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Membranes
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Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability
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Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2021) | Viewed by 15887

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xue Jin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
Interests: novel membrane processes and antifouling membrane materials for sustainable water supply; novel application of nanomaterials for advanced water treatment; municipal and industrial wastewater treatment and beneficial reuse; clean technology and renewable energy (e.g., algae-based bioenergy, osmotic power, biogas)
Dr. Xin Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: novel membrane materials and fabrication methods (natural polymer membranes); novel techniques for membrane fouling and characterization; applications of nanomaterials in membrane fabrication; membrane module design and optimization; membrane separation processes for desalination and water reuse.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water and energy are two fundamental building blocks of the society and economy. However, water shortage is a global problem. The World Health Organization predicts that by mid-century, nearly two-thirds of the world’s present population will face severe freshwater shortages. Meanwhile, climate change and the increasing demand for global energy consumption expedite the development and innovation of renewable energy. Membrane technology plays an important role in the advancement of sustainable water and energy demands. For example, substantial efforts have been carried out to integrate renewable energy (solar, wind, tidal, nuclear, and geothermal) with membrane-based desalination. In addition, emerging membrane technologies including pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) and reverse electrodialysis (RED) are applied to generate clean and sustainable electricity from various waste streams. Despite the promise, the successful industrial application of the above technologies depends largely on developing high-performance membranes, optimizing operating conditions, improving reliable and robust system design, and validating economic-energy competitiveness.

This special issue aims to provide comprehensive coverage on the recent development in membrane technology dealing with water and energy sustainability. The topics include but are not limited to, membrane fabrication, system design, fouling control, process modeling, life cycle analysis. We welcome all interested authors to submit your original articles, reviews, and perspectives on any of the topics above.    

Prof. Xue Jin
Dr. Xin Liu
Guest Editors

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

  • Desalination
  • Renewable energy
  • Emerging membrane-based technologies

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 157 KiB  
Editorial
Membrane-Based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability
by Xue Jin and Xin Liu
Membranes 2021, 11(11), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11110807 - 23 Oct 2021
Viewed by 1487
Abstract
In finalizing this Special Issue, “Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability”, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the authors, reviewers, and publisher for their outstanding work [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

