scholarly journals Effect of Initial Water Flux on the Performance of Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor: Constant Flux Mode versus Varying Flux Mode

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 203
Author(s):  
Xiawen Yi ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Weilong Song ◽  
Xinhua Wang
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Operating Time ◽  
Operating Mode ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Constant Flux ◽  
Membrane Performance ◽  
Fouling Mitigation ◽  
Flux Mode

Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) have aroused growing interest in wastewater treatment and energy recovery. However, serious membrane fouling remains a critical hindrance to AnMBRs. Here, a novel membrane fouling mitigation via optimizing initial water flux is proposed, and its feasibility was evaluated by comparing the membrane performance in AnMBRs between constant flux and varying flux modes. Results indicated that, compared with the constant flux mode, varying flux mode significantly prolonged the membrane operating time by mitigating membrane fouling. Through the analyses of fouled membranes under two operating modes, the mechanism of membrane fouling mitigation was revealed as follows: A low water flux was applied in stage 1 which slowed down the interaction between foulants and membrane surface, especially reduced the deposition of proteins on the membrane surface and formed a thin and loose fouling layer. Correspondingly, the interaction between foulants was weakened in the following stage 2 with a high water flux and, subsequently, the foulants absorbed on the membrane surface was further reduced. In addition, flux operating mode had no impact on the contaminant removal in an AnMBR. This study provides a new way of improving membrane performance in AnMBRs via a varying flux operating mode.

scholarly journals Effect of the Zwitterion, p(MAO-DMPA), on the Internal Structure, Fouling Characteristics, and Dye Rejection Mechanism of PVDF Membranes

Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 323
Author(s):  
Nelisa Ncumisa Gaxela ◽  
Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo ◽  
Richard Motlhaletsi Moutloali
Keyword(s):  
Internal Structure ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Vinylidene Fluoride ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Pvdf Membrane ◽  
Membrane Performance ◽  
Dye Rejection

The zwitterion poly-(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene-3-(dimethylamino)-1-propylamine) (p(MAO-DMPA)) synthesized using a ring-opening reaction was used as a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane modifier/additive during phase inversion process. The zwitterion was characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM), FTIR, and contact angle measurements were taken for the membranes. The effect of the zwitterionization content on membrane performance indicators such as pure water flux, membrane fouling, and dye rejection was investigated. The morphology of the membranes showed that the increase in the zwitterion amount led to a general decrease in pore size with a concomitant increase in the number of membrane surface pores. The surface roughness was not particularly affected by the amount of the additive; however, the internal structure was greatly influenced, leading to varying rejection mechanisms for the larger dye molecule. On the other hand, the wettability of the membranes initially decreased with increasing content to a certain point and then increased as the membrane homogeneity changed at higher zwitterion percentages. Flux and fouling properties were enhanced through the addition of zwitterion compared to the pristine PVDF membrane. The high (>90%) rejection of anionic dye, Congo red, indicated that these membranes behaved as ultrafiltration (UF). In comparison, the cationic dye, rhodamine 6G, was only rejected to <70%, with rejection being predominantly electrostatic-based. This work shows that zwitterion addition imparted good membrane performance to PVDF membranes up to an optimum content whereby membrane homogeneity was compromised, leading to poor performance at its higher loading.

scholarly journals ZnO Microfiltration Membranes for Desalination by a Vacuum Flow-Through Evaporation Method

Membranes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailesh Dangwal ◽  
Ruochen Liu ◽  
Lyndon D. Bastatas ◽  
Elena Echeverria ◽  
Chengqian Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Rejection Rate ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Transfer Resistance ◽  
Membrane Pore ◽  
Evaporation Method ◽  
Flow Through

ZnO was deposited on macroporous α-alumina membranes via atomic layer deposition (ALD) to improve water flux by increasing their hydrophilicity and reducing mass transfer resistance through membrane pore channels. The deposition of ZnO was systemically performed for 4–128 cycles of ALD at 170 °C. Analysis of membrane surface by contact angles (CA) measurements revealed that the hydrophilicity of the ZnO ALD membrane was enhanced with increasing the number of ALD cycles. It was observed that a vacuum-assisted ‘flow-through’ evaporation method had significantly higher efficacy in comparison to conventional desalination methods. By using the vacuum-assisted ‘flow-through’ technique, the water flux of the ZnO ALD membrane (~170 L m−2 h−1) was obtained, which is higher than uncoated pristine membranes (92 L m−2 h−1). It was also found that ZnO ALD membranes substantially improved water flux while keeping excellent salt rejection rate (>99.9%). Ultrasonic membrane cleaning had considerable effect on reducing the membrane fouling.

scholarly journals Reduction of Biofouling of a Microfiltration Membrane Using Amide Functionalities—Hydrophilization without Changes in Morphology

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1379
Author(s):  
Daniel Breite ◽  
Marco Went ◽  
Andrea Prager ◽  
Mathias Kühnert ◽  
Agnes Schulze
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Average Pore Size ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Aqueous Media ◽  
Soxhlet Extraction ◽  
Hydrophobic Membrane ◽  
Average Pore ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Microfiltration Membrane ◽  
Membrane Performance

