Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xing Du, Yao Liu, Peng Rao, Haiyang Yang, Yuanqing Chen, Yunlong Luo, Zhihong Wang, Heng Liang
Summary: By combining activated carbon and newly formed manganese oxide, the gravity driven ceramic membrane filtration system effectively removes manganese and facilitates biogenic manganese formation. The use of PAC and birnessite in this system provides a promising approach for water treatment, particularly for small footprint decentralized water supply sanitation.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ken Fang, Xiaokai Wang, Zhitian Peng, Jiahao Dong, Xing Du, Yunlong Luo
Summary: Gravity-Driven Ceramic Membrane (GDCM) technology is widely used in water purification due to its low energy consumption and convenient operation. This study comprehensively assessed the effects of different disinfectants on GDCM performance and found that hydrogen peroxide exhibited better membrane fouling mitigation compared to sodium hypochlorite. The study also analyzed the change in manganese removal and the structure of powdered activated carbon - manganese oxides, as well as the dissolution and accumulation of organic compounds. The results highlighted the importance of applying effective disinfection in GDCMs.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wen Qin, Peng Rao, Ken Fang, Lifan Liu, Xing Du, Yunlong Luo, Jiayu Tian
Summary: A vertical aeration-aided gravity driven ceramic membrane reactor was developed and used to purify groundwater contaminated with manganese. The results showed that a stable concentration of manganese in the effluent was achieved due to the formation of a matured birnessite functional layer on the ceramic membrane surface. The trade-off effect within the reactor was solved by reconstructing the birnessite-type film and increasing the water production flux. Vertical aeration also increased the abundance of manganese oxidizing bacteria.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shuxian Jiang, Peng Rao, Huaguan Huang, Lifan Liu, Yunlong Luo, Wanying Wang, Xing Du, Haiyang Yang, Jiayu Tian
Summary: In this study, a novel groundwater purification system was successfully used to simultaneously remove manganese and ammonia from groundwater. The system achieved excellent removal efficiency by utilizing enriched bacteria and highly catalytic birnessite. The mixture-filled mode showed the most significant fouling control effect.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jianyong Feng, Zhihao Liu, Zhiwei Zhou, Jianwei Ren, Yanling Yang, Xing Li, Xu Tan
Summary: In this study, the effects of KMnO4 and NaClO on the start-up period of the GDM process for manganese removal from surface water were investigated. KMnO4 was found to shorten the start-up period, improve stable flux, and enhance the porosity of the bio-cake layer. The active manganese oxide in the bio-cake layer was identified as delta-MnO2, with KMnO4 showing a superior assisted effect. The development of delta-MnO2 was attributed to the enrichment of manganese oxidizing bacteria. The biological action accounted for a small proportion of manganese removal.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Meng Chen, Jun Nan, Ying Xu, Jinzhuo Yao, Haochun Wang, Xuehui Zu
Summary: This study investigates the impact of microplastics on gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration and proposes methods for optimizing the filtration process. Results show that pre-coagulation can reduce membrane fouling and improve flux, while the contribution of microplastics to membrane fouling is negligible. Additionally, the fractal dimension of small flocs can be used to predict the surface roughness of the cake layer and the flux of pre-coagulated GDM.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaobin Tang, Jialiang Qiao, Jinlong Wang, Kaijie Huang, Yuanqing Guo, Daliang Xu, Guibai Li, Heng Liang
Summary: Groundwater is a desired alternative for decentralized water supply, but the presence of iron, manganese, and ammonia limits its adoption. The innovative gravity-driven membrane (GDM) process has been developed to efficiently diminish the concentrations of these contaminants, with bio-cake layer serving as a dynamic barrier for foulants rejection. MnOx particles pre-additions in the GDM system could significantly enhance the removal of manganese and improve the stable fluxes of the process.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jenny Radeva, Anke Gundula Roth, Christian Goebbert, Robert Niestroj-Pahl, Lars Daehne, Axel Wolfram, Juergen Wiese
Summary: The Layer-by-Layer (LbL) technology is used to enhance alumina ceramic membranes by coating them with nanosized polyelectrolyte films, effectively rejecting small molecules such as pharmaceuticals, salts, and industrial contaminants. Through laboratory tests and analyses, it is found that the newly developed hybrid membranes show significant promise in removing pharmaceutical contaminants, indicating the potential for further research and applications.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hailin Chang, Weiyi Sun, Yanrui Wang, Shu Jiang, Jinlong Wang, Heng Liang, Guibai Li, Xiaobin Tang
