1
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Hsieh IM, Malmali M. Scaling behavior in membrane distillation: Effect of Biopolymers and Antiscalants. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 255:121456. [PMID: 38547789 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/24/2024]
Abstract
Fouling and scaling are inherent characteristics of membrane-based separation. They lead to a reduced membrane throughput. In the case of membrane distillation (MD), they can possibly result in pore wetting and irreversible failure to sustain the mass transfer interface. Most prior research on understanding fouling and scaling uses indirect measurements (flux) or ex-situ analyses methods (such as SEM and EDX), which limit the outcomes to indirect qualitative conclusions. Particularly, studying scaling tends to be more challenging due to the complexity of the experiments and the method of investigation; it is imperative to distinguish the contributions from the bulk phase and heterogeneous nucleation. In this work, we established a non-invasive, in-situ, real-time imaging experimental apparatus to study the scaling mechanism. Our experimental setup assisted us in distinguishing distinct phases of scaling during the filtration tests. We studied the scaling mechanism of various single-component systems (sodium chloride, strontium sulfate, calcium sulfate, and calcium carbonate) in vacuum MD filtration. The effect of natural organic matter and antiscalants on gypsum scaling were systematically investigated. Overall, organic fouling on the membrane surface expedited heterogeneous crystallization while decelerating crystal growth in the bulk phase. For instance, deposited humic acid (HA) on the membrane surface promoted gypsum heterogeneous nucleation on the membrane surface due to the interactions between HA carboxylic functional groups and calcium ions. The adsorption of HA on the salt crystal also decelerated crystal growth in the bulk phase. Antiscalants delayed and decelerated both crystal nucleation and crystal growth. PAA, a polycarboxylate antiscalant at 5 ppm, was found to effectively delay the onset of nucleation and crystal growth in the bulk phase, while phosphorous antiscalants at 5 ppm only delayed the onset of nucleation in the bulk phase with a negligible influence on crystal growth. Real-time, in-situ, and non-invasive monitoring shed light on the scaling mechanism and can further be used to identify mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Min Hsieh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 807 Canton Ave., Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Mahdi Malmali
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 807 Canton Ave., Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.
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2
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Chang H, Zhu Y, Huang L, Yan Z, Qu F, Liang H. Mineral scaling induced membrane wetting in membrane distillation for water treatment: Fundamental mechanism and mitigation strategies. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 247:120807. [PMID: 37924685 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120807] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
The scaling-induced wetting phenomenon seriously affects the application of membrane distillation (MD) technology in hypersaline wastewater treatment. Unlike the large amount of researches on membrane scaling and membrane wetting, scaling-induced wetting is not sufficiently studied. In this work, the current research evolvement of scaling-induced wetting in MD was systematically summarized. Firstly, the theories involving scaling-induced wetting were discussed, including evaluation of scaling potential of specific solutions, classical and non-classical crystal nucleation and growth theories, observation and evolution of scaling-induced processes. Secondly, the primary pretreatment methods for alleviating scaling-induced wetting were discussed in detail, focusing on adding agents composed of coagulation, precipitation, oxidation, adsorption and scale inhibitors, filtration including granular filtration, membrane filtration and mesh filtration and application of external fields including sound, light, heat, electromagnetism, magnetism and aeration. Then, the roles of operation conditions and cleaning conditions in alleviating scaling-induced wetting were evaluated. The main operation parameters included temperature, flow rate, pressure, ultrasound, vibration and aeration, while different types of cleaning reagents, cleaning frequency and a series of assisted cleaning measures were summarized. Finally, the challenges and future needs in the application of nucleation theory to scaling-induced wetting, the speculation, monitoring and mitigation of scaling-induced wetting were proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiqing Chang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China.
| | - Yingyuan Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China
| | - Lin Huang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China
| | - Zhongsen Yan
- College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Fangshu Qu
- Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Heng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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3
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Jeong S, Gu B, Choi S, Ahn SK, Lee J, Lee J, Jeong S. Engineered multi-scale roughness of carbon nanofiller-embedded 3D printed spacers for membrane distillation. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 231:119649. [PMID: 36702024 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119649] [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: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) transfers heat and mass simultaneously through a hydrophobic membrane. Hence, it is sensitive to both concentration and temperature polarisation (CP and TP) effects. In this study, we fabricated feed spacers to improve MD efficiency by alleviating the polarisation effects. First, a 3D printed spacer design was optimised to show superior performance amongst the others tested. Then, to further enhance spacer performance, we incorporated highly thermally stable carbon nanofillers, including carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene, in the fabrication of filaments for 3D printing. All the fabricated spacers had a degree of engineered multi-scale roughness, which was relatively high compared to that of the polylactic acid (PLA) spacer (control). The use of nanomaterial-incorporated spacers increased the mean permeate flux significantly compared to the PLA spacer (27.1 L/m2h (LMH)): a 43% and 75% increase when using the 1% graphene-incorporated spacer (38.9 LMH) and 2% CNT incorporated spacer (47.5 LMH), respectively. This could be attributed to the locally enhanced turbulence owing to the multi-scale roughness formed on the spacer, which further increased the vaporisation rate through the membrane. Interestingly, only the CNT-embedded spacer markedly reduced the ion permeation through the membrane, which may be due to the effective reduction of CP. This further decreased with increasing CNT concentration, confirming that the CNT spacer can simultaneously reduce the CP and TP effects in the MD process. Finally, we successfully proved that the multi-scale roughness of the spacer surface induces micromixing near the membrane walls, which can improve the MD performance via computational fluid dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seongeom Jeong
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Boram Gu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea.
