Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiaolei Zhang, Jialin Huang, Xiaoying Cheng, Huihui Chen, Qiang Liu, Ping Yao, Hao H. Ngo, Long D. Nghiem
Summary: In this study, a hybrid electrochemical-microfiltration-granular activated carbon adsorption (e-MF-GAC) pretreatment process was developed and demonstrated for controlling reverse osmosis (RO) fouling. Compared to ultrafiltration (UF), e-MF-GAC pretreatment resulted in 30% higher permeate flux. Results in this study validate the hypothesis of complementarity among individual treatment processes of e-MF-GAC for removing foulants, leading to superior performance over conventional UF pretreatment.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shaojie Ren, Ning Guo, Jiahuan Li, Yunkun Wang
Summary: In this study, a multifunctional membrane with enhanced hydrophilicity, antibacterial ability, and photocatalytic performance was developed by synthesizing Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) and coating titanium dioxide (TiO2) on the polyethersulfone (PES) membrane through a polydopamine intermediate layer. The modified membrane achieved 96% bacterial inactivation and exhibited improved flux recovery and antifouling ability. The combination of AgNPs and TiO2 modification showed a synergistic effect on enhancing the membrane's fouling resistance.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yinghong Gao, Yeqing Zhang, Marcin Dudek, Jie Qin, Gisle Oye, Stein W. Osterhus
Summary: Research has shown that backpulsing under different conditions can mitigate membrane fouling, with varying cleaning efficiency. The parameters of backpulsing and their interactions have an impact on membrane performance, affecting fouling removal and membrane productivity.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Huang Teik Lay, Rique Jie En Yeow, Yunqiao Ma, Andrew L. Zydney, Rong Wang, Jia Wei Chew
Summary: This study investigated the external and internal membrane fouling caused by three proteins with different net charges. Results showed that lysozyme had the most severe impact on flux decline, followed by BSA. Various analysis methods revealed different characteristics of protein fouling on the membrane surface.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Huang Teik Lay, Rong Wang, Jia Wei Chew
Summary: This study investigates membrane fouling caused by pure particles and mixtures, revealing the impact of different types of particles and a level of analysis. The results show that mixtures exhibit more severe flux decline and higher pore blockage parameters compared to pure constituents, but internal cake resistance parameters may not necessarily follow the same trend.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kunal Gupta, Shankararaman Chellam
Summary: The study found that electrostatic interactions play a minimal role in irreversible fouling, while non-electrostatic direct EfOM-membrane interactions, such as hydrophobic interactions, dominantly influence irreversible fouling. Additionally, caution should be exercised when interpreting results from lab-scale studies using model organic matter species.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Weilong Song, Dong Xu, Xuan Yang, Jian Li, Pin Zhao, Xinhua Wang, How Yong Ng
Summary: Zwitterionic surface engineering was employed to improve the antifouling ability of hollow-fiber membranes. A flow-through coating method using zwitterionic organosilica material was used to introduce zwitterions onto the membrane, which was then incorporated into a membrane bioreactor (MBR) to demonstrate enhanced fouling control. The zwitterion-coated membrane showed superior fouling resistance in the MBR, with improved critical flux, extended fouling cycle, and higher resistance to key foulants such as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial polymer (SMP). The interfacial free energy analysis revealed that zwitterions altered the interfacial interaction between the membrane and the fouling substances, leading to elevated energy barrier for foulants attachment.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Imtiaz Afzal Khan, Yong Soo Lee, Jong -Oh Kim
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the membrane degradation for poly-vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes exposed to chemically enhanced pretreated (CEPT) feed water after 10 clean-in-place (CIP) cycles. The membrane pore size distribution, symmetry, and bond structure were analyzed using various methods. Severe damage to the membrane pores and significant structural variation were observed with untreated feed water, especially under constant flux (CF) mode. Membranes exposed to CEPT feed water exhibited a recovery of initial membrane flux, with a decrease in irreversible fouling.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Teresa Poerio, Thomas Denisi, Rosalinda Mazzei, Fabio Bazzarelli, Emma Piacentini, Lidietta Giorno, Efrem Curcio
Summary: Microfiltration is an effective and feasible green process for wastewater treatment. However, fouling can severely impact its efficiency and economic viability. This study evaluated the extent of membrane fouling and its effect on flux decline during microfiltration of olive mills wastewater. It also assessed the cleaning efficiency and identified the dominant fouling mechanisms for different membrane materials.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhaohui Zhang, Tong Zhang, Liang Wang, Mengmeng Chen, Bin Zhao, Junjing Li, Cong Ma, Xiuru Chu, Pengda Zhang
Summary: Free transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) play a significant role in irreversible membrane fouling when treating algae-laden water. A study found that the integrated process of magnetic anion exchange resin (MIEX)/ultrafiltration (UF) effectively reduces the irreversible fouling caused by free TEP. The experimental results suggest that the MIEX dynamic layer contributes the most to alleviating irreversible membrane fouling during the MIEX/UF process.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaochen Sun, Liang Duan, Zhenzhong Liu, Qiusheng Gao, Jianing Liu, Dahai Zhang
Summary: In this study, the optimal coagulation conditions using FeCl3 and AlCl3 coagulants and PAM flocculants to reduce silica and TEP concentration in RO technology were explored. The best removal effect on pollutants was observed at pH 7 with a dosage of 50 mg/L for both coagulants. Additionally, the study determined that the best PAM dosages for FeCl3 and AlCl3 were 5 mg/L and 1 mg/L, respectively, considering the removal rate of pollutants and the residual amount of coagulation metal ions. The removal mechanisms of pollutants by coagulation pretreatment were determined to be adsorption, electric neutralization, and co-precipitation.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Erda Deng, Xiaoyi Chen, Darius Rub, Thien N. Tran, Haiqing Lin
Summary: This review discusses comprehensive strategies to mitigate membrane fouling in algae dewatering. The strategies include improving the antifouling properties of the membrane surface and optimizing the operating designs. Surface modifications and algae solution pretreatment are explored as potential methods. The article also highlights the need for further technology development.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ruoxi Wu, Jun Wu, Jun Yin, Tingting Zhu, Bin Liu
Summary: This study found that PAA pre-oxidation can effectively reduce membrane fouling and improve water quality in ultrafiltration. After UV/PAA pretreatment, both the reversible and irreversible fouling resistance of the membrane decreased significantly, and the adherence potential of foulants to the membrane surface decreased.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Marie Enfrin, Cyril Hachemi, L. Damien Callahan, Judy Lee, F. Ludovic Dum
Summary: This study investigated the fouling of ultrafiltration membranes by a mixed system of poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanofibres and organic contaminants commonly found in textile industry effluents before developing mitigation strategies based on periodic gas scouring. Organic contaminants were found to induce a significant decline in water flux across the membranes, while the presence of pure fibres contributed to a smaller permeation loss. Although periodic gas scouring was not efficient in removing organic contaminants from the pores, it successfully removed a significant portion of nanofibres from the membrane surface.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhan Wu, Ying Zhang, Jiazheng Jiang, Jian Pu, Satoshi Takizawa, Li-an Hou, Yu Yang
Summary: The study showed that GO/FH-UF significantly alleviated membrane fouling, reduced DBP formation potential, and exhibited better removal of NOM.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)