Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bang Li, Tengfei Tian, Xia Zhang, Changrui Han, Yanbin Yun, Xinfeng Zhu, Junfeng Wu
Summary: In this study, we developed a facile strategy for fabricating an amphiphobic PVDF membrane with a slippery surface, which showed excellent anti-fouling and anti-wetting properties in membrane distillation.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Rongchao Wang, Hao Zhang, Liang Zhu, Lin Chen, Wucheng Ma, Longjie Jiang, Yue Zhu, Bin Wu, Wei Zhang
Summary: This study reports a simple and highly efficient air spraying strategy to fabricate an omniphobic membrane by spraying a coating solution comprising fluorinated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (F-MWCNTs) onto a commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. The contact angles for water and hexadecane on the surface reached 173.0 degrees and 161.2 degrees, and the water flux remained stable for 12 h when tested in DCMD with low surface tension fluids (SDS and STAC). The omniphobic membrane showed higher wetting resistance in direct membrane distillation (DCMD) experiments than the PTFE membrane when feeding low surface tension feed solutions.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiangjun Liao, Yuqi Wang, Yuan Liao, Xiaofei You, Lei Yao, Abdul Ghani Razaqpur
Summary: Developed a robust omniphobic membrane with super liquid-repellent property, which showed stable performance in treating feed solutions containing surfactants.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Muhammad Usman Farid, Jehad A. Kharraz, Cheng-Hao Lee, James Kar-Hei Fang, Sophie St-Hilaire, Alicia Kyoungjin An
Summary: In this study, the use of nanobubbles (NBs) effectively delayed membrane scaling in membrane distillation (MD) during the treatment of highly saline feed. The addition of air NBs, with their small size, neutral buoyancy, and negative surface charge, provided longer suspension time and homogenous mixing in the feed water, reducing salt precipitation and crystal deposition on the membrane surface. This delayed the occurrence of flux decline, prevented membrane wetting, and prolonged the effective MD operating time.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Wucheng Ma, Rui Han, Liang Zhu, Longjie Jiang, Wei Zhang, Hao Zhang, Lin Chen
Summary: The recovery of ammonia from wastewater is a major concern. This study developed FeOOH grafted membranes with superior fouling resistance and wetting prevention. The modified membrane showed promising results in ammonia recovery without wetting or fouling, indicating its potential in resource recovery.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiangjun Liao, Pan Dai, Yuqi Wang, Xiaocheng Zhang, Yuan Liao, Xiaofei You, Abdul Ghani Razaqpur
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of photothermal membrane distillation (PMD) in addressing the water-energy nexus. The authors developed a microsphere structured composite membrane with superior light-to-heat conversion and superhydrophobic properties. The membrane showed high light absorptivity, heat recovery, and vapor production, along with excellent wetting resistance. The localized heating alleviated temperature polarization, increased the permeation flux, and reduced thermal energy consumption. The modified membrane also exhibited better anti-scaling properties compared to the original membrane.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jun Pan, Min Chen, Xianli Xu, Shi-Peng Sun, Zhaohui Wang, Zhaoliang Cui, Weihong Xing, Naser Tavajohi
Summary: This study investigates the feasibility of using a membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) process to treat high salt reverse osmosis (RO) brine. By improving the membrane surface hydrophobicity with different coating materials, the MDC operation significantly enhances the purity of salt crystals, offering potential improvement for existing zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Huijuan Li, Hui Feng, Meng Li, Xuan Zhang
