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Mutahi G, van Lier JB, Spanjers H. Leveraging organic acids in bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPMED) can enhance ammonia recovery from scrubber effluents. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 265:122296. [PMID: 39178594 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 08/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
While air stripping combined with acid scrubbing remains a competitive technology for the removal and recovery of ammonia from wastewater streams, its use of strong acids is concerning. Organic acids offer promising alternatives to strong acids like sulphuric acid, but their application remains limited due to high cost. This study proposes an integration of air stripping and organic acid scrubbing with bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPMED) to regenerate the organic acids. We compared the energy consumption and current efficiency of BPMED in recovering dissolved ammonia and regenerating sulphuric, citric, and maleic acids from synthetic scrubber effluents. Current efficiency was lower when regenerating sulphuric acid (22 %) compared to citric (47 %) and maleic acid (37 %), attributable to the competitive proton transport over ammonium across the cation exchange membrane. Organic salts functioned as buffers, reducing the concentration of free protons, resulting in higher ammonium removal efficiencies with citrate (75 %) and malate (68 %), compared to sulphate (29 %). Consequently, the energy consumption of the BPMED decreased by 54 % and 35 % while regenerating citric and maleic acids, respectively, compared to sulfuric acid. Membrane characterisation experiments showed that the electrical conductivity ranking, ammonium citrate > ammonium malate > ammonium sulphate, was mirrored by the energy consumption (kWh/kg-N recovered) ranking, ammonium sulphate (15.6) < ammonium malate (10.2) < ammonium citrate (7.2), while the permselectivity ranking, ammonium sulphate > ammonium citrate > ammonium malate, aligned with calculated charge densities. This work demonstrates the potential of combining organic acid scrubbers with BPMED for ammonium recovery from wastewater effluents with minimum chemical input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gladys Mutahi
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Jules B van Lier
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Henri Spanjers
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, the Netherlands
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Reyes Alva R, Mohr M, Zibek S. Transmembrane Chemical Absorption Process for Recovering Ammonia as an Organic Fertilizer Using Citric Acid as the Trapping Solution. MEMBRANES 2024; 14:102. [PMID: 38786937 PMCID: PMC11123178 DOI: 10.3390/membranes14050102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Membrane contactors are among the available technologies that allow a reduction in the amount of ammoniacal nitrogen released into the environment through a process called transmembrane chemical absorption (TMCA). This process can be operated with different substances acting as trapping solutions; however, strong inorganic acids have been studied the most. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate, at laboratory scale, the performance of citric acid as a capturing solution in TMCA processes for recovering ammonia as an organic fertilizer from anaerobic digestor reject water using membrane contactors in a liquid-liquid configuration and to compare it with the most studied solution, sulfuric acid. The experiments were carried out at 22 °C and 40 °C and with a feed water pH of 10 and 10.5. When the system was operated at pH 10, the rates of recovered ammonia from the feed solution obtained with citric acid were 10.7-16.5 percentage points (pp) lower compared to sulfuric acid, and at pH 10.5, the difference decreased to 5-10 pp. Under all tested conditions, the water vapor transport in the system was lower when using citric acid as the trapping solution, and at pH 10 and 40 °C, it was 5.7 times lower. When estimating the operational costs for scaling up the system, citric acid appears to be a better option than sulfuric acid as a trapping solution, but in both cases, the process was not profitable under the studied conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Reyes Alva
- Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology (IGVP), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany;
| | - Marius Mohr
- Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Nobelstr. 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Susanne Zibek
- Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology (IGVP), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 31, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany;
- Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Nobelstr. 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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Casado-Coterillo C, Santos DMF, Tomé LC, Velizarov S, Coelhoso I, Calvo JI. State of the Art Membrane Science and Technology in the Iberian Peninsula 2021-2022. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:732. [PMID: 37623793 PMCID: PMC10456632 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13080732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
This Special Issue of the journal Membranes arises from the need to highlight the developments in the field of membrane research and membrane processes that have been emerging in recent years by researchers and research groups based in the Iberian Peninsula [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Casado-Coterillo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Av. Los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain
| | - Diogo M. F. Santos
- Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials, Laboratory for Physics of Materials and Emerging Technologies, Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Liliana C. Tomé
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Svetlozar Velizarov
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Isabel Coelhoso
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - José Ignacio Calvo
- Department of Applied Physics, Institute for Sustainable Processes, Universidad de Valladolid, 34071 Palencia, Spain