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of organics concentrations on the removal of iron and manganese in a gravity-driven membrane filtration system. The results showed that moderate concentrations of organic compounds were beneficial for stable flux and manganese removal, while high concentrations of organics resulted in a decrease in flux and a negative impact on manganese removal.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bin Lin, Luuk C. Rietveld, Lu Yao, Sebastiaan G. J. Heijman
Summary: This study demonstrates that Fenton cleaning in ceramic nanofiltration can effectively remove cake layer fouling on the membrane, but has limited efficacy in removing adsorptive fouling. The findings provide new insights into the evaluation and optimization of oxidative cleaning in ceramic NF for water treatment.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinxu Nie, Huaguan Huang, Peng Rao, Hao Chen, Xing Du, Zhihong Wang, Wenxiang Zhang, Heng Liang
Summary: A composite functional particle enhanced gravity driven ceramic membrane bioreactor (GDCMBR) was developed to address the emergence of ammonia and phosphorus in groundwater. The GDCMBR showed enhanced bacteria enrichment and nitrogen and phosphorus removal, resulting in desirable effluent quality. The particles in GDCMBR can be quickly transferred to promote flux and achieve sustainable water purification efficiency.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiaobin Tang, Jinlong Wang, Hongjia Zhang, Miao Yu, Yuanqing Guo, Guibai Li, Heng Liang
Summary: The innovative gravity-driven membrane (GDM) process effectively removes iron and manganese contamination from surface water, with the potential to significantly contribute to the treatment of iron- and manganese-containing water. The interaction between the bio-cake layer and ultrafiltration membrane plays a crucial role in flux improvement and removal efficiency.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Rui Chen, Lin Hu, Han Zhang, Dachao Lin, Jinlong Wang, Daliang Xu, Weijia Gong, Heng Liang
Summary: The occurrence of emerging contaminants is a potential threat to aquatic organisms and public health. This study investigated the removal and transformation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) using gravity-driven membrane filtration. Pre-adding acclimated activated sludge was found to improve the removal of micropollutants and enhance the removal of conventional pollutants.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Selina Hube, Fiona Hauser, Michael Burkhardt, Sigurour Brynjolfsson, Bing Wu
Summary: This study investigated the feasibility of using ultrasonication as a ceramic microfiltration membrane fouling control strategy during gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration and constant flux filtration of primary municipal wastewater. The results showed that ultrasonication cleaning can effectively reduce membrane fouling and improve membrane performance. Cost analysis revealed that ultrasonication-facilitated GDM systems are economically feasible for treating wastewater at a household scale, while ultrasonication-facilitated constant flux filtration systems are favorable at a small community scale.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Mohammad Arif Budiman Pauzan, Siti Khadijah Hubadillah, Siti Nur Elida Aqmar Mohamad Kamal, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman, Mohd Hafiz Puteh, Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan, Suriani Abu Bakar, Huda Abdullah, Mohd Riduan Jamalludin, Rosmawati Naim, Siti Hamimah Sheikh Abdul Kadir
Summary: The study improved the hydrophobicity of SLZK and DLZK membranes through grafting, with DLZK membrane showing a more porous structure, higher mechanical strength and contact angle. The DLZK membrane exhibited excellent performance in the membrane contactor system with a higher mass transfer coefficient and almost complete removal of ammonia.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jinchuan Lian, Xiaoxiang Cheng, Xuewu Zhu, Xinsheng Luo, Jingtao Xu, Fengxun Tan, Daoji Wu, Heng Liang
Summary: In this study, ferrate (Fe(VI)) and calcium sulfite (CaSO3) were combined to improve ultrafiltration (UF) performance in surface water treatment. The combination of Fe(VI) and CaSO3 generated various active species, effectively eliminating fluorescent components. Dissolved organic carbon and UV254 were significantly reduced with Fe(VI)/CaSO3 = 0.05/0.15 mM. After UF, the removal rate for these parameters were further improved. The UF stage also resulted in reduced fouling and improved membrane performance.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinxu Nie, Huaguan Huang, Peng Rao, Hao Chen, Xing Du, Zhihong Wang, Wenxiang Zhang, Heng Liang
