials. Eventually, the future outlook of employing hollow nanomaterials in water refinery systems and the upcoming challenges arising in scaling up are also propounded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nooshin Naderi
- Catalysts and Organic Synthesis Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 16846-13114, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ganjali
- Catalysts and Organic Synthesis Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 16846-13114, Iran
| | - Reza Eivazzadeh-Keihan
- Catalysts and Organic Synthesis Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 16846-13114, Iran.
| | - Ali Maleki
- Catalysts and Organic Synthesis Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 16846-13114, Iran.
| | - Mika Sillanpää
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Mining, Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, University of Johannesburg, P. O. Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa; International Research Centre of Nanotechnology for Himalayan Sustainability (IRCNHS), Shoolini University, Solan, 173212, Himachal Pradesh, India; Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University, Nørrebrogade 44, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Civil Engineering, University Centre for Research & Development, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Mohali, Punjab, India.
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Koyuncu I, Eryildiz B, Kaya R, Karakus Y, Zakeri F, Khataee A, Vatanpour V. Modification of reinforced hollow fiber membranes with WO 3 nanosheets for treatment of textile wastewater by membrane bioreactor. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 326:116758. [PMID: 36402019 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116758] [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: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this study, performance of braid reinforced hollow fiber membrane containing polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) embedded with tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanosheets in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was examined for textile wastewater treatment. The WO3 nanosheets was synthesized and blended at different concentrations (0.1-0.02 wt%) in casting solutions of the membranes. The WO3 nanosheets characterized using various tests such as XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS, dot-mapping, and TEM. Furthermore, the effects of the increased WO3 nanosheets into the PVDF matrix on the membrane morphology, hydrophilicity, permeability, antifouling, and COD and color removal efficiency was investigated. The addition of 0.1 wt% of the nanosheets reduces the water contact angle from 69.3° to 62.5° while increasing overall porosity from 37.5 to 43.2%. COD and color removal for PVDF/0.10 wt% WO3 membrane was between 86-89% and 72-76%, respectively. While the TMP of modified WO3 membranes did not significantly increase due to antimicrobial properties of the WO3 nanosheets, the TMP of the pure PVDF membrane increase, indicating considerable cake layer fouling. The results of this study showed that modification of PVDF braid reinforced hollow fiber membrane using WO3 nanosheets is promising membrane for MBR systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismail Koyuncu
- National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Environmental Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Bahriye Eryildiz
- National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Environmental Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Recep Kaya
- National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Environmental Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Yucel Karakus
- National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Environmental Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Fatemeh Zakeri
- Research Laboratory of Advanced Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes, Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, 51666-16471, Tabriz, Iran; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, No. 159, Longpan Road, Nanjing, 210037, Jiangsu, China
| | - Alireza Khataee
- Research Laboratory of Advanced Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes, Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, 51666-16471, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Environmental Engineering, Gebze Technical University, 41400, Gebze, Turkey
| | - Vahid Vatanpour
- National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Environmental Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Kharazmi University, 15719-14911, Tehran, Iran
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AlSawaftah N, Abuwatfa W, Darwish N, Husseini GA. A Review on Membrane Biofouling: Prediction, Characterization, and Mitigation. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12121271. [PMID: 36557178 PMCID: PMC9787789 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12121271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Water scarcity is an increasing problem on every continent, which instigated the search for novel ways to provide clean water suitable for human use; one such way is desalination. Desalination refers to the process of purifying salts and contaminants to produce water suitable for domestic and industrial applications. Due to the high costs and energy consumption associated with some desalination techniques, membrane-based technologies have emerged as a promising alternative water treatment, due to their high energy efficiency, operational simplicity, and lower cost. However, membrane fouling is a major challenge to membrane-based separation as it has detrimental effects on the membrane's performance and integrity. Based on the type of accumulated foulants, fouling can be classified into particulate, organic, inorganic, and biofouling. Biofouling is considered the most problematic among the four fouling categories. Therefore, proper characterization and prediction of biofouling are essential for creating efficient control and mitigation strategies to minimize the damage associated with biofouling. Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in predicting membrane fouling has garnered a great deal of attention due to its adaptive capability and prediction accuracy. This paper presents an overview of the membrane biofouling mechanisms, characterization techniques, and predictive methods with a focus on AI-based techniques, and mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nour AlSawaftah
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates
| | - Waad Abuwatfa
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates
| | - Naif Darwish
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ghaleb A. Husseini
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates
- Correspondence:
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Cheng L, Zhou Z, Li L, Xiao P, Ma Y, Liu F, Li J. PVDF/MOFs mixed matrix ultrafiltration membrane for efficient water treatment. Front Chem 2022; 10:985750. [PMID: 36034649 PMCID: PMC9411721 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.985750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), with excellent mechanical strength, thermal stability and chemical corrosion resistance, has become an excellent material for separation membranes fabrication. However, the high hydrophobicity of PVDF membrane surface normally leads a decreased water permeability and serious membrane pollution, which ultimately result in low operational efficiency, short lifespan of membrane, high operation cost and other problems. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have been widely applied for membrane modification due to its large specific surface area, large porosity and adjustable pore size. Currently, numerous MOFs have been synthesized and used to adjust the membrane separation properties. In this study, MIL-53(Al) were blended with PVDF casting solution to prepare ultrafiltration (UF) membrane through a phase separation technique. The optimal separation performance was achieved by varying the concentration of MIL-53(Al). The surface properties and microstructures of the as-prepared membranes with different MIL-53(Al) loading revealed that the incorporation of MIL-53(Al) enhanced the membrane hydrophilicity and increased the porosity and average pore size of the membrane. The optimal membrane decorated with 5 wt% MIL-53(Al) possessed a pure water permeability up to 43.60 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, while maintaining higher rejections towards BSA (82.09%). Meanwhile, the prepared MIL-53(Al)/LiCl@PVDF membranes exhibited an excellent antifouling performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilantian Cheng
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Zixun Zhou
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Lei Li
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Pei Xiao
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Science Center for Future Foods, School of Food Science and Technology, International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Fei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Science Center for Future Foods, School of Food Science and Technology, International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jian Li
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
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Effect of Aeration Intensity on Performance of Lab-Scale Quorum-Quenching Membrane Bioreactor. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12030289. [PMID: 35323763 PMCID: PMC8953932 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12030289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Biofouling is one of the main drawbacks of membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Among the different methods, the quorum-quenching (QQ) technique is a novel method as it delays biofilm formation on the membrane surface through disruption of bacterial cell-to-cell communication and thus effectively mitigates membrane biofouling. QQ bacteria require a certain concentration of dissolved oxygen to show their best activities. Despite the importance of the amount of aeration, there have not been enough studies on aeration condition utilizing the separate determination of pure QQ effect and physical cleaning effect. This research aimed to find the optimum aeration intensity by separation of the two effects from QQ and physical cleaning. Three bead type conditions (no bead, vacant bead, and QQ beads) at three aeration intensities (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 L/min representing low, medium, and high aeration intensity) were applied. From the results, no QQ effect and small QQ effect were observed at low and high aeration, while the greatest QQ effect (48.2% of 737 h improvement) was observed at medium aeration. The best performance was observed at high aeration with QQ beads having a 1536 h operational duration (303% improvement compared to the no bead condition); however, this excellent performance was attributed more to the physical cleaning effect than to the QQ effect.
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