Membranes

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mohammed Al-Abri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoudh 123, Oman
Interests: membrane technology; water treatment; desalination; nanotechnology; environmental remediation; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to disseminate their findings, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations in the field of membrane technologies. By highlighting the latest advancements, addressing challenges, and exploring new applications, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the development and deployment of efficient, sustainable, and economically viable membrane-based solutions related to water and energy sustainability. It also aims to stimulate further research in the field by identify emerging trends and guiding future directions for membrane-related studies. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

Novel membrane materials: Synthesis, modification, and characterization techniques for sustainable water and energy applications.
Advancements in membrane separation processes for desalination, water treatment, and gas separation, including process modeling, optimization, and scale-up considerations.
Strategies to mitigate fouling in membrane systems, including surface modifications, fouling-resistant membranes, cleaning techniques, and fouling characterization.
Innovations in membrane bioreactor systems for wastewater treatment, microbial fuel cells, and other emerging applications, highlighting performance improvements, operational challenges, and scaling-up issues.
Advancements in membrane-based technologies in energy sustainability, such as fuel cells, green hydrogen production, and carbon dioxide capture and storage, with an emphasis on novel materials and system designs.
Hybrid and integrated membrane systems for combined water treatment and energy production.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Abri
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.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

21 pages, 13602 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrating Microbial Fuel Cell and Hydroponic Technologies Using a Ceramic Membrane Separator to Develop an Energy–Water–Food Supply System

by Chikashi Sato, Wilgince Apollon, Alejandro Isabel Luna-Maldonado, Noris Evelin Paucar, Monte Hibbert and John Dudgeon

Membranes 2023, 13(9), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13090803 - 19 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2177

Abstract

In this study, a microbial fuel cell was integrated into a hydroponic system (MFC-Hyp) using a ceramic membrane as a separator. The MFC-Hyp is a passive system that allows the transport of nutrients from wastewater in the microbial fuel cell (MFC) to water in the hydroponic vessel (Hyp) through a ceramic membrane separator, with no external energy input. The performance of this system was examined using potato-process wastewater as a source of energy and nutrients (K, P, N) and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) as a hydroponic plant. The results showed that based on dry weight, the leaves of Allium tuberosum grew 142% more in the MFC-Hyp than those of the plant in the Hyp without the MFC, in a 49-day run. The mass fluxes of K, P, and NO₃⁻-N from the MFC to the Hyp through the ceramic membrane were 4.18 ± 0.70, 3.78 ± 1.90, and 2.04 ± 0.98 µg s⁻¹m⁻², respectively. It was apparent that the diffusion of nutrients from wastewater in the MFC enhanced the plant growth in the Hyp. The MFC-Hyp in the presence of A. tuberosum produced the maximum power density of 130.2 ± 45.4 mW m⁻². The findings of this study suggest that the MFC-Hyp system has great potential to be a “carbon-neutral” technology that could be transformed into an important part of a diversified worldwide energy–water–food supply system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Based Technologies for Water and Energy Sustainability, 2nd Edition)

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