Summary: This study proposes an effective strategy to fabricate high-performance MD membranes with superhydrophobicity and slippery characteristics, exhibiting excellent wetting/scaling resistance and mechanical robustness. The membranes outperform existing MD membranes in the treatment of high saline brine and synthetic multi-component hypersaline wastewater.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Songchen Xie, Zhiguang Pang, Chunguang Hou, Ngie Hing Wong, Jaka Sunarso, Yuelian Peng
Summary: This study presents a method to develop an omniphobic membrane and demonstrates its excellent anti-scaling and anti-wetting properties. The PVDF-(EA/PFTS)-1:1 membrane shows high wetting resistance and omniphobicity, as well as excellent scaling resistance during concentration and reverse osmosis processes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Wei Cheng, Peizhi Wang, Xiaolei Zhang, Ji Li, Yiwen Luo, Wenjuan Zhang, Jun Ma, Tao Zhang
Summary: This study successfully fabricates Janus membranes with high water flux and anti-scaling/wetting capacities by spray-coating polyvinyl alcohol layers on hydrophobic membrane substrates. The spray-coating method promotes the crosslinking of PVA polymer networks and facilitates water molecule transport, resulting in improved surface properties and wastewater treatment performances compared to traditional methods.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Tiandi Pan, Jian Liu, Nanping Deng, Zongjie Li, Liang Wang, Zhaopeng Xia, Jie Fan, Yong Liu
Summary: A superhydrophobic hybrid composite nanofiber membrane, with hydrophobic ZnO nanowires introduced to enhance anti-wetting and anti-scaling abilities, has been developed. The membrane showed stable salt rejection and permeation flux for simulated seawater after 60 hours of operation. This hybrid membrane has potential for long-term membrane distillation applications.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sofiane Soukane, Harun Elcik, Alla Alpatova, Jamel Orfi, Emad Ali, Hany AlAnsary, Noreddine Ghaffour
Summary: This study investigates the dynamics of scaled-up membrane distillation modules for treating highly saline desalination brines. By using a multicomponent computational fluid dynamics model, the physical phenomena such as temperature evolution, species distribution, and scaling likelihood during process scale-up were explored. Results show that the permeate flux drops significantly with increasing salinity, mainly due to scaling caused by calcium sulfate.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Min Tang, Libing Zheng, Deyin Hou, Xiaolin Jia, Jun Wang
Summary: A novel anti-wetting and anti-fouling multifunctional Janus membrane was designed with high omniphobicity and stable performance in treating emulsified oily hypersaline solution. The membrane exhibited robust wettability and salt rejection, making it a promising candidate for challenging wastewaters treatment and industrial application of MD.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Chunliang Du, Jennifer Runhong Du, Xianshe Feng, Faxin Du, Fang Cheng, Mohamed E. A. Ali
Summary: In this study, pervaporation (PV) was used to desalinate seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine. The results showed that PV has advantages over membrane distillation (MD) in terms of fouling resistance, membrane cleaning, and flux recovery.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fei Han, Jiayue Mao, Kai Wang
Summary: In this study, carbon nanotube-based electroactive membranes were prepared and used in a membrane distillation system. By optimizing system configuration and employing electrochemical anti-scaling methods, the flux was increased and the scaling of silicates and sulfates was mitigated. These findings are of great significance for inorganic scaling control in conductive heating vacuum membrane distillation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tao Ma, Haiqing Hui, Xiaofei You, Zhiqiang Pei, Miao Tian, Bing Wu
Summary: This study developed a nanofibrous thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membrane with a tiered dual-layer nanofibrous substrate to enhance membrane stability and cleaning efficiency. The dual-layer nanofibrous substrate showed improved water flux and maintained water/solute selectivity in the presence of foulants in both the feed solution and draw solution.
FRONTIERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yunqiao Ma, Tao Hua, Thien An Trinh, Rong Wang, Jia Wei Chew
Summary: This study reveals the mechanism of the excellent adsorption capability of heated aluminum oxide particles (HAOPs) in pre-treatment of reverse osmosis membranes, using molecular dynamics simulations.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Miao Tian, Haiqing Hui, Tao Ma, Guanru Zhao, Mahmood Zarak, Xiaofei You, Wenlu Li
Summary: A nanofilm made of lysozyme can be used to tune the nanopore and surface charge of NF membranes, protecting them from oxidation and maintaining rejection rates at around 96%.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Verona Nithya Francis, Jeng Yi Chong, Guoying Yang, Lei Che, Rong Wang
Summary: This study successfully synthesized polyamide-PTFE thin film composite (TFC) membranes with excellent chemical resistance to strong solvents by using polytetrafluomethylene (PTFE) as the substrate and a simple modification and coating technique. These membranes showed high permeabilities and good rejection rates, demonstrating their great potential in molecular separation in harsh solvents.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Huang Teik Lay, Chi Siang Ong, Rong Wang, Jia Wei Chew
Summary: The study demonstrates that the DLVO approximation methods used to predict interfacial foulant-membrane interactions are sensitive to the boundary condition assumptions. Both the Poisson-Boltzmann (P-B) and linear superposition approximation (LSA) equations can quantify electrostatic interaction energy, but the LSA equation provides more accurate predictions in various filtration tests.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiangjun Liao, Shuren Chou, Chuanyu Gu, Xiaocheng Zhang, Minghao Shi, Xiaofei You, Yuan Liao, Abdul Ghani Razaqpur
Summary: Membrane scaling is a common issue in continuous membrane distillation. The use of omniphobic corrugated membranes can effectively alleviate membrane scaling. Different modes of operation and membrane designs have different effects on scale formation. Parallel flow and corrugation patterns contribute to better scaling resistance.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiaocheng Zhang, Xiangjun Liao, Minghao Shi, Yuan Liao, Abdul Ghani Razaqpur, Xiaofei You
Summary: Membrane wetting and fouling are major challenges in membrane distillation, especially with low surface tension components in the feed. This study developed membranes with different wettability to guide membrane selection for treating these wastewaters. Superhydrophobic and superomniphobic modifications improved anti-fouling/wetting properties when the feeds had anionic and cationic surfactants. However, these modifications worsened membrane performance when the feeds contained nonionic surfactant Tween-20. The hydrophilic layer on Janus membranes showed improvement in anti-fouling/wetting abilities for emulsified oily wastewaters, while the choice of substrate was still important.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Josh HuaiXun Lim, Kunli Goh, Daniel Yee Fan Ng, Jiawei Chew, Rong Wang
Summary: Conventional organic solvent recovery methods are energy-intensive and have large footprints. We have developed a new approach that combines adsorption and membrane processes to address these challenges. By designing a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) electrospun membrane with a hierarchical structure, we are able to improve the efficiency of solvent recovery while maintaining high removal rates.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yujun Zhang, Jeng Yi Chong, Yali Zhao, Rong Xu, Akihiko Asakawa, Rong Wang
Summary: This study developed a method to fabricate hydrophobic membranes for membrane distillation. The hydrophilic membranes were transformed into hydrophobic through the coating of a polymer called LUMIFLONTM LF-200. The coated membranes showed better performance than commercial membranes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yali Zhao, Yuan Liao, Gwo Sung Lai, Yurong Yin, Rong Wang
Summary: A tight polyethersulfone (PES) -based ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was fabricated to separate dye and salt in textile wastewater using a polyion complex assisted phase inversion method. The resulting membrane had a nonporous skin layer comprising of polyion complex and enriched sulfonated polysulfone (SPSF), which resulted in a smaller effective pore radius compared to the reference membrane prepared without using polyion complex assisted phase inversion.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yurong Yin, Yali Zhao, Can Li, Rong Wang