16 pages, 3532 KiB  
Article
Effect of Operating Conditions on Membrane Fouling in Pilot-Scale MBRs: Filaments Growth, Diminishing Dissolved Oxygen and Recirculation Rate of the Activated Sludge
by Petros Gkotsis, Dimitra Banti, Anastasia Pritsa, Manassis Mitrakas, Petros Samaras, Efrosini Peleka and Anastasios Zouboulis
Membranes 2021, 11(7), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11070490 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2507
Abstract
This is the first study that examines the effect of operating conditions on fouling of Membrane Bio-Reactors (MBRs), which treat municipal wastewater in field conditions, with specific regard to the controlled development of filamentous microorganisms (or filaments). The novelty of the present work [...] Read more.
This is the first study that examines the effect of operating conditions on fouling of Membrane Bio-Reactors (MBRs), which treat municipal wastewater in field conditions, with specific regard to the controlled development of filamentous microorganisms (or filaments). The novelty of the present work is extended to minimize the dissolved oxygen (DO) in recirculated activated sludge for improving the process of denitrification. For this purpose, two pilot-scale MBRs were constructed and operated in parallel: (i) Filament-MBR, where an attempt was made to regulate the growth of filaments by adjustment of DO, the Food-to-Microorganisms (F/M) ratio and temperature, and (ii) Control-MBR, where a gentle stirring tank was employed for the purpose of zeroing the DO in the recycled sludge. Results showed that low temperature (<15 °C) slightly increased the number of filaments in the Filament-MBR which, in turn, decreased the Trans-Membrane Pressure (TMP). As the Soluble Microbial Products (SMP) and the colloids are considered to be the basic foulants of membranes in MBR systems, specific attention was directed to keep their concentration at low values in the mixed liquor. The low F/M ratio in the aeration tanks which preceded the membrane tank was achieved to keep the SMP proteins and carbohydrates at very low values in the mixed liquor, i.e., less than 6 mg/L. Moreover, as a result of the low recirculation rate (2.6∙Qin), good aggregation of the produced excess sludge was achieved, and low concentration of colloids with a size ≤50 nm (nearly the membranes’ pore size used for filtration/separation) was measured, accounted for maximum 15% of the total colloids. Additionally, the increase in filamentous population at the Filament-MBR contributed to the further reduction of colloids in the mixed liquor at 7.9%, contributing beneficially to the reduction of TMP and of membrane fouling. The diminishing of DO in the recirculated sludge improved denitrification, and resulted in lower concentrations of Ν-NO3− and TN in the effluent of the Control-MBR. Furthermore, the recirculation rate of Qr = 2.6∙Qin, in comparison with Qr = 4.3∙Qin, resulted in improved performance regarding the removal of N-NH4+. Finally, high organics removal and ammonium nitrification was observed in the effluent of both pilots, since COD and Ν-ΝH4+ concentrations were generally in the range of 10–25 mg/L and <0.1 mg/L, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability)
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22 pages, 3356 KiB  
Article
Use of the Microheterogeneous Model to Assess the Applicability of Ion-Exchange Membranes in the Process of Generating Electricity from a Concentration Gradient
by Denis Davydov, Elena Nosova, Sergey Loza, Aslan Achoh, Alexander Korzhov, Mikhail Sharafan and Stanislav Melnikov
Membranes 2021, 11(6), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11060406 - 28 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2715
Abstract
The paper shows the possibility of using a microheterogeneous model to estimate the transport numbers of counterions through ion-exchange membranes. It is possible to calculate the open-circuit potential and power density of the reverse electrodialyzer using the data obtained. Eight samples of heterogeneous [...] Read more.
The paper shows the possibility of using a microheterogeneous model to estimate the transport numbers of counterions through ion-exchange membranes. It is possible to calculate the open-circuit potential and power density of the reverse electrodialyzer using the data obtained. Eight samples of heterogeneous ion-exchange membranes were studied, two samples for each of the following types of membranes: Ralex CM, Ralex AMH, MK-40, and MA-41. Samples in each pair differed in the year of production and storage conditions. In the work, these samples were named “batch 1” and “batch 2”. According to the microheterogeneous model, to calculate the transport numbers of counterions, it is necessary to use the concentration dependence of the electrical conductivity and diffusion permeability. The electrolyte used was a sodium chloride solution with a concentration range corresponding to the conditional composition of river water and the salinity of the Black Sea. During the research, it was found that samples of Ralex membranes of different batches have similar characteristics over the entire range of investigated concentrations. The calculated values of the transfer numbers for membranes of different batches differ insignificantly: ±0.01 for Ralex AMH in 1 M NaCl. For MK-40 and MA-41 membranes, a significant scatter of characteristics was found, especially in concentrated solutions. As a result, in 1 M NaCl, the transport numbers differ by ±0.05 for MK-40 and ±0.1 for MA-41. The value of the open circuit potential for the Ralex membrane pair showed that the experimental values of the potential are slightly lower than the theoretical ones. At the same time, the maximum calculated power density is higher than the experimental values. The maximum power density achieved in the experiment on reverse electrodialysis was 0.22 W/m2, which is in good agreement with the known literature data for heterogeneous membranes. The discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical data may be the difference in the characteristics of the membranes used in the reverse electrodialysis process from the tested samples and does not consider the shadow effect of the spacer in the channels of the electrodialyzer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability)
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20 pages, 2285 KiB  
Article
Pilot Demonstration of Reclaiming Municipal Wastewater for Irrigation Using Electrodialysis Reversal: Effect of Operational Parameters on Water Quality
by Xuesong Xu, Qun He, Guanyu Ma, Huiyao Wang, Nagamany Nirmalakhandan and Pei Xu
Membranes 2021, 11(5), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11050333 - 30 Apr 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3512
