Gravity-driven membrane system for secondary wastewater effluent treatment: Filtration performance and fouling characterization

KAUST Repository

Wang, Yiran

2017-04-21

Gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration is one of the promising membrane bioreactor (MBR) configurations. It operates at an ultra-low pressure by gravity, requiring a minimal energy. The objective of this study was to understand the performance of GDM filtration system and characterize the biofouling formation on a flat sheet membrane. This submerged GDM reactor was operated at constant gravitational pressure in treating of two different concentrations of secondary wastewater effluent. Morphology of biofilm layer was acquired by an in-situ and on-line optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning in a fixed position at regular intervals. The thickness and roughness calculated from OCT images were related to the variation of flux, fouling resistance and permeate quality. At the end of experiment, fouling was quantified by total organic carbon (TOC) and adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) method. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was also applied for biofouling morphology observation. The biofouling formed on membrane surface was mostly removed by physical cleaning confirmed by contact angle measurement before and after cleaning. This demonstrated that fouling on the membrane under ultra-low pressure operation was highly reversible. The superiority and sustainability of GDM in both flux maintaining and long-term operation with production of high quality effluent was demonstrated.

Vibrating membrane filtration as improved technology for microalgae dewatering

OpenAIRE

Nurra, C.; Clavero, E.; Salvadó, J.; Torras, C.

2014-01-01

10.1016/j.biortech.2014.01.115 The effect of shear-enhanced filtration by vibratory process in microalgae dewatering is presented in this paper. The aim of this research was to investigate the technical performance and improvement of vibrating membrane filtration compared with conventional tangential cross-flow filtration in microalgae concentration. An industrial-scale available commercial set-up was used. Several membrane materials as polyethersulfone, polyacrylonitrile, etc., and mean ...

A new insight into membrane fouling mechanism in submerged membrane bioreactor: osmotic pressure during cake layer filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Meijia; Peng, Wei; Chen, Jianrong; He, Yiming; Ding, Linxian; Wang, Aijun; Lin, Hongjun; Hong, Huachang; Zhang, Ye; Yu, Haiying

2013-05-15

Big gap between experimental filtration resistance of cake layer formed on membrane surface and the hydraulic resistance calculated through the Carman-Kozeny equation, suggested the existence of a new membrane fouling mechanism: osmotic pressure during cake layer filtration in SMBR system. An osmotic pressure model based on chemical potential difference was then proposed. Simulation of the model showed that osmotic pressure accounted for the major fraction of total operation pressure, and pH, applied pressure and ionic strength were the key determining factors for osmosis effect. It was found that, variations of osmotic pressure with pH, applied pressure and added ionic strength were well coincident with perditions of model's simulation, providing the first direct evidences of the real occurrence of osmosis mechanism and the feasibility of the proposed model. These findings illustrate the essential role of osmotic pressure in filtration resistance, and improve fundamental understanding on membrane fouling in SMBR systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic optimization of dead-end membrane filtration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blankert, B.; Betlem, Bernardus H.L.; Roffel, B.; Marquardt, Wolfgang; Pantelides, Costas

2006-01-01

An operating strategy aimed at minimizing the energy consumption during the filtration phase of dead-end membrane filtration has been formulated. A method allowing fast calculation of trajectories is used to allow incorporation in a hierarchical optimization scheme. The optimal trajectory can be

Silica incorporated membrane for wastewater based filtration

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, C. S.; Bilad, M. R.; Nordin, N. A. H. M.

2017-10-01

Membrane technology has long been applied for waste water treatment industries due to its numerous advantages compared to other conventional processes. However, the biggest challenge in pressure driven membrane process is membrane fouling. Fouling decreases the productivity and efficiency of the filtration, reduces the lifespan of the membrane and reduces the overall efficiency of water treatment processes. In this study, a novel membrane material is developed for water filtration. The developed membrane incorporates silica nanoparticles mainly to improve its structural properties. Membranes with different loadings of silica nanoparticles were applied in this study. The result shows an increase in clean water permeability and filterability of the membrane for treating activated sludge, microalgae solution, secondary effluent and raw sewage as feed. Adding silica into the membrane matrix does not significantly alter contact angle and membrane pore size. We believe that silica acts as an effective pore forming agent that increases the number of pores without significantly altering the pore sizes. A higher number of small pores on the surface of the membrane could reduce membrane fouling because of a low specific loading imposed to individual pores.

Dynamic membrane filtration in tangential flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Oil-containing waste water is produced in many cleaning processes and also on production of compressed air. Dynamic membrane filtration in the tangential flow mode has proved effective in the treatment of these stable emulsions. The possible applications of ceramic membrane filters are illustrated for a variety of examples. (orig.) [de

Studies on soy protein isolate/polyvinyl alcohol hybrid nanofiber membranes as multi-functional eco-friendly filtration materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Qun; Zhu, Ming; Yu, Siruo; Sui, Gang; Yang, Xiaoping

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Biodegradable filtration membranes were prepared. • Polar groups in the membrane surface helped capture fine particles. • Loading filtration efficiency can reach 99.99% in the case of small pressure drop. • Filtration membrane showed antimicrobial activity to Escherichia coli. - Abstract: A biodegradable and multifunctional air filtration membrane was prepared by electrospinning of soy protein isolate (SPI)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) system in this paper. The optimized SPI/PVA proportion in the spinning solution was determined according to the analyses of microstructure, surface chemical characteristic and mechanical property of the hybrid nanofiber membranes. Under the preferred preparation condition, two kinds of polymer materials displayed a good compatibility in the hybrid nanofibers, and a large number of polar groups existed in the membrane surface. The loading filtration efficiency of the nanofiber membrane with optimal material ratio and areal density can reach 99.99% after test of 30 min for fine particles smaller than 2.5 μm in the case of small pressure drop. Besides, this kind of filtration membrane showed an antimicrobial activity to Escherichia coli in the study. The SPI/PVA hybrid nanofiber membrane with proper material composition and microstructure can be used as a new type of high performance eco-friendly filtration materials.

Studies on soy protein isolate/polyvinyl alcohol hybrid nanofiber membranes as multi-functional eco-friendly filtration materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Qun; Zhu, Ming; Yu, Siruo; Sui, Gang, E-mail: suigang@mail.buct.edu.cn; Yang, Xiaoping

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Biodegradable filtration membranes were prepared. • Polar groups in the membrane surface helped capture fine particles. • Loading filtration efficiency can reach 99.99% in the case of small pressure drop. • Filtration membrane showed antimicrobial activity to Escherichia coli. - Abstract: A biodegradable and multifunctional air filtration membrane was prepared by electrospinning of soy protein isolate (SPI)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) system in this paper. The optimized SPI/PVA proportion in the spinning solution was determined according to the analyses of microstructure, surface chemical characteristic and mechanical property of the hybrid nanofiber membranes. Under the preferred preparation condition, two kinds of polymer materials displayed a good compatibility in the hybrid nanofibers, and a large number of polar groups existed in the membrane surface. The loading filtration efficiency of the nanofiber membrane with optimal material ratio and areal density can reach 99.99% after test of 30 min for fine particles smaller than 2.5 μm in the case of small pressure drop. Besides, this kind of filtration membrane showed an antimicrobial activity to Escherichia coli in the study. The SPI/PVA hybrid nanofiber membrane with proper material composition and microstructure can be used as a new type of high performance eco-friendly filtration materials.

Task 9 - centrifugal membrane filtration. Semi-annual report April 1--September 30, 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepan, D.J.; Moe, T.A.; Collings, M.E.

1997-01-01

This report assesses a centrifugal membrane filtration technology developed by SpinTek Membrane Systems, Inc. The technology uses supported microporous membranes rotating at high rpm, under pressure, to separate suspended and colloidal solids from liquid streams, yielding a solids-free permeate stream and a highly concentrated solids stream. The Tank Waste Focus Area was chosen for study. Membrane-screening tests were performed with the STC-X4 static test cell filtration unit, using five ceramic membranes with different pore size and composition. Based on permeate flux, a 0.25-μm TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 membrane was selected for detailed performance evaluation using the centrifugal membrane filtration unit with a surrogate tank waste solution. The performance of the unit was evaluated with a statistical test design that determined the effect of temperature, pressure, membrane rotational speed, and solids loading on permeate flux. All four variables were found to be statistically significant, with the magnitude of the effect in the order of temperature, solids loading, rotor speed, and pressure. Temperature, rotor speed, and pressure had an increasing effect on flux with increasing value, while increases in solids loading showed a decrease in permeate flux. Significant interactions between rotor speed and solids loading and pressure and solids loading were also observed. The regression equation derived from test data had a correlation coefficient of 0.934, which represents a useful predictive capability for integrating the technology into DOE cleanup efforts. An extended test run performed on surrogate waste showed some deterioration in filtration performance, based on flux, apparently due to the buildup of solids near the inner portion of the membrane where relative membrane velocities were low. Continued testing of the system will focus on modifications to the shear pattern across the entire membrane surface to affect improved long-term performance

FLUX ENHANCEMENT IN CROSSFLOW MEMBRANE FILTRATION: FOULING AND IT'S MINIMIZATION BY FLOW REVERSAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamsuddin Ilias

2005-01-01

Fouling problems are perhaps the single most important reason for relatively slow acceptance of ultrafiltration in many areas of chemical and biological processing. To overcome the losses in permeate flux associated with concentration polarization and fouling in cross flow membrane filtration, we investigated the concept of flow reversal as a method to enhance membrane flux in ultrafiltration. Conceptually, flow reversal prevents the formation of stable hydrodynamic and concentration boundary layers at or near the membrane surface. Further more, periodic reversal of the flow direction of the feed stream at the membrane surface results in prevention and mitigation of membrane fouling. Consequently, these advantages are expected to enhance membrane flux significantly. A crossflow membrane filtration unit was designed and built to test the concept of periodic flow reversal for flux enhancement. The essential elements of the system include a crossflow hollow fiber membrane module integrated with a two-way valve to direct the feed flow directions. The two-way valve is controlled by a controller-timer for periodic reversal of flow of feed stream. Another important feature of the system is that with changing feed flow direction, the permeate flow direction is also changed to maintain countercurrent feed and permeate flows for enhanced mass transfer driving force (concentration difference). In this report, we report our application of Flow Reversal technique in clarification of apple juice containing pectin. The presence of pectin in apple juice makes the clarification process difficult and is believed to cause membrane fouling. Of all compounds found in apple juice, pectin is most often identified as the major hindrance to filtration performance. Based on our ultrafiltration experiments with apple juice, we conclude that under flow reversal conditions, the permeate flux is significantly enhanced when compared with the conventional unidirectional flow. Thus, flow reversal

Flux Enhancement in Crossflow Membrane Filtration: Fouling and It's Minimization by Flow Reversal. Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamsuddin Ilias

2005-01-01

Fouling problems are perhaps the single most important reason for relatively slow acceptance of ultrafiltration in many areas of chemical and biological processing. To overcome the losses in permeate flux associated with concentration polarization and fouling in cross flow membrane filtration, we investigated the concept of flow reversal as a method to enhance membrane flux in ultrafiltration. Conceptually, flow reversal prevents the formation of stable hydrodynamic and concentration boundary layers at or near the membrane surface. Further more, periodic reversal of the flow direction of the feed stream at the membrane surface results in prevention and mitigation of membrane fouling. Consequently, these advantages are expected to enhance membrane flux significantly. A crossflow membrane filtration unit was designed and built to test the concept of periodic flow reversal for flux enhancement. The essential elements of the system include a crossflow hollow fiber membrane module integrated with a two-way valve to direct the feed flow directions. The two-way valve is controlled by a controller-timer for periodic reversal of flow of feed stream. Another important feature of the system is that with changing feed flow direction, the permeate flow direction is also changed to maintain countercurrent feed and permeate flows for enhanced mass transfer driving force (concentration difference). Three feed solutions (Bovine serum albumin (BSA), apple juice and citrus fruit pectin) were studied in crossflow membrane filtration. These solutes are well-known in membrane filtration for their fouling and concentration polarization potentials. Laboratory-scale tests on a hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane module using each of the feed solutes show that under flow reversal conditions, the permeate flux is significantly enhanced when compared with the conventional unidirectional flow. The flux enhancement is dramatic (by an order of magnitude) with increased feed concentration and

Challenges of Membrane Filtration for Produced Water Treatment in Offshore Oil & Gas Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Kasper Lund; Hansen, Leif; Mai, Christian

2016-01-01

struggling to their fundamental limit, therefore the membrane filtration technology turns to be a potential candidate for zero pollutant discharge. Membrane filtration technology suffers from the notorious fouling problem, where many methods for fouling prevention and removal are explored, the general idea...... is to guarantee that a relatively high permeability can be kept during filtration. Another crucial issue using membrane filtration technology is its huge energy consumption, for which there is little research has been done so far to systematically investigate and optimize the filtration system’s energy efficiency...

Surface patterning of polymeric separation membranes and its influence on the filtration performance

Science.gov (United States)

Maruf, Sajjad

Polymeric membrane based separation technologies are crucial for addressing the global issues such as water purification. However, continuous operations of these processes are often hindered by fouling which increases mass transport resistance of the membrane to permeation and thus the energy cost, and eventually replacement of the membrane in the system. In comparison to other anti-fouling strategies, the use of controlled surface topography to mitigate fouling has not been realized mainly due to the lack of methods to create targeted topography on the porous membrane surface. This thesis aims to develop a new methodology to create surface-patterned polymeric separation membrane to improve their anti-fouling characteristics during filtration. First, successful fabrication of sub-micron surface patterns directly on a commercial ultrafiltration (UF) membrane surface using nanoimprint lithographic (NIL) technique was demonstrated. Comprehensive filtration studies revealed that the presence of these sub-micron surface patterns mitigates not only the onset of colloidal particle deposition, but also lowers the rate of growth of cake layer after initial deposition, in comparison with un-patterned membranes. The anti-fouling effects were also observed for model protein solutions. Staged filtration experiments, with backwash cleaning, revealed that the permeate flux of the patterned membrane after protein fouling was considerably higher than that of the pristine or un-patterned membrane. In addition to the surface-patterning of UF membranes, successful fabrication of a surface-patterned thin film composite (TFC) membrane was shown for the first time. A two-step fabrication process was carried out by (1) nanoimprinting a polyethersulfone (PES) support using NIL, and (2) forming a thin dense film atop the PES support via interfacial polymerization (IP). Fouling experiments suggest that the surface patterns alter the hydrodynamics at the membrane-feed interface, which is

Effect of operation parameters on the flux stabilization of gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration system for decentralized water supply.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Xiaobin; Ding, An; Qu, Fangshu; Jia, Ruibao; Chang, Haiqing; Cheng, Xiaoxiang; Liu, Bin; Li, Guibai; Liang, Heng

2016-08-01

A pilot-scale gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration system under low gravitational pressure without any pre-treatment, backwash, flushing, or chemical cleaning was carried out to investigate the effect of operation parameters (including operation pressure, aeration mode, and intermittent filtration) on the effluent quality and permeability development. The results revealed that GDM system exhibited an efficient performance for the removal of suspended substances and organic compounds. The stabilization of flux occurred and the average values of stable flux were 6.6, 8.1, and 8.6 Lm(-2) h(-1) for pressures of 65, 120, and 200 mbar, respectively. In contrast, flux stabilization was not observed under continuous and intermittent aeration conditions. However, aeration (especially continuous aeration) was effective to improve flux and alleviate membrane fouling during 1-month operation. Moreover, intermittent filtration would influence the stabilization of permeate flux, resulting in a higher stable flux (ranging from 6 to 13 Lm(-2) h(-1)). The stable flux significantly improved with the increase of intermittent period. Additionally, GDM systems exhibited an efficient recovery of flux after simple physical cleaning and the analyses of resistance reversibility demonstrated that most of the total resistance was hydraulic reversible resistance (50-75 %). Therefore, it is expected that the results of this study can develop strategies to increase membrane permeability and reduce energy consumption in GDM systems for decentralized water supply.