Summary: A composite functional particle enhanced gravity driven ceramic membrane bioreactor (GDCMBR) was developed to address the emergence of ammonia and phosphorus in groundwater. The GDCMBR showed enhanced bacteria enrichment and nitrogen and phosphorus removal, resulting in desirable effluent quality. The particles in GDCMBR can be quickly transferred to promote flux and achieve sustainable water purification efficiency.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaoxiang Cheng, Yongrui Zhang, Qingshui Fan, Lin Wang, Shuai Shi, Xinsheng Luo, Xuewu Zhu, Daoji Wu, Heng Liang
Summary: In this study, a novel Co3O4@carbon nanotubes modified ceramic membrane (Co3O4@CNT-CM) was prepared for simultaneous catalytic peroxymonosulfate (PMS) oxidation and filtration of secondary effluent. The Co3O4@CNT catalyst showed good dispersibility and a large number of active sites, and the Co3O4@CNT-CM had a smooth surface, high permeate flux, and excellent catalytic PMS ability. The Co3O4@CNT-CM demonstrated enhanced antifouling and water purification performance in the treatment of secondary effluent.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xinsheng Luo, Shun Yu, Daliang Xu, Junwen Ding, Xuewu Zhu, Jiajian Xing, Teng Wu, Xiang Zheng, Tejraj M. Aminabhavi, Xiaoxiang Cheng, Heng Liang
Summary: Catalytic membrane based oxidation-filtration processes (AOP-CM) provide an efficient water purification strategy by combining physical separation and chemical oxidation. However, the low efficiency of heterogeneous AOPs in catalytic membranes has hampered the application of AOP-CM. To improve the efficiency, an isoporous AlOx/La2CoMnO6-delta ceramic membrane (IAPCM) with nano-confinement characteristics was prepared. The well-designed pore structure of IAPCM resulted in excellent water permeance and size-exclusion performance. Addition of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) enabled ultrafast degradation of organic micropollutants in the IAPCM system. This work emphasizes the significance of pore structure design for high-performance AOP-CM processes.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Huarong Yu, Boyan Lai, Haiyang Yang, Hongwei Rong, Heng Liang, Fangshu Qu
Summary: Global warming and the energy crisis have led to an increased demand for renewable energy production and resource recovery. This study proposed a novel method for evaluating methanogenesis in anaerobic wastewater treatment by determining coenzyme F420 using front-face excitation-emission matrix (FF-EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the FF-EEM-based method was simpler and more accurate than conventional F420 measurement. The study demonstrated that the FF-EEM-based method could effectively evaluate methanogenesis in anaerobic processes and assist in optimizing bioresource recycling in wastewater treatment.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jun Liu, Xushen Han, Xuewu Zhu, Jun Li, Dan Zhong, Liangliang Wei, Heng Liang
Summary: This study systematically evaluated the granulation, long-term operation, storage, and reactivation processes of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). The relationships between microbial diversity, granular size, and characteristics were also investigated. The results showed that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla, and certain genera such as Flavobacterium, Acinetobacter, Azoarcus, and Chryseobacterium had varying abundances in different stages or granular sizes. Microbial immigration was found to be significant in various stages, and microbial diversity had a linear relationship with COD/MLVSS ratio. However, there was no linear relationship between microbial diversity and granular size, indicating similar microbial diversity in different-sized AGS. Overall, COD/MLVSS played a key role in microbial evolution compared to sludge traits. This study contributes to future research on AGS.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shirong Li, Langming Bai, Junwen Ding, Zihan Liu, Guibai Li, Heng Liang
Summary: In this study, a nanofiltration membrane with a salt-responsive ion valve effect was developed by incorporating zwitterionic nanospheres. It overcame the limitation of high salt concentration on nanofiltration separation performance and achieved high selectivity for ion transport.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zihui Wang, Langming Bai, Jinlong Wang, Qian Zhao, Heng Liang, Guibai Li