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Ramada DL, de Vries J, Vollenbroek J, Noor N, Ter Beek O, Mihăilă SM, Wieringa F, Masereeuw R, Gerritsen K, Stamatialis D. Portable, wearable and implantable artificial kidney systems: needs, opportunities and challenges. Nat Rev Nephrol 2023:10.1038/s41581-023-00726-9. [PMID: 37277461 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-023-00726-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Haemodialysis is life sustaining but expensive, provides limited removal of uraemic solutes, is associated with poor patient quality of life and has a large carbon footprint. Innovative dialysis technologies such as portable, wearable and implantable artificial kidney systems are being developed with the aim of addressing these issues and improving patient care. An important challenge for these technologies is the need for continuous regeneration of a small volume of dialysate. Dialysate recycling systems based on sorbents have great potential for such regeneration. Novel dialysis membranes composed of polymeric or inorganic materials are being developed to improve the removal of a broad range of uraemic toxins, with low levels of membrane fouling compared with currently available synthetic membranes. To achieve more complete therapy and provide important biological functions, these novel membranes could be combined with bioartificial kidneys, which consist of artificial membranes combined with kidney cells. Implementation of these systems will require robust cell sourcing; cell culture facilities annexed to dialysis centres; large-scale, low-cost production; and quality control measures. These challenges are not trivial, and global initiatives involving all relevant stakeholders, including academics, industrialists, medical professionals and patients with kidney disease, are required to achieve important technological breakthroughs.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Loureiro Ramada
- Advanced Organ bioengineering and Therapeutics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, P.O Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Joost de Vries
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Vollenbroek
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA + Institute, University of Twente, Hallenweg 15, 7522, NH Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Nazia Noor
- Advanced Organ bioengineering and Therapeutics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, P.O Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Odyl Ter Beek
- Advanced Organ bioengineering and Therapeutics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, P.O Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Silvia M Mihăilă
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Fokko Wieringa
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Autonomous Therapeutics, IMEC, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA), WG3 "Breakthrough Innovation", Brussels, Belgium
| | - Rosalinde Masereeuw
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Gerritsen
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dimitrios Stamatialis
- Advanced Organ bioengineering and Therapeutics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, P.O Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
- European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA), WG3 "Breakthrough Innovation", Brussels, Belgium.
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Soto-Herranz M, Sánchez-Báscones M, García-González MC, Martín-Ramos P. Comparison of the Ammonia Trapping Performance of Different Gas-Permeable Tubular Membrane System Configurations. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:1104. [PMID: 36363659 PMCID: PMC9699080 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12111104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The technology of gas-permeable tubular membranes (GPMs) is promising in reducing ammonia emissions from livestock manure, capturing NH3 in an acidic solution, and obtaining final products suitable for valorization as fertilizers, in line with the principles of the circular economy. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of several e-PTFE membrane systems with different configurations for the recovery of NH3 released from pig slurry. Ten different configurations were tested: only a submerged membrane, only a suspended membrane in the same chamber, only a suspended membrane in an annex chamber, a submerged membrane + a suspended membrane in the same chamber, and a submerged membrane + a suspended membrane in an annex chamber, considering in each case the scenarios without and with agitation and aeration of the slurry. In all tests, sulfuric acid (1N H2SO4) was used as the NH3 capture solution, which circulated at a flow rate of 2.1 L·h-1. The results showed that NH3-N removal rates ranged from 36-39% (for systems with a single submerged or suspended membrane without agitation or aeration of the slurry) to 70-72% for submerged + suspended GPM systems with agitation and aeration. In turn, NH3-N recovery rates were found to be between 44-54% (for systems with a single membrane suspended in an annex compartment) and 88-91% (for systems based on a single submerged membrane). However, when choosing a system for farm deployment, it is essential to consider not only the capture and recovery performance of the system, but also the investment and operating costs (ranging from 9.8 to 21.2 €/kg N recovered depending on the selected configuration). The overall assessment suggests that the simplest systems, based on a single membrane, may be the most recommendable.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Soto-Herranz
- Department of Agroforestry Sciences, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004 Palencia, Spain
| | - Mercedes Sánchez-Báscones
- Department of Agroforestry Sciences, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004 Palencia, Spain
| | - María Cruz García-González
- Department of Agroforestry Sciences, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004 Palencia, Spain
| | - Pablo Martín-Ramos
- Department of Agroforestry Sciences, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004 Palencia, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), EPS, Universidad de Zaragoza, Carretera de Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain
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