| | - Subi Choi
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Suk-Kyun Ahn
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaegeun Lee
- School of Chemical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Jieun Lee
- Institute for Environment and Energy, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanghyun Jeong
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea.
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4
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Shi D, Gong T, Qing W, Li X, Shao S. Unique Behaviors and Mechanism of Highly Soluble Salt-Induced Wetting in Membrane Distillation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:14788-14796. [PMID: 36154007 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Scaling-induced wettinggreatly limits the application of membrane distillation (MD) for the desalination of high-salinity feed. Although highly soluble salts (e.g., NaCl) have high concentrations in this water, their scaling-induced wetting remains overlooked. To unravel the elusive wetting behaviors of highly soluble salts, in this study, we systematically investigated the scaling formation and wetting progress by in situ observation with optical coherence tomography (OCT). Through examining the influence of salt type and vapor flux on the wetting behavior, we revealed that highly soluble salt-induced wetting, especially under high vapor flux, shared several unique features: (1) occurring before the bulk feed reached saturation, (2) no scale layer formation observed, and (3) synchronized wetting progress on the millimeter scale. We demonstrated that a moving scale layer caused these interesting phenomena. The initial high vapor flux induced high concentration and temperature polarizations, which led to crystallization at the gas-liquid interface and the formation of an initial scale layer. On the one hand, this scale layer bridged the water into the hydrophobic pores; on the other hand, it blocked the membrane pores and reduced the vapor flux. In this way, the decreased vapor flux mitigated the concentration/temperature polarizations, and consequently led to the dissolution of the feed-facing side of the scale layer. This dissolution prevented the membrane pores from being completely blocked, facilitating the transportation and crystallization of salts at the distillate-facing side of the scale layer (i.e., the gas-liquid interface), thus the proceeding of the wetting layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danting Shi
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China
| | - Tengjing Gong
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China
| | - Weihua Qing
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Xianhui Li
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Senlin Shao
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China
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5
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Dai Z, Zhao Y, Paudyal S, Wang X, Dai C, Ko S, Li W, Kan AT, Tomson MB. Gypsum scale formation and inhibition kinetics with implications in membrane system. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 225:119166. [PMID: 36198211 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Water desalination using membrane technology is one of the main technologies to resolve water pollution and scarcity issues. In the membrane treatment process, mineral scale deposition and fouling is a severe challenge that can lead to filtration efficiency decrease, permeate quality compromise, and even membrane damage. Multiple methods have been developed to resolve this problem, such as scale inhibitor addition, product recovery ratio adjustment, periodic membrane surface flushing. The performance of these methods largely depends on the ability to accurately predict the kinetics of mineral scale deposition and fouling with or without inhibitors. Gypsum is one of the most common and troublesome inorganic mineral scales in membrane systems, however, no mechanistic model is available to accurately predict the induction time of gypsum crystallization and inhibition. In this study, a new gypsum crystallization and inhibition model based on the classical nucleation theory and a Langmuir type adsorption isotherm has been developed. Through this model, it is believed that gypsum nucleation may gradually transit from homogeneous to heterogeneous nucleation when the gypsum saturation index (SI) decreases. Such transition is represented by a gradual decrease of surface tension at smaller SI values. This model assumes that the adsorption of inhibitors onto the gypsum nucleus can increase the nucleus superficial surface tension and prolong the induction time. Using the new model, this study accurately predicted the gypsum crystallization induction times with or without nine commonly used scale inhibitors over wide ranges of temperature (25-90 °C), SI (0.04-0.96), and background NaCl concentration (0-6 mol/L). The fitted affinity constants between scale inhibitors and gypsum show a good correlation with those between the same inhibitors and barite, indicating a similar inhibition mechanism via adsorption. Furthermore, by incorporating this model with the two-phase mineral deposition model our group developed previously, this study accurately predicts the gypsum deposition time on the membrane material surfaces reported in the literature. We believe that the model developed in this study can not only accurately predict the gypsum crystallization induction time with or without scale inhibitors, elucidate the gypsum crystallization and inhibition mechanisms, but also optimize the mineral scale control in the membrane filtration system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoyi Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Critical Zone Evolution, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States.