Advanced Monitoring and Characterization of Biofouling in Gravity-driven Membrane Filtration

KAUST Repository

Wang, Yiran

2016-05-01

Gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration is one of the promising membrane bioreactor (MBR) technologies. It operates at a low pressure by gravity, requiring a minimal energy. Thus, it exhibits a great potential for a decentralized system, conducting household in developing and transition countries. Biofouling is a universal problem in almost all membrane filtration applications, leading to the decrease in flux or the increase in transmembrane pressure depending on different operation mode. Air scoring or regular membrane cleaning has been utilized for fouling mitigation, which requires increased energy consumption as well as complicated operations. Besides, repeating cleaning will trigger the deterioration of membranes and shorten their lifetime, elevating cost expenditures accordingly. In this way, GDM filtration stands out from conventional MBR technologies in a long-term operation with relative stable flux, which has been observed in many studies. The objective of this study was to monitor the biofilm development on a flat sheet membrane submerged in a GDM reactor with constant gravitational pressure. Morphology of biofilm layer in a fixed position was acquired by an in-situ and on-line OCT (optical coherence tomography) scanning at regular intervals for both visual investigation and structure analysis. The calculated thickness and roughness were compared to the variation of flux, fouling resistance and permeate quality, showing expected consistency. At the end of experiment, the morphology of entire membrane surface was scanned and recorded by OCT. Membrane autopsy was carried out for biofilm composition analysis by total organic carbon (TOC) and liquid chromatography with organic carbon detection (LC-OCD). In addition, biomass concentration was obtained by flow cytometer and adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) method. The data of biofilm components indicated a homogeneous biofilm structure formed after a long-term running of the GDM system, based on the morphology

Investigation of Microgranular Adsorptive Filtration System

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Zhenxiao

Over the past few decades, enormous advances have been made in the application of low-pressure membrane filtration to both drinking water and wastewater treatment. Nevertheless, the full potential of this technology has not been reached, due primarily to limitations imposed by membrane fouling. In drinking water treatment, much of the fouling is caused by soluble and particulate natural organic matter (NOM). Efforts to overcome the problem have focused on removal of NOM from the feed solution, usually by addition of conventional coagulants like alum and ferric chloride (FeCl3) or adsorbents like powdered activated carbon (PAC). While coagulants and adsorbents can remove a portion of the NOM, their performance with respect to fouling control has been inconsistent, often reducing fouling but sometimes having no effect or even exacerbating fouling. This research investigated microgranular adsorptive filtration (muGAF), a process that combines three existing technologies---granular media filtration, packed bed adsorption, and membrane filtration---in a novel way to reduce membrane fouling while simultaneously removing NOM from water. In this technology, a thin layer of micron-sized adsorbent particles is deposited on the membrane prior to delivering the feed to the system. The research reported here represents the first systematic study of muGAF, and the results demonstrate the promising potential of this process. A new, aluminum-oxide-based adsorbent---heated aluminum oxide particles (HAOPs)---was synthesized and shown to be very effective for NOM removal as well as fouling reduction in muGAF systems. muGAF has also been demonstrated to work well with powdered activated carbon (PAC) as the adsorbent, but not as well as when HAOPs are used; the process has also been successful when used with several different membrane types and configurations. Experiments using a wide range of operational parameters and several analytical tools lead to the conclusion that the fouling

Development of an Electrochemical Ceramic Membrane Filtration System for Efficient Contaminant Removal from Waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Junjian; Wang, Zhiwei; Ma, Jinxing; Xu, Shaoping; Wu, Zhichao

2018-04-03

Inability to remove low-molecular-weight anthropogenic contaminants is a critical issue in low-pressure membrane filtration processes for water treatment. In this work, a novel electrochemical ceramic membrane filtration (ECMF) system using TiO 2 @SnO 2 -Sb anode was developed for removing persistent p-chloroaniline (PCA). Results showed that the ECMF system achieved efficient removal of PCA from contaminated waters. At a charging voltage of 3 V, the PCA removal rate of TiO 2 @SnO 2 -Sb ECMF system under flow-through mode was 2.4 times that of flow-by mode. The energy consumption for 50% of PCA removal for TiO 2 @SnO 2 -Sb ECMF at 3 V under flow-through mode was 0.38 Wh/L, much lower than that of flow-by operation (1.5 Wh/L), which was attributed to the improved utilization of the surface adsorbed HO· and dissociated HO· driven by the enhanced mass transfer of PCA toward the anode surface. Benefiting from the increased production of reactive oxygen species such as O 2 •- , H 2 O 2 , and HO· arising from excitation of anatase TiO 2 , TiO 2 @SnO 2 -Sb ECMF exhibited a superior electrocatalytic activity to the SnO 2 -Sb ECMF system. The degradation pathways of PCA initiated by OH· attack were further proposed, with the biodegradable short-chain carboxylic acids (mainly formic, acetic, and oxalic acids) identified as the dominant oxidized products. These results highlight the potential of the ECMF system for cost-effective water purification.

Prediction of the filtrate particle size distribution from the pore size distribution in membrane filtration: Numerical correlations from computer simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Marrufo-Hernández, Norma Alejandra; Hernández-Guerrero, Maribel; Nápoles-Duarte, José Manuel; Palomares-Báez, Juan Pedro; Chávez-Rojo, Marco Antonio

2018-03-01

We present a computational model that describes the diffusion of a hard spheres colloidal fluid through a membrane. The membrane matrix is modeled as a series of flat parallel planes with circular pores of different sizes and random spatial distribution. This model was employed to determine how the size distribution of the colloidal filtrate depends on the size distributions of both, the particles in the feed and the pores of the membrane, as well as to describe the filtration kinetics. A Brownian dynamics simulation study considering normal distributions was developed in order to determine empirical correlations between the parameters that characterize these distributions. The model can also be extended to other distributions such as log-normal. This study could, therefore, facilitate the selection of membranes for industrial or scientific filtration processes once the size distribution of the feed is known and the expected characteristics in the filtrate have been defined.

Removal of heavy metals from aluminum anodic oxidation wastewaters by membrane filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ates, Nuray; Uzal, Nigmet

2018-05-27

Aluminum manufacturing has been reported as one of the largest industries and wastewater produced from the aluminum industry may cause significant environmental problems due to variable pH, high heavy metal concentration, conductivity, and organic load. The management of this wastewater with a high pollution load is of great importance for practitioners in the aluminum sector. There are hardly any studies available on membrane treatment of wastewater originated from anodic oxidation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the best treatment and reuse alternative for aluminum industry wastewater using membrane filtration. Additionally, the performance of chemical precipitation, which is the existing treatment used in the aluminum facility, was also compared with membrane filtration. Wastewater originated from anodic oxidation coating process of an aluminum profile manufacturing facility in Kayseri (Turkey) was used in the experiments. The characterization of raw wastewater was in very low pH (e.g., 3) with high aluminum concentration and conductivity values. Membrane experiments were carried out with ultrafiltration (PTUF), nanofiltration (NF270), and reverse osmosis (SW30) membranes with MWCO 5000, 200-400, and 100 Da, respectively. For the chemical precipitation experiments, FeCl 3 and FeSO 4 chemicals presented lower removal performances for aluminum and chromium, which were below 35% at ambient wastewater pH ~ 3. The membrane filtration experimental results show that, both NF and RO membranes tested could effectively remove aluminum, total chromium and nickel (>90%) from the aluminum production wastewater. The RO (SW30) membrane showed a slightly higher performance at 20 bar operating pressure in terms of conductivity removal values (90%) than the NF 270 membrane (87%). Although similar removal performances were observed for heavy metals and conductivity by NF270 and SW30, significantly higher fluxes were obtained in NF270 membrane filtration at any pressure

Use of nano filtration membrane technology for ceramic industry wastewater treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moliner-Salvador, R.; Deratani, A.; Palmeri, J.; Sanchez, E.

2012-07-01

A study has been undertaken of an advanced wastewater treatment approach using polymer nano filtration membranes, in an attempt to obtain water of sufficient quality to allow it to be reused in the same production process or, alternatively, to be discharged without any problems. The study has initially focused on the removal of organic matter (reduction of COD) and the most representative ions present in the wastewater, such as Na{sup +}, Mg{sup 2}+, Cl{sup -}, and SO{sub 4}{sup 2}. In a first part of the study, with a view to optimising the experimental phase, a simulation has been performed of the nano filtration process using the Nano Flux software. Among other things, the simulation allows the most suitable membranes to be selected as a function of the permeate flow rate and desired level of retention in the substances to be removed. The subsequent experimentation was carried out in a laboratory tangential filtration system that works with flat membranes. It was found that retention values of about 90% were obtained for the studied substances, with a good permeate flow rate, using low operating pressures. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the studied technology and its potential as a treatment for improving ceramic industry wastewater quality.

Improvement of municipal wastewater pretreatment by direct membrane filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Nascimento, Thiago A; Mejía, Fanny R; Fdz-Polanco, Fernando; Peña Miranda, Mar

2017-10-01

The high content of particulate matter in municipal wastewater hinders the conventional anaerobic treatments at psychrophilic temperatures. The hydrolysis of the particulate chemical oxygen demand (pCOD) could be the limiting step under these conditions. Therefore, new pretreatments or improved conventional pretreatments are needed in order to separate pCOD. In this work, direct membrane filtration of municipal wastewater, using an ultrafiltration membrane, was investigated. This intensive pretreatment, which aims to separate soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) and to concentrate pCOD, together with anaerobic treatments of both streams at psychrophilic and mesophilic conditions respectively, could be an alternative to the conventional activated sludge process. The obtained results show a removal yield of 24.9% of the total solids (TS) and 45% of total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD), obtaining a permeate free of suspended solids. This physical removal implies the accumulation of solids inside the membrane tank, reaching the values of 45.4 and 4.4 g/L of TS in the sedimentation and filtration sections, respectively. The membrane operated with filtration, backwashing cycles and continuous gas sparging, with a permeate flux predominantly around 10 L/(m 2  h). The results show the viability of the technology to concentrate pCOD and so to improve energy recovery from municipal wastewater.

Filtration track membranes and their biomedical applications; Trekowe membrany filtracyjne oraz ich zastosowania biomedyczne

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buczkowski, M; Wawszczak, D; Starosta, W [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Warsaw (Poland)

1997-10-01

The characteristics of track filtration membranes has been performed. The investigation of radiation resistance has been carried out for different types of polymer foil used as a membrane material. Biomedical applications of track filtration membranes have been presented and discussed. 10 refs, 10 figs.

Quantitative measurement and visualization of biofilm O 2 consumption rates in membrane filtration systems

KAUST Repository

Prest, Emmanuelle I E C

2012-03-01

There is a strong need for techniques enabling direct assessment of biological activity of biofouling in membrane filtration systems. Here we present a new quantitative and non-destructive method for mapping O 2 dynamics in biofilms during biofouling studies in membrane fouling simulators (MFS). Transparent planar O 2 optodes in combination with a luminescence lifetime imaging system were used to map the two-dimensional distribution of O 2 concentrations and consumption rates inside the MFS. The O 2 distribution was indicative for biofilm development. Biofilm activity was characterized by imaging of O 2 consumption rates, where low and high activity areas could be clearly distinguished. The spatial development of O 2 consumption rates, flow channels and stagnant areas could be determined. This can be used for studies on concentration polarization, i.e. salt accumulation at the membrane surface resulting in increased salt passage and reduced water flux. The new optode-based O 2 imaging technique applied to MFS allows non-destructive and spatially resolved quantitative biological activity measurements (BAM) for on-site biofouling diagnosis and laboratory studies. The following set of complementary tools is now available to study development and control of biofouling in membrane systems: (i) MFS, (ii) sensitive pressure drop measurement, (iii) magnetic resonance imaging, (iv) numerical modelling, and (v) biological activity measurement based on O 2 imaging methodology. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Functionalization of a Membrane Sublayer Using Reverse Filtration of Enzymes and Dopamine Coating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Jianquan; Meyer, Anne S.; Mateiu, Ramona Valentina

2014-01-01

High permeability, high enzyme loading, and strong antifouling ability are the desired features for a biocatalytic membrane to be used in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR). To achieve these goals, the membrane sublayer was enriched with laccase by reverse filtration in this case, and the result......High permeability, high enzyme loading, and strong antifouling ability are the desired features for a biocatalytic membrane to be used in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR). To achieve these goals, the membrane sublayer was enriched with laccase by reverse filtration in this case...

[Pollution prevention and control of aqueous extract of astragali radix processed with ZrO2 inorganic ceramic membrane micro-filtration].

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Lin-Men; Huang, Min-Yan; Guo, Li-Wei

2012-11-01

To study the measures for preventing and controlling the pollution of aqueous extract of Astragali Radix proceeded with inorganic ceramic membrane micro-filtration, in order to find effective measures for preventing and controlling the membrane pollution. The resistance distribution, polymer removal and changes in physical and chemical parameters of the zirconium oxide film of different pore diameters were determined to analyze the state or location of pollutants as well as the regularity of formation. Meanwhile, recoil and ultrasonic physical measures were adopted to strengthen the membrane process, in order to explore the methods for preventing and controlling the membrane pollution. When 0.2 microm of ZrO2 micro-filtrated aqueous extract of Astragali Radix, the rate of pollution was as high as 44.9%. The hole blocking resistance and the concentration polarization resistance were the main filtration resistances, while the surface deposit resistance decreased with the increase in the membrane's hold diameter; after micro-filtration, the liquid turbidity significantly reduced, with slight changes in both pH and viscosity. The 0.2 microm ZrO2 micro-filtration membrane performed better than the 0.05 microm pore size membrane in terms of conductivity. The 0. 2 microm and 0.05 microm pore diameter membranes showed better performance in the removal of pectin. The ultrasonic measure to strengthen membranes is more suitable to this system, with a flux rate up by 41.7%. The membrane optimization process adopts appropriate measures for preventing and controlling the membrane pollution, in order to reduce the membrane pollution, recover membrane performance and increase filtration efficiency.

Carbon Nanotube Membranes: Synthesis, Properties, and Future Filtration Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Harun-Or Rashid

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Over the course of the past decade, there has been growing interest in the development of different types of membranes composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs, including buckypapers and composite materials, for an ever-widening range of filtration applications. This article provides an overview of how different types of CNT membranes are prepared and the results obtained from investigations into their suitability for different applications. The latter involve the removal of small particles from air samples, the filtration of aqueous solutions containing organic compounds and/or bacteria, and the separation of individual liquids present in mixtures. A growing number of reports have demonstrated that the incorporation of CNTs into composite membranes confers an improved resistance to fouling caused by biomacromolecules and bacteria. These results are discussed, along with evidence that demonstrates it is possible to further reduce fouling by taking advantage of the inherent conductivity of composite membranes containing CNTs, as well as by using different types of electrochemical stimuli.

Ozone and membrane filtration based strategies for the treatment of cork processing wastewaters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benitez, F. Javier [Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica, Universidad de Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz (Spain)], E-mail: javben@unex.es; Acero, Juan L.; Leal, Ana I.; Real, Francisco J. [Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica, Universidad de Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz (Spain)

2008-03-21

The degradation of the pollutant organic matter present in the cork processing wastewater was studied by combining chemical treatments, which used ozone and some Advanced Oxidation Processes, and membrane filtration procedures. Two schemes were conducted: firstly, a single ozonation stage followed by an UF stage; and secondly, a membrane filtration stage, using different MF and UF membranes, followed by a chemical oxidation stage, where ozone, UV radiation, and the AOPs constituted by ozone plus UV radiation and ozone plus hydrogen peroxide, were used. The membrane filtration stages were carried out in tangential filtration laboratory equipment, and the membranes used were two MF membranes with pores sizes of 0.65 and 0.1 {mu}m, and three UF membranes with molecular weights cut-off of 300, 10, and 5 kDa. The effectiveness of the different stages (conversions in the chemical procedures and rejection coefficients in the membrane processes) were evaluated in terms of several parameters which measure the global pollutant content of the wastewater: COD, absorbance at 254 nm, tannins content, color, and ellagic acid. In the ozonation/UF combined process the following removals were achieved: 100% for ellagic acid and color, 90% for absorbance at 254 nm, more than 80% for tannins, and 42-57% for COD reduction. In the filtration/chemical oxidation combined process, 100% elimination of ellagic acid, more than 90% elimination in color, absorbance at 254 nm and tannins, and removal higher than 80% in COD were reached, which indicates a greater purification power of this combination.

Crosslinked polytriazole membranes for organophilic filtration

KAUST Repository

Chisca, Stefan

2016-12-30

We report the preparation of crosslinked membranes for organophilic filtration, by reacting a new polytriazole with free OH groups, using non-toxic poly (ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE). The OH-functionalized polymer was obtained by converting the oxadiazole to triazole rings with high yield (98%). The maximum degree of crosslinking is achieved after 6 h of reaction. The crosslinked polytriazole membranes are stable in a wide range of organic solvents and show high creep recovery, indicating the robustness of crosslinked membranes. The influence of different casting solutions and different crosslinking time on the membrane morphology and membrane performance was investigated. The membranes performance was studied in dimethylformamide (DMF) and (tetrahydrofuran) THF. We achieved a permeance for THF of 49 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 for membranes with molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of 7 kg mol−1 and a permeance for THF of 17.5 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 for membranes with MWCO of 3 kg mol−1. Our data indicate that by using the new polytriazole is possible to adjust the pore dimensions of the membranes to have a MWCO, which covers ultra- and nanofiltration range.

Crosslinked polytriazole membranes for organophilic filtration

KAUST Repository

Chisca, Stefan; Falca, Gheorghe; Musteata, Valentina-Elena; Boi, Cristiana; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2016-01-01

We report the preparation of crosslinked membranes for organophilic filtration, by reacting a new polytriazole with free OH groups, using non-toxic poly (ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE). The OH-functionalized polymer was obtained by converting the oxadiazole to triazole rings with high yield (98%). The maximum degree of crosslinking is achieved after 6 h of reaction. The crosslinked polytriazole membranes are stable in a wide range of organic solvents and show high creep recovery, indicating the robustness of crosslinked membranes. The influence of different casting solutions and different crosslinking time on the membrane morphology and membrane performance was investigated. The membranes performance was studied in dimethylformamide (DMF) and (tetrahydrofuran) THF. We achieved a permeance for THF of 49 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 for membranes with molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of 7 kg mol−1 and a permeance for THF of 17.5 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 for membranes with MWCO of 3 kg mol−1. Our data indicate that by using the new polytriazole is possible to adjust the pore dimensions of the membranes to have a MWCO, which covers ultra- and nanofiltration range.

Integration of membrane filtration and photoelectrocatalysis using a TiO{sub 2}/carbon/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} membrane for enhanced water treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Guanlong; Chen, Shuo, E-mail: shuochen@dlut.edu.cn; Yu, Hongtao; Quan, Xie

2015-12-15

Highlights: • Membrane filtration was integrated with photoelectrocatalysis for water treatment. • This integrated process (PECM) displays good antifouling capacity in NOMs removal. • PECM process enables efficient removal of chemical contaminants (e.g., RhB). • Enhanced charge separation of PECM process leads to its improved performance. - Abstract: Coupling membrane filtration with photocatalysis provides multifunction involving filtration and photocatalytic degradation for removing pollutants from water, but the performance of photocatalytic membrane is limited due to the quick recombination of photogenerated electron-holes in photocatalytic layer. Herein, a TiO{sub 2}/carbon/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} membrane was designed and constructed through sequentially depositing graphitic carbon layer with good electro-conductivity and TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles layer with photocatalytic activity on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} membrane support. When light irradiated on the membrane with a voltage supply, the photogenerated electrons could be drained from photocatalytic layer and separated with holes efficiently, thus endowing the membrane with photoelectrocatalytic function. Membrane performance tests indicated that the photoelectrocatalytic membrane filtration (PECM) showed improved removal of natural organic matters (NOMs) and permeate flux with increasing voltage supply. For PECM process at 1.0 V, its NOMs removal was 1.2 or 1.7 times higher than that of filtration with UV irradiation or filtration alone, and its stable permeate flux was 1.3 or 3 times higher than that of filtration with UV irradiation or filtration alone. Moreover, the PECM process exhibited special advantage in removing organic chemicals (e.g., Rhodamine B), which displayed 1.3 or 3 times higher removal than that of filtration with UV irradiation or filtration alone.

