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Membranes
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Membrane Process Systems and Techniques
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Membrane Process Systems and Techniques

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2022) | Viewed by 18889

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Michael O. Daramola

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
Interests: membrane technology and catalysis; renewable energy, bio-based economy, and sustainable environment; water purification/wastewater treatment; nanotechnology and composite materials; and process modeling and simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Machodi Mathaba

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, Johannesburg, South Africa
Interests: Membrane technology; Industrial wastewater and acid mine drainage treatment, renewable energy, artificial intelligence and indigenous knowledge systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A membrane is defined essentially as a barrier, which separates two phases and restricts the transport of various chemicals in a selective manner. A membrane can be homogenous or heterogeneous, symmetric or asymmetric in structure, solid or liquid; it can either carry a positive or negative charge, or it can be neutral or bipolar. Membranes can also be composite membranes comprising two or more materials, selected to optimise membrane properties and/or performance. They offer a unique avenue for addressing wide-ranging environmental, pharmaceutical, and industrial challenges including contaminant sensing, water and wastewater treatment, self-disinfecting surfaces, food packaging, gas separation, petrochemicals, and bioprocessing. Compounding the existing socio-economic and environmental challenges is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had global implications and has highlighted the need for advancements in sustainable technologies for a changing world.

In light of this, this Special Issue seeks contributions on the state of the art in the synthesis and applications of membrane systems and techniques. For publication, it will consider original research papers and reviews on the above topics. Review articles should offer comprehensive coverage of membranes (organic, inorganic, composite) in selected areas, addressing, in particular, recent advances with respect to challenges associated with membrane fabrication, characterisation, and application. Research articles on the development and application of membranes in areas including, but not limited to, contaminant sensing, water/wastewater treatment, membranes involving separation coupling reactions, membranes incorporating nanomaterials (MOFs, CNTs, zeolite, etc.), membranes incorporating natural and synthetic polymers, PVC sheets, elastic latex, nylon, and silk, membranes for gas separation, and membranes with application in biorefinery, bioprocessing, and desalination are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Michael O. Daramola
Dr. Machodi Mathaba
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

  • membranes
  • advanced membrane bioreactors
  • membrane bioreactor
  • multi-stage bioreactor
  • biological membrane treatment of wastewater
  • membrane purifications
  • plasma-enhanced membrane
  • nanocomposite membrane
  • metal–organic framework membrane
  • mixed-matrix membrane
  • water and wastewater treatment
  • liquid membranes
  • non-supported membranes
  • zeolite membranes
  • bioprocessing applications
  • food processing
  • environmental abatement
  • membrane-based biosensors
  • membranes for separation coupling reaction
  • microporous membranes
  • non-porous dense membranes
  • electrically charged membranes

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 15393 KiB  
Article
Combination of Zinc Oxide Photocatalysis with Membrane Filtration for Surface Water Disinfection
by Santiago Martínez Sosa, Rosa Huertas and Vanessa Jorge Pereira
Membranes 2023, 13(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13010056 - 02 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1855
Abstract
Increase water usage has led to its deterioration. Pollutants are easily found in the aquatic environment and treatment techniques must keep improving to meet the current needs and future demands. Membranes are attractive for water treatment, but limitations like fouling and the highly [...] Read more.