| | - Yue Zhao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States; Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, SINOPEC, Beijing, China
| | - Samridhdi Paudyal
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Chong Dai
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Saebom Ko
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Amy T Kan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Mason B Tomson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, United States
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6
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Rolf J, Cao T, Huang X, Boo C, Li Q, Elimelech M. Inorganic Scaling in Membrane Desalination: Models, Mechanisms, and Characterization Methods. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:7484-7511. [PMID: 35666637 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c01858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Inorganic scaling caused by precipitation of sparingly soluble salts at supersaturation is a common but critical issue, limiting the efficiency of membrane-based desalination and brine management technologies as well as other engineered systems. A wide range of minerals including calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, and silica precipitate during membrane-based desalination, limiting water recovery and reducing process efficiency. The economic impact of scaling on desalination processes requires understanding of its sources, causes, effects, and control methods. In this Critical Review, we first describe nucleation mechanisms and crystal growth theories, which are fundamental to understanding inorganic scale formation during membrane desalination. We, then, discuss the key mechanisms and factors that govern membrane scaling, including membrane properties, such as surface roughness, charge, and functionality, as well as feedwater characteristics, such as pH, temperature, and ionic strength. We follow with a critical review of current characterization techniques for both homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation, focusing on the strengths and limitations of each technique to elucidate scale-inducing mechanisms, observe actual crystal growth, and analyze the outcome of scaling behaviors of desalination membranes. We conclude with an outlook on research needs and future research directions to provide guidelines for scale mitigation in water treatment and desalination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianne Rolf
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
| | - Tianchi Cao
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
| | - Xiaochuan Huang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, MS-519, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Rice University, MS 6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
| | - Chanhee Boo
- Water Cycle Research Center, National Agenda Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Qilin Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, MS-519, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Rice University, MS 6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
| | - Menachem Elimelech
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
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7
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Liu Y, Horseman T, Wang Z, Arafat HA, Yin H, Lin S, He T. Negative Pressure Membrane Distillation for Excellent Gypsum Scaling Resistance and Flux Enhancement. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:1405-1412. [PMID: 34941244 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c07144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) has potential to become a competitive technology for managing hypersaline brine but not until the critical challenge of mineral scaling is addressed. The state-of-the-art approach for mitigating mineral scaling in MD involves the use of superhydrophobic membranes that are difficult to fabricate and are commercially unavailable. This study explores a novel operational strategy, namely, negative pressure direct contact membrane distillation (NP-DCMD) that can minimize mineral scaling with commercially available hydrophobic membranes and at the same time enhance the water vapor flux substantially. By applying a negative gauge pressure on the feed stream, NP-DCMD achieved prolonged resistance to CaSO4 scaling and a dramatic vapor flux enhancement up to 62%. The exceptional scaling resistance is attributable to the formation of a concave liquid-gas under a negative pressure that changes the position of the water-air interface to hinder interfacial nucleation and crystal growth. The substantial flux enhancement is caused by the reduced molecular diffusion resistance within the pores and the enhanced heat transfer kinetics across the boundary layer in NP-DCMD. Achieving substantial performance improvement in both the scaling resistance and vapor flux with commercial membranes, NP-DCMD is a significant innovation with vast potential for practical adoption due to its simplicity and effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjie Liu
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - Thomas Horseman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1831, United States
| | - Zhangxin Wang
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watershed, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hassan A Arafat
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - Huabing Yin
- School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8LT, U.K
| | - Shihong Lin
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1831, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1831, United States
| | - Tao He
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China
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8
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Investigation of fouling mechanism in membrane distillation using in-situ optical coherence tomography with green regeneration of fouled membrane. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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9
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Abstract
Water serves as an indispensable part of human life and production. On account of the overexploitation of traditional water sources, the demand for wastewater recycling is expanding rapidly. As a promising water treatment process, membrane distillation (MD) has been utilized in various wastewater treatments, such as desalination brine, textile wastewater, radioactive wastewater, and oily wastewater. This review summarized the investigation work applying MD in wastewater treatment, and the performance was comprehensively introduced. Moreover, the obstructions of industrialization, such as membrane fouling, membrane wetting, and high energy consumption, were discussed with the practical investigation. To cope with these problems, various strategies have been adopted to enhance MD performance, including coupling membrane processes and developing membranes with specific surface characteristics. In addition, the significance of nutrient recovery and waste heat utilization was indicated.