Aluminium - Cobalt-Pillared Clay for Dye Filtration Membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Darmawan, A.; Widiarsih

2018-04-01

The manufacture of membrane support from cobalt aluminium pillared clay has been conducted. This research was conducted by mixing a clay suspension with pillared solution prepared from the mixture of Co(NO3)2.6H2O and AlCl3.6H2O. The molar ratio between Al and Co was 75:25 and the ratio of [OH-]/[metal] was 2. The clay suspension was stirred for 24 hours at room temperature, filtered and dried. The dried clay was then calcined at 200°C, 300°C and 400°C with a ramp rate of 2°C/min. Aluminium-cobalt-pillared clay was then characterized by XRD and GSA and moulded become a membrane support for subsequent tests on dye filtration. The XRD analysis showed that basal spacing (d 001) value of aluminium cobalt was 19.49 Å, which was higher than the natural clay of 15.08Å however, the basal spacing decreased with increasing calcination temperature. The result of the GSA analysis showed that the pore diameter of the aluminium cobalt pillared clay membrane was almost the same as that of natural clay that were 34.5Å and 34.2Å, respectively. Nevertheless, the pillared clay has a more uniform pore size distribution. The results of methylene blue filtration measurements demonstrated that the membrane filter support could well which shown by a clear filtrate at all concentrations tested. The value of rejection and flux decreased with the increasing concentration of methylene blue. The values of dye rejection and water flux reached 99.89% and 5. 80 x 10-6 kg min-1, respectively but they decreased with increasing concentration of methylene blue. The results of this study indicates that the aluminium-pillared clay cobalt could be used as membrane materials especially for ultrafiltration.

Influence of the surface structure on the filtration performance of UV-modified PES membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kæselev, Bozena Alicja; Kingshott, P.; Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

2002-01-01

chemically characterised using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time of flight-static secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-static SIMS). The filtration performance of irradiated/non-modified and irradiated/modified membranes was examined in a crossflow cell, using a dextran solution. The filtration...... in relation to dextran when compared to membranes modified by AAG and AAP. This work suggests that the structure of the presence of grafted chains seems to be responsible for the observed changes to filtration performance of the modified membrane. Surface analysis supports the claim that the specific surface...

Air filtration media from electrospun waste high-impact polystyrene fiber membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Zulfi, Akmal; Miftahul Munir, Muhammad; Hapidin, Dian Ahmad; Rajak, Abdul; Edikresnha, Dhewa; Iskandar, Ferry; Khairurrijal, Khairurrijal

2018-03-01

Nanofiber membranes were synthesized from waste high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) using electrospinning method and then applied as air filtration media. The waste HIPS precursor solution with the concentration of 20 wt.% was prepared by dissolving waste HIPS into the mixture of d-limonene and DMF solvents. Beaded or fine nanofibers could be achieved by adjusting the ratio of solvents mixture (d-limonene and DMF). Using the ratios of solvents (d-limonene: DMF) of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3, it was obtained beaded HIPS nanofibers with the average diameter of 272 nm, beaded HIPS nanofibers with the average diameter of 937, and fine HIPS nanofibers with the average diameter of 621 nm, respectively. From the FTIR spectral analysis, it was found that the FTIR peaks of the HIPS nanofiber membranes are the same as those of the cleaned waste HIPS and there are no FTIR peaks of DMF and d-limonene solvents. These findings implied that the electrospinning process allows the recycling of waste HIPS into HIPS nanofibers without any trapped solvent phases or apparent degradation of the original material. From the contact angle measurement, it was confirmed that the HIPS nanofiber membranes are hydrophobic and the presence of the beads in the HIPS nanofiber membranes varies their contact angles. From the air-filtration test, it was shown that the fiber morphology (beaded or fine nanofibers) considerably affects the filtration performance of the membranes. The presence of beads increased the distance between the fibers so that the pressure drop decreased. Moreover, the basis weight of the membrane greatly affected the filtration efficiency. The HIPS nanofiber membrane with the basis weight of 12.22 g m‑2 had the efficiency greater than 99.999%, which was equivalent to that of the HEPA filter.

Research on Hydrophilic Nature of Polyvinylpyrrolidone on Polysulfone Membrane Filtration

Science.gov (United States)

Tiron, L. G.; Vlad, M.; Baltă, Ş.

2018-06-01

The membranes used in wastewater filtration are obtained from polymers, this technique is widely applied because of the small installations and low costs as against conventional systems. The polymeric membranes have high mechanical strength and flexibility, but is a challenge to improve in the same time the permeability and retention capacity of the membranes. A process that can improve the membrane properties is the addition of additives to the polymer solution, resulting in noticeable changes in the resulting membrane structure. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is a highly hydrophilic polymer, used as a food additive that acts as stabilizer and thickening agent, which brings improvements in membrane properties. This study analyses the effect of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the casting solution of the prepared membranes. The polymer solution was prepared from polysulfone (PSf) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) at different concentrations. The membranes were obtained by phase inversion method. The PSf/PVP/NMP membranes with different concentrations were characterized by contact angle measurements, surface roughness, morphological structure and permeation tests. The results show that the hydrophilic nature of PVP improve the pure water flux, the contact angle and exhibit a higher anti-fouling property.

Mathematical models of membrane fouling in cross-flow micro-filtration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mónica Jimena Ortíz Jerez

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The greatest difficulty arising during cross-flow micro-filtration is the formation of a cake layer on the membrane sur-face (also called fouling, thereby affecting system performance. Fouling has been related to permeate flux decay re-sulting from changes in operating variables. Many articles have been published in an attempt to explain this phe-nomenon but it has not yet been fully understood because it depends on specific solution/membrane interactions and differing parameters. This work was aimed at presenting an analytical review of recently published mathematical models to explain fouling. Although the reviewed models can be adjusted to any type of application, a simple “con-centration polarisation” model is advisable in the particular case of tropical fruit juices for describing the insoluble solids being deposited on membrane surface.

Towards supported bolaamphiphile membranes for water filtration: Roles of lipid and substrate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaufman, Y.; Grinberg, S.; Linder, C..; Heldman, E.; Gilron, J.; Shen, Yue-xiao; Kumar, M.; Lammertink, Rob G.H.; Freger, V.

2014-01-01

Supported biomimetic membranes hold potential for applications such as biosensors and water purification by filtration. The current paper reports on the preparation of a supported bolaamphiphile membrane on two polymeric nanofiltration membranes: NF-270 made of polyamide with carboxylic surface

Effects of coconut granular activated carbon pretreatment on membrane filtration in a gravitational driven process to improve drinking water quality.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Flávia Vieira; Yamaguchi, Natália Ueda; Lovato, Gilselaine Afonso; da Silva, Fernando Alves; Reis, Miria Hespanhol Miranda; de Amorim, Maria Teresa Pessoa Sousa; Tavares, Célia Regina Granhen; Bergamasco, Rosângela

2012-01-01

This study evaluates the performance of a polymeric microfiltration membrane, as well as its combination with a coconut granular activated carbon (GAC) pretreatment, in a gravitational filtration module, to improve the quality of water destined to human consumption. The proposed membrane and adsorbent were thoroughly characterized using instrumental techniques, such as contact angle, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. The applied processes (membrane and GAC + membrane) were evaluated regarding permeate flux, fouling percentage, pH and removal of Escherichia coli, colour, turbidity and free chlorine. The obtained results for filtrations with and without GAC pretreatment were similar in terms of water quality. GAC pretreatment ensured higher chlorine removals, as well as higher initial permeate fluxes. This system, applying GAC as a pretreatment and a gravitational driven membrane filtration, could be considered as an alternative point-of-use treatment for water destined for human consumption.

Task 9 - Centrifugal membrane filtration. Semi-annual report, April 1 - September 30, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepan, D.J.; Grafsgaard, M.E.

1997-01-01

This project is designed to establish the utility of a novel centrifugal membrane filtration technology for the remediation of liquid mixed waste streams at US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities in support of the DOE Environmental Management (EM) program. The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) has teamed with SpinTek Membrane Systems, Inc., a small business and owner of the novel centrifugal membrane filtration technology, to establish the applicability of the technology to DOE site remediation and the commercial viability of the technology for liquid mixed waste stream remediation. The technology is a uniquely configured process that makes use of ultrafiltration and centrifugal force to separate suspended and dissolved solids from liquid waste streams, producing a filtered water stream and a low-volume contaminated concentrate stream. This technology has the potential for effective and efficient waste volume minimization, the treatment of liquid tank wastes, the remediation of contaminated groundwater plumes, and the treatment of secondary liquid waste streams from other remediation processes, as well as the liquid waste stream generated during decontamination and decommissioning activities

Hydrophilicity improvement in polyphenylsulfone nanofibrous filtration membranes through addition of polyethylene glycol

Science.gov (United States)

Kiani, Shirin; Mousavi, Seyed Mahmoud; Shahtahmassebi, Nasser; Saljoughi, Ehsan

2015-12-01

Novel hydrophilic polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) nanofibrous membrane was prepared by electrospinning of the PPSU solution blended with polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400). The influence of the PEG concentration on the membrane characteristics was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle measurement, and tensile test. Filtration performance of the membranes was investigated by measurement of pure water flux (PWF) and determination of the rejection values of the pollution indices during treatment of canned beans production wastewater. According to the results, blending the PPSU solution with 10 wt.% PEG 400 resulted in formation of a nanofibrous membrane with high porosity and increased mechanical strength which exhibited a low water contact angle of 8.9° and high water flux of 7920 L/m2h. Flux recovery of the mentioned membrane which was assessed by filtration of a solution containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) was 83% indicating a noticeable antifouling property.

Biofouling of spiral wound membrane systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vrouwenvelder, J.S.

2009-01-01

Biofouling of spiral wound membrane systems High quality drinking water can be produced with membrane filtration processes like reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF). Because the global demand for fresh clean water is increasing, these membrane technologies will increase in importance in the

Organic-inorganic membranes for filtration of corn distillery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myronchuk Valeriy G.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Organic-inorganic membranes were obtained by modification of polymer microfiltration membrane with inorganic ion-exchangers, which form secondary porosity inside macroporous substrate (zirconium hydrophosphate or simultaneously in the macroporous substrate and active layer, depending of the particle size (from ≈50 nm up to several microns. Precipitation of the inorganic constituent is considered from the point of view of Ostwald-Freundlich equation. Such processes as pressing test in deionized water and filtration of corn distillery at 1-6 bar were investigated. Theoretical model allowing to establish fouling mechanism, was applied. It was found that the particles both in the substrate and active layer prevent fouling of the membrane with organics and provide rejection of colloidal particles.

Flexographic newspaper deinking : treatment of wash filtrate effluent by membrane technology

Science.gov (United States)

B. Chabot; G.A. Krishnagopalan; S. Abubakr

1999-01-01

Ultrafiltration was investigated as a means to remove flexographic ink pigments from wash filtrate effluent generated from various mixtures of flexographic and offset old newspapers from deinking operations. Membrane separation efficiency was assessed from permeate flux, fouling rate, and ease of membrane regeneration (cleaning). Ultrafiltration was capable of...

Recent Trends in Nanofibrous Membranes and Their Suitability for Air and Water Filtrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seeram Ramakrishna

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In recent decades, engineered membranes have become a viable separation technology for a wide range of applications in environmental, food and biomedical fields. Membranes are now competitive compared to conventional techniques such as adsorption, ion exchangers and sand filters. The main advantage of membrane technology is the fact that it works without the addition of any chemicals, with relatively high efficiency and low energy consumption with well arranged process conductions. Hence they are widely utilized in biotechnology, food and drink manufacturing, air filtration and medical uses such as dialysis for kidney failure patients. Membranes from nanofibrous materials possess high surface area to volume ratio, fine tunable pore sizes and their ease of preparation prompted both industry and academic researchers to study their use in many applications. In this paper, modern concepts and current research progress on various nanofibrous membranes, such as water and air filtration media, are presented.

An Investigation on bilayer structures of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membrane and cellulose membrane used as filtration media for apple juice clarification

Science.gov (United States)

Sawitri, Asti; Miftahul Munir, Muhammad; Edikresnha, Dhewa; Sandi, Ahzab; Fauzi, Ahmad; Rajak, Abdul; Natalia, Dessy; Khairurrijal, Khairurrijal

2018-05-01

Nanofibrous membrane has a potential to use in filtration technology with electrospinning as one of the techniques used in synthesizing nanofibers. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous membranes with various fibers diameters were electrospun by varying its precursor solution concentration. The average fibers diameters of the PAN nanofibrous membranes obtained from the precursor solution concentrations of 6, 9, 12, and 14 wt% were 341, 534, 1274, and 2107 nm, respectively. Filtration media for apple juice clarification were bilayer-structured membranes made of PAN nanofibrous membranes on commercial cellulose microfibrous membranes. It has been shown that the reduction of apple juice color or turbidity performed by the cellulose microfibrous membrane was well enhanced by the presence of the PAN nanofibrous membrane in the bilayer-structured membrane. In addition, the apple-juice color and turbidity reductions increased with decreasing the average fibers diameter of the PAN nanofibrous membrane. Furthermore, the PAN nanofibrous membrane also helped the cellulose microfibrous membrane in the bilayer-structured membrane enhance the reductions of total phenols, protein, and glucose of the apple juice.

Novel antimony doped tin oxide/carbon aerogel as efficient electrocatalytic filtration membrane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhimeng Liu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A facile method was developed to prepare antimony doped tin oxide (Sb-SnO2/carbon aerogel (CA for use as an electrocatalytic filtration membrane. The preparation process included synthesis of a precursor sol, impregnation, and thermal decomposition. The Sb-SnO2, which was tetragonal in phase with an average crystallite size of 10.8 nm, was uniformly distributed on the CA surface and firmly attached via carbon-oxygen-tin chemical bonds. Preliminary filtration tests indicated that the Sb-SnO2/CA membrane had a high rate of total organic carbon removal for aqueous tetracycline owing to its high current efficiency and electrode stability.

Hydrophilicity improvement in polyphenylsulfone nanofibrous filtration membranes through addition of polyethylene glycol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiani, Shirin [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Membrane Processes and Membrane Research Center, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mousavi, Seyed Mahmoud, E-mail: mmousavi@um.ac.ir [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shahtahmassebi, Nasser [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Nanoresearch Center, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Saljoughi, Ehsan [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-12-30

Highlights: • Novel hydrophilic polyphenylsulfone electrospun nanofibrous membrane was prepared. • Blending the PPSU solution with 10 wt.% PEG 400 led to the optimum results. • Water contact angle of the optimum membrane was determined as 8.9°. • Remarkable increase in pure water flux and flux recovery was achieved. • Rejection values of the wastewater pollution indices remained almost unchanged. - Abstract: Novel hydrophilic polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) nanofibrous membrane was prepared by electrospinning of the PPSU solution blended with polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400). The influence of the PEG concentration on the membrane characteristics was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle measurement, and tensile test. Filtration performance of the membranes was investigated by measurement of pure water flux (PWF) and determination of the rejection values of the pollution indices during treatment of canned beans production wastewater. According to the results, blending the PPSU solution with 10 wt.% PEG 400 resulted in formation of a nanofibrous membrane with high porosity and increased mechanical strength which exhibited a low water contact angle of 8.9° and high water flux of 7920 L/m{sup 2}h. Flux recovery of the mentioned membrane which was assessed by filtration of a solution containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) was 83% indicating a noticeable antifouling property.

Tangential filtration technologies membrane and applications for the industry agribusiness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leone, Gian Paolo; Russo, Claudio

2015-01-01

The membrane tangential filtration technologies are separation techniques based on the use of semipermeable filters through which, under a pushing force, it is possible to achieve separation of components or suspended in solution as a function of their dimensional characteristics and / or chemical-physical. At the laboratories of the ENEA Research Center Casaccia, as part of the program activities of the Biotechnology and agro-industry division, were studied and developed various filtration processes to membrane in the food industry. The problems have been studied by following a vision sustainable overall, always trying to pair the purification treatment to that of recovery and reuse of water and high value-added components. Ultimate goal of the research conducted is to close the production circuit, ensuring a discharge cycle zero and turning in fact a so-called spread in first, from which to obtain new products. [it

Chemical and microstructural analyses for heavy metals removal from water media by ceramic membrane filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Asmaa; Ahmed, Abdelkader; Gad, Ali

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the ability of low cost ceramic membrane filtration in removing three common heavy metals namely; Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Cd 2+ from water media. The work includes manufacturing ceramic membranes with dimensions of 15 by 15 cm and 2 cm thickness. The membranes were made from low cost materials of local clay mixed with different sawdust percentages of 0.5%, 2.0%, and 5.0%. The used clay was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence analysis. Aqueous solutions of heavy metals were prepared in the laboratory and filtered through the ceramic membranes. The influence of the main parameters such as pH, initial driving pressure head, and concentration of heavy metals on their removal efficiency by ceramic membranes was investigated. Water samples were collected before and after the filtration process and their heavy metal concentrations were determined by chemical analysis. Moreover, a microstructural analysis using scanning electronic microscope (SEM) was performed on ceramic membranes before and after the filtration process. The chemical analysis results showed high removal efficiency up to 99% for the concerned heavy metals. SEM images approved these results by showing adsorbed metal ions on sides of the internal pores of the ceramic membranes.