Increase water usage has led to its deterioration. Pollutants are easily found in the aquatic environment and treatment techniques must keep improving to meet the current needs and future demands. Membranes are attractive for water treatment, but limitations like fouling and the highly concentrate produced affect their performance. Combining membrane filtration with photocatalysis provides the opportunity to integrate a self-cleaning step during membrane filtration. In this work, we studied two simple and efficient approaches to combine membrane filtration with zinc oxide nanoparticles (using the catalyst in suspension and immobilized) activated by light emitting diodes (LED) emitting light at 365 nm. Both systems were used to test the disinfection efficiency in real surface water, compared in terms of catalyst concentration in the permeate stream (below the limit of detection) and its recovery after filtration (higher that 74%). The system’s capability to retain and inactivate target bacteria (total coliforms and E. coli) in the retentate stream was tested with samples of real surface water. The results obtained show that both configurations led to an improved performance in comparison to the membrane treatment alone with a higher retention of the bacteria (not detected in the permeate samples) and higher treatment of the retentate. For the modified membranes, different catalyst concentrations and thermal treatments were tested. The performance of all the processes was evaluated in terms of the level of treatment achieved and the permeate flux. All the modified membranes showed an efficient retention of the target bacteria from surface water, with higher performances than the unmodified membrane (96.2% for total coliforms and 94.9% for E. coli). Remarkable retention and treatment of the retentate was achieved using a membrane modified with a catalyst load of 125 mg subject during two hours to a thermal treatment of 300 °C. This modification has a performance comparable to the system with the same catalyst load in suspension. During operation, the permeate flux reduction is lower with the modified membranes which could lead to longer operation times without the need of further cleaning or replacement. The combined system, ceramic membranes modified with zinc oxide and UV-A LEDs proved to be effective to retain and disinfect water quality indicator bacteria present in real surface water matrices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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10 pages, 2514 KiB  
Article
Separation of Neodymium (III) and Lanthanum (III) via a Flat Sheet-Supported Liquid Membrane with Different Extractant-Acid Systems
by Lin Li, Ben Yu, Krystal Davis, Aaron King, Mauro Dal-Cin, Andrzej Nicalek and Naiying Du
Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1197; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12121197 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1570
Abstract
The increasing demand for neodymium (Nd) permanent magnets in electric motors has revived research interest of Nd recovery and separation from other rare earth elements (REEs). Typically, Nd/La separation is necessary for Nd recovery from primary ores and secondary resource recycling. This research [...] Read more.
The increasing demand for neodymium (Nd) permanent magnets in electric motors has revived research interest of Nd recovery and separation from other rare earth elements (REEs). Typically, Nd/La separation is necessary for Nd recovery from primary ores and secondary resource recycling. This research used a flat sheet-supported liquid membrane (FSSLM) with different extractant-acid systems to extract Nd from a Nd/La mixture. The recovery and separation of Nd/La with 204P-H2SO4, 507P-HCl, and TBP-HNO3 were discussed. The results showed effective Nd recovery and promising Nd/La selectivity could be achieved in the 507P-HCl system, compared to 204P-H2SO4 and TBP-HNO3. The addition of citric acid to the feed solution was effective for pH buffering but did not improve the Nd transport or Nd/La selectivity. Long-term stability of the 507P-HCl extractant system was demonstrated by extending the processing time from 6 h to 6 days. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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15 pages, 1707 KiB  
Article
Concentration of Polyphenolic Antioxidants in Apple Juice and Extract Using Ultrafiltration
by Mariya Dushkova, Kiril Mihalev, Angel Dinchev, Kiril Vasilev, Diyan Georgiev and Margarita Terziyska
Membranes 2022, 12(11), 1032; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12111032 - 23 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1565
Abstract
The aim of the present work was to study the potential of ultrafiltration with three polyacrylonitrile membranes (1, 10, and 25 kDa) to concentrate polyphenolic antioxidants in apple juice and extract. The permeate flux, total polyphenols, polyphenolic profile, phenolic acid content, and total [...] Read more.
