Modeling and Design of a Solar-Assisted High-Performance Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System

Olive mill wastewater (OMW), generated as a by-product of olive oil production, is considered one of the most polluting effluents produced by the agro-food industry, due to its high concentration of organic matter and nutrients. However, OMW is rich in several polyphenols, representing compounds with remarkable biological properties. This study aimed to analyze the chemical profile as well as the antioxidant and anti-obesity properties of concentrated fractions obtained from microfiltered OMW treated by direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) analyses were applied to quantify some phenols selected as phytochemical markers. Moreover, α-Amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase inhibitory activity were investigated together with the antioxidant activity by means of assays, namely β-carotene bleaching, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic) acid (ABTS) diammonium salts, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and Ferric Reducing Activity Power (FRAP) tests. MD retentate—which has content of about five times greater of hydroxytyrosol and verbascoside and about 7 times greater of oleuropein than the feed—was more active as an antioxidant in all applied assays. Of interest is the result obtained in the DPPH test (an inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) of 9.8 μg/mL in comparison to the feed (IC50 of 97.2 μg/mL)) and in the ABTS assay (an IC50 of 0.4 μg/mL in comparison to the feed (IC50 of 1.2 μg/mL)).

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Parabolic-trough plant integrated with direct-contact membrane distillation system: Concept, simulation, performance, and economic evaluation

Solar Energy ◽

10.1016/j.solener.2018.07.086 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 173 ◽

pp. 348-361 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Mujeeb Iqbal Soomro ◽

Woo-Seung Kim

Keyword(s):

Economic Evaluation ◽

Direct Contact ◽

Membrane Distillation ◽

Parabolic Trough ◽

Simulation Performance ◽

Direct Contact Membrane Distillation ◽

System Concept ◽

Distillation System

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The Effect of Net-Type Spacer on the Performance of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System for Seawater Desalination: Heat and Mass Transfer Analysis

ASME 2019 Heat Transfer Summer Conference ◽

10.1115/ht2019-3673 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Anas M. Alwatban ◽

Ahmed M. Alshwairekh ◽

Umar F. Alqsair ◽

Abdullah A. Alghafis ◽

Alparslan Oztekin

Keyword(s):

Reynolds Number ◽

Direct Contact ◽

Concentration Polarization ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Turbulence Models ◽

Membrane Distillation ◽

Inlet Temperature ◽

Vapor Permeation ◽

Direct Contact Membrane Distillation ◽

Distillation System

Abstract This work aims to study the effects of the net-type spacer on the performance of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) modules. Laminar and k-ω SST turbulence models are used to conduct simulations in three-dimensional modules with and without spacers. The spacers are placed in the middle of the feed and permeate channel. The net type spacers of diameter 0.25h and 0.5h were considered, where h is the height of each channel. The inlet temperature of the feed and the permeate channel set to 353 K and 293 K. The feed Reynolds number is varied (500, 1500) while the permeate Reynolds number is fixed at 330. We revealed that the presence of spacer in the flow channels mitigates both the temperature and the concentration polarization and yields higher vapor permeation. We also showed that the module containing larger size spacers yields better flux performance and lower level of temperature and concentration polarization. Moreover, the modules containing spacers become more efficient as the feed flow rate is increased.

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