A major goal of membrane science is the improvement of the membrane performance and the reduction of fouling effects, which occur during most aqueous filtration applications. Increasing the surface hydrophilicity can improve the membrane performance (in case of aqueous media) and decelerates membrane fouling. In this study, a PES microfiltration membrane (14,600 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) was hydrophilized using a hydrophilic surface coating based on amide functionalities, converting the hydrophobic membrane surface (water contact angle, WCA: ~90°) into an extremely hydrophilic one (WCA: ~30°). The amide layer was created by first immobilizing piperazine to the membrane surface via electron beam irradiation. Subsequently, a reaction with 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride (TMC) was applied to generate an amide structure. The presented approach resulted in a hydrophilic membrane surface, while maintaining permeance of the membrane without pore blocking. All membranes were investigated regarding their permeance, porosity, average pore size, morphology (SEM), chemical composition (XPS), and wettability. Soxhlet extraction was carried out to demonstrate the stability of the applied coating. The improvement of the modified membranes was demonstrated using dead-end filtration of algae solutions. After three fouling cycles, about 60% of the initial permeance remain for the modified membranes, while only ~25% remain for the reference.

scholarly journals Oil Deposition on Polymer Brush-Coated NF Membranes

Membranes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anh Vu ◽  
Naama Segev Mark ◽  
Guy Z. Ramon ◽  
Xianghong Qian ◽  
Arijit Sengupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Polymer Brush ◽  
Operating Mode ◽  
Feed Solution ◽  
Polymer Chains ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Solution Temperature ◽  
Oil Droplets ◽  
Grafted Polymer

Membrane-based processes are attractive for treating oily wastewaters. However, membrane fouling due to the deposition of oil droplets on the membrane surface compromises performance. Here, real-time observation of the deposition of oil droplets by direct confocal microscopy was conducted. Experiments were conducted in dead-end and crossflow modes. Base NF 270 nanofiltration membranes as well as membranes modified by grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chains from the membrane surface using atom transfer radical polymerization were investigated. By using feed streams containing low and high NaCl concentrations, the grafted polymer chains could be induced to switch conformation from a hydrated to a dehydrated state, as the lower critical solution temperature for the grafted polymer chains moved above and below the room temperature, respectively. For the modified membrane, it was shown that switching conformation of the grafted polymer chains led to the partial release of adsorbed oil. The results also indicate that, unlike particles such as polystyrene beads, adsorption of oil droplets can lead to coalescence of the adsorbed oil droplets on the membrane surface. The results provide further evidence of the importance of membrane properties, feed solution characteristics, and operating mode and conditions on membrane fouling.

scholarly journals Synthesizing Ag/PDA/PES Antibacterial Membrane for Natural Organic Molecules Removal

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 05023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kok Poh Wai ◽  
Chai Hoon Koo ◽  
Yean Ling Pang ◽  
Woon Chan Chong ◽  
Woei Jye Lau
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Membrane Performance ◽  
Dope Solution ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Pes Membrane ◽  
Contact Angle Analysis

Silver nanoparticles (NP) was successfully immobilized on polydopamine (PDA) supported polyethersulfone (PES) membrane via a redox reaction. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was added into membrane dope solution as a pore-forming agent. Four pieces of membranes (M1, M2, M3 and M4) were fabricated with different active layer coatings to compare their morphological and performance properties. The differences between each sample were highlighted as follow: M1 (pristine PES), M2 (PES+PVP), M3 (PDA/PES+PVP) and M4 (Ag/PDA/PES+PVP). All membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and contact angle analysis. The membrane performance was examined using pure water permeability (PWP) test, antibacterial test and humic acid (HA) rejection test. Pristine M1 membrane showed that PWP of 27.16 LMH/bar and HA rejection of 84 %. In this study, it was found that the addition of PVP as a pore agent into the membrane M2 increased water flux but slightly deteriorated HA rejection. Coating of PDA on M3 and immobilizing silver NP on M4 membrane surface have improved HA rejection but compromised PWP. The results showed that membrane M4 carried excellent antibacterial property and highest HA rejection among all fabricated membranes.

scholarly journals Pilot-Scale Investigation of Forward/Reverse Osmosis Hybrid System for Seawater Desalination Using Impaired Water from Steel Industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanaa M. Ali ◽  
Hanaa Gadallah ◽  
Sahar S. Ali ◽  
Rania Sabry ◽  
A. G. Gadallah
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Hybrid System ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Steel Industry ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Operating Time ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hybrid Process ◽  
Impaired Water