The aim of the present work was to study the potential of ultrafiltration with three polyacrylonitrile membranes (1, 10, and 25 kDa) to concentrate polyphenolic antioxidants in apple juice and extract. The permeate flux, total polyphenols, polyphenolic profile, phenolic acid content, and total antioxidant capacity were determined using the FRAP and DPPH tests, the content of water-soluble proteins during ultrafiltration was established, and the concentration factors and rejections were determined. The permeate flux decreased by increasing the volume reduction ratio and decreasing the molecular weight cut-off of the membranes. The concentration factor and rejection of polyphenolics increased with the increase in the volume reduction ratio (VRR) for all membranes and both liquids. The concentration and rejection effectiveness of the 1 kDa membrane was higher than those observed for 10 and 25 kDa during the ultrafiltration of the apple extract, while these values were comparable for 1 and 10 kDa during the ultrafiltration of the apple juice. The concentration factors and rejections of total polyphenols were higher in the extract than in the juice. Chlorogenic acid was the main compound in the polyphenol profile of apple juice. The total content of phenolic acids, determined by using HPLC, increased by 15–20% as a result of the membrane concentration, but the separation process did not significantly change the ratio between the individual compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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17 pages, 5605 KiB  
Article
Friction and Heat Transfer in Membrane Distillation Channels: An Experimental Study on Conventional and Novel Spacers
by Nunzio Cancilla, Alessandro Tamburini, Antonino Tarantino, Salvatore Visconti and Michele Ciofalo
Membranes 2022, 12(11), 1029; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12111029 - 22 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1169
Abstract
The results of an experimental investigation on pressure drop and heat transfer in spacer-filled plane channels, which are representative of Membrane Distillation units, are presented and discussed. Local and mean heat transfer coefficients were obtained by using Thermochromic Liquid Crystals and Digital Image [...] Read more.
The results of an experimental investigation on pressure drop and heat transfer in spacer-filled plane channels, which are representative of Membrane Distillation units, are presented and discussed. Local and mean heat transfer coefficients were obtained by using Thermochromic Liquid Crystals and Digital Image Processing. The performances of a novel spacer geometry, consisting of spheres that are connected by cylindrical rods, and are hereafter named spheres spacers, were compared with those of more conventional woven and overlapped spacers at equal values of the Reynolds number Re (in the range ~150 to ~2500), the pitch-to-channel height ratio, the flow attack angle and the thermal boundary conditions (two-side heat transfer). For any flow rate, the novel spacer geometry provided the least friction coefficient and a mean Nusselt number intermediate between those of the overlapped and the woven spacers. For any pressure drop and for any pumping power, the novel spacer provided the highest mean Nusselt number over the whole Reynolds number range that was investigated. The influence of buoyancy was also assessed for the case of the horizontal channels. Under the experimental conditions (channel height H ≈ 1 cm, ΔT ≈ 10 °C), it was found to be large in empty (spacer-less) channels that were up to Re ≈ 1200 (corresponding to a Richardson number Ri of ~0.1), but it was much smaller and limited to the range Re < ~500 (Ri < ~0.5) in the spacer-filled channels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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11 pages, 4505 KiB  
Article
Facile Fabrication of α-Alumina Hollow Fiber-Supported ZIF-8 Membrane Module and Impurity Effects on Propylene Separation Performance
by Taewhan Kim, Yeong Jae Kim, Chanjong Yu, Jongbum Kim and Kiwon Eum
Membranes 2022, 12(10), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12101015 - 19 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1572
Abstract
The separation of C3 olefin and paraffin, which is essential for the production of propylene, can be facilitated by the ZIF-8 membrane. However, the commercial application of the membrane has not yet been achieved because the fabrication process does not meet industrial [...] Read more.
The separation of C3 olefin and paraffin, which is essential for the production of propylene, can be facilitated by the ZIF-8 membrane. However, the commercial application of the membrane has not yet been achieved because the fabrication process does not meet industrial regulatory criteria. In this work, we provide a straightforward and cost-effective membrane fabrication technique that permits the rapid synthesis of ZIF-8 hollow fiber membranes. The scalability of the technology was confirmed by the incorporation of three ZIF-8 hollow fiber membranes into a single module using an introduced fiber mounting methodology. The molecular sieving characteristics of the ZIF-8 membrane module on a binary combination of C3 olefin and paraffin (C3H6/C3H8 selectivity of 110 and a C3H6 permeance of 13 GPU) were examined at atmospheric conditions. In addition, the high-pressure performance of these membranes was demonstrated at a 5 bar of equimolar binary feed pressure with a C3H6/C3H8 selectivity of 55 and a C3H6 permeance of 9 GPU due to propylene adsorption site saturation. To further accurately portray the separation performance of the membrane on an actual industrial feed, the effect of impurities (ethylene, ethane, butylene, i-butane, and n-butane), which can be found in C3 splitters, was investigated and a considerable decrement (~15%) in the propylene permeance upon an interaction with C4 hydrocarbons was confirmed. Finally, the long-term stability of the ZIF-8 membrane was confirmed by continuous operation for almost a month without any loss of its initial performance (C3H6/C3H8 separation factor of 110 and a C3H6 permeance of 13 GPU). From an industrial point of view, this straightforward technique could offer a number of merits such as a short synthesis time, minimal chemical requirements, and excellent reproductivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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13 pages, 3568 KiB  
Article
Membrane Separation Processes and Post-Combustion Carbon Capture: State of the Art and Prospects
by Eric Favre
Membranes 2022, 12(9), 884; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12090884 - 14 Sep 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3705
Abstract
Membrane processes have been investigated for carbon capture for more than four decades. Important efforts have been more recently achieved for the development of advanced materials and, to a lesser extent, on process engineering studies. A state-of-the-art analysis is proposed with a critical [...] Read more.
