Selected Papers from the MELPRO 2022

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 8664

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Research Council Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR), c/o University of Calabria, Cubo 17C, 87036 Rende, Italy
Interests: membrane science and engineering; membranes in artificial organs; integrated membrane processes; membrane preparation and transport phenomena in membranes; membrane distillation and membrane contactors; catalytic membrane and catalytic membrane reactors; desalination of brackish and saline water; salinity-gradient energy fuel cells
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Guest Editor
Institute on Membrane Technology, ITM-CNR, Via P. Bucci, Cubo 17/C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Interests: molecular modeling of membranes and membrane operations; modeling of single gas and mixed gas separation; modeling of morphological properties of amorphous glassy membranes; membrane crystallization
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Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the AS CR, Rozvojová 135, 165 02 Prague 6, Czech Republic
Interests: membrane separation processes; gas and vapor separation; pervaporation; pertraction; chiral membranes; new trends in membrane applications
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MEGA a.s., Drahobejlova 1452, 190 00 Prague 9, Czech Republic
Interests: electrodialysis; electro deionization; industrial wastewater treatment; zero liquid discharge; hybrid processes; integrated membrane processes; high purity water; ultrapure water; gas membrane separation; diffusion dialysis; acid recycling; glycol purification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to invite you to the MELPRO 2022 conference, which will be held in Prague, Czech Republic. Based on the targets of the MELPRO 2022 conference, the structure of the topics was assembled, as shown below. The conference topics include the following:

  • New membrane materials;
  • Gas and vapor separation;
  • Pressure-driven membrane processes;
  • Electrochemical membrane processes;
  • Membrane systems in water treatment, biotechnology and biomedical applications;
  • Membrane operations in process engineering;
  • Modelling and simulation of membrane systems;
  • General session and new trends;
  • Membrane systems in the mining industry;
  • New trends in membrane applications.

This Special Issue includes selected papers presented at the MELPRO 2022 conference. On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to cordially invite you to join us. Participants of the conference are cordially invited to contribute original research papers or reviews to this Special Issue of Membranes.

Dates & Deadlines

July 10, 2022

Abstract submission deadline

July 29, 2022

Notification of abstract acceptance

August 6, 2022

Early registration deadline

September 18, 2022

The conference begins!

We hope that you will have a technically rewarding experience, and use this occasion to meet old friends and make many new ones. Do not miss the opportunity to explore Prague and the Czech Republic.

Prof. Dr. Enrico Drioli
Dr. Elena Tocci
Dr. Pavel Izák
Dr. Lubos Novak
Guest Editors

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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.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3415 KiB  
Article
Application of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to Analyze Membrane Fouling under Intermittent Operation
by Song Lee, Hyeongrak Cho, Yongjun Choi and Sangho Lee
Membranes 2023, 13(4), 392; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13040392 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1507
Abstract
There is increasing interest in membrane systems powered by renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, that are suitable for decentralized water supply in islands and remote regions. These membrane systems are often operated intermittently with extended shutdown periods to minimize the capacity [...] Read more.
There is increasing interest in membrane systems powered by renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, that are suitable for decentralized water supply in islands and remote regions. These membrane systems are often operated intermittently with extended shutdown periods to minimize the capacity of the energy storage devices. However, relatively little information is available on the effect of intermittent operation on membrane fouling. In this work, the fouling of pressurized membranes under intermittent operation was investigated using an approach based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), which allows non-destructive and non-invasive examination of membrane fouling. In reverse osmosis (RO), intermittently operated membranes were investigated by OCT-based characterization. Several model foulants such as NaCl and humic acids were used, as well as real seawater. The cross-sectional OCT images of the fouling were visualized as a three-dimensional volume using Image J. The OCT images were used to quantitatively measure the thickness of foulants on the membrane surfaces under different operating conditions. The results showed that intermittent operation retarded the flux decrease due to fouling compared to continuous operation. The OCT analysis showed that the foulant thickness was significantly reduced by the intermittent operation. The decrease in foulant layer thickness was found to occur when the RO process was restarted in intermittent operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the MELPRO 2022)
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14 pages, 4544 KiB  
Article
Treatment of Semiconductor Wastewater Containing Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) Using Nanofiltration, Reverse Osmosis, and Membrane Capacitive Deionization
by Juyoung Lee, Song Lee, Yongjun Choi and Sangho Lee
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030336 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3639
Abstract
As the semiconductor industry has grown tremendously over the last decades, its environmental impact has become a growing concern, including the withdrawal of fresh water and the generation of harmful wastewater. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), one of the toxic compounds inevitably found in semiconductor [...] Read more.
As the semiconductor industry has grown tremendously over the last decades, its environmental impact has become a growing concern, including the withdrawal of fresh water and the generation of harmful wastewater. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), one of the toxic compounds inevitably found in semiconductor wastewater, should be removed before the wastewater is discharged. However, there are few affordable technologies available to remove TMAH from semiconductor wastewater. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare different treatment options, such as Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI), Reverse Osmosis (RO), and Nanofiltration (NF), for the treatment of semiconductor wastewater containing TMAH. A series of bench-scale experimental setups were conducted to investigate the removal efficiencies of TMAH, TDS, and TOC. The results confirmed that the MCDI process showed its great ability as well as RO to remove them, while the NF could not make a sufficient removal under identical recovery conditions. MCDI showed higher removals of monovalent ions, including TMA+, than divalent ions. Moreover, the removal of TMA+ by MCDI was higher under the basic solution than under both neutral and acidic conditions. These results were the first to demonstrate that MCDI has significant potential for treating semiconductor wastewater that contains TMAH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the MELPRO 2022)
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20 pages, 6463 KiB  
Article
Optimization and Evaluation for the Capacitive Deionization Process of Wastewater Reuse in Combined Cycle Power Plants
by Yesol Kim, Hyeongrak Cho, Yongjun Choi, Jaewuk Koo and Sangho Lee
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030316 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1823
Abstract
Combined cycle power plants (CCPPs) use large amounts of water withdrawn from nearby rivers and generate wastewater containing ions and pollutants. Despite the need for wastewater reclamation, few technologies can successfully convert the wastewater into make-up water for CCPPs. Therefore, this study aimed [...] Read more.
Combined cycle power plants (CCPPs) use large amounts of water withdrawn from nearby rivers and generate wastewater containing ions and pollutants. Despite the need for wastewater reclamation, few technologies can successfully convert the wastewater into make-up water for CCPPs. Therefore, this study aimed to apply capacitive deionization (CDI) for wastewater reclamation in CCPPs. Using a bench-scale experimental unit, which included ion exchange membranes and carbon electrodes, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the operating conditions of the CDI process to increase the total dissolved solids (TDS) removal and product water ratio. The optimal conditions were found to be a voltage of 1.5 V, a flow rate of 15 mL/min, and an adsorption/desorption ratio of 1:0.8. The changes in CDI performance with time were also studied, and the foulants on the membranes, spacers, and electrodes were examined to understand the fouling mechanism. The TDS removal decreased from 93.65% to 55.70% after 10 days of operation due to the deposition of scale and organic matter. After chemical cleaning, the TDS removal rate recovered to 93.02%, which is close to the initial condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the MELPRO 2022)
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