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Sun K, Lyu Q, Zheng X, Liu R, Tang CY, Zhao M, Dong Y. Enhanced water treatment performance of ceramic-based forward osmosis membranes via MOF interlayer. Water Res 2024; 254:121395. [PMID: 38452527 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) membrane processes could operate without hydraulic pressures, enabling the efficient treatment of wastewaters with mitigated membrane fouling and enhanced efficiency. Designing a high-performance polyamide (PA) layer on ceramic substrates remains a challenge for FO desalination applications. Herein, we report the enhanced water treatment performance of thin-film nanocomposite ceramic-based FO membranes via an in situ grown Zr-MOF (UiO-66-NH2) interlayer. With the Zr-MOF interlayer, the ceramic-based FO membranes exhibit lower thickness, higher cross-linking degree, and increased surface roughness, leading to higher water flux of 27.38 L m-2 h-1 and lower reverse salt flux of 3.45 g m-2 h-1. The ceramic-based FO membranes with Zr-MOF interlayer not only have an application potential in harsh environments such as acidic solution (pH 3) and alkaline solution (pH 11), but also exhibit promising water and reverse salt transport properties, which are better than most MOF-incorporated PA membranes. Furthermore, the membranes could reject major species (ions, oil and organics) with rejections >94 % and water flux of 22.62-14.35 L m-2 h-1 in the treatment of actual alkaline industrial wastewater (pH 8.6). This rational design proposed in this study is not only applicable for the development of a high-quality ceramic-based FO membrane with enhanced performance but also can be potentially extended to more challenging water treatment applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo Sun
- School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Qiang Lyu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, Shandong 266580, China
| | - Xiangyong Zheng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Renlan Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Min Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
| | - Yingchao Dong
- School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
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2
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Farid MU, Kharraz JA, Sun J, Boey MW, Riaz MA, Wong PW, Jia M, Zhang X, Deka BJ, Khanzada NK, Guo J, An AK. Advancements in Nanoenabled Membrane Distillation for a Sustainable Water-Energy-Environment Nexus. Adv Mater 2024; 36:e2307950. [PMID: 37772325 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202307950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of nano innovations in membrane distillation (MD) has garnered increasing scientific interest. This enables the exploration of state-of-the-art nano-enabled MD membranes with desirable properties, which significantly improve the efficiency and reliability of the MD process and open up opportunities for achieving a sustainable water-energy-environment (WEE) nexus. This comprehensive review provides broad coverage and in-depth analysis of recent innovations in nano-enabled MD membranes, focusing on their role in achieving desirable properties, such as strong liquid-repellence, high resistance to scaling, fouling, and wetting, as well as efficient self-heating and self-cleaning functionalities. The recent developments in nano-enhanced photothermal-catalytic applications for water-energy co-generation within a single MD system are also discussed. Furthermore, the bottlenecks are identified that impede the scale-up of nanoenhanced MD membranes and a future roadmap is proposed for their sustainable commercialiation. This holistic overview is expected to inspire future research and development efforts to fully harness the potential of nano-enabled MD membranes to achieve sustainable integration of water, energy, and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Usman Farid
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Jehad A Kharraz
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jiawei Sun
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Min-Wei Boey
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Muhammad Adil Riaz
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Pak Wai Wong
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Mingyi Jia
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Xinning Zhang
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Bhaskar Jyoti Deka
- Department of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, 247667, India
- Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, 247667, India
| | - Noman Khalid Khanzada
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- NYUAD Water Research Center, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jiaxin Guo
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Alicia Kyoungjin An