Summary: In this study, a positively charged hollow fiber nanofiltration (NF) membrane was developed for water soften and heavy metal ions removal using a double interfacial polymerization (IP) method. The membrane was fabricated by conducting IP reactions on a polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber substrate, followed by a secondary reaction to increase the positive charge density on the membrane surface. The optimized membrane exhibited high rejection rates for MgCl2, Cu2+, and Zn2+, while maintaining a good water permeability.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ningyuan Chen, Jie Zhao, Lei Shi, Atsushi Goto, Rong Wang
Summary: The use of water-insoluble diluents in the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) process can eliminate the effect of diluent outflow, while the addition of hydrophilic non-solvents can improve the surface porosity and permeability of polyvinylidene fluoride ultrafiltration membranes. The study also found that the simultaneous addition of both types of additives can significantly enhance the membrane's permeability.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Yu Jie Lim, Kunli Goh, Atsushi Goto, Yanli Zhao, Rong Wang
Summary: This article reviews the advances in adsorptive materials and technologies for uranium and lithium extraction from seawater and provides an outlook on future developments. Nanotechnology has the potential to enhance the extraction abilities, although the low concentrations of uranium and lithium in seawater present challenges. The main challenges highlighted in this article include the selectivity against competing ions and long-term stability against marine biofouling.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Can Li, Gwo Sung Lai, Yali Zhao, Rong Wang
Summary: This study presents the design of a seawater reverse osmosis membrane with powerful boron removal competence by utilizing aliphatic amines. The membrane showed improved rejection of neutral boron molecules and maintained high salt rejection and water permeability.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Han Zheng, Zihao Mou, Yu Jie Lim, Narasimalu Srikanth, Wang Zhang, Sheng Guo, Rong Wang, Kun Zhou
Summary: This study developed an effective method to expand the pore size of polyamide layers by incorporating ammonium ion-modified carbon dots, which lowers the energy barrier for water transportation while maintaining high selectivity. By inducing the ridged nanostructure on the membrane surface, the TFN-C-8-CDs membrane demonstrated higher rejection rate, selectivity, and pure water permeability compared to the pristine polyamide membrane.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jiawei Hou, Shixuan Guo, Nigel Graham, Wenzheng Yu, Kening Sun, Ting Liu
Summary: A novel 2D composite membrane based on r-HGO and MXene materials was developed, demonstrating exceptional performance for water treatment in terms of permeability, pollutant rejection, and physical stability. The optimization of preparation conditions and material proportions can result in high water flux and efficient removal of pollutants.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Retraction
Engineering, Chemical
Chang Liu, Jinghong Liu, Liang Zhu, Shanfu Tang, Huixin Xiong
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Rui Gao, Caihong Liu, Andreia F. Faria, Qiang He, Chun Yang, Jun Ma
Summary: A novel copolymer architecture has been developed to address biofouling concerns in thin-film composite (TFC) membranes by integrating anti-fouling, bactericidal, and fouling-release functions. The multifunctional membrane demonstrates promising anti-adhesive properties, self-cleaning ability, and high flux recovery rate.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Alexander T. Bridge, Noah P. Wamble, Matthew S. Santoso, Joan F. Brennecke, Benny D. Freeman
Summary: This study demonstrates the reproducible preparation of high-flux defect-free asymmetric gas separation membranes using Cyrene(TM) as a majority dope formulation component. By adjusting the volume ratios of Cyrene(TM) and THF, as well as the concentrations of Matrimid(R) and the dry step time, optimal membrane performance is achieved.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Alessandra Imbrogno, Han Ya Lin, Babak Minofar, Andrea Iris Schaefer
Summary: In this study, a composite nanofiber membrane containing cross-linked beta-cyclodextrin-epichlorohydrin was prepared and evaluated for the removal of steroid hormones. The results showed that the membrane had high adsorption capacity and the ability to form a specific inclusion complex interaction with the hormones, indicating its potential application in hormone removal.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bora Shin, Jaewon Shin, Yanuar Chandra Wirasembada, Ki Young Park, Jinwoo Cho
Summary: This study develops a mathematical model to estimate the initial flux of volatile fatty acids in the direct contact membrane distillation process. It identifies the parameters affecting the flux and their relationship with pH.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yi-Jui Yeh, Jr Rong Liou, Wei Lin, Kuo-Lun Tung, Wei-Hung Chiang