Flux studies on ion microporous membrane for the use of medical filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Hongying; Huang Zhengde

2002-01-01

The influences of the irradiating condition (divergent and perpendicular irradiation) and hole shapes (cylinder and cone holes) on the flux are studied for ion microporous membrane. The results show that divergent irradiation and cone hole both can improve the flux of ion microporous membrane for the use of medical filtration

Application of design for six sigma methodology on portable water filter that uses membrane filtration system: A preliminary study

Science.gov (United States)

Fahrul Hassan, Mohd; Jusoh, Suhada; Zaini Yunos, Muhamad; Arifin, A. M. T.; Ismail, A. E.; Rasidi Ibrahim, M.; Zulafif Rahim, M.

2017-09-01

Portable water filter has grown significantly in recent years. The use of water bottles as a water drink stuff using hand pump water filtration unit has been suggested to replace water bottled during outdoor recreational activities and for emergency supplies. However, quality of water still the issue related to contaminated water due to the residual waste plants, bacteria, and so on. Based on these issues, the study was carried out to design a portable water filter that uses membrane filtration system by applying Design for Six Sigma. Design for Six Sigma methodology consists of five stages which is Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify. There were several tools have been used in each stage in order to come out with a specific objective. In the Define stage, questionnaire approach was used to identify the needs of portable water filter in the future from potential users. Next, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) tool was used in the Measure stage to measure the users’ needs into engineering characteristics. Based on the information in the Measure stage, morphological chart and weighted decision matrix tools were used in the Analyze stage. This stage performed several activities including concept generation and selection. Once the selection of the final concept completed, detail drawing was made in the Design stage. Then, prototype was developed in the Verify stage to conduct proof-of-concept testing. The results that obtained from each stage have been reported in this paper. From this study, it can be concluded that the application of Design for Six Sigma in designing a future portable water filter that uses membrane filtration system is a good start in looking for a new alternative concept with a completed supporting document.

Derivation of the formula for the filtration coefficient by application of Poiseuille's law in membrane transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Jarzyńska

2011-01-01

Full Text Available On the basis of Kedem-Katchalsky equations a mathematical analysis of volume flow (Jv of a binary solution through a membrane (M is presented. Two cases of transport generators have been considered: hydrostatic (Δp as well as osmotic (Δπ pressure difference. Based on the Poiseuille's law we derive the formula for the membrane filtration coefficient (Lp which takes into account the membrane properties, kinetic viscosity and density of a solution flowing across the membrane. With use of this formula we have made model calculations of the filtration coefficient Lp and volume flow Jv for a polymer membrane in the case when the solutions on both sides of the membrane are mixed.

Separation of metallic cations by means of coupled filtration on a ceramic membrane. Use of a complexing heteropolyanion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brun, Stephane

1999-01-01

In the field of the high level nuclear waste reprocessing, the Nuclear French Agency is currently carrying out studies on several processes (including the SESAME process) which aim at separating radioactive elements in order to dispose them specifically or to transmute them. One of these processes concerns the selective extraction of americium at an upper oxidation state than Ill. This work deals with the separation of Am(IV) from Ln(Ill) by means of complexation-coupled tangential filtration on alumina-titanium ceramic membranes. The chosen selective complexing agent is a lacunar heteropolyanion from the tungstophosphate family α_2P_2W_1_7O_6_1"1"0"-, which synthesis and various properties in solution have been studied. The polyanion stability in 0.5 M nitric solution strongly depends on the quality of the synthesised product. Two analytical techniques were developed to check the quality of the synthesised sets: "3"1P NMR and arsenazo-lanthanum complexometric titration. The separation studies on the cerium (IV)-neodymium (Ill) system were carried out to simulate americium(IV)/lanthanides(Ill) system. For the two alumina-titanium membranes studied (ultrafiltration and nano-filtration), the solvent flow can be described through a capillary mechanism which is characteristic of porous membranes. The ion transfer through the membranes, mainly governed by electrostatic interactions, strongly depends on the ionic strength at the membrane-solution interface. The best separation results, using nano-filtration, still remain below the expected performances, with a Ce(IV)/Nd(Ill) separation factor of 35 on a single stage in 0,5 M nitric medium. (author) [fr

Polyethersulfone-based ultrafiltration hollow fibre membrane for drinking water treatment systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chew, Chun Ming; Ng, K. M. David; Ooi, H. H. Richard

2017-12-01

Conventional media/sand filtration has been the mainstream water treatment process for most municipal water treatment plants in Malaysia. Filtrate qualities of conventional media/sand filtration are very much dependent on the coagulation-flocculation process prior to filtration and might be as high as 5 NTU. However, the demands for better quality of drinking water through public piped-water supply systems are growing. Polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) hollow fibre membrane made from modified polyethersulfone (PES) material is highly hydrophilic with high tensile strength and produces excellent quality filtrate of below 0.3 NTU in turbidity. This advanced membrane filtration material is also chemical resistance which allows a typical lifespan of 5 years. Comparisons between the conventional media/sand filtration and PES-based UF systems are carried out in this paper. UF has been considered as the emerging technology in municipal drinking water treatment plants due to its consistency in producing high quality filtrates even without the coagulation-flocculation process. The decreasing cost of PES-based membrane due to mass production and competitive pricing by manufacturers has made the UF technology affordable for industrial-scale water treatment plants.

High speed municipal sewage treatment in microbial fuel cell integrated with anaerobic membrane filtration system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Y; Oa, S W

2014-01-01

A cylindrical two chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) integrated with an anaerobic membrane filter was designed and constructed to evaluate bioelectricity generation and removal efficiency of organic substrate (glucose or domestic wastewater) depending on organic loading rates (OLRs). The MFC was continuously operated with OLRs 3.75, 5.0, 6.25, and 9.38 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/(m(3)·d) using glucose as a substrate, and the cathode chamber was maintained at 5-7 mg/L of dissolved oxygen. The optimal OLR was found to be 6.25 kgCOD/(m(3)·d) (hydraulic retention time (HRT) 1.9 h), and the corresponding voltage and power density averaged during the operation were 0.15 V and 13.6 mW/m(3). With OLR 6.25 kgCOD/(m(3)·d) using domestic wastewater as a substrate, the voltage and power reached to 0.13 V and 91 mW/m(3) in the air cathode system. Even though a relatively short HRT of 1.9 h was applied, stable effluent could be obtained by the membrane filtration system and the following air purging. In addition, the short HRT would provide economic benefit in terms of reduction of construction and operating costs compared with a conventional aerobic treatment process.

Cross-flow filtration of yeast extract with multi-tubular membrane module and rotating-disk membrane module; Makukaitengata heibanmaku module to tankanjomaku module ni yoru kobo hasaieki no cross flow roka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsushita, K.; Shimizu, Y.; Watanabe, a. [Toto Ltd., Kitakyushu (Japan)

1994-09-15

A membrane separation experiment was made with multi-tubular membrane module and rotating-disk membrane module to study the cross-flow filtration of yeast extract. The membrane was an alumina precision filtration membrane with 0.15 micron m diameter pores. A multi-tubular membrane which was 19 in number of channels and 0.113{sup 2} in effective membrane area was fitted to the multi-tubular membrane module. A rotating-disk membrane which was 0.071m{sup 2} in effective membrane area was fitted to the rotating-disk membrane module. Judging from the concentration speed and factor, the rotating-disk type is more advantageous in concentrating the suspension than the multi-tubular type. The soluble high-molecular component was more easily filtrated through the rotating-disk type, which is judged attributable to its possible operation at a high flow rate on the membrane surface without necessitating a high-flow rate circulation pump. As compared with the conventional cross-filtration type, the rotating-disk type gives a high permeate flux even at a high concentration factor. 11 refs., 5 figs.

Spontaneous water filtration of bio-inspired membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kiwoong; Kim, Hyejeong; Lee, Sang Joon

2016-11-01

Water is one of the most important elements for plants, because it is essential for various metabolic activities. Thus, water management systems of vascular plants, such as water collection and water filtration have been optimized through a long history. In this view point, bio-inspired technologies can be developed by mimicking the nature's strategies for the survival of the fittest. However, most of the underlying biophysical features of the optimized water management systems remain unsolved In this study, the biophysical characteristics of water filtration phenomena in the roots of mangrove are experimentally investigated. To understand water-filtration features of the mangrove, the morphological structures of its roots are analyzed. The electrokinetic properties of the root surface are also examined. Based on the quantitatively analyzed information, filtration of sodium ions in the roots are visualized. Motivated by this mechanism, spontaneous desalination mechanism in the root of mangrove is proposed by combining the electrokinetics and hydrodynamic transportation of ions. This study would be helpful for understanding the water-filtration mechanism of the roots of mangrove and developing a new bio-inspired desalination technology. This research was financially supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (Contract Grant Number: 2008-0061991).

Continuous improvements of defectivity rates in immersion photolithography via functionalized membranes in point-of-use photochemical filtration

Science.gov (United States)

D'Urzo, Lucia; Bayana, Hareen; Vandereyken, Jelle; Foubert, Philippe; Wu, Aiwen; Jaber, Jad; Hamzik, James

2017-03-01

Specific "killer-defects", such as micro-line-bridges are one of the key challenges in photolithography's advanced applications, such as multi-pattern. These defects generate from several sources and are very difficult to eliminate. Pointof-use filtration (POU) plays a crucial role on the mitigation, or elimination, of such defects. Previous studies have demonstrated how the contribution of POU filtration could not be studied independently from photoresists design and track hardware settings. Specifically, we investigated how an effective combination of optimized photoresist, filtration rate, filtration pressure, membrane and device cleaning, and single and multilayer filter membranes at optimized pore size could modulate the occurrence of such defects [1, 2, 3 and 4]. However, the ultimate desired behavior for POU filtration is the selective retention of defect precursor molecules contained in commercially available photoresist. This optimal behavior can be achieved via customized membrane functionalization. Membrane functionalization provides additional non-sieving interactions which combined with efficient size exclusion can selectively capture certain defect precursors. The goal of this study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of membrane functionalization applied on an asymmetric ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UPE) membrane at different pore size. Defectivity transferred in a 45 nm line 55 nm space (45L/55S) pattern, created through 193 nm immersion (193i) lithography with a positive tone chemically amplified resist (PT-CAR), has been evaluated on organic under-layer coated wafers. Lithography performance, such as critical dimensions (CD), line width roughness (LWR) and focus energy matrix (FEM) is also assessed.

Removal of Brettanomyces bruxellensis from red wine using membrane filtration

Science.gov (United States)

While sulfites help limit growth of the spoilage yeast, Brettanomyces, SO2 has been reported to decrease cell size, thereby potentially decreasing the porosities of filtration membranes required for removal. B. bruxellensis strains B1b and F3 were inoculated into red wines and after 12 days, half th...

Behavior of micro-particles in monolith ceramic membrane filtration with pre-coagulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yonekawa, H; Tomita, Y; Watanabe, Y

2004-01-01

This paper is intended to clarify the characteristics unique to monolith ceramic membranes with pre-coagulation by referring to the behavior of micro-particles. Flow analysis and experiments have proved that monolith ceramic membranes show a unique flow pattern in the channels within the element, causing extremely rapid flocculation in the channel during dead-end filtration. It was assumed that charge-neutralized micro-particles concentrated near the membrane surface grow in size due to flocculation, and as a result, coarse micro-particles were taken up by the shearing force to flow out. As the dead end points of flow in all the channels are located near the end of the channels with higher filterability, most of the flocculated coarse particles are formed to a columnar cake intensively at the dead end point. Therefore cake layer forming on the membrane other than around the dead end point is alleviated. This behavior of particle flocculation and cake formation at the dead end point within the channels are unique characteristics of monolith ceramic membranes. This is why all monolith ceramic membrane water purification systems operating in Japan do not have pretreatment equipment for flocculation and sedimentation.

Risks of using membrane filtration for trace metal analysis and assessing the dissolved metal fraction of aqueous media - A study on zinc, copper and nickel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedberg, Yolanda; Herting, Gunilla; Wallinder, Inger Odnevall

2011-01-01

Membrane filtration is commonly performed for solid-liquid separation of aqueous solutions prior to trace metal analysis and when assessing 'dissolved' metal fractions. Potential artifacts induced by filtration such as contamination and/or adsorption of metals within the membrane have been investigated for different membrane materials, metals, applied pressures and pre-cleaning steps. Measurements have been conducted on aqueous solutions including well-defined metal standards, ultrapure water, and on runoff water from corroded samples. Filtration using both non-cleaned and pre-cleaned filters revealed contamination and adsorption effects, in particular pronounced for zinc, evident for copper but non-significant for nickel. The results clearly show these artifacts to be non-systematic both for non-cleaned and pre-cleaned membranes. The applied pressure was of minor importance. Measurements of the labile fraction by means of stripping voltammetry clearly elucidate that membrane filtration followed by total metal analysis cannot accurately assess the labile or the dissolved metal fraction. - Highlights: → Membrane filtration for trace metal analysis can introduce significant artifacts. → The dissolved metal fraction cannot be assessed by membrane filtration. → Non-specified filtration procedures are inadequate for scientific studies. → Artifacts caused by membrane filtration need to be addressed by regulators. - Membrane filtration cannot be used to assess the dissolved metal fraction of aqueous media and needs to be defined in detail in standard tests.

Steam Explosion and Vibrating Membrane Filtration to Improve the Processing Cost of Microalgae Cell Disruption and Fractionation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Lorente

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to explore an innovative downstream route for microalgae processing to reduce cost production. Experiments have been carried out on cell disruption and fractionation stages to recover lipids, sugars, and proteins. Steam explosion and dynamic membrane filtration were used as unit operations. The species tested were Nannochloropsis gaditana, Chlorella sorokiniana, and Dunaliella tertiolecta with different cell wall characteristics. Acid-catalysed steam explosion permitted cell disruption, as well as the hydrolysis of carbohydrates and partial hydrolysis of proteins. This permitted a better access to non-polar solvents for lipid extraction. Dynamic filtration was used to moderate the impact of fouling. Filtration enabled two streams: A permeate containing water and monosaccharides and a low-volume retentate containing the lipids and proteins. The necessary volume of solvent to extract the lipids is thus much lower. An estimation of operational costs of both steam explosion and membrane filtration was performed. The results show that the steam explosion operation cost varies between 0.005 $/kg and 0.014 $/kg of microalgae dry sample, depending on the cost of fuel. Membrane filtration cost in fractionation was estimated at 0.12 $/kg of microalgae dry sample.

Application of dynamic membranes in anaerobic membranes in anaerobic membrane bioreactor systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erşahin, M.E.

2015-01-01

Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) physically ensure biomass retention by the application of a membrane filtration process. With growing application experiences from aerobic membrane bioreactors (MBRs), the combination of membrane and anaerobic processes has received much attention and become

Effect of polymer type on characterization and filtration performances of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)-COOH-based polymeric mixed matrix membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sengur-Tasdemir, Reyhan; Mokkapati, Venkata R S S; Koseoglu-Imer, Derya Y; Koyuncu, Ismail

2018-05-01

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can be used for the fabrication of mixed matrix polymeric membranes that can enhance filtration perfomances of the membranes by modifying membrane surface properties. In this study, detailed characterization and filtration performances of MWCNTs functionalized with COOH group, blended into polymeric flat-sheet membranes were investigated using different polymer types. Morphological characterization was carried out using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements. For filtration performance tests, protein, dextran, E. coli suspension, Xanthan Gum and real activated sludge solutions were used. Experimental data and analyses revealed that Polyethersulfone (PES) + MWCNT-COOH mixed matrix membranes have superior performance abilities compared to other tested membranes.

Rapid Production of a Porous Cellulose Acetate Membrane for Water Filtration Using Readily Available Chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiser, Adrian; Stark, Wendelin J.; Grass, Robert N.

2017-01-01

A chemistry laboratory experiment using everyday items and readily available chemicals is described to introduce advanced high school students and undergraduate college students to porous polymer membranes. In a three-step manufacturing process, a membrane is produced at room temperature. The filtration principle of the membrane is then…

Hybrid Processes Combining Photocatalysis and Ceramic Membrane Filtration for Degradation of Humic Acids in Saline Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lili; Zhu, Bo; Gray, Stephen; Duke, Mikel; Muthukumaran, Shobha

2016-03-01

This study explored the combined effects of photocatalysis with ceramic membrane filtration for the removal of humic acid in the presence of salt; to simulate saline wastewater conditions. The effects of operating parameters, such as salinity and TiO₂ concentration on permeate fluxes, total organic carbon (TOC), and UV absorbance removal, were investigated. The interaction between the humic acids and TiO₂ photocatalyst played an important role in the observed flux change during ceramic membrane filtration. The results for this hybrid system showed that the TOC removal was more than 70% for both without NaCl and with the 500 ppm NaCl concentration, and 62% and 66% for 1000 and 2000 ppm NaCl concentrations. The reduction in UV absorbance was more complete in the absence of NaCl compared to the presence of NaCl. The operation of the integrated photoreactor-ceramic membrane filter over five repeat cycles is described. It can be concluded that the overall removal performance of the hybrid system was influenced by the presence of salts, as salt leads to agglomeration of TiO₂ particles by suppressing the stabilising effects of electrostatic repulsion and thereby reduces the effective surface contact between the pollutant and the photocatalyst.

Hybrid Processes Combining Photocatalysis and Ceramic Membrane Filtration for Degradation of Humic Acids in Saline Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lili Song

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This study explored the combined effects of photocatalysis with ceramic membrane filtration for the removal of humic acid in the presence of salt; to simulate saline wastewater conditions. The effects of operating parameters, such as salinity and TiO2 concentration on permeate fluxes, total organic carbon (TOC, and UV absorbance removal, were investigated. The interaction between the humic acids and TiO2 photocatalyst played an important role in the observed flux change during ceramic membrane filtration. The results for this hybrid system showed that the TOC removal was more than 70% for both without NaCl and with the 500 ppm NaCl concentration, and 62% and 66% for 1000 and 2000 ppm NaCl concentrations. The reduction in UV absorbance was more complete in the absence of NaCl compared to the presence of NaCl. The operation of the integrated photoreactor-ceramic membrane filter over five repeat cycles is described. It can be concluded that the overall removal performance of the hybrid system was influenced by the presence of salts, as salt leads to agglomeration of TiO2 particles by suppressing the stabilising effects of electrostatic repulsion and thereby reduces the effective surface contact between the pollutant and the photocatalyst.