Summary: A photopolymerized thin-film composite NF membrane with a ridged surface was developed by integrating interfacial polymerization and photopolymerization for environmental water treatment. The effects of light on membrane surface and physicochemical properties were investigated and confirmed using infrared thermal images and response surface methodology. Molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory simulations were conducted to understand the crosslinking mechanism and illustrate the surface characteristics and selective separation performance of the membrane. The photopolymerized membrane showed improved permeability, selective separation efficiency, organic contaminant removal, and antifouling capacity compared to the pristine membrane, making it a promising solution for environmental challenges.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yonghui Han, Jinlong Wang, Daliang Xu, Jialin Song, Hesong Wang, Xuewu Zhu, Xinsheng Luo, Liu Yang, Guibai Li, Heng Liang
Summary: The application of ultrafiltration technology in algae-laden water is limited due to membrane fouling. However, a Ferrate/FeSO4 pretreatment can improve the UF performance by increasing the agglomerative tendency of algal foulants and enhancing the removal effect of algal organics through in-situ generated Fe(III). This strategy effectively mitigates algal-source membrane fouling and improves the UF performance.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jing Zhao, Liu Yang, Jiaxuan Yang, Han Zhang, Hesong Wang, Dongqing Liu, Jinlong Wang, Xiaoxiang Cheng, Xuewu Zhu, Heng Liang
Summary: An integrated ferrate-induced electrocoagulation-ultrafiltration (FECUF) process was proposed for water treatment. The formation and structural transformations of flocs and their responses to organic matter were investigated. It was found that ferrate accelerated the formation of flocs, which were mainly composed of Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides. The study also revealed the relationships between the interfacial properties of small colloidal particles (SCPs) and membrane filtration performance.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Cheng Fang, Yunlong Luo, Ravi Naidu
Summary: Confocal Raman imaging is capable of identifying and visualizing microplastics and nanoplastics directly. However, the diffraction limits the imaging of nanoplastics smaller than the laser spot size, which affects the image resolution. By mapping the emission intensity of the Raman signal and deconvolution, the axially transcended distribution of the imaged nanoplastic pattern can be reconstructed as a 2D Gaussian surface, allowing for the intentional selection and enhancement of weak signals, noise reduction, surface smoothing, and re-focusing. This approach has been successfully used to image microplastics and nanoplastics released from bushfire-affected face masks and water tanks, as well as to monitor burning degrees by visualizing micro- and nanoplastics. It enables effective imaging of regular-shaped micro- and nanoplastics, captures sub-diffraction limit nanoplastics, and achieves super-resolution imaging through confocal Raman.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yunlong Luo, Olalekan Awoyemi, Siyuan Liu, Junfeng Niu, Ravi Naidu, Cheng Fang
Summary: This study investigates the release of microplastic particles from ruptured air balloons using Raman imaging. It is found that each balloon explosion can potentially release tens-to-thousands of microplastics. The recommendation of using terrain mapping to scan the sample surface to avoid misleading images is also provided.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jinlong Wang, Jian Jiao, Jianlei Duan, Chuandong Wu, Jiaxuan Yang, Jing Zhao, Hesong Wang, Yu Tian, Guibai Li, Heng Liang
Summary: A two-step ion exchange membrane electrolysis process was designed for the recovery of divalent cations and sulfate from nanofiltration concentrates, and the removal performance and membrane fouling mechanism were investigated.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Cheng Fang, Yunlong Luo, Ravi Naidu
Summary: Confocal Raman imaging can identify and visualize microplastics and nanoplastics. By using spectrum matrices and Gaussian fitting, the position and size of nanoplastics can be accurately predicted. Through the application of algorithms, confocal microscopy can break through the diffraction limit of the excitation light, enabling super-resolution Raman imaging.
ANALYTICAL METHODS
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Yingyuan Zhu, Haiqing Chang, Zhongsen Yan, Caihong Liu, Ying Liang, Fangshu Qu, Heng Liang, Radisav D. Vidic
Summary: This comprehensive review summarizes the practical applications and mass transfer models of ammonia recovery from wastewater using membrane distillation and membrane contactor technologies. The review found that the operating conditions played a significant role in ammonia removal, while the characteristics of the feed and permeate solutions had a relatively smaller impact. The characteristics of the membrane and devices were of great interest in research.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