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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Liao X, Lim YJ, Khayet M, Liao Y, Yao L, Zhao Y, Razaqpur AG. Applications of electrically conductive membranes in water treatment via membrane distillation: Joule heating, membrane fouling/scaling/wetting mitigation and monitoring. Water Res 2023; 244:120511. [PMID: 37651868 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermally driven separation process that is driven by phase change. The core of this technology is the hydrophobic microporous membrane that prevents mass transfer of the liquid while allowing the vapor phase to pass through the membrane's pores. Currently, MD is challenged by its high energy consumption and membrane degradation due to fouling, scaling and wetting. The use of electrically conductive membranes (ECMs) is a promising alternative method to overcome these challenges by inducing localized Joule heating, as well as mitigating and monitoring membrane fouling/scaling/wetting. The objective of this review is to consolidate recent advances in ECMs from the standpoint of conductive materials, membrane fabrication methodologies, and applications in MD processes. First, the mechanisms of ECMs-based MD processes are reviewed. Then the current trends in conductive materials and membrane fabrication methods are discussed. Thereafter, a comprehensive review of ECMs in MD applications is presented in terms of the different processes using Joule heating and various works related to membrane fouling, scaling, and wetting control and monitoring. Key insights in terms of energy consumption, economic viability and scalability are furnished to provide readers with a holistic perspective of the ECMs potential to achieve better performances and higher efficiencies in MD. Finally, we illustrate our perspectives on the innovative methods to address current challenges and provide insights for advancing new ECMs designs. Overall, this review sums up the current status of ECMs, looking at the wide range of conductive materials and array of fabrication methods used thus far, and putting into perspective strategies to deliver a more competitive ECMs-based MD process in water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangjun Liao
- Sino-Canadian Joint R&D Center for Water and Environmental Safety/Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China; Nankai University & Cangzhou Bohai New Area Institute of Green Chemical Engineering, No. 2 Sun Simiao Road, Cangzhou 061108, PR China
| | - Yu Jie Lim
- Singapore Membrane Technology Center, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 637141, Singapore
| | - Mohamed Khayet
- Department of Structure of Matter, Thermal Physics and Electronics, Faculty of Physics, University Complutense of Madrid, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Yuan Liao
- Sino-Canadian Joint R&D Center for Water and Environmental Safety/Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China; Nankai University & Cangzhou Bohai New Area Institute of Green Chemical Engineering, No. 2 Sun Simiao Road, Cangzhou 061108, PR China.
| | - Lei Yao
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, PR China
| | - Yali Zhao
- Sino-Canadian Joint R&D Center for Water and Environmental Safety/Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Abdul Ghani Razaqpur
- Sino-Canadian Joint R&D Center for Water and Environmental Safety/Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China.
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4
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Sun C, Lin B, Zheng X, Dong Y, Zhao M, Tang CY. Robust ceramic-based graphene membrane for challenging water treatment with enhanced fouling and scaling resistance. Water Res 2023; 243:120348. [PMID: 37516075 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Membrane fouling and scaling are two challenges for efficient treatment of hypersaline wastewater, greatly hindering separation performance and operation stability of desalination membranes. In this work, we report a smooth ceramic-based graphene desalination membrane, exhibiting enhanced anti-fouling and anti-scaling ability and operational performance for efficient treatment of both synthetic and real industrial wastewaters, outperforming polypropylene (PP) membrane. For treatment of hypersaline waters containing organic or inorganic substance, we demonstrate that the graphene membrane exhibits more stable water flux and almost complete salt rejection (>99.9%) during constant operation. Enhanced anti-fouling and desalination performance of graphene membrane could be attributed to the lower attractive interaction force with foulant (-4.65 mJ m-2), lower surface roughness (Ra = 2.2 ± 0.1 nm) and higher affinity with water than PP membrane. Furthermore, an anti-scaling mechanism enabled by graphene membrane is evidenced, with a highlight on the roles of smooth graphene surface with lower roughness, less nucleation sites and lower binding force with scaling crystals. Importantly, even for industrial petrochemical wastewater, such a graphene membrane also exhibits relatively more stable water flux and promising oil and ions rejection during long-term operation, outperforming PP membrane. This study further confirms a promising practical application potential of robust ceramic-based graphene membrane for efficient treatment of more challenging hypersaline wastewater with complicated compositions, which is not feasible by conventional desalination membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyi Sun
- 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
| | - Bin Lin
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 611731 Chengdu, China
| | - Xiangyong Zheng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - 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.
| | - Min Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.