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10
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El-badawy T, Othman MHD, Matsuura T, Bilad MR, Adam MR, Tai ZS, Ravi J, Ismail A, Rahman MA, Jaafar J, Usman J, Kurniawan TA. Progress in treatment of oilfield produced water using membrane distillation and potentials for beneficial re-use. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.119494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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11
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Fortunato L, Elcik H, Blankert B, Ghaffour N, Vrouwenvelder J. Textile dye wastewater treatment by direct contact membrane distillation: Membrane performance and detailed fouling analysis. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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12
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Nawaz MS, Son HS, Jin Y, Kim Y, Soukane S, Al-Hajji MA, Abu-Ghdaib M, Ghaffour N. Investigation of flux stability and fouling mechanism during simultaneous treatment of different produced water streams using forward osmosis and membrane distillation. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 198:117157. [PMID: 33933919 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Forward osmosis-membrane distillation (FO-MD) hybrids were recently found suitable for produced water treatment. Exclusion of synthetic chemical draw solutions, typically used for FO, can reduce FO-MD operational costs and ease its onsite application. This study experimentally validates a novel concept for the simultaneous treatment of different produced water streams available at the same industrial site using an FO-MD hybrid system. The water oil separator outlet (WO) stream was selected as FO draw solution and it generated average fluxes ranging between 8.30 LMH and 26.78 LMH with four different feed streams. FO fluxes were found to be governed by the complex composition of the feed streams. On the other hand, with WO stream as MD feed, an average flux of 14.41 LMH was achieved. Calcium ions were found as a main reason for MD flux decline in the form of CaSO4 scaling and stimulating the interaction between the membrane and humic acid molecules to form scale layer causing reduction in heat transfer and decline in MD flux (6%). Emulsified oil solution was responsible for partial pore clogging resulting in further 2% flux decline. Ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid (EDTA) was able to mask a portion of calcium ions and resulted in a complete recovery of the original MD flux. Under hybrid FO-MD experiments MD fluxes between 5.62 LMH and 11.12 LMH were achieved. Therefore, the novel concept is validated to produce fairly stable FO and MD fluxes, with few streams, without severe fouling and producing excellent product water quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Saqib Nawaz
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hyuk Soo Son
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yong Jin
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Youngjin Kim
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Sejong Campus, Korea University, 2511, Sejong-ro, Jochiwon-eup, Sejong-si, Republic of Korea
| | - Sofiane Soukane
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Ali Al-Hajji
- Energy Systems Division, Process & Control Systems Department (P&CSD), Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhannad Abu-Ghdaib
- Energy Systems Division, Process & Control Systems Department (P&CSD), Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Noreddine Ghaffour
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
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13
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Flux decline induced by scaling of calcium sulfate in membrane distillation: Theoretical analysis on the role of different mechanisms. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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14
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Ansari A, Kavousi S, Helfer F, Millar G, Thiel DV. An Improved Modelling Approach for the Comprehensive Study of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:membranes11050308. [PMID: 33922337 PMCID: PMC8145701 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11050308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) is a promising and feasible technology for water desalination. Most of the models used to simulate DCMD are one-dimensional and/or use a linear function of vapour pressure which relies on experimentally determined parameters. In this study, the model of DCMD using Nusselt correlations was improved by coupling the continuity, momentum, and energy equations to better capture the downstream alteration of flow field properties. A logarithmic function of vapour pressure, which is independent from experiments, was used. This allowed us to analyse DCMD with different membrane properties. The results of our developed model were in good agreement with the DCMD experimental results, with less than 7% deviation. System performance metrics, including water flux, temperature, and concentration polarisation coefficient and thermal efficiency, were analysed by varying inlet feed and permeate temperature, inlet velocity, inlet feed concentration, channel length. In addition, twenty-two commercial membranes were analysed to obtain a real vision on the influence of membrane characteristics on system performance metrics. The results showed that the feed temperature had the most significant effect on water flux and thermal efficiency. The increased feed temperature enhanced the water flux and thermal efficiency; however, it caused more concentration and temperature polarisation. On the other hand, the increased inlet velocity was found to provide increased water flux and reduced temperature and concertation polarisation as well. It was also found that the membrane properties, especially thickness and porosity, can affect the DCMD performance significantly. A two-fold increase of feed temperature increased the water flux and thermal efficiency, 10-fold and 27%, respectively; however, it caused an increase in temperature and concertation polarisation, at 48% and 34%, respectively. By increasing Reynolds number from 80 to 1600, the water flux, CPC, and TPC enhanced by 2.3-fold, 2%, and 21%, respectively. The increased feed concentration from 0 to 250 [g/L] caused a 26% reduction in water flux. To capture the downstream alteration of flow properties, it was shown that the ratio of inlet value to outlet value of system performance metrics decreased significantly throughout the module. Therefore, improvement over the conventional model is undeniable, as the new model can assist in achieving optimal operation conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abolfazl Ansari
- School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
- Correspondence: (A.A.); (F.H.); (D.V.T.)