YSZ-Reinforced Alumina Multi-Channel Capillary Membranes for Micro-Filtration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Wang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The combined phase-inversion and sintering method not only produces ceramic hollow fibre membranes with much lower fabrication costs than conventional methods, but these membranes can also be designed to have greatly reduced transport resistances for filtration processes. The bottleneck of this technique is the weak mechanical property of the fibres, due to the small dimensions and the brittle nature of the ceramic materials. In this study, yttrium stabilised zirconia (YSZ reinforced alumina seven-channel capillary microfiltration membranes were prepared with a pore size of ~230 nm and their mechanical property and permeation characteristics were studied. It is found that the addition of YSZ can effectively enhance the mechanical property of the membrane and also increase pure water permeation flux. The Al2O3-YSZ seven-channel capillary membranes could reach a fracture load of 23.4 N and a bending extension of 0.54 mm when being tested with a 6 cm span, to meet the requirements for most industrial microfiltration applications.

YSZ-Reinforced Alumina Multi-Channel Capillary Membranes for Micro-Filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bo; Lee, Melanie; Li, Kang

2015-12-30

The combined phase-inversion and sintering method not only produces ceramic hollow fibre membranes with much lower fabrication costs than conventional methods, but these membranes can also be designed to have greatly reduced transport resistances for filtration processes. The bottleneck of this technique is the weak mechanical property of the fibres, due to the small dimensions and the brittle nature of the ceramic materials. In this study, yttrium stabilised zirconia (YSZ) reinforced alumina seven-channel capillary microfiltration membranes were prepared with a pore size of ~230 nm and their mechanical property and permeation characteristics were studied. It is found that the addition of YSZ can effectively enhance the mechanical property of the membrane and also increase pure water permeation flux. The Al₂O₃-YSZ seven-channel capillary membranes could reach a fracture load of 23.4 N and a bending extension of 0.54 mm when being tested with a 6 cm span, to meet the requirements for most industrial microfiltration applications.

Treatment of secondary effluent by sequential combination of photocatalytic oxidation with ceramic membrane filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lili; Zhu, Bo; Jegatheesan, Veeriah; Gray, Stephen; Duke, Mikel; Muthukumaran, Shobha

2018-02-01

The aim of the present work was to experimentally evaluate an alternative advanced wastewater treatment system, which combines the action of photocatalytic oxidation with ceramic membrane filtration. Experiments were carried out using laboratory scale TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor and tubular ceramic microfiltration (CMF) system to treat the secondary effluent (SE). A 100-nm pore size CMF membrane was investigated in cross flow mode under constant transmembrane pressure of 20 kPa. The results show that specific flux decline of CMF membrane with and without TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic treatment was 30 and 50%, respectively, after 60 min of filtration. Data evaluation revealed that the adsorption of organic compounds onto the TiO 2 particles was dependent on the pH of the suspension and was considerably higher at low pH. The liquid chromatography-organic carbon detector (LC-OCD) technique was used to characterise the dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in the SE and was monitored following photocatalysis and CMF. The results showed that there was no removal of biopolymers and slight removal of humics, building blocks and the other oxidation by-products after TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic treatment. This result suggested that the various ions present in the SE act as scavengers, which considerably decrease the efficiency of the photocatalytic oxidation reactions. On the other hand, the CMF was effective for removing 50% of biopolymers with no further removal of other organic components after photocatalytic treatment. Thus, the quantity of biopolymers in SE has an apparent correlation with the filterability of water samples in CMF.

Purification and differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells by membrane filtration and membrane migration methods

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hong Reng; Heish, Chao-Wen; Liu, Cheng-Hui; Muduli, Saradaprasan; Li, Hsing-Fen; Higuchi, Akon; Kumar, S. Suresh; Alarfaj, Abdullah A.; Munusamy, Murugan A.; Hsu, Shih-Tien; Chen, Da-Chung; Benelli, Giovanni; Murugan, Kadarkarai; Cheng, Nai-Chen; Wang, Han-Chow; Wu, Gwo-Jang

2017-01-01

Human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) are easily isolated from fat tissue without ethical concerns, but differ in purity, pluripotency, differentiation ability, and stem cell marker expression, depending on the isolation method. We isolated hADSCs from a primary fat tissue solution using: (1) conventional culture, (2) a membrane filtration method, (3) a membrane migration method where the primary cell solution was permeated through membranes, adhered hADSCs were cultured, and hADSCs migrated out from the membranes. Expression of mesenchymal stem cell markers and pluripotency genes, and osteogenic differentiation were compared for hADSCs isolated by different methods using nylon mesh filter membranes with pore sizes ranging from 11 to 80 μm. hADSCs isolated by the membrane migration method had the highest MSC surface marker expression and efficient differentiation into osteoblasts. Osteogenic differentiation ability of hADSCs and MSC surface marker expression were correlated, but osteogenic differentiation ability and pluripotent gene expression were not. PMID:28071738

Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment Through Combined Process Adsorption and Membrane Filtration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Said

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The growth in palm oil production also leads to an Increase in the production of palm oil mill effluent (POME. Nowadays, POME was treated using an open lagoon but this method is ineffectiveness in complying with the standards for water disposal. Therefore, efficient and cohesive treatment system is highly desired to ensure the final discharge of the treated water meets the effluent discharge standards. Initially, the POME was treated through adsorption, followed by UF membranes roomates were intended to reduce COD, TSS and turbidity up to 88%, 99%, and 98%, while the final treatment of RO membranes can reduce BOD, COD and color up to 92%, 98% and 99%. To determine the optimum condition of the RO membrane, response surface methodology (RSM was used. The results showed there was correlation between all key variables. POME concentration, trans-membrane pressure, pH and time would give significant effects in reducing the parameters in POME treatment with the optimum condition of 15.77% for POME concentration, 3.73 for pH, 0.5 bar trans-membrane pressure and 5 hours for filtration time. To predict COD removal, the results were analyzed by applying the artificial neural network (ANN to derive a mathematical model.

Controlling the rejection of protein during membrane filtration by adding selected polyelectrolytes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pinelo, Manuel; Ferrer Roca, Carme; Meyer, Anne S.

2012-01-01

Electrostatic interactions among the charged groups on proteins and/or between proteins and other solutes significantly affect the aggregation/deposition phenomena that induce fouling and decrease permeate flux during membrane purification of proteins. Such interactions can be turned...... help enhance the performance of membrane filtration for fractionation/purification of a target protein by significantly reducing fouling and modifying rejection/selectivity.......) changing the pH, on the permeate flux and membrane transmission of bovin serum albumina (BSA) through a PVDF membrane. The addition of PS-co-AA to the feed solution resulted in significant increases of the BSA transmission at pH 7.4 as compared to the transmission of a pure BSA solution (1g...

Nanofiltration and Tight Ultrafiltration Membranes for Natural Organic Matter Removal-Contribution of Fouling and Concentration Polarization to Filtration Resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Joerg; Barbeau, Benoit; Bérubé, Pierre

2017-07-02

Nanofiltration (NF) and tight ultrafiltration (tight UF) membranes are a viable treatment option for high quality drinking water production from sources with high concentrations of contaminants. To date, there is limited knowledge regarding the contribution of concentration polarization (CP) and fouling to the increase in resistance during filtration of natural organic matter (NOM) with NF and tight UF. Filtration tests were conducted with NF and tight UF membranes with molecular weight cut offs (MWCOs) of 300, 2000 and 8000 Da, and model raw waters containing different constituents of NOM. When filtering model raw waters containing high concentrations of polysaccharides (i.e., higher molecular weight NOM), the increase in resistance was dominated by fouling. When filtering model raw waters containing humic substances (i.e., lower molecular weight NOM), the increase in filtration resistance was dominated by CP. The results indicate that low MWCO membranes are better suited for NOM removal, because most of the NOM in surface waters consist mainly of humic substances, which were only effectively rejected by the lower MWCO membranes. However, when humic substances are effectively rejected, CP can become extensive, leading to a significant increase in filtration resistance by the formation of a cake/gel layer at the membrane surface. For this reason, cross-flow operation, which reduces CP, is recommended.

Spray drying of a phenolic-rich membrane filtration fraction of olive mill wastewater: Optimization and dried product quality

Science.gov (United States)

Olive mill wastewater (OMWW) from two California mills (3-phase and 2-phase) was subjected to a two-step membrane filtration process using a novel vibratory system. The obtained reverse osmosis retentate (RO-R) is a phenolic-rich co-product stream, and the reverse osmosis permeate is a near-pure wat...

Impact of polymeric membrane filtration of oil sands process water on organic compounds quantification.

Science.gov (United States)

Moustafa, Ahmed M A; Kim, Eun-Sik; Alpatova, Alla; Sun, Nian; Smith, Scott; Kang, Seoktae; Gamal El-Din, Mohamed

2014-01-01

The interaction between organic fractions in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) and three polymeric membranes with varying hydrophilicity (nylon, polyvinylidene fluoride and polytetrafluoroethylene) at different pHs was studied to evaluate the impact of filtration on the quantification of acid-extractable fraction (AEF) and naphthenic acids (NAs). Four functional groups predominated in OSPW (amine, phosphoryl, carboxyl and hydroxyl) as indicated by the linear programming method. The nylon membranes were the most hydrophilic and exhibited the lowest AEF removal at pH of 8.7. However, the adsorption of AEF on the membranes increased as the pH of OSPW decreased due to hydrophobic interactions between the membrane surfaces and the protonated molecules. The use of ultra pressure liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC/HRMS) showed insignificant adsorption of NAs on the tested membranes at pH 8.7. However, 26±2.4% adsorption of NAs was observed at pH 5.3 following the protonation of NAs species. For the nylon membrane, excessive carboxylic acids in the commercial NAs caused the formation of negatively charged assisted hydrogen bonds, resulting in increased adsorption at pH 8.2 (25%) as compared to OSPW (0%). The use of membranes for filtration of soluble compounds from complex oily wastewaters before quantification analysis of AEF and NAs should be examined prior to application.

Filtration of Oil-furnace Carbon Black Dust Particles from the Tail Gases by Filter Bags With PTFE Membrane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Čuzela, D.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available During the industrial production of oil furnace carbon black, tail gases containing oil-furnace carbon black dust particles are emitted to the atmosphere. In the carbon black plant, Petrokemija d. d., there are six exhaust stacks for tail gases. Each of them has installed process equipment for cleaning tail gases. Efficiency of cleaning mainly depends on equipment construction and cleaning technology. The vicinity of the town, quality of the air in the region of Kutina, regarding floating particles PM10, and corporate responsibility for further enviromental improvement, imposes development of new methods that will decrease the emmision of oil-furnace carbon black dust particles in the air. Combining centrifugal percipitator and filter, special construction of cyclofilter for filtration of oil-furnace carbon black dust particles from tail gases by using PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene membrane filter bags, was designed. Developed filtration technique provides η = 99.9 % efficiency of filtration. Construction part of the filter contains the newest generation of PTFE membrane filter bags with the ability of jet pulse cleaning. Using the PTFE membrane filter bags technology, filtration efficiency for oil-furnace carbon black dust particles in tail gases of maximum γ=5mgm-3can be achieved. The filtration efficiency was monitored continuously measuring the concentration of the oil-furnace carbon black dust particles in the tail gases with the help of in situ electronic probe. The accomplished filtration technology is the base for the installation of the PTFE membrane filter bags in the main operation filters which will provide better protection of the air in the town of Kutina against floating particles PM10.

Separation of Hydridocarbonyltris(triphenylphosphine) Rhodium (I) Catalyst Using Solvent Resistant Nano filtration Membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Razak, N.S.A.; Hilmi Mukhtar; Maizatul, S. Shaharun; Mohd, F. Taha

2013-01-01

An investigation was conducted into the nano filtration of rhodium tris(triphenyl-phosphine) [HRh(CO)(PPh3)3] catalyst used in the hydroformylation of olefins. The large size of the catalyst (>400 Da) - relative to other components of the reaction provides the opportunity for a membrane separation based on retention of the catalyst species while permeating the solvent. The compatibility of the solvent-polyimide membrane (STARMEMTM 122 and STARMEMTM 240) combinations was assessed in terms of the membrane stability in solvent plus non-zero solvent flux at 2.0 MPa. The morphology of the membrane was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The solvent flux and membrane rejection of HRh(CO)(PPh3)3 was then determined for the catalyst-solvent-membrane combination in a dead-end pressure cell. Good HRh(CO)(PPh3)3 rejection (>0.93) coupled with good solvent fluxes (>72 L/ m 2 h 1 at 2.0 MPa) were obtained in one of the systems tested. The effect of pressure and catalyst concentration on the solvent flux and catalyst rejection was conducted. Increasing pressure substantially improved both solvent flux and catalyst rejection, while increasing catalyst concentration was found to be beneficial in terms of substantial increases in catalyst rejection without significantly affecting the solvent flux. (author)

Selective isolation of cationic amino acids and peptides by electro-membrane filtration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bargeman, Gerrald; Dohmen-Speelmans, Monique; Recio, Isidra; Timmer, Martin; van der Horst, Caroline

2000-01-01

In the food industry there is a clear trend towards the production of speciality products with a high added value. Electro-membrane filtration (EMF) can be used to separate and concentrate these products from complex solutions. With EMF, lysine was separated from a model solution and a protein

The development of electro-membrane filtration for the isolation of bioactive peptides: the effect of membrane selection and operating parameters on the transport rate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bargeman, Gerrald; Koops, G.H.; Houwing, J.; Breebaart, I.; van der Horst, H.C.; Wessling, Matthias

2002-01-01

The ability to produce functional food ingredients from natural sources becomes increasingly attractive to the food industry. Antimicrobial (bioactive) ingredients, like peptides and proteins, can be isolated from hydrolysates with membrane filtration and/or chromatography. Electro-membrane

Nanofiltration and Tight Ultrafiltration Membranes for Natural Organic Matter Removal—Contribution of Fouling and Concentration Polarization to Filtration Resistance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joerg Winter

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Nanofiltration (NF and tight ultrafiltration (tight UF membranes are a viable treatment option for high quality drinking water production from sources with high concentrations of contaminants. To date, there is limited knowledge regarding the contribution of concentration polarization (CP and fouling to the increase in resistance during filtration of natural organic matter (NOM with NF and tight UF. Filtration tests were conducted with NF and tight UF membranes with molecular weight cut offs (MWCOs of 300, 2000 and 8000 Da, and model raw waters containing different constituents of NOM. When filtering model raw waters containing high concentrations of polysaccharides (i.e., higher molecular weight NOM, the increase in resistance was dominated by fouling. When filtering model raw waters containing humic substances (i.e., lower molecular weight NOM, the increase in filtration resistance was dominated by CP. The results indicate that low MWCO membranes are better suited for NOM removal, because most of the NOM in surface waters consist mainly of humic substances, which were only effectively rejected by the lower MWCO membranes. However, when humic substances are effectively rejected, CP can become extensive, leading to a significant increase in filtration resistance by the formation of a cake/gel layer at the membrane surface. For this reason, cross-flow operation, which reduces CP, is recommended.

Critical review of membrane bioreactor models--part 1: biokinetic and filtration models.