Membrane processes have been investigated for carbon capture for more than four decades. Important efforts have been more recently achieved for the development of advanced materials and, to a lesser extent, on process engineering studies. A state-of-the-art analysis is proposed with a critical comparison to gas absorption technology, which is still considered as the best available technology for this application. The possibilities offered by high-performance membrane materials (zeolites, Carbon Molecular Sieves, Metal Oxide Frameworks, graphenes, facilitated transport membranes, etc.) are discussed in combination to process strategies (multistage design, hybrid processes, energy integration). The future challenges and open questions of membranes for carbon capture are finally proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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16 pages, 3111 KiB  
Article
Treatment of Tuna Cooking Juice via Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membrane: Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology
by Wala Aloulou, Hajer Aloulou, Afef Attia, Sudip Chakraborty and Raja Ben Amar
Membranes 2022, 12(8), 813; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12080813 - 22 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1647
Abstract
In the present work, optimized ultrafiltration conditions, using a ceramic multi tubular titania membrane (150 KDa), were investigated for the treatment of tuna cooking juice, for water reuse in the industrial process. The interactive effects of the volume concentrating factor (VCF) (1.03–4.25), feed [...] Read more.
In the present work, optimized ultrafiltration conditions, using a ceramic multi tubular titania membrane (150 KDa), were investigated for the treatment of tuna cooking juice, for water reuse in the industrial process. The interactive effects of the volume concentrating factor (VCF) (1.03–4.25), feed temperature (T) (20–60 °C), and applied transmembrane pressure (ΔP) (2–5 bar) on protein removal (R protein) and permeate flux (J) were determined. A Box–Behnken experimental design (BBD) with the response surface methodology (RSM) was used for statistical analysis, modeling, and optimization of the operating conditions. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results proved that the protein removal and permeate flux were significant and represented good correlation coefficients of 0.9859 and 0.9294, respectively. Mathematical modeling showed that the best conditions were VCF = 1.5 and a feed temperature of 60 °C, under a transmembrane pressure of 5 bar. The fouling mechanism was checked by applying a polarization concentration model. Determination of the gel concentration confirmed the results found in the mass balance calculation and proved that the VCF must not exceed 1.5. The membrane regeneration efficiency was proven by determining the water permeability after the chemical cleaning process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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17 pages, 5546 KiB  
Article
Effect of Silica Sodalite Loading on SOD/PSF Membranes during Treatment of Phenol-Containing Wastewater
by Olawumi O. Sadare, Rivoningo Ngobeni and Michael O. Daramola
Membranes 2022, 12(8), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12080800 - 19 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1325
Abstract
In this study, silica sodalite (SSOD) was prepared via topotactic conversion and different silica sodalite loadings were infused into the polysulfone (PSF) for application in phenol-containing water treatment. The composite membranes were fabricated through the phase inversion technique. Physicochemical characteristics of the nanoparticles [...] Read more.