| | - Saman Kavousi
- Independent Researcher, Esteghlal Blvd., Shiraz 71757-43659, Iran;
| | - Fernanda Helfer
- School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
- Correspondence: (A.A.); (F.H.); (D.V.T.)
| | - Graeme Millar
- Institute for Future Environments, School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering, Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia;
| | - David V. Thiel
- School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
- Correspondence: (A.A.); (F.H.); (D.V.T.)
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15
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Operation conditions affecting scale formation in membrane distillation - An in situ scale study based on optical coherence tomography. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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16
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Liu J, Li Z, Wang Y, Liu X, Tu G, Li W. Analyzing scaling behavior of calcium sulfate in membrane distillation via optical coherence tomography. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 191:116809. [PMID: 33454650 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.116809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Deepening the understanding of scaling processes would facilitate the improvement of membrane distillation (MD) as a promising technique for sustainable development. This study investigated the scaling of calcium sulfate in MD via an approach based on optical coherence tomography (OCT). The OCT-based characterization enabled an analysis that correlated the flux decline with the morphological evolution of the scaling layer. It was revealed by this analysis that the reduction in the evaporation rate could be dominated by different mechanisms as the crystalline particles grew and deposited on the membrane surface; the striping phenomenon visualized by mapping the local growth rates provided evidence for the hydrodynamic instability induced by the coupled mass and heat transfer in MD. Moreover, the OCT-based characterization was exploited to unravel the interplay between the crystallization and the porous structure by quantifying the membrane deformation as a function of time; the varied precipitation kinetics in the boundary layer was confirmed by comparing the temporal variations in the OCT signals at different depths. All these results shed light on mechanisms underlying complex scaling processes, which are the basis for optimizing the design of MD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Liu
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, PR China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Zhuo Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Yewei Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Xin Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Guoquan Tu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Weiyi Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China.
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17
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Thomas N, Kumar M, Palmisano G, Al-Rub RKA, Alnuaimi RY, Alhseinat E, Rowshan R, Arafat HA. Antiscaling 3D printed feed spacers via facile nanoparticle coating for membrane distillation. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 189:116649. [PMID: 33238227 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Surface modification of feed spacers rather than membranes may hold more merit as an antiscaling strategy in membrane distillation (MD), as it avoids compromising the functionality of MD membrane. In this work, an antiscaling polyamide 3D printed spacer was developed for MD. The surface of the printed spacer was coated with fluorinated silica (FS) nanoparticles synthesized via a sol-gel process. The sol-gel approach used to synthesize the FS nanoparticles is considered a convenient and easy approach for engineering the spacer's surface structure and roughness. The performance of the FS coated printed surface was evaluated against other coating materials of different chemical properties. The coated surfaces were characterized using water contact angle measurements, ATR-FTIR, Raman, FESEM-EDX, atomic force and 3D microscopes. The 3D printed surface's microscale roughness and hydrophobicity increased, while its surface-free energy decreased with FS nanoparticles coating. The antiscaling performance of uncoated and FS coated spacers was then assessed in a direct contact MD process, using a scale-inducing aqueous solution of calcium sulfate as its feed. The scalant (Ca2+) attachment on the FS coated spacer was 0.24 mg cm-2, 74% lower than on the uncoated 3D spacer (0.95 mg cm-2). Also, by using the antiscaling FS coated spacer, scaling on the membrane surface dropped by 60%. The predominant factors that helped minimize scaling with FS coating were microscale roughness-induced hydrophobicity and reduced surface-free energy that weakened the scalant 's interaction with the spacer surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navya Thomas
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Mahendra Kumar
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Giovanni Palmisano
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Rashid K Abu Al-Rub
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Reham Y Alnuaimi
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Emad Alhseinat
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Reza Rowshan
- Core Technology Platforms, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Hassan A Arafat
- Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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18
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Hole-Type Spacers for More Stable Shale Gas-Produced Water Treatment by Forward Osmosis. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:membranes11010034. [PMID: 33401564 PMCID: PMC7824311 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
An appropriate spacer design helps in minimizing membrane fouling which remains the major obstacle in forward osmosis (FO) systems. In the present study, the performance of a hole-type spacer (having holes at the filament intersections) was evaluated in a FO system and compared to a standard spacer design (without holes). The hole-type spacer exhibited slightly higher water flux and reverse solute flux (RSF) when Milli-Q water was used as feed solution and varied sodium chloride concentrations as draw solution. During shale gas produced water treatment, a severe flux decline was observed for both spacer designs due to the formation of barium sulfate scaling. SEM imaging revealed that the high shear force induced by the creation of holes led to the formation of scales on the entire membrane surface, causing a slightly higher flux decline than the standard spacer. Simultaneously, the presence of holes aided to mitigate the accumulation of foulants on spacer surface, resulting in no increase in pressure drop. Furthermore, a full cleaning efficiency was achieved by hole-type spacer attributed to the micro-jets effect induced by the holes, which aided to destroy the foulants and then sweep them away from the membrane surface.