Summary: This study demonstrates an effective plasma engineering method to create nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot (NGQD)-inorganic nanocomposites for tunable molecular separation. The composite materials show high separation efficiency and controllable nanopore structures, making them potentially valuable for various applications.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Horacio Lopez-Marques, Kristofer L. Gleason, Manuel Aguilar-Vega, Rita Sulub-Sulub, J. Ehren Eichler, Hyeonji Oh, C. Buddie Mullins, Benny D. Freeman, Manish Kumar
Summary: In this study, water transport properties in Carbon Molecular Sieve (CMS) membranes were investigated. It was found that membranes synthesized at different pyrolysis temperatures exhibited varying water permeabilities. Compared to other polymeric materials, CMS membranes showed high water permeability, indicating potential for dehydration applications.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Dmitry A. Alentiev, Roman Yu. Nikiforov, Marina A. Rudakova, Danil P. Zarezin, Maxim A. Topchiy, Andrey F. Asachenko, Nikolay A. Belov, Maxim Bermeshev
Summary: A series of new norbornene-type monomers containing linear and branched substituents were synthesized, and robust thin membranes were prepared by vinyl-addition polymerization. Gas separation performance for the synthesized polymers was evaluated, and the structure of substituent side chains was found to significantly affect gas permeability and CO2 facilitated transport.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Lei Yan, Qi Zhang, Ze Zhang, Gui-Jie Li, Yi Jin, Xin-Lin Zhang, Yan-Yun Sun
Summary: In this study, a continuous, stable and fast ion transport channel was established through in-situ guided cross-linking of zinc alginate hydrogels on a porous membrane, overcoming the negative pore effect and effectively inhibiting the dendrite growth of zinc anodes and interfacial side reactions.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yuqing Zhang, Ailing Zhang, Huiyang He, Yuting Fan, Yongjiang Li, Song Wang, Sanxi Li
Summary: The Langmuir-Blodgett self-assembly process is used to create an ordered SPEEK membrane, which enhances the proton conductivity by three times compared to conventional solution casting method.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Hasan Ismaeel, David Gibson, Eleonora Ricci, Maria Grazia De Angelis
Summary: In this study, a machine learning-based group contribution method (ML-GC) was developed to predict pure polymer parameters and successfully applied to predict gas solubility and gas solubility isotherms in glassy polymeric membranes. The model showed satisfactory performance on a small dataset, but has the potential to provide more accurate predictions for a wider range of polymers as more data becomes available.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yi Ji, Yu Sun, Huilin Li, Qiang Fu, Yan Zhang
Summary: Previous studies have shown that vibration- or rotation-based techniques can effectively mitigate fouling during membrane filtration. However, it is difficult to incorporate these techniques with spiral wound modules (SWMs) widely used in water and wastewater treatment. This study developed a prototype membrane system to accommodate angular vibrations with a modified SWM, and experimental results showed that applying angular vibrations can effectively control algal fouling in an SWM with lower energy consumption compared to traditional methods.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Lakshmeesha Upadhayaya, Abaynesh Yihdego Gebreyohannes, Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, Usman T. Syed, Sandra L. Aristizabal, Radoslaw Gorecki, Suzana P. Nunes
Summary: Increasing temperatures worldwide pose a significant health risk, exacerbated by high humidity. Conventional air conditioners contribute heavily to carbon dioxide emissions, with dehumidification being a major factor. Membrane-based dehumidification system offers energy efficiency and non-toxic water vapor removal. This study demonstrates a membrane dehumidification system with polymeric hollow fibers coated with a green polyphenol coating, showing remarkable water vapor transport rate and selectivity. Long-term testing reveals minimal decline in vapor transport and a 4-5 times higher coefficient of performance (COP) compared to conventional dehumidifiers, making it a highly competitive, energy-saving device with reduced emissions and a smaller footprint.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhengzhong Zhou, Xue Zhu, Yi Yuan, Shaoqiang Wang, Xiaoshan Meng, Taoli Huhe, Qian Wang
Summary: In this study, lignin, a biomass material, was chemically modified and utilized in the interfacial polymerization process to improve the performance of nanofiltration membranes. The modified membranes showed enhanced hydrophilicity and anti-fouling properties, and the optimization of membrane pore size increased permeability. The study also demonstrated the potential application of the membranes in biogas slurry valorization.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2024)