This paper was focused on the investigation of a forward osmosis- (FO-) reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid process to cotreat seawater and impaired water from steel industry. By using this hybrid process, seawater can be diluted before desalination, hence reducing the energy cost of desalination, and simultaneously contaminants present in the impaired water are prevented from migrating into the product water through the FO and RO membranes. The main objective of this work was to investigate on pilot-scale system the performance of the combined FO pretreatment and RO desalination hybrid system and specifically its effects on membrane fouling and overall solute rejection. Firstly, optimization of the pilot-scale FO process to obtain the most suitable and stable operating conditions for practical application was investigated. Secondly, pilot-scale RO process performance as a posttreatment to FO process was evaluated in terms of water flux and rejection. The results indicated that the salinity of seawater reduced from 35000 to 13000 mg/L after 3 hrs using FO system, while after 6 hrs it approached 10000 mg/L. Finally, FO/RO system was tested on continuous operation for 15 hrs and it was demonstrated that no pollutant was detected neither in draw solution nor in RO permeate after the end of operating time.

scholarly journals Fouling Mitigation via Chaotic Advection in a Flat Membrane Module with a Patterned Surface

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 724
Author(s):  
Kyung Tae Kim ◽  
Jo Eun Park ◽  
Seon Yeop Jung ◽  
Tae Gon Kang
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Film Theory ◽  
Groove Depth ◽  
Membrane Module ◽  
Chaotic Advection ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Fouling Mitigation ◽  
Flat Membrane

Fouling mitigation using chaotic advection caused by herringbone-shaped grooves in a flat membrane module is numerically investigated. The feed flow is laminar with the Reynolds number (Re) ranging from 50 to 500. In addition, we assume a constant permeate flux on the membrane surface. Typical flow characteristics include two counter-rotating flows and downwelling flows, which are highly influenced by the groove depth at each Re. Poincaré sections are plotted to represent the dynamical systems of the flows and to analyze mixing. The flow systems become globally chaotic as the groove depth increases above a threshold value. Fouling mitigation via chaotic advection is demonstrated using the dimensionless average concentration (c¯w*) on the membrane and its growth rate. When the flow system is chaotic, the growth rate of c¯w* drops significantly compared to that predicted from the film theory, demonstrating that chaotic advection is an attractive hydrodynamic technique that mitigates membrane fouling. At each Re, there exists an optimal groove depth minimizing c¯w* and the growth rate of c¯w*. Under the optimum groove geometry, foulants near the membrane are transported back to the bulk flow via the downwelling flows, distributed uniformly in the entire channel via chaotic advection.

scholarly journals Bench-scale study of ultrafiltration membranes for evaluating membrane performance in surface water treatment

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dillon A. Waterman ◽  
Steven Walker ◽  
Bingjie Xu ◽  
Roberto M. Narbaitz
Keyword(s):  
Hollow Fiber ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Cycle Duration ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Constant Flux ◽  
Bench Scale ◽  
Membrane Performance ◽  
The Impact

Currently, there is no standard bench-scale dead-end ultrafiltration (UF) testing system. The aim of the present study was to design and build a bench-scale hollow fiber UF system to assess the impact of operational parameters on membrane performance and fouling. A bench-scale hollow fiber UF system was built to operate at a constant flux (±2% of the set-point flux) and included automated backwash cycles. The development of the bench-scale system showed that it is very difficult to maintain a constant flux during the first minute of the filtration cycles, that digital flow meters are problematic, and that the volume of the backwash waste lines should be minimized. The system was evaluated with Ottawa River water, which has a relatively high hydrophobic natural organic matter content and is typical of Northern Canadian waters. The testing using different permeate fluxes, filtration cycle duration and backwash cycle duration showed that this system mimics the performance of larger systems and may be used to assess the impact of operating conditions on membrane fouling and alternative pretreatment options. Modeling the first, middle, and last filtration cycles of the six runs using single and dual blocking mechanisms yielded inconsistent results regarding the controlling fouling mechanisms.

Numerical Simulation of Hollow Fiber Ultrafiltration Membrane

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Zhou ◽  
A. G. Agwu Nnanna
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Hollow Fiber ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Hollow Fiber Membrane ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Membrane Performance

Low pressure driven ultrafiltraion (UF) processes has been applied in various industries due to its economical and easy operated benefits. Hollow fiber membrane is one of the most used membrane configuration in industry, membrane fouling is the major challenge for widely usage. Most of the investigation of UF was carried out by experiments to determine the effect of different operating conditions on permeate flux. However, experiments provide limited insight information on the membrane performance. In addition, the prediction of permeate flux under different operating conditions is necessary for experimental design and optimization. The purpose of the present study is to develop a numerical model to simulate the UF process and investigate the UF mechanism. A numerical model was developed using commercial CFD package (FLUENT). The effects of various operating conditions on permeate flux were determined by experiments and simulations, the comparison of the experimental and CFD results shows good agreements. Controlling membrane fouling will maintain a high productivity. The simulations were carried out to investigate the efficiency of removing accumulated particles on membrane surface by installing spacer filaments in membrane channels. The results suggested that the zigzag type spacer has d/h = 0.5 and l/h = 5 is more economical and efficient in reducing fouling.

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