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19
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Huang X, Li C, Zuo K, Li Q. Predominant Effect of Material Surface Hydrophobicity on Gypsum Scale Formation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:15395-15404. [PMID: 33064949 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Scale formation is an important challenge in water and wastewater treatment systems. However, due to the complex nature of membrane surfaces, the effects of specific membrane surface characteristics on scale formation are poorly understood. In this study, the independent effect of surface hydrophobicity on gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) scale formation via surface-induced nucleation and bulk homogeneous nucleation was investigated using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) terminated with -OH, -CH3, and -CF3 functional groups. Results show that higher surface hydrophobicity enhances both surface-induced nucleation of gypsum and attachment of gypsum crystals formed from homogeneous nucleation in the bulk solution. The enhanced surface-induced nucleation is attributed to the lower nucleation energy barrier on a hydrophobic surface, while the increased gypsum crystal attachment results from the favorable hydrophobic interactions between gypsum and more hydrophobic surfaces. Contrary to previous findings, the role of Ca2+ adsorption in surface-induced nucleation was found to be relatively small and similar on the different SAMs. Therefore, increasing material hydrophilicity is a potential approach to reduce gypsum scaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochuan Huang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, MS-519, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
- NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment, Rice University, MS-6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
| | - Chen Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, MS-519, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Kuichang Zuo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, MS-519, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
- NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment, Rice University, MS-6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
| | - Qilin Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, MS-519, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
- NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment, Rice University, MS-6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston 77005, United States
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20
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Fouling control in a gravity-driven membrane (GDM) bioreactor treating primary wastewater by using relaxation and/or air scouring. J Memb Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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21
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Kim HW, Yun T, Hong S, Lee S, Jeong S. Retardation of wetting for membrane distillation by adjusting major components of seawater. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 175:115677. [PMID: 32179271 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wetting by fouling is phenomenon specific to membrane distillation (MD) and are regarded as challenges to the seawater membrane distillation (SWMD) process. To understand fouling and wetting, the influence of Mg and Sr crystals, which can potentially cause scaling, as well as Ca crystals deposited on the membrane surface were investigated. Mg(OH)2 and CaSO4 had significant impact on fouling and wetting. Even if CaCO3 and SrSO4 had no effects on fouling and wetting as single salts, CaCO3 and CaSO4 were dominant in synthetic seawater without Mg(OH)2. However, the occurrence of Mg(OH)2 scales became a cause for concern if Ca ion was removed from seawater for the prevention of fouling and wetting. Therefore, Mg as well as Ca should be removed for proper fouling and wetting control. NaOH/Na2CO3 softening was used for the removal of Ca and Mg ions. In addition, based on the inhibition effects of Mg ions on Ca scales, a new pretreatment method involving the injection of MgCl2 to increase the Mg /Ca ratio was examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Won Kim
- Water Cycle Research Center, National Agenda Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea; Advanced Environmental Science, Energy Environment Policy & Technology, KU-KIST GreenSchool, Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Korea University, 145 Anam-Ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Taekgeun Yun
- Water Cycle Research Center, National Agenda Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea; Advanced Environmental Science, Energy Environment Policy & Technology, KU-KIST GreenSchool, Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Korea University, 145 Anam-Ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungkwan Hong
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-Ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Seockheon Lee
- Water Cycle Research Center, National Agenda Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea; Advanced Environmental Science, Energy Environment Policy & Technology, KU-KIST GreenSchool, Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Korea University, 145 Anam-Ro, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
| | - Seongpil Jeong
- Water Cycle Research Center, National Agenda Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Energy & Environment Technology, KIST school, Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
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22
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Preparation of re-entrant and anti-fouling PVDF composite membrane with omniphobicity for membrane distillation. J Memb Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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23
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Choi Y, Naidu G, Lee S, Vigneswaran S. Recovery of sodium sulfate from seawater brine using fractional submerged membrane distillation crystallizer. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 238:124641. [PMID: 31466001 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 08/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine contain many valuable resources. In this study, fractional-submerged membrane distillation crystallizer (F-SMDC) was used to recover sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) from SWRO brine. The concentration/temperature gradient (CG/TG) in the reactor enhanced water recovery utilizing MD and Na2SO4 crystallization via a crystallizer. Crystals were not obtained at the bottom section of the F-SMDC due to: firstly, calcium sulfate crystallization occurring on the membrane surface; and secondly, low temperature-sensitivity solubility component such as NaCl exerting a negative influence. In order to obtain supersaturation, a sulfate-rich scenario was created in the reactor through the addition of the following three components: Na2SO4, MgSO4 and (NH4)2SO4. When Na2SO4 and MgSO4 were added, a larger concentration was observed at the top section, resulting in a low concentration gradient (CG) ratio, i.e. around 1.7. Conversely, the addition of (NH4)2SO4 achieved faster Na2SO4 crystallization (VCF 1.42) at the bottom section with a greater CG ratio of more than 2.0. Total water recovery ratio of 72% and 223.73 g Na2SO4 crystals were successfully extracted from simulated SWRO brine using laboratory scale F-SMDC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngkwon Choi
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), P.O Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia.