Science.gov (United States)

Naessens, W; Maere, T; Nopens, I

2012-10-01

Membrane bioreactor technology exists for a couple of decades, but has not yet overwhelmed the market due to some serious drawbacks of which operational cost due to fouling is the major contributor. Knowledge buildup and optimisation for such complex systems can significantly benefit from mathematical modelling. In this paper, the vast literature on modelling MBR biokinetics and filtration is critically reviewed. It was found that models cover the wide range of empirical to detailed mechanistic descriptions and have mainly been used for knowledge development and to a lesser extent for system optimisation/control. Moreover, studies are still predominantly performed at lab or pilot scale. Trends are discussed, knowledge gaps identified and interesting routes for further research suggested. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of Shrimp Skin Waste (Sea Lobster) As Raw Material for the Membrane Filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rupiasih, Ni Nyoman; Windari, Putri; Sumadiyasa, Made; Suyanto, Hery

2017-01-01

In view of the increasing littering of the sea banks by shells of crustaceans, a study was carried out to investigate the extraction and characterization of chitosan from skin waste of sea lobster i.e. ‘Bamboo Lobster’ ( Panulirus versicolor ). Chitosan was extracted using conventional methods such as pretreatment, demineralization, deprotienization, and deacetylation. The result showed that the degree of deacetylation of chitosan obtained is 70.02%. The FTIR spectra of the chitosan gave a characteristic of –NH 2 band at 3447 cm –1 and carbonyl group band at 1655 cm −1 . This chitosan has been used to prepare membrane. The chitosan membrane 2% has been prepared using phase inversion method with precipitation by solvent evaporation. The membranes were characterized by FTIR spectrophotometer, Nova 1200e using BJH method, and filtration method. The results show that thickness of the membrane is about 134 μm. The FTIR spectra show that functional groups present in the membrane are -NH, -CH, C=O, and -OH. Using BJH method obtained that the pore diameter is 3.382 nm with pore density is 8.95 x 10 5 pores/m 3 . By filtration method obtained that pure water flux (PWF) of the membrane are 386.662 and 489.627 1/m 2 .h at pressure 80-85 kPa and 90-100 kPa, respectively. These results show that skin waste of sea lobster was discovered as a raw material to prepare chitosan membrane. The membrane obtained is belonged to mesoporous group which may use in microfiltration process. (paper)

Microspectroscopic investigation of the membrane clogging during the sterile filtration of the growth media for mammalian cell culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Xiaolin; Loussaert, James A; Wen, Zai-qing

2016-02-05

Growth media for mammalian cell culture are very complex mixtures of several dozens of ingredients, and thus the preparation of qualified media is critical to viable cell density and final product titers. For liquid media prepared from powdered ingredients, sterile filtration is required prior to use to safeguard the cell culture process. Recently one batch of our prepared media failed to pass through the sterile filtration due to the membrane clogging. In this study, we report the root cause analysis of the failed sterile filtration based on the investigations of both the fouling media and the clogged membranes with multiple microspectroscopic techniques. Cellular particles or fragments were identified in the fouling media and on the surfaces of the clogged membranes, which were presumably introduced to the media from the bacterial contamination. This study demonstrated that microspectroscopic techniques may be used to rapidly identify both microbial particles and inorganic precipitates in the cell culture media. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radio elements / bottom salts separation by nano-filtration aided by complexation in a highly saline environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaubert, Eric

1997-01-01

This research thesis addresses the use of a membrane-based technique, nano-filtration, aided or not by complexation, for the processing of highly saline liquid effluents produced by radio-chemical decontamination. The objective is to separate non-radioactive elements (sodium nitrate) from radio-elements (caesium, strontium and actinides) in order to reduce the volume of wastes. Within the perspective of an industrial application, a system to concentrate the effluent is firstly defined. Different nano-filtration membranes are tested and reveal to be insufficient in highly saline environment. A stage of selective complexation of radio-elements is therefore considered before nano-filtration. The main factors affecting performance of nano-filtration-complexation (for a given membrane system) are identified: ionic force, pH, ligand content, trans-membrane pressure. Finally, a nano-filtration pilot is implemented to perform nano-filtration-complexation operations by remote handling on radioactive substances [fr

Influence of Surface Properties of Filtration-Layer Metal Oxide on Ceramic Membrane Fouling during Ultrafiltration of Oil/Water Emulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Dongwei; Zhang, Tao; Gutierrez, Leo; Ma, Jun; Croué, Jean-Philippe

2016-05-03

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. A distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e., surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). Consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides is quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides toward oil droplets, consistent with the irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with the lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Influence of surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxide on ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsion

KAUST Repository

Lu, Dongwei; Zhang, Tao; Gutierrez, Leo; Ma, Jun; Croue, Jean-Philippe

2016-01-01

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. Distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e. surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). In consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides are quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides towards oil droplets which consists very well with irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Influence of surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxide on ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsion

KAUST Repository

Lu, Dongwei

2016-04-01

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. Distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e. surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). In consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides are quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides towards oil droplets which consists very well with irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Dynamic optimization of a dead-end filtration trajectory: non-ideal cake filtration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blankert, B.; Kattenbelt, C.; Betlem, Bernardus H.L.; Roffel, B.

2007-01-01

A control strategy aimed at minimizing energy consumption is formulated for non-ideal dead-end cake filtration with an inside-out hollow fiber ultrafiltration membrane system. The non-ideal behavior was assumed to originate from cake compression, non-linear cake resistance and a variable pump

Reduction in energy consumption of electrochemical pesticide degradation through combination with membrane filtration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Henrik Tækker; Søgaard, Erik Gydesen; Muff, Jens

2015-01-01

A significant challenge for large-scale use of electrochemical oxidation (EO) is high energy consumption, and for EO to become accepted as a standard technique, the amount of energy consumed in the process must be reduced. In this study, it was investigated how the energy consumption of EO could...... be lowered by combining the process with membrane filtration, in a setup where EO was applied to the membrane retentate stream. Use of two types of membranes, a nanofiltration (NF) and a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, was investigated, and to provide realistic estimates on the energy consumption...... of the treatment, natural groundwater spiked with the pesticide residue 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) was used as matrix in the experiments. To understand the effect of the membranes on the energy consumption, their effect on the EO degradation efficiency was also determined. The results showed that membranes...

Processing radioactive wastes using membrane (UF/HF/RO) systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, R.D.

1988-01-01

Over the years many technologies have been utilized to process low level radioactive waste streams generated by the nuclear industry, including: demineralization, evaporation, reverse osmosis and filtration. In the early 1980's interest was generated in membrane technologies and their application to radioactive wastes. This interest was generated based on the capabilities shown by membrane systems in non-radioactive environments and the promise that reverse osmosis systems showed in early testing with radioactive wastes. Membrane technologies have developed from the early development of reverse osmosis system to also include specifically designed membranes for ultrafiltration and hyperfiltration applications

Filtration Behaviour and Fouling Mechanisms of Polysaccharides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sondus Jamal

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This study investigated filtration behaviors of polysaccharides solutions, both alone and in mixture with proteins, in the short-time constant flux filtration with the focus on factors affecting the transmembrane pressure (TMP increase rate, the irreversible filtration resistance, and the membrane rejection behavior. The results showed that the TMP increase rates in the short-time constant flux filtration of alginate solutions were significantly affected by the calcium addition, alginate concentration, and flux. Although the addition of calcium resulted in a decrease in the TMP increase rate, it was found that the irreversible fouling developed during the filtration increased with the calcium addition, implying that the double-sided effect of calcium on membrane filtration and that the TMP increase rate observed in the filtration does not always reflect the irreversible membrane fouling development. It was also found that for the filtration of solutions containing mixed alginate and BSA, alginate exerted a dominant effect on the TMP increase rate and the membrane exhibited a reduced rejection to both alginate and BSA molecules compared to that in the filtration of the pure alginate or BSA.

Cross-flow micro-filtration using ceramic membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thern, Gerardo G.; Marajofsky, Adolfo; Rossi, Federico; La Gamma, Ana M.; Chocron, Mauricio

2004-01-01

Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors have a system devoted to the purification and upgrading of the collected heavy water leaks. The purification train is fed with different degradation ratios (D 2 O/H 2 O), activities and impurities. The water is distilled in a packed bed column filled with a mesh type packing. With the purpose of minimizing the column stack corrosion, the water is pre-treated in a train consisting on an activated charcoal bed-strong cationic-anionic resin and a final polishing anionic bed resin. Traces of oils are retained by the charcoal bed but some of them pass through and could be responsible for the resins fouling. The process of micro filtration using ceramic materials is particularly applied to the treatment of waters with oil micro droplets. We describe the development stages of single and double layer filtration ceramic tubes, their characterization and the adaptation to test equipment. The efficiency was evaluated by means of tangential ('cross-flow') filtration of aqueous solutions containing dodecane at the micrograms per ml concentration level. This compound simulates the properties of a typical oil contaminant. A 100-fold reduction in the amount of dodecane in water was observed after the filtration treatment. (author)

Industrial Membrane Filtration and Short-bed Fractal Separation Systems for Separating Monomers from Heterogeneous Plant Material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kearney, M; Kochergin, V; Hess, R; Foust, T; Herbst, R; Mann, N

2005-03-31

Large-scale displacement of petroleum will come from low-cost cellulosic feedstocks such as straw and corn stover crop residues. This project has taken a step toward making this projection a reality by reducing capital and energy costs, the two largest cost factors associated with converting cellulosic biomass to chemicals and fuels. The technology exists for using acid or enzyme hydrolysis processes to convert biomass feedstock (i.e., waste cellulose such as straw, corn stover, and wood) into their base monomeric sugar building blocks, which can, in turn, be processed into chemicals and fuels using a number of innovative fermentation technologies. However, while these processes are technically possible, practical and economic barriers make these processes only marginally feasible or not feasible at all. These barriers are due in part to the complexity and large fixed and recurring capital costs of unit operations including filtration, chromatographic separation, and ion exchange. This project was designed to help remove these barriers by developing and implementing new purification and separation technologies that will reduce the capital costs of the purification and chromatographic separation units by 50% to 70%. The technologies fundamental to these improvements are: (a) highly efficient clarification and purification systems that use screening and membrane filtration to eliminate suspended solids and colloidal material from feed streams and (b) fractal technology based chromatographic separation and ion exchange systems that can substitute for conventional systems but at much smaller size and cost. A non-hazardous ''raw sugar beet juice'' stream (75 to 100 gal/min) was used for prototype testing of these technologies. This raw beet juice stream from the Amalgamated Sugar LLC plant in Twin Falls, Idaho contained abrasive materials and membrane foulants. Its characteristics were representative of an industrial-scale heterogeneous plant extract

Versatile antifouling polyethersulfone filtration membranes modified via surface grafting of zwitterionic polymers from a reactive amphiphilic copolymer additive.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yi-Fan; Zhang, Pei-Bin; Sun, Jian; Liu, Cui-Jing; Yi, Zhuan; Zhu, Li-Ping; Xu, You-Yi

2015-06-15

Here we describe the development of versatile antifouling polyethersulfone (PES) filtration membranes modified via surface grafting of zwitterionic polymers from a reactive amphiphilic copolymer additive. Amphiphilic polyethersulfone-block-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PES-b-PHEMA) was beforehand designed and used as the blending additive of PES membranes prepared by phase inversion technique. The surface enriched PHEMA blocks on membrane surface acted as an anchor to immobilize the initiating site. Poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) were subsequently grafted onto the PES blend membranes by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The analysis of surface chemistry confirmed the successful grafting of zwitterionic PSBMA brushes on PES membrane surface. The resulted PES-g-PSBMA membranes were capable of separating proteins from protein solution and oil from oil/water emulsion efficiently. Furthermore, the modified membranes showed high hydrophilicity and strongly antifouling properties due to the incorporation of well-defined PSBMA layer. In addition, the PES-g-PSBMA membranes exhibited excellent blood compatibility and durability during the washing process. The developed antifouling PES membranes are versatile and can find their applications in protein filtration, blood purification and oil/water separation, etc. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ajao, Olumoye; Rahni, Mohamed; Marinova, Mariya; Chadjaa, Hassan; Savadogo, Oumarou

2017-12-15

Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.

Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olumoye Ajao

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.

Dewatering of Chlorella pyrenoidosa using diatomite dynamic membrane: filtration performance, membrane fouling and cake behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yalei; Zhao, Yangying; Chu, Huaqiang; Zhou, Xuefei; Dong, Bingzhi

2014-01-01

The diatomite dynamic membrane (DDM) was utilized to dewater Chlorella pyrenoidosa of 2 g dry weight/L under continuous-flow mode, whose ultimate algae concentration ranged from 43 g to 22 g dry weight/L of different culture time. The stable flux of DDM could reach 30 L/m(2) h over a 24 h operation time without backwash. Influences of extracellular organic matters (EOM) on filtration behavior and membrane fouling were studied. The DDM was divided into three sub-layers, the slime layer, the algae layer and the diatomite layer from the outside to the inside of the cake layer based on components and morphologies. It was found that EOM caused membrane fouling by accumulating in the slime and algae layers. The DDM intercepted polysaccharides, protein-like substances, humic-like substances and some low-MW organics. Proteins were indicated the major membrane foulants with increased protein/polysaccharide ratio from the slime layer to the diatomite layer as culture time increased. This method could be applied to subsequent treatment of microalgae coupling technology of wastewater treatment or microalgae harvesting for producing biofuel. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction of DOM fractions and their trihalomethane formation potential in surface river water by in-line coagulation with ceramic membrane filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakruam, Pharkphum; Wattanachira, Suraphong

2014-03-01

This research was aimed at investigating the reduction of DOM fractions and their trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) by in-line coagulation with 0.1 μm ceramic membrane filtration. The combination of ceramic membrane filtration with a coagulation process is an alternative technology which can be applied to enhance conventional coagulation processes in the field of water treatment and drinking water production. The Ping River water (high turbidity water) was selected as the raw surface water because it is currently the main raw water source for water supply production in the urban and rural areas of Chiang Mai Province. From the investigation, the results showed that the highest percent reductions of DOC, UV-254, and THMFP (47.6%, 71.0%, and 67.4%, respectively) were achieved from in-line coagulation with ceramic membrane filtration at polyaluminum chloride dosage 40 mg/L. Resin adsorption techniques were employed to characterize the DOM in raw surface water and filtered water. The results showed that the use of a ceramic membrane with in-line coagulation was able to most efficiently reduce the hydrophobic fraction (HPOA) (68.5%), which was then followed by the hydrophilic fraction (HPIA) (49.3%). The greater mass DOC reduction of these two fractions provided the highest THMFP reductions (55.1% and 37.2%, respectively). Furthermore, the in-line coagulation with ceramic membrane filtration was able to reduce the hydrophobic (HPOB) fraction which is characterized by high reactivity toward THM formation. The percent reduction of mass DOC and THMFP of HPOB by in-line coagulation with ceramic membrane filtration was 45.9% and 48.0%, respectively. Copyright © 2014 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Review on strategies for biofouling mitigation in spiral wound membrane systems

KAUST Repository

Bucs, Szilard

2018-02-01

Because of the uneven distribution of fresh water in time and space, a large number of regions are experiencing water scarcity and stress. Membrane based desalination technologies have the potential to solve the fresh water crisis in coastal areas. However, in many cases membrane performance is restricted by biofouling. The objective of this review is to provide an overview on the state of the art strategies to control biofouling in spiral wound reverse osmosis membrane systems and point to possible future research directions. A critical review on biofouling control strategies such as feed water pre-treatment, membrane surface modification, feed spacer geometry optimization and hydrodynamics in spiral wound membrane systems is presented. In conclusion, biofouling cannot be avoided in the long run, and thus biofouling control strategies should focus on delaying the biofilm formation, reducing its impact on membrane performance and enhancing biofilm removal by advanced cleaning strategies. Therefore, future studies should aim on: (i) biofilm structural characterization; (ii) understanding to what extent biofilm properties affect membrane filtration performance, and (iii) developing methods to engineer biofilm properties such that biofouling would have only a low or delayed impact on the filtration process and accumulated biomass can be easily removed.

Water-Permeable Dialysis Membranes for Multi-Layered Micro Dialysis System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naoya eTo

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the development of water-permeable dialysis membranes that are suitable for an implantable microdialysis system that does not use dialysis fluid. We developed a microdialysis system integrating microfluidic channels and nanoporous filtering membranes made of polyethersulfone (PES, aiming at a fully implantable system that drastically improves the quality of life of patients. Simplicity of the total system is crucial for the implantable dialysis system, where the pumps and storage tanks for the dialysis fluid pose problems. Hence, we focus on hemofiltration, which does not require the dialysis fluid but water-permeable membranes. We investigated the water-permeability of the PES membrane with respect to the concentrations of the PES, the additives, and the solvents in the casting solution. Sufficiently water-permeable membranes were found through in vitro experiments using whole bovine blood. The filtrate was verified to have the concentrations of low-molecular-weight molecules, such as sodium, potassium, urea, and creatinine, while proteins, such as albumin, were successfully blocked by the membrane. We conducted in vivo experiments using rats, where the system was connected to the femoral artery and jugular vein. The filtrate was successfully collected without any leakage of blood inside the system and it did not contain albumin but low-molecular-weight molecules whose concentrations were identical to those of the blood. The rat model with renal failure showed 100% increase of creatinine in 5 h, while rats connected to the system showed only a 7.4% increase, which verified the effectiveness of the proposed microdialysis system.

Development of a dynamic model for cleaning ultra filtration membranes fouled by surface water

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zondervan, Edwin; Betlem, Ben H.L.; Roffel, Brian

2007-01-01

In this paper, a dynamic model for cleaning ultra filtration membranes fouled by surface water is proposed. A model that captures the dynamics well is valuable for the optimization of the cleaning process. The proposed model is based on component balances and contains three parameters that can be

Optimization of protein fractionation by skim milk microfiltration: Choice of ceramic membrane pore size and filtration temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Jørgensen, Camilla Elise; Abrahamsen, Roger K; Rukke, Elling-Olav; Johansen, Anne-Grethe; Schüller, Reidar B; Skeie, Siv B

2016-08-01

The objective of this study was to investigate how ceramic membrane pore size and filtration temperature influence the protein fractionation of skim milk by cross flow microfiltration (MF). Microfiltration was performed at a uniform transmembrane pressure with constant permeate flux to a volume concentration factor of 2.5. Three different membrane pore sizes, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20µm, were used at a filtration temperature of 50°C. Furthermore, at pore size 0.10µm, 2 different filtration temperatures were investigated: 50 and 60°C. The transmission of proteins increased with increasing pore size, giving the permeate from MF with the 0.20-µm membrane a significantly higher concentration of native whey proteins compared with the permeates from the 0.05- and 0.10-µm membranes (0.50, 0.24, and 0.39%, respectively). Significant amounts of caseins permeated the 0.20-µm membrane (1.4%), giving a permeate with a whitish appearance and a casein distribution (αS2-CN: αS1-CN: κ-CN: β-CN) similar to that of skim milk. The 0.05- and 0.10-µm membranes were able to retain all caseins (only negligible amounts were detected). A permeate free from casein is beneficial in the production of native whey protein concentrates and in applications where transparency is an important functional characteristic. Microfiltration of skim milk at 50°C with the 0.10-µm membrane resulted in a permeate containing significantly more native whey proteins than the permeate from MF at 60°C. The more rapid increase in transmembrane pressure and the significantly lower concentration of caseins in the retentate at 60°C indicated that a higher concentration of caseins deposited on the membrane, and consequently reduced the native whey protein transmission. Optimal protein fractionation of skim milk into a casein-rich retentate and a permeate with native whey proteins were obtained by 0.10-µm MF at 50°C. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All

Fabrication of an Anti-Biofouling Plasma-Filtration Membrane by an Electrospinning Process Using Photo-Cross-linkable Zwitterionic Phospholipid Polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Jiae; Seo, Ji-Hun

2017-06-14

The goal of this study is to fabricate a stable plasma filtration membrane with antibiofouling properties via an electrospinning process. To this end, a random-type copolymer consisting of zwitterionic phosphorylcholine (PC) groups and ultraviolet (UV)-cross-linkable phenyl azide groups was synthesized. The zwitterionic PC group provides antibiofouling properties, and the phenyl azide group enables the stable maintenance of the fibrous nanostructure of hydrophilic zwitterion polymers in aqueous medium via a simple UV curing process. To demonstrate the antibiofouling nature of the PC group, a polymer without antibiofouling PC groups was also prepared for comparison. The successful synthesis of the random-type copolymers containing phenyl azide groups was proven by 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the fibrous structure of the prepared membranes was observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The antibiofouling properties were analyzed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin adsorption and platelet adhesion tests. The experimental results show that membranes containing zwitterionic PC groups exhibited obvious decreases in platelet adhesion and protein adsorption. Platelet-rich plasma solution was filtered using the prepared membranes to test their filtration properties. The sequential filtration process removed 80% and almost 98% of the platelets. This finding confirmed that the membrane retained its blood-inert biomaterial surface in a complex medium that included blood plasma and platelets.

