Development and Application of High Retention Membrane for Water Treatment and Reclamation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 5746

Special Issue Editors

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Interests: novel membrane bioreactor; membrane fouling machenism and control strategy; high salinity industrial wastewater treatment

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Guest Editor
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Interests: membrane separation; water reuse; advanced oxidation processes
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Guest Editor
School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, China
Interests: membrane bioreactor technology; forward-osmosis-based technology for wastewater reclamation and energy recovery; membrane fouling and fouling control; membrane technology for waste-activated sludge treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water shortage, poor water quality and water pollution are great challenges worldwide. High-retention membrane technology, including nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO) and forward osmosis (FO), has aroused widespread interest in water treatment and reclamation owing to the outstanding advantages of stable effluent quality and high separation efficiency.

This Special Issue is dedicated to providing a forum for comprehensive coverage on the development of high-retention membranes and their application in desalination and water reuse. Both original research articles and reviews are welcome. All invited submissions for the Special Issue will go through the normal peer-review process. The scope of the Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • RO, NF and FO thin-film nanocomposite membranes.
  • RO, NF and FO membranes with nano-structure, interlayer or patterned surfaces.
  • Novel RO, NF and FO membranes (e.g., 1D/2D materials, ceramic membranes, etc.).
  • Relationship of membrane structure and properties (e.g., permeability, selectivity, antifouling capacity, stability, etc.).
  • Trade-off effect between water permeance and selectivity.
  • New method or instrument for membrane fouling characterization.
  • Membrane fouling control strategy (e.g., membrane modification, pretreatment process, membrane coupled system, etc.).
  • Transport mechanisms and theories for novel membrane structures.
  • Modelling and simulation.
  • System optimization and eco-design.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Pin Zhao
Dr. Weilong Song
Dr. Xinhua Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • high-retention membrane
  • nanofiltration
  • reverse osmosis
  • forward osmosis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4462 KiB  
Article
Loose Nanofiltration Membrane Incorporating CeZnFe Layered Double Hydroxide with Enhanced Dye/Salt Separation Performance and Self-Cleaning Ability
by Cigdem Balcik, Bahar Ozbey-Unal, Busra Sahin, Ramazan Keyikoğlu and Alireza Khataee
Membranes 2023, 13(8), 711; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13080711 - 31 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1540
Abstract
The high-salinity wastewater from the textile industry faces a significant challenge in effectively separating dyes and salts. In this study, a CeZnFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH)-incorporated nanofiltration (LNF) membrane was fabricated using the conventional interfacial polymerization (IP) technique to fractionate dyes and salts within [...] Read more.
The high-salinity wastewater from the textile industry faces a significant challenge in effectively separating dyes and salts. In this study, a CeZnFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH)-incorporated nanofiltration (LNF) membrane was fabricated using the conventional interfacial polymerization (IP) technique to fractionate dyes and salts within the wastewater. The impact of CeZnFe LDH on various aspects of membrane performance was examined, including water flux, dye removal efficiency, dye/salt separation capability, self-cleaning ability, and membrane integrity. The addition of LDHs resulted in improved membrane surface hydrophilicity, thereby enhancing water flux. The optimized TFN membrane (0.050 wt% LDH in PIP solution) significantly improved pure water flux, exceeding 150%. All TFN membranes exhibited excellent performance in dye and salt fractionation (93% for Congo red, 2.6% for NaCl, and 40.7% for Na2SO4). Also, excellent self-cleaning ability was observed for the optimized membrane, exhibiting a remarkable water flux recovery rate after three operation cycles. Moreover, including CeZnFe LDH in the optimized TFN membrane played a significant role in enhancing membrane integrity. This study provides new inspiration for fabricating self-cleaning loose NF membranes using CeZnFe LDH for effective dye/salt separation. Full article
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19 pages, 2025 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry
by Yuqi Sun, Runze Zhang, Chunyi Sun, Zhipeng Liu, Jian Zhang, Shuang Liang and Xia Wang
Membranes 2023, 13(4), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13040449 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1473
Abstract
Mixtures of silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) and natural organic matter (NOM) are ubiquitous in natural aquatic environments and pose risks to organisms. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes can effectively remove SiO2 NP–NOM mixtures. However, the corresponding membrane fouling mechanisms, particularly under different solution [...] Read more.
Mixtures of silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) and natural organic matter (NOM) are ubiquitous in natural aquatic environments and pose risks to organisms. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes can effectively remove SiO2 NP–NOM mixtures. However, the corresponding membrane fouling mechanisms, particularly under different solution conditions, have not yet been studied. In this work, the effect of solution chemistry on polyethersulfone (PES) UF membrane fouling caused by a SiO2 NP–NOM mixture was investigated at different pH levels, ionic strengths, and calcium concentrations. The corresponding membrane fouling mechanisms, i.e., Lifshitz–van der Waals (LW), electrostatic (EL), and acid–base (AB) interactions, were quantitatively evaluated using the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (xDLVO) theory. It was found that the extent of membrane fouling increased with decreasing pH, increasing ionic strength, and increasing calcium concentration. The attractive AB interaction between the clean/fouled membrane and foulant was the major fouling mechanism in both the initial adhesion and later cohesion stages, while the attractive LW and repulsive EL interactions were less important. The change of fouling potential with solution chemistry was negatively correlated with the calculated interaction energy, indicating that the UF membrane fouling behavior under different solution conditions can be effectively explained and predicted using the xDLVO theory. Full article
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14 pages, 4069 KiB  
Article
Preparation of a Low-Protein-Fouling and High-Protein-Retention Membrane via Novel Pre-Hydrolysis Treatment of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)
by Dong Xu, Guangyao Pan, Yutong Ge and Xuan Yang
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030310 - 8 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1765
Abstract
The attainment of high-protein-retention and low-protein-fouling membranes is crucial for industries that necessitate protein production or separation process. The present study aimed to develop a novel method for preparing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes possessing a highly hydrophilic and negatively charged surface as well as [...] Read more.
The attainment of high-protein-retention and low-protein-fouling membranes is crucial for industries that necessitate protein production or separation process. The present study aimed to develop a novel method for preparing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes possessing a highly hydrophilic and negatively charged surface as well as interior structure. The method involved a pre-hydrolysis treatment during the preparation of the PAN dope solution, followed by phase inversion in an alkaline solution. Chemical and material characterization of the dopes and membranes uncovered that the cyclized PAN structure served as a reaction intermediate that facilitated strong hydrolysis effect during phase inversion and homogeneously formed carboxyl groups in the membrane’s interior structure. The resulting membrane showed a highly hydrophilic surface with a contact angle of 12.4° and demonstrated less than 21% flux decay and more than 95% flux recovery during multi-cycle filtration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution, with a high protein rejection rate of 96%. This study offers a facile and effective alternative for preparing PAN membranes with enhanced antifouling and protein-retention properties. Full article
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