| | - Gayathri Naidu
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), P.O Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia.
| | - Sangho Lee
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul, 136-702, Republic of Korea.
| | - Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), P.O Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia.
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24
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Li X, Shan H, Cao M, Li B. Facile fabrication of omniphobic PVDF composite membrane via a waterborne coating for anti-wetting and anti-fouling membrane distillation. J Memb Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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25
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Kiefer F, Präbst A, Rodewald KS, Sattelmayer T. Membrane scaling in Vacuum Membrane Distillation - Part 1: In-situ observation of crystal growth and membrane wetting. J Memb Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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26
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Rudolph G, Virtanen T, Ferrando M, Güell C, Lipnizki F, Kallioinen M. A review of in situ real-time monitoring techniques for membrane fouling in the biotechnology, biorefinery and food sectors. J Memb Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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27
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Choudhury MR, Anwar N, Jassby D, Rahaman MS. Fouling and wetting in the membrane distillation driven wastewater reclamation process - A review. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2019; 269:370-399. [PMID: 31129338 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Fouling and wetting of membranes are significant concerns that can impede the widespread application of the membrane distillation (MD) process during high-salinity wastewater reclamation. Fouling, caused by the accumulation of undesirable materials on the membrane surface and pores, causes a decrease in permeate flux. Membrane wetting, the direct permeation of the feed solution through the membrane pores, results in reduced contaminant rejection and overall process failure. Lately, the application of MD for water recovery from various types of wastewaters has gained increased attention among researchers. In this review, we discuss fouling and wetting phenomena observed during the MD process, along with the effects of various mitigation strategies. In addition, we examine the interactions between contaminants and different types of MD membranes and the influence of different operating conditions on the occurrence of fouling and wetting. We also report on previously investigated feed pre-treatment options before MD, application of integrated MD processes, the performance of fabricated/modified MD membranes, and strategies for MD membrane maintenance during water reclamation. Energy consumption and economic aspects of MD for wastewater recovery is also discussed. Throughout the review, we engage in dialogues highlighting research needs for furthering the development of MD: the incorporation of MD in the overall wastewater treatment and recovery scheme (including selection of appropriate membrane material, suitable pre-treatment or integrated processes, and membrane maintenance strategies) and the application of MD in long-term pilot-scale studies using real wastewater.
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28
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Trinh TA, Han Q, Ma Y, Chew JW. Microfiltration of oil emulsions stabilized by different surfactants. J Memb Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.02.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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29
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Xiao Z, Zheng R, Liu Y, He H, Yuan X, Ji Y, Li D, Yin H, Zhang Y, Li XM, He T. Slippery for scaling resistance in membrane distillation: A novel porous micropillared superhydrophobic surface. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 155:152-161. [PMID: 30844676 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Scaling in membrane distillation (MD) is a key issue in desalination of concentrated saline water, where the interface property between the membrane and the feed become critical. In this paper, a slippery mechanism was explored as an innovative concept to understand the scaling behavior in membrane distillation for a soluble salt, NaCl. The investigation was based on a novel design of a superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane with micro-pillar arrays (MP-PVDF) using a micromolding phase separation (μPS) method. The membrane showed a contact angle of 166.0 ± 2.3° and the sliding angle of 15.8 ± 3.3°. After CF4 plasma treatment, the resultant membrane (CF4-MP-PVDF) showed a reduced sliding angle of 3.0°. In direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), the CF4-MP-PVDF membrane illustrated excellent anti-scaling in concentrating saturated NaCl feed. Characterization of the used membranes showed that aggregation of NaCl crystals occurred on the control PVDF and MP-PVDF membranes, but not on the CF4-MP-PVDF membrane. To understand this phenomenon, a "slippery" theory was introduced and correlated the sliding angle to the slippery surface of CF4-MP-PVDF and its anti-scaling property. This work proposed a well-defined physical and theoretical platform for investigating scaling problems in membrane distillation and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zechun Xiao
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Rui Zheng
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yongjie Liu
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China; School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Hailong He
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Xiaofei Yuan
- School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8LT, UK
| | - Yunhui Ji
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, 210093, China
| | - Dongdong Li
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Huabing Yin
- School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8LT, UK
| | - Yuebiao Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Xue-Mei Li
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Tao He
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China; School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8LT, UK.