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5
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Liu D, Yusufu K, Yu F, Wu C, Zhong L, Xu Y, Liu J, Ma J, Wang W. Quasi-critical condition to balance the scaling and membrane lifespan tradeoff in hypersaline water concentration. Water Res 2023; 242:120265. [PMID: 37390652 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Mineral scaling is an inconvenient obstacle for membrane distillation in hypersaline wastewater concentration applications, compromising membrane lifespan to maintain high water recovery. Although various measures are devoted to alleviating mineral scaling, the uncertainty and complexity of scale characteristics make it difficult to accurately identify and effectively prevent. Herein, we systematically elucidate a practically applicable principle to balance the trade-off between mineral scaling and membrane lifespan. Through experimental demonstration and mechanism analysis, we find a consistent concentration phenomenon of hypersaline concentration in different situations. Based on the characteristics of the binding force between the primary scale crystal and the membrane, the quasi-critical concentration condition is sought to prevent the accumulation and intrusion of mineral scale. The quasi-critical condition achieves the maximum water flux on the premise of guaranteeing the membrane tolerance, and the membrane performance can be restored by undamaged physical cleaning. This report opens up an informative horizon for circumventing the inexplicable scaling explorations and develops a universal evaluation strategy to provide technical support for membrane desalination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P R China
| | - Kudereti Yusufu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P R China
| | - Fuyun Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P R China
| | - Chuandong Wu
- National Engineering Research Center of Urban Water Resources Co., Ltd., Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P R China; Guangdong Yuehai Water Investment Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518021, P R China
| | - Lingling Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P R China
| | - Ying Xu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Military Facilities, Army Logistics University, Chongqing 401331, P R China
| | - Jun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P R China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P R China.
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6
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Li M, Cao Y, Zhang X. Hierarchically Structured Nanoparticle-Free Omniphobic Membrane for High-Performance Membrane Distillation. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:5841-5851. [PMID: 36989064 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The functional loss of membranes caused by pore wetting, mineral scaling, or structural instability is a critical challenge in membrane distillation (MD), which primarily hinders its practical applications. Herein, we propose a novel and facile strategy to fabricate omniphobic membranes with exceptionally robust MD performance. Specifically, a substrate with a hierarchical re-entrant architecture was constructed via spray-water-assisted non-solvent-induced phase separation (SWNIPS), followed by a direct fluorinated surface decoration via "thiol-ene" click chemistry. Deionized (DI) water contact angle measurements revealed an ultrahigh surface water contact angle (166.8 ± 1.8°) and an ultralow sliding angle (3.6 ± 1.1°) of the resultant membrane. Destructive abrasion cycle and ultrasonication tests confirmed its structural robustness. Moreover, the membrane possessed excellent wetting resistance, as evidenced by the prevention of membrane pore penetration by all low-surface-tension testing liquids, allowing stable long-term MD operation to treat brine wastewater with a surfactant content of 0.6 mM. In a desalination experiment using shale gas wastewater, the omniphobic membrane exhibited robust MD performance, achieving a high water recovery ratio of ∼60% without apparent changes in water flux and permeate conductivity over the entire membrane process. Overall, our study paves the way for a nanoparticle-free methodology for the scalable fabrication of high-performance MD membranes with surface omniphobicity and structural robustness in hypersaline wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Li
- Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science & Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Customs Targeting Bureau, Nanjing Customs District, Nanjing 210001, China
| | - Xuan Zhang
- Laboratory of New Membrane Materials, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science & Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
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7
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Wang Y, Ma B, Ulbricht M, Dong Y, Zhao X. Progress in alumina ceramic membranes for water purification: Status and prospects. Water Res 2022; 226:119173. [PMID: 36252299 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ceramic membranes have gained increasing attention in recent years for the removal of various contaminants from water. Alumina membrane is considered as one of the most important ceramic membranes, which plays important roles not only in separation processes such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration, but also in catalysis- and adsorption- enhanced separation applications in water purification and wastewater treatment. However, there is currently still lack of a comprehensive critical review about alumina membranes for water purification. In this review, we first discuss recent developments of alumina membranes, and then critically introduce the state-of-the-art strategies for lowering fabrication cost, improving membrane performances and mitigating membrane fouling. Especially, aiming to improve membrane performance, some emerging methods are summarized such as tailoring membrane structure, developing flexible membranes, designing nano-pores for precise separation, and enhancing multi-functionalities. In addition, engineering applications of alumina membranes for water purification are also briefly introduced. Finally, the prospects for future research on alumina membranes are proposed, such as economic preparation/application, challenging precise separation, enriching multi-functionalities, and clarifying separation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Baiwen Ma
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Duisburg-Essen Department of Technical Chemistry II, Essen 45117, Germany
| | - Mathias Ulbricht
- University of Duisburg-Essen Department of Technical Chemistry II, Essen 45117, Germany
| | - 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.
| | - Xu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
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