Sustainable Polymeric Membrane Preparation and Application

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2023) | Viewed by 6078

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
Interests: adsorptive membrane; membrane distillation; pervaporation; gas separation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Membrane technology plays an important role in the increasing global demand for clean water and air, while environmental sustainability has become a key issue in daily life. Since polymers are the most common membrane materials due to their advantages of diverse synthesis/modification, design flexibility, and easy processing/manufacturing, multiple membrane forms and modules as well as various separation applications are developed using polymeric materials. The linkage between technical feasibility and economic profit is always critical, and thereby advances in membrane technology deserve special attention from both academia and industry. This Special Issue is dedicated to providing a forum for comprehensive coverage on sustainable polymeric membrane preparation/modification approaches (e.g., biodegradable material or recycled waste as the main polymeric matrix, utilization of green solvent in membrane preparation, sustainable natural or recycled additives for mixed-matrix membrane, membrane surface modification for fouling reduction and longer shelf life, or other greener preparation/modification processes) and sustainable polymeric membrane applications (e.g., better CO2 separation efficiency from flue gas, cleaner water treatment, production of high-quality or value-added products, lower energy consumption, or other eco-friendly separation applications).

This Special Issue aims to gather the recent developments and applications of polymer-based membranes related to: (i) ultrafiltration/nanofiltration; (ii) adsorption process; (iii) membrane distillation; (iv) pervaporation; (v) gas separation; and (vi) other membrane-based applications. Both original research articles and reviews are welcome.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Shing-Yi Suen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymeric membrane
  • ultrafiltration/nanofiltration
  • adsorptive membrane
  • membrane distillation
  • pervaporation
  • gas separation
  • sustainability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2396 KiB  
Article
Novel Approach to Landfill Wastewater Treatment Fouling Mitigation: Air Gap Membrane Distillation with Tin Sulfide-Coated PTFE Membrane
by Abdulaziz Khan, Ibrar Ibrar, Abeer Mirdad, Raed A. Al-Juboori, Priyamjeet Deka, Senthilmurugan Subbiah and Ali Altaee
Membranes 2023, 13(5), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13050483 - 29 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1266
Abstract
This study addressed the fouling issue in membrane distillation (M.D.) technology, a promising method for water purification and wastewater reclamation. To enhance the anti-fouling properties of the M.D. membrane, a tin sulfide (TS) coating onto polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was proposed and evaluated with air [...] Read more.
This study addressed the fouling issue in membrane distillation (M.D.) technology, a promising method for water purification and wastewater reclamation. To enhance the anti-fouling properties of the M.D. membrane, a tin sulfide (TS) coating onto polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was proposed and evaluated with air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) using landfill leachate wastewater at high recovery rates (80% and 90%). The presence of TS on the membrane surface was confirmed using various techniques, such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), contact angle measurement, and porosity analysis. The results indicated the TS-PTFE membrane exhibited better anti-fouling properties than the pristine PTFE membrane, and its fouling factors (FFs) were 10.4–13.1% compared to 14.4–16.5% for the PTFE membrane. The fouling was attributed to pore blockage and cake formation of carbonous and nitrogenous compounds. The study also found that physical cleaning with deionized (DI) water effectively restored the water flux, with more than 97% recovered for the TS-PTFE membrane. Additionally, the TS-PTFE membrane showed better water flux and product quality at 55 °C and excellent stability in maintaining the contact angle over time compared to the PTFE membrane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymeric Membrane Preparation and Application)
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15 pages, 2415 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Polyacrylonitrile-Based Immobilized Copper-Ion Affinity Membranes for Protein Adsorption
by Yin-Jie Yang, Hou-Chien Chang, Min-Ying Wang and Shing-Yi Suen
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 271; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030271 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1176
Abstract
A polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based immobilized metal-ion affinity membrane (IMAM) was prepared with a high capacity for protein adsorption. PAN was selected as the substrate due to its excellent thermal and chemical stability. The cyano groups on the PAN membrane were substituted with carboxyl groups, [...] Read more.
A polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based immobilized metal-ion affinity membrane (IMAM) was prepared with a high capacity for protein adsorption. PAN was selected as the substrate due to its excellent thermal and chemical stability. The cyano groups on the PAN membrane were substituted with carboxyl groups, followed by reactions with ethylenediamine (EDA) and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDGE) to produce the terminal epoxy groups. The chelating agent iminodiacetic acid (IDA) was then bound to the modified PAN membrane and further chelated with copper ions. The immobilized copper ion amount of membrane was analyzed to obtain the optimal reaction conditions, which were 60 °C/3 h for EDA coupling and 60 °C/4 h for EGDGE grafting. Furthermore, under the use of minor IDA and copper ion concentrations, the immobilized copper ion capacity of the IMAM was 4.8 μmol/cm2 (253.4 µmol/mL, or 1.47 μmol/mg). At a neutral pH, the cationic lysozyme exhibited a large adsorption capacity with the IMAM (1.96 μmol/mL), which was most likely multilayer binding, whereas the adsorption capacity for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and histidine-tagged green fluorescent protein (GFP-His6) was 0.053 μmol/mL and 0.135 μmol/mL, respectively, with a monolayer adsorption arrangement. The protein desorption efficiency was greater than 95%, implying that the prepared IMAM could be reused for protein adsorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymeric Membrane Preparation and Application)
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Review

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27 pages, 7988 KiB  
Review
Sustainability in Membrane Technology: Membrane Recycling and Fabrication Using Recycled Waste
by Noman Khalid Khanzada, Raed A. Al-Juboori, Muzamil Khatri, Farah Ejaz Ahmed, Yazan Ibrahim and Nidal Hilal
Membranes 2024, 14(2), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14020052 - 12 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3087
Abstract
Membrane technology has shown a promising role in combating water scarcity, a globally faced challenge. However, the disposal of end-of-life membrane modules is problematic as the current practices include incineration and landfills as their final fate. In addition, the increase in population and [...] Read more.
Membrane technology has shown a promising role in combating water scarcity, a globally faced challenge. However, the disposal of end-of-life membrane modules is problematic as the current practices include incineration and landfills as their final fate. In addition, the increase in population and lifestyle advancement have significantly enhanced waste generation, thus overwhelming landfills and exacerbating environmental repercussions and resource scarcity. These practices are neither economically nor environmentally sustainable. Recycling membranes and utilizing recycled material for their manufacturing is seen as a potential approach to address the aforementioned challenges. Depending on physiochemical conditions, the end-of-life membrane could be reutilized for similar, upgraded, and downgraded operations, thus extending the membrane lifespan while mitigating the environmental impact that occurred due to their disposal and new membrane preparation for similar purposes. Likewise, using recycled waste such as polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, tire rubber, keratin, and cellulose and their derivates for fabricating the membranes can significantly enhance environmental sustainability. This study advocates for and supports the integration of sustainability concepts into membrane technology by presenting the research carried out in this area and rigorously assessing the achieved progress. The membranes’ recycling and their fabrication utilizing recycled waste materials are of special interest in this work. Furthermore, this study offers guidance for future research endeavors aimed at promoting environmental sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymeric Membrane Preparation and Application)
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