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30
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Bauer A, Wagner M, Saravia F, Bartl S, Hilgenfeldt V, Horn H. In-situ monitoring and quantification of fouling development in membrane distillation by means of optical coherence tomography. J Memb Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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31
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Rezaei M, Warsinger DM, Lienhard V JH, Duke MC, Matsuura T, Samhaber WM. Wetting phenomena in membrane distillation: Mechanisms, reversal, and prevention. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 139:329-352. [PMID: 29660622 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.03.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) is a rapidly emerging water treatment technology; however, membrane pore wetting is a primary barrier to widespread industrial use of MD. The primary causes of membrane wetting are exceedance of liquid entry pressure and membrane fouling. Developments in membrane design and the use of pretreatment have provided significant advancement toward wetting prevention in membrane distillation, but further progress is needed. In this study, a broad review is carried out on wetting incidence in membrane distillation processes. Based on this perspective, the study describes the wetting mechanisms, wetting causes, and wetting detection methods, as well as hydrophobicity measurements of MD membranes. This review discusses current understanding and areas for future investigation on the influence of operating conditions, MD configuration, and membrane non-wettability characteristics on wetting phenomena. Additionally, the review highlights mathematical wetting models and several approaches to wetting control, such as membrane fabrication and modification, as well as techniques for membrane restoration in MD. The literature shows that inorganic scaling and organic fouling are the main causes of membrane wetting. The regeneration of wetting MD membranes is found to be challenging and the obtained results are usually not favorable. Several pretreatment processes are found to inhibit membrane wetting by removing the wetting agents from the feed solution. Various advanced membrane designs are considered to bring membrane surface non-wettability to the states of superhydrophobicity and superomniphobicity; however, these methods commonly demand complex fabrication processes or high-specialized equipment. Recharging air in the feed to maintain protective air layers on the membrane surface has proven to be very effective to prevent wetting, but such techniques are immature and in need of significant research on design, optimization, and pilot-scale studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Rezaei
- Institute of Process Engineering, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenberger Strasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria.
| | - David M Warsinger
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8286, USA; Rohsenow Kendall Heat Transfer Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02139-4307, USA
| | - John H Lienhard V
- Rohsenow Kendall Heat Transfer Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02139-4307, USA
| | - Mikel C Duke
- Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria 8001, Australia
| | - Takeshi Matsuura
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Wolfgang M Samhaber
- Institute of Process Engineering, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenberger Strasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
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32
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Fortunato L, Jang Y, Lee JG, Jeong S, Lee S, Leiknes T, Ghaffour N. Fouling development in direct contact membrane distillation: Non-invasive monitoring and destructive analysis. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 132:34-41. [PMID: 29304446 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.12.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Fouling development in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) for seawater desalination was evaluated combining in-situ monitoring performed using optical coherence tomography (OCT) together with destructive techniques. The non-invasive monitoring with OCT provided a better understanding of the fouling mechanism by giving an appropriate sampling timing for the membrane autopsy. The on-line monitoring system allowed linking the flux trend with the structure of fouling deposited on the membrane surface. The water vapor flux trend was divided in three phases based on the deposition and formation of different foulants over time. The initial flux decline was due to the deposition of a 50-70 nm porous fouling layer consisting of a mixture of organic compounds and salts. Liquid chromatography with organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) analysis revealed the abundance of biopolymer in the fouling layer formed at the initial phase. In the second phase, formation of carbonate crystals on the membrane surface was observed but did not affect the flux significantly. In the last phase, the water vapor flux dropped to almost zero due to the deposition of a dense thick layer of sulfate crystals on the membrane surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Fortunato
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yongsun Jang
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, Jeongneung-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul 136-702, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Gil Lee
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sanghyun Jeong
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Graduate School of Water Resources, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangho Lee
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, Jeongneung-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul 136-702, Republic of Korea
| | - TorOve Leiknes
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Noreddine Ghaffour
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
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