Ozonation and/or Coagulation - Ceramic Membrane Hybrid for Filtration of Impaired-Quality Source Waters

KAUST Repository

Ha, Changwon

2013-09-01

When microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes are applied for drinking water treatment/wastewater reuse, membrane fouling is an evitable problem, causing the loss of productivity over time. Polymeric membranes have been often reported to experience rapid and/or problematical fouling, restraining sustainable operation. Ceramic membranes can be effectively employed to treat impaired-quality source waters due to their inherent robustness in terms of physical and chemical stability. This research aimed to identify the effects of coagulation and/or ozonation on ceramic membrane filtration for seawater and wastewater (WW) effluent. Two different types of MF and UF ceramic membranes obtained by sintering (i.e., TAMI made of TiO2+ZrO2) and anodic oxidation process (i.e., AAO made of Al2O3) were employed for bench-scale tests. Precoagulation was shown to play an important role in both enhancing membrane filterability and natural organic matter (NOM) removal efficacy for treating a highorganic surface water. The most critical factors were found to be pH and coagulant dosage with the highest efficiency resulting under low pH and high coagulant dose. Due to the ozone-resistance nature of the ceramic membranes, preozonation allowed the ceramic membranes to be operated at higher flux, especially leading to significant flux improvement when treating seawater in the presence of calcium and magnesium. 4 Dissolved ozone in contact with the TAMI ceramic membrane surface accelerated the formation of hydroxyl (˙OH) radicals in WW effluent treatment. Flux restoration of both ceramic membranes, fouled with seawater and WW effluent, was efficiently achieved by high backwash (BW) pressure and ozone in chemically enhanced backwashing (CEB). Ceramic membranes exhibited a pH-dependent permeate flux while filtering WW effluent, showing reduced fouling with increased pH. On the other hand, for filtering seawater, differences in permeate flux between the two membranes was

Filtration behavior of casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) in an enzymatic membrane reactor: fouling control by membrane selection and threshold flux operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Jianquan; Morthensen, Sofie Thage; Meyer, Anne S.

2014-01-01

. In this study, the filtration performance and fouling behavior during ultrafiltration (UF) of CGMP for the enzymatic production of 3′-sialyllactose were investigated. A 5kDa regenerated cellulose membrane with high anti-fouling performance, could retain CGMP well, permeate 3′-sialyllactose, and was found...... to be the most suitable membrane for this application. Low pH increased CGMP retention but produced more fouling. Higher agitation and lower CGMP concentration induced larger permeate flux and higher CGMP retention. Adsorption fouling and pore blocking by CGMP in/on membranes could be controlled by selecting...... a highly hydrophilic membrane with appropriate pore size. Operating under threshold flux could minimize the concentration polarization and cake/gel/scaling layers, but might not avoid irreversible fouling caused by adsorption and pore blocking. The effects of membrane properties, pH, agitation and CGMP...

Gravity filtration performances of the bio-diatomite dynamic membrane reactor for slightly polluted surface water purification.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Huaqiang; Dong, Bingzhi; Zhang, Yalei; Zhou, Xuefei

2012-01-01

A bio-diatomite dynamic membrane (BDDM) reactor for surface water treatment under a water head of 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 cm, respectively, was investigated, which was very effective for pollutants removal. The water head exerted strong influences on filtration flux of BDDM during the precoating process, as well as on the formation of BDDM and turbidity variations. A high filtration flux (approximately 200-300 L/m2 h) could be achieved in the long filtration times of BDDM with a stable effluent turbidity of approximately 0.11-0.25 NTU. The BDDM could remove particles larger than 25 μm completely. The adopted sintered diatomite mainly consisted of macro pores, which were beneficial for improving the filtration flux of BDDM. During the backwash stage, the BDDM could be removed completely by the air backwash.

Preparation and characterization of novel PVDF nanofiltration membranes with hydrophilic property for filtration of dye aqueous solution

Science.gov (United States)

Nikooe, Naeme; Saljoughi, Ehsan

2017-08-01

In the present research, for the first time PVDF/Brij-58 blend nanofiltration membranes with remarkable performance in filtration of dye aqueous solution were prepared via immersion precipitation. A noticeable improvement in water permeation and fouling resistance of the PVDF membranes was achieved by using Brij-58 surfactant as a hydrophilic additive. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and water contact angle were applied for the investigation of membrane morphology, detection of the surface chemical composition and relative hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, respectively. The membrane performance was studied and compared by determination of pure water flux (PWF) and filtration of synthetic reactive dye aqueous solutions as well as bovine serum albumin (BSA) as foulant model. It was found out that addition of 4 wt.% Brij-58 to the casting solution results in formation of membrane with remarkable hydrophilicity and fouling resistance (contact angle of 46° and flux recovery ratio (FRR) = 90%), higher porosity and consequently noticeable PWF (31.2 L/m2 h) and recognized dye rejection value (90%) in comparison with the pristine PVDF nanofiltration membrane. Addition of Brij-58 surfactant to the casting solution resulted in formation of NF membrane with higher hydrophilicity and permeability as well as higher dye rejection value in comparison with the addition of PEG 400 additive.

Development of High-Antifouling PPSU Ultrafiltration Membrane by Using Compound Additives: Preparation, Morphologies, and Filtration Resistant Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jie; Zhong, Zhencheng; Ma, Rui; Zhang, Weichen; Li, Jiding

2016-06-21

In this study, flat sheet asymmetric polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) ultrafiltration membranes with enhanced antifouling properties were prepared with a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method through compound additives containing a polymeric pore-forming agent, a small molecular non-solvent and a surfactant. The formation processes of the porous asymmetric membranes with different kinds of additives were studied in detail, and the microstructure controllable preparation of membrane was achieved by establishing a bridge between the membrane preparation parameters and separation performances. All prepared membranes were characterized by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), contact angle analysis, porosity, maximum pore size, water and BSA solution permeability studies. The performance efficiency of the membrane was evaluated by using BSA as a model foulant in terms of permeability, solute rejection (R), Rm (membrane inherent resistance), Rc (cake layer resistance), and Rp (pore plugging resistance). The results showed that when the compound additives were used, the inter-connected pores were observed, maximum pore size, contact angle and membrane filtration resistance decreased, while the porosity increased. When PVP compound additives were added, the water flux increased from 80.4 to 148.1 L/(m²·h), the BSA rejection increased from 53.2% to 81.5%. A similar trend was observed for membranes with added PEG compound additives; the water flux and BSA rejection simultaneously increased. The filtration resistance decreased as a result of compound additives. The uniformity of membrane and the number of effective pores could be enhanced by adding compound additives through the cooperation of different additives.

Development of High-Antifouling PPSU Ultrafiltration Membrane by Using Compound Additives: Preparation, Morphologies, and Filtration Resistant Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Liu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, flat sheet asymmetric polyphenylsulfone (PPSU ultrafiltration membranes with enhanced antifouling properties were prepared with a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS method through compound additives containing a polymeric pore-forming agent, a small molecular non-solvent and a surfactant. The formation processes of the porous asymmetric membranes with different kinds of additives were studied in detail, and the microstructure controllable preparation of membrane was achieved by establishing a bridge between the membrane preparation parameters and separation performances. All prepared membranes were characterized by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM, contact angle analysis, porosity, maximum pore size, water and BSA solution permeability studies. The performance efficiency of the membrane was evaluated by using BSA as a model foulant in terms of permeability, solute rejection (R, Rm (membrane inherent resistance, Rc (cake layer resistance, and Rp (pore plugging resistance. The results showed that when the compound additives were used, the inter-connected pores were observed, maximum pore size, contact angle and membrane filtration resistance decreased, while the porosity increased. When PVP compound additives were added, the water flux increased from 80.4 to 148.1 L/(m2·h, the BSA rejection increased from 53.2% to 81.5%. A similar trend was observed for membranes with added PEG compound additives; the water flux and BSA rejection simultaneously increased. The filtration resistance decreased as a result of compound additives. The uniformity of membrane and the number of effective pores could be enhanced by adding compound additives through the cooperation of different additives.

Development of supported biomimetic membranes for insertion of aquaporin protein water channels for novel water filtration applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jesper Søndergaard

). This constitutes a new methodology to correctly and functionally reconstitute membrane proteins in controllable amounts into giant vesicles. The method for formation of giant protein vesicles subsequently led to the first functional prototype of an aquaporin-membrane water filtration device.......Aquaporins represent a class of membrane protein channels found in all living organisms that selectively transport water molecules across biological membranes. The work presented in this thesis was motivated by the conceptual idea of incorporating aquaporin water channels into biomimetic membranes...... to develop novel water separation technologies. To accomplish this, it is necessary to construct an efficient platform to handle biomimetic membranes. Moreover, general methods are required to reliable and controllable reconstitute membrane proteins into artificially made model membranes...

High flux MWCNTs-interlinked GO hybrid membranes survived in cross-flow filtration for the treatment of strontium-containing wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Lin; Lu, Ying; Liu, Ying-Ling; Li, Ming; Zhao, Hai-Yang; Hou, Li-An

2016-01-01

Graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes provide an encouraging opportunity to support high separation efficiency for wastewater treatment. However, due to the relatively weak interaction between GO nanosheets, it is difficult for bare GO-based membranes to survive in cross-flow filtration. In addition, the permeation flux of the bare GO membrane is not high sufficiently due to its narrow interlayer spacing. In this study, GO membranes interlinked with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) via covalent bonds were fabricated on modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) supports by vacuum filtration. Due to the strong bonds between GO, MWCNTs and the PAN membrane, the membranes could be used for the treatment of simulated nuclear wastewater containing strontium via a cross-flow process. The result showed a high flux of 210.7 L/(m"2 h) at 0.4 MPa, which was approximately 4 times higher than that of commercial nanofiltration membranes. The improved water permeation was attributed to the nanochannels created by the interlinked MWCNTs in the GO layers. In addition, the hybrid membrane exhibited a high rejection of 93.4% for EDTA-chelated Sr"2"+ in an alkaline solution, and could also be used to separate Na"+/Sr"2"+ mixtures. These results indicate that the MWCNTs-interlinked GO membrane has promising prospects for application in radioactive waste treatment.

The Formation of Porous Membranes by Filtration of Aerosol Nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, Sune K.; Johannessen, Tue; Mosleh, Majid; Wedel, Stig; Tranto, Janne; Livbjerg, Hans

2002-01-01

Flame-generated aerosol particles of Al 2 O 3 were deposited by gas filtration on two types of porous and ceramic tubes of α-Al 2 O 3 with mean pore diameters of 450 and 2700 nm, respectively. The particles were aggregates with average mobility diameters in the range of 30-100 nm and primary particle diameters of 4-8 nm. The particles are characterized by differential mobility analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and by their specific surface area. The deposited membranes are characterized by gas permeability measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and by their pore size distribution from nitrogen capillary condensation. The particles form a distinct, homogeneous membrane layer with a porosity of ∼90% on top of the substrate surface and only penetrate slightly into the substrate structure. The mean pore sizes of the deposited membranes determined by nitrogen condensation agree approximately with those determined by gas permeation and the specific surface area. The mean pore diameter varies in the range of 30-70 nm. The gas permeability of the deposited membranes is related to the specific surface area but influenced by the high porosity. The mean pore size and the permeability of the membranes are almost independent of the substrate structure.The development of a membrane with uniform properties is preceded by a short initial period in which the deposited particles, with an equivalent membrane thickness of roughly 2 μm, have a significantly lower permeability than the ultimately developed uniform membrane layer. This effect is particularly significant for the aerosol particles with the lowest mean size, probably due to particles deposited in the pore mouths of the substrate.The particles and the deposited membranes are X-ray amorphous but retain their specific surface area on heating to even high temperatures. When the membranes are heated to 1473 K for 10 h, X-ray diffraction shows a mixture of θ- and α-alumina, accompanied by a partial

Research Regarding Membrane Filtration Capacity of Water Collected from Siret River

Science.gov (United States)

Mihalache, I.; Pintilie, Ş. C.; Bîrsan, I. G.; Dănăila, E.; Baltă, Ş.

2018-06-01

In the past decade, the high demand and strict legislations regarding pure and potable water production and quality require finding new treatment technologies with higher effectiveness. When compared with conventional treatment technologies, membrane technology is a viable option in water and wastewater treatment due to high performance, ease in implementation, cost-efficiency among other advantages, also, leading to a rapid expansion in use in almost all areas of industry. Polymeric ultrafiltration membranes have been successfully used in various industries since 1969, and in later years they were studied in the water purification sector, mainly as a pre-treatment step to reduce severe fouling that could occur in reverse osmosis filtration stage. Polysulfone (PSf) was the polymer of choice in this study with two concentrations, 25 wt.% and 30 wt.%. Surface SEM morphology, roughness and water affinity were analyzed for the studied membranes. Water from Siret river was used in the permeation tests in order to analyze the retention capacity and anti-fouling ability. The present study revealed higher retention for the 30 wt.% PSf membranes, from the physico-chemical and microbiological point-of-view and lower fouling, also.

Effect of solvent concentration on performance of polysulfone membrane for filtration and separation

Science.gov (United States)

Syafiq Mohamad Sofian, Muhamad; Zaini Yunos, Muhamad; Ahmad, Azlinnorazia; Harun, Zawati; Akhair, Siti Hajar Mohd; Adibah Raja Ahmad, Raja; Hafeez Azhar, Faiz; Rashid, Abdul Qaiyyum Abd; Ismail, Al Emran

2017-08-01

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of solvent concentration on the performance of polysulfone membrane via airbrush spray method. The solvent concentration was varied from 73% to 80% in dope solution. The study also investigated airbrush processing parameter such as spray time and distance at different solvent concentration. The prepared membrane was characterized in respect to its morphology and the performance of the membrane were evaluated via gas permeability performance. This study found that the membrane fiber size was reduced as solvent concentration increases. When time increased the diameter of fiber also increased. The distance also affected the fiber size, when the distance increased the diameter of fiber became smaller. 80% of solvent concentration has better filtration and separation ability compared to other solvent due to its porosity and morphology. From the gas permeability cell testing it shows that the permeability is increasing as the solvent concentration decrease.

Free-standing hierarchical α-MnO2@CuO membrane for catalytic filtration degradation of organic pollutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Xinsheng; Liang, Heng; Qu, Fangshu; Ding, An; Cheng, Xiaoxiang; Tang, Chuyang Y; Li, Guibai

2018-06-01

Catalytic membrane, due to its compact reactor assembling, high catalytic performance as well as low energy consumption, has proved to be more attractive for wastewater treatment. In this work, a free-standing α-MnO 2 @CuO membrane with hierarchical nanostructures was prepared and evaluated as the catalytic membrane to generate radicals from peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the oxidative degradation of organic dyes in aqueous solution. Benefiting from the high mass transport efficiency and the hierarchical nanostructures, a superior catalytic activity of the membrane was observed for organic dyes degradation. As a typical organic dye, more than 99% of methylene blue (MB) was degraded within 0.23 s using dead-end filtration cell. The effects of flow rate, PMS concentration and buffer solution on MB degradation were further investigated. Besides MB, the catalytic membrane also showed excellent performance for the removal of other dyes, such as congo red, methyl orange, rhodamine B, acid chrome blue K and malachite green. Moreover, the mechanism study indicated that OH and SO 4 - generated from the interaction between PMS and Mn/Cu species with different oxidation states mainly accounted for the dyes degradation. The catalytic filtration process using α-MnO 2 @CuO catalytic membrane could provide a novel method for wastewater purification with high efficiency and low energy consumption. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Filtration Systems Design for Universal Oils in Agricultural Tractors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Majdan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Three filtration systems using the tractor hydraulic circuit were proposed and verified during the tractors operation. Using the tractor-implement hydraulic system and filter body with accessories the universally useful filtration systems were designed. The designed filtration systems are the second stage of universal oil filtration whereas the first stage is the standard tractor filter. The decrease in the content of iron reached the values 25.53 %, 32.95 % and 41.55 % and the average decrease in oil contamination characterized by average value of decrease in content of iron, copper and silicium reached values 24.3 %, 24.7 % and 35.53 % in dependence on the filtration system and an oil contamination level. The decrease in contamination level verified the ability of designed filtration systems for agricultural tractors.

Preparation and characterization of novel PVDF nanofiltration membranes with hydrophilic property for filtration of dye aqueous solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nikooe, Naeme, E-mail: naeme.nikooe@stu.um.ac.ir; Saljoughi, Ehsan, E-mail: saljoughi@um.ac.ir

2017-08-15

Highlights: • Preparation of novel PVDF nanofiltration membranes with noticeable hydrophilicity. • Simultaneous achievement of hydrophilicity and dye removal via addition of Brij-58. • In situ modification and stability of hydrophilic property via addition of Brij-58. - Abstract: In the present research, for the first time PVDF/Brij-58 blend nanofiltration membranes with remarkable performance in filtration of dye aqueous solution were prepared via immersion precipitation. A noticeable improvement in water permeation and fouling resistance of the PVDF membranes was achieved by using Brij-58 surfactant as a hydrophilic additive. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and water contact angle were applied for the investigation of membrane morphology, detection of the surface chemical composition and relative hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, respectively. The membrane performance was studied and compared by determination of pure water flux (PWF) and filtration of synthetic reactive dye aqueous solutions as well as bovine serum albumin (BSA) as foulant model. It was found out that addition of 4 wt.% Brij-58 to the casting solution results in formation of membrane with remarkable hydrophilicity and fouling resistance (contact angle of 46° and flux recovery ratio (FRR) = 90%), higher porosity and consequently noticeable PWF (31.2 L/m{sup 2} h) and recognized dye rejection value (90%) in comparison with the pristine PVDF nanofiltration membrane. Addition of Brij-58 surfactant to the casting solution resulted in formation of NF membrane with higher hydrophilicity and permeability as well as higher dye rejection value in comparison with the addition of PEG 400 additive.

