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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2020) | Viewed by 11666

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Svetlozar Velizarov

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Guest Editor

Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV), Faculty of Science and Technology, New University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: clean (mainly membrane-assisted) (bio)chemical processes and technologies; electromembrane processes; water treatment; sustainable salinity gradient-based (“blue”) energy generation and/or storage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Membrane-assisted (bio)chemical processes have become the preferred choices in a number of important applications. The integration of separation(s) with (bio)reaction(s) often offers possibilities for reaching a goal that cannot be achieved through a single unit process operation. Exploring possible synergisms, benefiting from distinct process mechanisms using the advantages of each of them can lead to the development of novel, more efficient, and sustainable membrane-assisted processes to be applied in a variety of domains, ranging from water treatment, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, to energy generation and storage, etc.

Therefore, this Special Issue of the journal Membranes seeks contributions to assess the current state-of-the-art and encourage future developments in the field of membrane-assisted (bio)chemical processes. Topics include but are not limited to membrane development, transport phenomena, process design, modeling and validation, membrane contactors and (bio)reactors, and novel applications. Both original papers and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Svetlozar G. Velizarov
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

Membrane-assisted processes
Integrated (hybrid) membrane operations
Membrane contactors
Membrane (bio)reactors
Modelling and validation
Novel applications

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 3789 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hybrid Process of Adsorption/Coagulation/Ceramic MF for Removing Pesticides in Drinking Water Treatment—Inline vs. Contact Tank PAC Dosing

by Rui M. C. Viegas, Margarida Campinas, Rosário Coelho, Helena Lucas and Maria João Rosa

Membranes 2021, 11(2), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11020072 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2369

Abstract

Two pilot trials of powdered activated carbon (PAC)/(coagulation)/ceramic microfiltration were conducted to compare continuous 10–12 mg/L PAC inline dosing with 8–10 mg/L dosing to a 2 h-contact tank. Two low turbidity/low natural organic matter (NOM, total organic carbon <2 mg C/L) surface waters spiked with 7.2–10.3 µg/L total-pesticides were tested and the dosing options were compared towards operational performance, average removal of pesticides and NOM and costs. Removal differences between the two PAC dosing options depended on pesticides’ amenability to adsorption and NOM characteristics (254 nm absorbance, A254). Waters containing low A254-absorbing NOM and only pesticides amenable to adsorption showed very high removals (all pesticides ≥93%) and no significant differences between the two PAC dosing options. Waters containing higher A254-absorbing NOM and high loads of pesticides less amenable to adsorption (dimethoate, bentazone) required higher inline PAC dose. Those or more severe conditions may require PAC doses higher than tested to comply with the Drinking Water Directive limits for pesticides. Cost analysis showed PAC inline dosing is more cost-effective than PAC dosing to the contact tank when identical PAC dose is sufficient or when the doses are low, even if 50% higher for inline dosing, and the plant is small. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Assisted (Bio)Chemical Process and Technology)

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27 pages, 4501 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Treatment of Electroplating Wastewater Using NF pH-Stable Membranes: Characterization and Application

by Ignacio Hegoburu, Karina Listiarini Zedda and Svetlozar Velizarov

Membranes 2020, 10(12), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10120399 - 06 Dec 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2447

Abstract

Industrial adoption of nanofiltration (NF) for treatment of low-pH wastewater is hindered by the limited membrane lifetime at strongly acidic conditions. In this study, the electroplating wastewater (EPWW) filtration performance of a novel pH-stable NF membrane is compared against a commercial NF membrane and a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. The presented membrane is relatively hydrophobic and has its isoelectric point (IEP) at pH 4.1, with a high and positive zeta potential of +10 mV at pH 3. A novel method was developed to determine the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) at a pH of 2, with a finding that the membrane maintains the same MWCO (~500 Da) as under neutral pH operating conditions, whereas the commercial membrane significantly increases it. In crossflow filtration experiments with simulated EPWW, rejections above 75% are observed for all heavy metals (compared to only 30% of the commercial membrane), while keeping the same pH in the feed and permeate. Despite the relatively lower permeance of the prepared membrane (~1 L/(m²·h·bar) versus ~4 L/(m²·h·bar) of the commercial membrane), its high heavy metals rejection coupled with a very low acid rejection makes it suitable for acid recovery applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Assisted (Bio)Chemical Process and Technology)

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23 pages, 4052 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Mathematical Modeling of the Effect of Water Splitting on Ion Transfer in the Depleted Diffusion Layer Near an Ion-Exchange Membrane

by Victor Nikonenko, Mahamet Urtenov, Semyon Mareev and Gérald Pourcelly

Membranes 2020, 10(2), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10020022 - 31 Jan 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 3719

Abstract

Water splitting (WS) and electroconvection (EC) are the main phenomena affecting ion transfer through ion-exchange membranes in intensive current regimes of electrodialysis. While EC enhances ion transport, WS, in most cases, is an undesirable effect reducing current efficiency and causing precipitation of sparingly soluble compounds. A mathematical description of the transfer of salt ions and H⁺ (OH⁻) ions generated in WS is presented. The model is based on the Nernst–Planck and Poisson equations; it takes into account deviation from local electroneutrality in the depleted diffusion boundary layer (DBL). The current transported by water ions is given as a parameter. Numerical and semi-analytical solutions are developed. The analytical solution is found by dividing the depleted DBL into three zones: the electroneutral region, the extended space charge region (SCR), and the quasi-equilibrium zone near the membrane surface. There is an excellent agreement between two solutions when calculating the concentration of all four ions, electric field, and potential drop across the depleted DBL. The treatment of experimental partial current–voltage curves shows that under the same current density, the surface space charge density at the anion-exchange membrane is lower than that at the cation-exchange membrane. This explains the negative effect of WS, which partially suppresses EC and reduces salt ion transfer. The restrictions of the analytical solution, namely, the local chemical equilibrium assumption, are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Assisted (Bio)Chemical Process and Technology)

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Other

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18 pages, 3898 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Numerical Modelling Assisted Design of a Compact Ultrafiltration (UF) Flat Sheet Membrane Module

by Mokgadi F Bopape, Tim Van Geel, Abhishek Dutta, Bart Van der Bruggen and Maurice Stephen Onyango

Membranes 2021, 11(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11010054 - 14 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2529

Abstract

The increasing adoption of ultra-low pressure (ULP) membrane systems for drinking water treatment in small rural communities is currently hindered by a limited number of studies on module design. Detailed knowledge on both intrinsic membrane transport properties and fluid hydrodynamics within the module is essential in understanding ULP performance prediction, mass transfer analysis for scaling-up between lab-scale and industrial scale research. In comparison to hollow fiber membranes, flat sheet membranes present certain advantages such as simple manufacture, sheet replacement for cleaning, moderate packing density and low to moderate energy usage. In the present case study, a numerical model using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of a novel custom flat sheet membrane module has been designed in 3D to predict fluid flow conditions. The permeate flux through the membrane decreased with an increase in spacer curviness from 2.81 L/m²h for no (0%) curviness to 2.73 L/m²h for full (100%) curviness. A parametric analysis on configuration variables was carried out to determine the optimum design variables and no significant influence of spacer inflow or outflow thickness on the fluid flow were observed. The numerical model provides the necessary information on the role of geometrical and operating parameters for fabricating a module prototype where access to technical expertise is limited. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Assisted (Bio)Chemical Process and Technology)

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