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Saleem H, Goh PS, Saud A, Khan MAW, Munira N, Ismail AF, Zaidi SJ. Graphene Quantum Dot-Added Thin-Film Composite Membrane with Advanced Nanofibrous Support for Forward Osmosis. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:nano12234154. [PMID: 36500777 PMCID: PMC9735732 DOI: 10.3390/nano12234154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) technology for desalination has been extensively studied due to its immense benefits over conventionally used reverse osmosis. However, there are some challenges in this process such as a high reverse solute flux (RSF), low water flux, and poor chlorine resistance that must be properly addressed. These challenges in the FO process can be resolved through proper membrane design. This study describes the fabrication of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes with polyethersulfone solution blown-spun (SBS) nanofiber support and an incorporated selective layer of graphene quantum dots (GQDs). This is the first study to sustainably develop GQDs from banyan tree leaves for water treatment and to examine the chlorine resistance of a TFC FO membrane with SBS nanofiber support. Successful GQD formation was confirmed with different characterizations. The performance of the GQD-TFC-FO membrane was studied in terms of flux, long-term stability, and chlorine resistance. It was observed that the membrane with 0.05 wt.% of B-GQDs exhibited increased surface smoothness, hydrophilicity, water flux, salt rejection, and chlorine resistance, along with a low RSF and reduced solute flux compared with that of neat TFC membranes. The improvement can be attributed to the presence of GQDs in the polyamide layer and the utilization of SBS nanofibrous support in the TFC membrane. A simulation study was also carried out to validate the experimental data. The developed membrane has great potential in desalination and water treatment applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haleema Saleem
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Pei Sean Goh
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia
| | - Asif Saud
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Mohammad Aquib Wakeel Khan
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Nazmin Munira
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia
| | - Syed Javaid Zaidi
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +974-4403-7723
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A critical review on thin-film nanocomposite membranes enabled by nanomaterials incorporated in different positions and with diverse dimensions: Performance comparison and mechanisms. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Saleem H, Saud A, Munira N, Goh PS, Ismail AF, Siddiqui HR, Zaidi SJ. Improved Forward Osmosis Performance of Thin Film Composite Membranes with Graphene Quantum Dots Derived from Eucalyptus Tree Leaves. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:nano12193519. [PMID: 36234646 PMCID: PMC9565292 DOI: 10.3390/nano12193519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The major challenges in forward osmosis (FO) are low water flux, high specific reverse solute flux (SRSF), and membrane fouling. The present work addresses these problems by the incorporation of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in the polyamide (PA) layer of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, as well as by using an innovative polyethersulfone nanofiber support for the TFC membrane. The GQDs were prepared from eucalyptus leaves using a facile hydrothermal method that requires only deionized water, without the need for any organic solvents or reducing agents. The nanofiber support of the TFC membranes was prepared using solution blow spinning (SBS). The polyamide layer with GQDs was deposited on top of the nanofiber support through interfacial polymerization. This is the first study that reports the fouling resistance of the SBS-nanofiber-supported TFC membranes. The effect of various GQD loadings on the TFC FO membrane performance, its long-term FO testing, cleaning efficiency, and organic fouling resistance were analyzed. It was noted that the FO separation performance of the TFC membranes was improved with the incorporation of 0.05 wt.% GQDs. This study confirmed that the newly developed thin-film nanocomposite membranes demonstrated increased water flux and salt rejection, reduced SRSF, and good antifouling performance in the FO process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haleema Saleem
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Asif Saud
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Nazmin Munira
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Pei Sean Goh
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia
| | - Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia
| | - Hammadur Rahman Siddiqui
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
| | - Syed Javaid Zaidi
- UNESCO Chair on Desalination and Water Treatment, Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
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Zhang Y, Li X, Wang HY, Wang BX, Li J, Cheng DH, Lu YH. Highly Breathable and Abrasion-Resistant Membranes with Micro-/Nano-Channels for Eco-Friendly Moisture-Wicking Medical Textiles. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:3071. [PMID: 36080108 PMCID: PMC9458056 DOI: 10.3390/nano12173071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
One-way water transport is a predominant feature of comfortable textiles used in daily life. However, shortcomings related to the textiles include their poor breathability and durability. In this study, low-cost and eco-friendly PLA/low-melt (polylactic acid) LMPLA-thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) membranes were fabricated through a needle punch/hot press and electrospinning method. The micro-/nano-channels, used for the first time, endowed the composite membranes with robust, breathable, moisture-permeable, and abrasion-resistant performance. By varying the nano- layer thickness, the resulting 16-40 μm membranes exhibited excellent one-way water transport, robust breathability and moisture permeability, and good abrasion resistance. Nano-layer thickness was found to be a critical performance factor, balancing comfort and protection. These results may be useful for developing low-cost, eco-friendly, and versatile protective products for medical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Liaodong University, Dandong 118003, China
- Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Materials, Liaodong University, Dandong 118000, China
| | - Xing Li
- School of Textile Science & Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Hong-Yang Wang
- Tianjing Fire Science and Technology Research Institute of MEM, Tianjin 300381, China
| | - Bo-Xiang Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Liaodong University, Dandong 118003, China
- Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Materials, Liaodong University, Dandong 118000, China
| | - Jia Li