Abstract
The modification of ion composition is important to meet product water quality requirements, such as adjusting the sodium adsorption ratio of reclaimed water for irrigation. Bench- and pilot-scale experiments were conducted using an electrodialysis reversal (EDR) system with Ionics normal grade ion-exchange membranes [...] Read more.
The modification of ion composition is important to meet product water quality requirements, such as adjusting the sodium adsorption ratio of reclaimed water for irrigation. Bench- and pilot-scale experiments were conducted using an electrodialysis reversal (EDR) system with Ionics normal grade ion-exchange membranes (CR67 and AR204) to treat the reclaimed water in the Scottsdale Water Campus, Arizona. The goal is to investigate the impact of operating conditions on improving reclaimed water quality for irrigation and stream flow augmentation. The desalting efficiency, expressed as electrical conductivity (EC) reduction, was highly comparable at the same current density between the bench- and pilot-scale EDR systems, proportional to the ratio of residence time in the electrodialysis stack. The salt flux was primarily affected by the current density independent of flow rate, which is associated with linear velocity, boundary layer condition, and residence time. Monovalent-selectivity in terms of equivalent removal of divalent ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, and SO42−) over monovalent ions (Na+, Cl−) was dominantly affected by both current density and water recovery. The techno-economic modeling indicated that EDR treatment of reclaimed water is more cost-effective than the existing ultrafiltration/reverse osmosis (UF/RO) process in terms of unit operation and maintenance cost and total life cycle cost. The EDR system could achieve 92–93% overall water recovery compared to 88% water recovery of the UF/RO system. In summary, electrodialysis is demonstrated as a technically feasible and cost viable alternative to treat reclaimed water for irrigation and streamflow augmentation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability)
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12 pages, 1722 KiB  
Article
Theoretical Analysis of Constant Voltage Mode Membrane Capacitive Deionization for Water Softening
by Xin Zhang and Danny Reible
Membranes 2021, 11(4), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11040231 - 24 Mar 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1953
Abstract
Water softening is desirable to reduce scaling in water infrastructure and to meet industrial water quality needs and consumer preferences. Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) can preferentially adsorb divalent ions including calcium and magnesium and thus may be an attractive water softening technology. In [...] Read more.
Water softening is desirable to reduce scaling in water infrastructure and to meet industrial water quality needs and consumer preferences. Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) can preferentially adsorb divalent ions including calcium and magnesium and thus may be an attractive water softening technology. In this work, a process model incorporating ion exclusion effects was applied to investigate water softening performance including ion selectivity, ion removal efficiency and energy consumption in a constant voltage (CV) mode MCDI. Trade-offs between the simulated Ca2+ selectivity and Ca2+ removal efficiency under varying applied voltage and varying initial concentration ratio of Na+ to Ca2+ were observed. A cut-off CV mode, which was operated to maximize Ca2+ removal efficiency per cycle, was found to lead to a specific energy consumption (SEC) of 0.061 kWh/mole removed Ca2+ for partially softening industrial water and 0.077 kWh/m3 removed Ca2+ for slightly softening tap water at a water recovery of 0.5. This is an order of magnitude less than reported values for other softening techniques. MCDI should be explored more fully as an energy efficient means of water softening. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability)
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20 pages, 6435 KiB  
Article
Insights into the Influence of Membrane Permeability and Structure on Osmotically-Driven Membrane Processes
by Jing Wei, Qianhong She and Xin Liu
Membranes 2021, 11(2), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11020153 - 22 Feb 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2706
Abstract
The success of osmotically-driven membrane (OM) technology relies critically on high-performance membranes. Yet trade-off of membrane properties, often further complicated by the strongly non-linear dependence of OM performance on them, imposes important constraint on membrane performance. This work systematically characterized four typical commercial [...] Read more.
The success of osmotically-driven membrane (OM) technology relies critically on high-performance membranes. Yet trade-off of membrane properties, often further complicated by the strongly non-linear dependence of OM performance on them, imposes important constraint on membrane performance. This work systematically characterized four typical commercial osmotic membranes in terms of intrinsic separation parameters, structure and surface properties. The osmotic separation performance and membrane scaling behavior of these membranes were evaluated to elucidate the interrelationship of these properties. Experimental results revealed that membranes with smaller structural parameter (S) and higher water/solute selectivity underwent lower internal concentration polarization (ICP) and exhibited higher forward osmosis (FO) efficiency (i.e., higher ratio of experimental water flux over theoretical water flux). Under the condition with low ICP, membrane water permeability (A) had dominant effect on water flux. In this case, the investigated thin film composite membrane (TFC, A = 2.56 L/(m2 h bar), S = 1.14 mm) achieved a water flux up to 82% higher than that of the asymmetric cellulose triacetate membrane (CTA-W(P), A = 1.06 L/(m2 h bar), S = 0.73 mm). In contrast, water flux became less dependent on the A value but was affected more by membrane structure under the condition with severe ICP, and the membrane exhibited lower FO efficiency. The ratio of water flux (Jv TFC/Jv CTA-W(P)) decreased to 0.55 when 0.5 M NaCl feed solution and 2 M NaCl draw solution were used. A framework was proposed to evaluate the governing factors under different conditions and to provide insights into the membrane optimization for targeted OM applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability)
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