In this study, silica sodalite (SSOD) was prepared via topotactic conversion and different silica sodalite loadings were infused into the polysulfone (PSF) for application in phenol-containing water treatment. The composite membranes were fabricated through the phase inversion technique. Physicochemical characteristics of the nanoparticles and membranes were checked using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Brunauer Emmett–Teller (BET), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) for surface morphology, textural properties, and surface chemistry, respectively. A nanotensile test, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurement were used to check the mechanical properties, surface roughness, and hydrophilicity of the membranes, respectively. SEM results revealed that the pure polysulfone surface is highly porous with large evident pores. However, the pores decreased with increasing SSOD loading. The performance of the fabricated membranes was evaluated using a dead-end filtration device at varying feed pressure during phenol-containing water treatment. The concentration of phenol in water used in this study was 20 mg/L. The pure PSF displayed the maximum phenol rejection of 95 55% at 4 bar, compared to the composite membranes having 61.35% and 64.75% phenol rejection for 5 wt.% SSOD loading and 10 wt.% SSOD loading, respectively. In this study, a novel Psf-infused SSOD membrane was successfully fabricated for the treatment of synthetic phenol-containing water to alleviate the challenges associated with it. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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11 pages, 1767 KiB  
Article
Effects of Viscosity on Submerged Membrane Microfiltration Systems
by Muna Pradhan, Md Abu Hasan Johir, Jaya Kandasamy, Harsha Ratnaweera and Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran
Membranes 2022, 12(8), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12080780 - 14 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1415
Abstract
Submerged microfiltration has a wide range of applications in water and wastewater treatment. Membrane fouling is a major problem, resulting in a severe decline in flux, high energy consumption and frequent membrane cleaning and replacement. The effect of viscosity was not previously studied [...] Read more.
Submerged microfiltration has a wide range of applications in water and wastewater treatment. Membrane fouling is a major problem, resulting in a severe decline in flux, high energy consumption and frequent membrane cleaning and replacement. The effect of viscosity was not previously studied under controlled conditions to relate it to the air scour. Hence, this study investigated the effect of viscosity on membrane fouling during the operation of submerged membrane microfiltration by adding predetermined amounts of glycerol to a kaolin clay suspension. The addition of glycerol increased the viscosity (from 0.001 to 0.003 Pa·s), resulting in a 3-fold higher transmembrane pressure (TMP) development. An increased airflow (air scour) rate by 3 fold (from 0.6 m3/m2/h to 1.8 m3/m2/h), reduced TMP development by 65%. Membrane fouling quickly developed during the initial stage of microfiltration operation. Therefore, special precautions to control fouling during the early stages of filtration could significantly enhance the operation of the microfilter. Higher airflow caused a reduction in average specific cake resistance, whereas higher viscosity increased this value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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16 pages, 2974 KiB  
Article
Mechanism Study of Proteins under Membrane Environment
by Yue Zhang, Xiaohong Zhu, Honghui Zhang, Junfang Yan, Peiyi Xu, Peng Wu, Song Wu and Chen Bai
Membranes 2022, 12(7), 694; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12070694 - 07 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1900
Abstract
Membrane proteins play crucial roles in various physiological processes, including molecule transport across membranes, cell communication, and signal transduction. Approximately 60% of known drug targets are membrane proteins. There is a significant need to deeply understand the working mechanism of membrane proteins in [...] Read more.
Membrane proteins play crucial roles in various physiological processes, including molecule transport across membranes, cell communication, and signal transduction. Approximately 60% of known drug targets are membrane proteins. There is a significant need to deeply understand the working mechanism of membrane proteins in detail, which is a challenging work due to the lack of available membrane structures and their large spatial scale. Membrane proteins carry out vital physiological functions through conformational changes. In the current study, we utilized a coarse-grained (CG) model to investigate three representative membrane protein systems: the TMEM16A channel, the family C GPCRs mGlu2 receptor, and the P4-ATPase phospholipid transporter. We constructed the reaction pathway of conformational changes between the two-end structures. Energy profiles and energy barriers were calculated. These data could provide reasonable explanations for TMEM16A activation, the mGlu2 receptor activation process, and P4-ATPase phospholipid transport. Although they all belong to the members of membrane proteins, they behave differently in terms of energy. Our work investigated the working mechanism of membrane proteins and could give novel insights into other membrane protein systems of interest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Process Systems and Techniques)
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