- School of Chemical Engineering, Liaodong University, Dandong 118003, China
- Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Materials, Liaodong University, Dandong 118000, China
| | - De-Hong Cheng
- School of Chemical Engineering, Liaodong University, Dandong 118003, China
- Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Materials, Liaodong University, Dandong 118000, China
| | - Yan-Hua Lu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Liaodong University, Dandong 118003, China
- Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Materials, Liaodong University, Dandong 118000, China
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Hu D, Ren X, Fu H, Wang Y, Feng X, Li H. Constructing highly rough skin layer of thin film (nano)composite polyamide membranes to enhance separation performance: A review. J Appl Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/app.52692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Hu
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry and Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University Beijing P. R. China
| | - Xiaomin Ren
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry and Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University Beijing P. R. China
| | - Hongyan Fu
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry and Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University Beijing P. R. China
| | - Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry and Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University Beijing P. R. China
| | - Xudong Feng
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry and Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University Beijing P. R. China
| | - Hehe Li
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry and Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University Beijing P. R. China
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De Guzman MR, Ang MBMY, Yeh YL, Yang HL, Huang SH, Lee KR. Improved pervaporation efficiency of thin-film composite polyamide membranes fabricated through acetone-assisted interfacial polymerization. Chem Eng Res Des 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2020.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Rashed A, Esawi AMK, Ramadan AR. Novel Polysulfone/Carbon Nanotube-Polyamide Thin Film Nanocomposite Membranes with Improved Water Flux for Forward Osmosis Desalination. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:14427-14436. [PMID: 32596580 PMCID: PMC7315434 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising alternative to reverse osmosis (RO) in membrane-based water desalination. In the current study, carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were incorporated in a polyamide (PA) layer formed on top of a polysulfone porous support, resulting in a thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane. The amount of MWCNTs was varied (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 wt/vol %). The FO performance was investigated using deionized water as the feed solution and 2 M NaCl as the draw solution. It was found that the carboxylated MWCNTs enhanced the membrane hydrophilicity, surface roughness, and porosity. Such combined effects are believed to have led to enhanced FO water flux. TFN 0.2 showed the highest FO water flux of 73.15 L/m2 h, an improvement of 67% compared to the blank thin-film composite (TFC) membrane and significantly better than the values reported in the literature. Direct observation by transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of some open-ended CNTs favorably oriented across the PA layer. Those are believed to have facilitated the transport of water through their inner cores and contributed to the increase in water flux. However, this was at the expense of salt rejection and reverse solute flux performance. The best performing membrane was found to be TFN 0.01. It exhibited a salt rejection of 90.1% with a FO water flux of 50.23 L/m2 h, which is 13% higher than the TFC membrane, and a reverse solute flux of 2.76 g/m2 h, which is 21% lower than the TFC membrane. This TFN 0.01 membrane also outperformed the TFN membranes reported in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed
O. Rashed
- Department
of Chemistry, The American University in
Cairo, AUC Avenue, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Amal M. K. Esawi
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, The American
University in Cairo, AUC Avenue, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - Adham R. Ramadan
- Department
of Chemistry, The American University in
Cairo, AUC Avenue, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
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Zhang M, Jin W, Yang F, Duke M, Dong Y, Tang CY. Engineering a Nanocomposite Interlayer for a Novel Ceramic-Based Forward Osmosis Membrane with Enhanced Performance. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:7715-7724. [PMID: 32401501 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c02809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Rational design of a high-performance defect-free polyamide (PA) layer on a robust ceramic substrate is challenging for forward osmosis (FO) water treatment applications. In this study, we first demonstrated a robust ceramic-based thin-film composite (TFC) FO membrane by engineering a novel nanocomposite interlayer of titanium dioxide and carbon nanotube (TiO2/CNT). The structural morphologies and properties were systematically characterized for different substrates (without interlayer, with TiO2 interlayer, or with TiO2/CNT interlayer) and the corresponding ceramic-based TFC-FO membranes. Introduction of low roughness nanocomposite interlayers with decreased pore size created an interface with improved surface characteristics, favoring the formation of a defect-free nanovoid-containing PA layer with high cross-linking degree. The resulting ceramic-based FO membrane had a water permeability of approximately 2 L/(m2 h bar) and a NaCl rejection of 98%, showing simultaneous enhancements in both compared to the control membrane without an interlayer. Mechanism analysis indicates that such a special nanocomposite interlayer not only provided more active sites for the formation of a thinner defect-free nanovoid-containing PA layer without penetration into substrate but also acted as a highly porous three-dimensional network structure for rapid water transport. This work provides a novel protocol for rational design and fabrication of a high-performance multilayered inorganic FO membrane as well as extended applications in water treatment with enhanced performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingming Zhang
- 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
| | - Wenbiao Jin
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Fenglin Yang
- 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
| | - Mikel Duke
- Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, Australia
| | - 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
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
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