High flux MWCNTs-interlinked GO hybrid membranes survived in cross-flow filtration for the treatment of strontium-containing wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Lin; Lu, Ying [Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Liu, Ying-Ling [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Li, Ming [Xi' an High-Tech Institute, Xi' an 710025 (China); Zhao, Hai-Yang [Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Hou, Li-An, E-mail: houla@cae.cn [Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Xi' an High-Tech Institute, Xi' an 710025 (China)

2016-12-15

Graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes provide an encouraging opportunity to support high separation efficiency for wastewater treatment. However, due to the relatively weak interaction between GO nanosheets, it is difficult for bare GO-based membranes to survive in cross-flow filtration. In addition, the permeation flux of the bare GO membrane is not high sufficiently due to its narrow interlayer spacing. In this study, GO membranes interlinked with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) via covalent bonds were fabricated on modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) supports by vacuum filtration. Due to the strong bonds between GO, MWCNTs and the PAN membrane, the membranes could be used for the treatment of simulated nuclear wastewater containing strontium via a cross-flow process. The result showed a high flux of 210.7 L/(m{sup 2} h) at 0.4 MPa, which was approximately 4 times higher than that of commercial nanofiltration membranes. The improved water permeation was attributed to the nanochannels created by the interlinked MWCNTs in the GO layers. In addition, the hybrid membrane exhibited a high rejection of 93.4% for EDTA-chelated Sr{sup 2+} in an alkaline solution, and could also be used to separate Na{sup +}/Sr{sup 2+} mixtures. These results indicate that the MWCNTs-interlinked GO membrane has promising prospects for application in radioactive waste treatment.

Evaluation of innovative operation concept for flat sheet MBR filtration system.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinrich, L; Grélot, A

2008-01-01

One of the most limiting factors for the extension and acceptance of MBR filtration systems for municipal and industrial wastewater is the impact of membrane fouling on maintenance, operation and cleaning efforts. One field of action in the European Research Project "AMEDEUS" is the development and testing of MBR module concepts with innovative fouling-prevention technology from three European module manufacturers. This article deals with the performances of the flat-sheet modules by A3 Water Solutions GmbH in double-deck configuration evaluated over 10 months in Anjou Recherche under typical biological operation conditions for MBR systems (MLSS = 10 g/l; SRT = 25 days). By using a double-deck configuration, it is possible to operate with a net flux of 25.5 l/m2.h at 20 degrees C, a membrane air flow rate of 0.21 Nm3/h.m2 of membrane to achieve a stable permeability of around 500-600 l/m2.h.bar. Additionally, it was observed that it is possible to recover the membrane performance after biofouling during operation without intensive cleaning and to maintain stable permeability during peak flows. The evaluated concepts for equipping and operating MBR systems will be applied to several full-scale plants constructed by A3 Water Solutions GmbH.

Integrated nitrogen removal biofilter system with ceramic membrane for advanced post-treatment of municipal wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Dong-Jin; Yun, Chan-Young; Kim, Woo-Yeol; Zhang, Xing-Ya; Kim, Dae-Gun; Chang, Duk; Sunwoo, Young; Hong, Ki-Ho

2016-12-01

The pre-denitrification biofilm process for nitrogen removal was combined with ceramic membrane with pore sizes of 0.05-0.1 µm as a system for advanced post-treatment of municipal wastewater. The system was operated under an empty bed hydraulic retention time of 7.8 h, recirculation ratio of 3, and transmembrane pressure of 0.47 bar. The system showed average removals of organics, total nitrogen, and solids as high as 93%, 80%, and 100%, respectively. Rapid nitrification could be achieved and denitrification was performed in the anoxic filter without external carbon supplements. The residual particulate organics and nitrogen in effluent from biofilm process could be also removed successfully through membrane filtration and the removal of total coliform was noticeably improved after membrane filtration. Thus, a system composed of the pre-denitrification biofilm process with ceramic membrane would be a compact and flexible option for advanced post-treatment of municipal wastewater.

Presence of Fe-Al binary oxide adsorbent cake layer in ceramic membrane filtration and their impact for removal of HA and BSA.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyung-Jo; Jang, Am

2018-04-01

To enhance the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) in ceramic (Ce) membrane filtration, an iron-aluminum binary oxide (FAO) was applied to the ceramic membrane surface as the adsorbent cake layer, and it was compared with heated aluminum oxide (HAO) for the evaluation of the control of NOM. Both the HAO and FAO adsorbent cake layers efficiently removed the NOM regardless of NOM's hydrophobic/hydrophilic characteristics, and the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal in NOM for FAO was 1-1.12 times greater than that for HAO, which means FAO was more efficient in the removal of DOC in NOM. FAO (0.03 μm), which is smaller in size than HAO (0.4 μm), had greater flux reduction than HAO. The flux reduction increased as the filtration proceeded because most of the organic foulants (colloid/particles and soluble NOM) were captured by the adsorbent cake layer, which caused fouling between the membrane surface and the adsorbent cake layer. However, no chemically irreversible fouling was observed on the Ce membrane at the end of the FAO adsorbent cake layer filtration. This means that a stable adsorbent cake layer by FAO formed on the Ce membrane, and that the reduced pure water flux of the Ce membrane, resulting from the NOM fouling, can easily be recovered through physicochemical cleaning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of dissolved air flotation and membrane filtration for drinking water treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Benschoten, J.; Martin, C.; Schaefer, J.; Xu, L.; Franceschini, S.

2002-01-01

Laboratory and pilot-scale testing was conducted to evaluate the use of dissolved air flotation (DAF) followed by membrane filtration (MF) for drinking water treatment. At the laboratory scale, four water samples of varying water quality were tested. Pilot- scale DAF and MF plants located at the City of Buffalo Water Treatment facility utilized Lake Erie as a raw water source to evaluate this combination of treatment processes. A polyaluminum coagulant was used throughout the study. Study results demonstrated beneficial effects of coagulant addition in extending MF run time. Pilot testing showed additional benefits to using DAF as a pretreatment step to MF. In all testing, MF produced excellent water quality. Particulate matter appeared more important than concentration or type of dissolved organic matter in membrane fouling. (author)

Effectiveness of Membrane Filtration to Improve Drinking Water: A Quasi-Experimental Study from Rural Southern India.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Mark Rohit; Sarkar, Rajiv; Roy, Sheela; Jaffar, Shabbar; Mohan, Venkata Raghava; Kang, Gagandeep; Balraj, Vinohar

2016-11-02

Since point-of-use methods of water filtration have shown limited acceptance in Vellore, southern India, this study evaluated the effectiveness of decentralized membrane filtration 1) with safe storage, 2) without safe storage, versus 3) no intervention, consisting of central chlorination as per government guidelines, in improving the microbiological quality of drinking water and preventing childhood diarrhea. Periodic testing of water sources, pre-/postfiltration samples, and household water, and a biweekly follow up of children less than 2 years of age was done for 1 year. The membrane filters achieved a log reduction of 0.86 (0.69-1.06), 1.14 (0.99-1.30), and 0.79 (0.67-0.94) for total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli, respectively, in field conditions. A 24% (incidence rate ratio, IRR [95% confidence interval, CI] = 0.76 [0.51-1.13]; P = 0.178) reduction in diarrheal incidence in the intervention village with safe storage and a 14% (IRR [95% CI] = 1.14 [0.75-1.77]; P = 0.530) increase in incidence for the intervention village without safe storage versus no intervention village was observed, although not statistically significant. Microbiologically, the membrane filters decreased fecal contamination; however, provision of decentralized membrane-filtered water with or without safe storage was not protective against childhood diarrhea. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Micron-pore-sized metallic filter tube membranes for filtration of particulates and water purification.

Science.gov (United States)

Phelps, T J; Palumbo, A V; Bischoff, B L; Miller, C J; Fagan, L A; McNeilly, M S; Judkins, R R

2008-07-01

Robust filtering techniques capable of efficiently removing particulates and biological agents from water or air suffer from plugging, poor rejuvenation, low permeance, and high backpressure. Operational characteristics of pressure-driven separations are in part controlled by the membrane pore size, charge of particulates, transmembrane pressure and the requirement for sufficient water flux to overcome fouling. With long term use filters decline in permeance due to filter-cake plugging of pores, fouling, or filter deterioration. Though metallic filter tube development at ORNL has focused almost exclusively on gas separations, a small study examined the applicability of these membranes for tangential filtering of aqueous suspensions of bacterial-sized particles. A mixture of fluorescent polystyrene microspheres ranging in size from 0.5 to 6 microm in diameter simulated microorganisms in filtration studies. Compared to a commercial filter, the ORNL 0.6 microm filter averaged approximately 10-fold greater filtration efficiency of the small particles, several-fold greater permeance after considerable use and it returned to approximately 85% of the initial flow upon backflushing versus 30% for the commercial filter. After filtering several liters of the particle-containing suspension, the ORNL composite filter still exhibited greater than 50% of its initial permeance while the commercial filter had decreased to less than 20%. When considering a greater filtration efficiency, greater permeance per unit mass, greater percentage of rejuvenation upon backflushing (up to 3-fold), and likely greater performance with extended use, the ORNL 0.6 microm filters can potentially outperform the commercial filter by factors of 100-1,000 fold.

Filtration behaviors of rod-shaped bacterial broths in unsteady-state phase of cross-flow filtration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, T.; Usui, K.; Koda, K.; Nakanishi, K. [Okayama University, Okayama (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1996-12-20

Filtration behaviors in the unsteady-state phase of crossflow filtration of broths of Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii, which are rod-shaped, were studied from the viewpoint of the changes in the specific resistance and in the structure of the microbial cake formed on the membrane surface. The permeation flux followed the cake filtration law at the initial stage of the crossflow filtration of the broths of B. subtilis and E. coli, where the cells deposited randomly on the membrane. In the case of the crossflow filtration of a L. delbrueckii broth, the period of random deposition was shorter. The specific resistance for the cake formed at the initial stage agreed with that measured in dead-end filtration. Then, the specific resistance started to increase in comparison with that measured in dead-end filtration due to shear-induced arrangement of the cells. The extent of the increase in specific resistance became higher and the time taken to start the cell arrangement became shorter with increasing circulation flow rate. The increase in specific resistance due to the shear-induced arrangement was more appreciable in the crossflow filtration of the broth of L. delbrueckii than that of B. subtilis and E. coli. The average permeation flux was increased considerably by applying periodical backwashing with appropriate time intervals. The permeation flux was well predicted by the cake filtration law, since the cells deposited in a way similar to that for dead-end filtration during a sufficiently short period of crossflow filtration in a backwashing mode. 21 refs., 11 figs.

Rotating Ceramic Water Filter Discs System for Water Filtration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riyadh Z. Al Zubaidy

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This work aimed to design, construct and operate a new laboratory scale water filtration system. This system was used to examine the efficiency of two ceramic filter discs as a medium for water filtration. These filters were made from two different ceramic mixtures of local red clay, sawdust, and water. The filtration system was designed with two rotating interfered modules of these filters. Rotating these modules generates shear force between water and the surfaces of filter discs of the filtration modules that works to reduce thickness of layer of rejected materials on the filters surfaces. Each module consists of seven filtration units and each unit consists of two ceramic filter discs. The average measured hydraulic conductivity of the first module was 13.7mm/day and that for the second module was 50mm/day. Results showed that the water filtration system can be operated continuously with a constant flow rate and the filtration process was controlled by a skin thin layer of rejected materials. The ceramic water filters of both filtration modules have high removal efficiency of total suspended solids up to 100% and of turbidity up to 99.94%.

Application of Combined Cake Filtration-Complete Blocking Model to Ultrafiltration of Skim Milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansoor Kazemimoghadam

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Membrane ultrafiltration (UF is widely used in dairy industries like milk concentration and dehydration processes. The limiting factor of UF systems is fouling which is defined as the precipitation of solutes in the form of a cake layer on the surface of the membrane. In this study, the combined cake filtration-complete blocking model was compared to cake filtration mechanism for flux data through ultrafiltration of skim milk at constant flow rate. The resistance data also was modeled using cake filtration model and standard blocking model. The effect of different trans-membrane pressures and temperatures on flux decline was then investigated. Based on the results obtained here, the combined complete blocking-cake formation model was in excellent agreement with experimental data. The cake filtration model also provided good data fits and can be applied to solutions whose solutes tend to accumulate on the surface of the membrane in the form of a cake layer. With increasing pressure, the differences between the model and experimental data increased.

Flow and fouling in membrane filters: Effects of membrane morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Sanaei, Pejman; Cummings, Linda J.

2015-11-01

Membrane filters are widely-used in microfiltration applications. Many types of filter membranes are produced commercially, for different filtration applications, but broadly speaking the requirements are to achieve fine control of separation, with low power consumption. The answer to this problem might seem obvious: select the membrane with the largest pore size and void fraction consistent with the separation requirements. However, membrane fouling (an inevitable consequence of successful filtration) is a complicated process, which depends on many parameters other than membrane pore size and void fraction; and which itself greatly affects the filtration process and membrane functionality. In this work we formulate mathematical models that can (i) account for the membrane internal morphology (internal structure, pore size & shape, etc.); (ii) fouling of membranes with specific morphology; and (iii) make some predictions as to what type of membrane morphology might offer optimum filtration performance.

Impact of granular filtration on ultrafiltration membrane performance as pre-treatment to seawater desalination in presence of algal blooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nour-Eddine Sabiri

2018-04-01

Full Text Available To mitigate fouling of the ultrafiltration (UF membrane and improve permeate quality, we coupled granular filters (GF with UF membrane as a pre-treatment for reconstituted seawater in the presence of algal bloom. Mono and bilayer granular filtrations were led at a mean velocity of 10 m h−1 over a 7-hour period. Both GF gave the same algal cell retention rate (∼63% after 7 hours of filtration. Turbidity reduction rate was 50% for the monolayer filter and 75% for the bilayer filter. Resulting organic matter removal rate was 10% for the monolayer filter and 35% for the bilayer filter. Dissolved organic carbon removal was low (20% with the bilayer filter and non-existent with the monolayer filter. GF-coupled UF reduced humic acids in the permeate (20% compared with UF alone. Peak pressure of 3 bars was reached at the end of 30 minutes of UF in both direct UF or UF after monolayer GF. The filtrate from the bilayer GF enables UF over a longer period (7 hours.

Nacre-Templated Synthesis of Highly Dispersible Carbon Nanomeshes for Layered Membranes with High-Flux Filtration and Sensing Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Meng; Li, Mingjie; Shang, Ruoxu; Wu, Jingyu; Yan, Peisong; Xu, Dongmei; Li, Chaoxu

2018-01-24

Marine shells not only represent a rapidly accumulating type of fishery wastes but also offer a unique sort of hybrid nanomaterials produced greenly and massively in nature. The elaborate "brick and mortar" structures of nacre enabled the synthesis of carbon nanomeshes with <1 nm thickness, hierarchical porosity, and high specific surface area through pyrolysis, in which two-dimensional (2D) organic layers served as the carbonaceous precursor and aragonite platelets as the hard template. Mineral bridges within 2D organic layers templated the formation of mesh pores of 20-70 nm. In contrast to other hydrophobic carbon nanomaterials, these carbon nanomeshes showed super dispersibility in diverse solvents and thus processability for membranes through filtration, patterning, spray-coating, and ink-writing. The carbon membranes with layered structures were capable of serving not only for high-flux filtration and continuous flow absorption but also for electrochemical and strain sensing with high sensitivity. Thus, utilization of marine shells, on one hand, relieves the environmental concern of shellfish waste, on the other hand, offers a facile, green, low-cost, and massive approach to synthesize unique carbon nanomeshes alternative to graphene nanomeshes and applicable in environmental adsorption, filtration, wearable sensors, and flexible microelectronics.

Measure of pore size in micro filtration polymeric membrane using ultrasonic technique and artificial neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucas, Carla de Souza

2009-01-01

This work presents a study of the pore size in micro filtration polymeric membranes, used in the nuclear area for the filtration of radioactive liquid effluent, in the residual water treatment of the petrochemical industry, in the electronic industry for the ultrapure water production for the manufacture of conductors and laundering of microcircuits and in many other processes of separation. Diverse processes for measures of pores sizes in membranes exist, amongst these, electronic microscopy, of bubble point and mercury intrusion porosimetry, however the majority of these uses destructive techniques, of high cost or great time of analysis. The proposal of this work is to measure so great of pore being used ultrasonic technique in the time domain of the frequency and artificial neural networks. A receiving/generator of ultrasonic pulses, a immersion transducer of 25 MHz was used, a tank of immersion and microporous membranes of pores sizes of 0,2 μm, 0,4 μm, 0,6 μm, 8 μm, 10 μm and 12 μm. The ultrasonic signals after to cover the membrane, come back to the transducer (emitting/receiving) bringing information of the interaction of the signal with the membranes. These signals had been used for the training of neural networks, and these had supplied the necessary precision the distinction of the same ones. Soon after, technique with the one of electronic microscopy of sweepings was made the comparison of this. The experiment showed very resulted next to the results gotten with the MEV, what it indicated that the studied technique is ideal for measure of pore size in membranes for being not destructive and of this form to be able to be used also on-line of production. (author)

Study of efficiency of particles removal by different filtration systems in a municipal wastewater tertiary treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreu, P. S.; Lardin Mifsut, C.; Farinas Iglesias, M.; Sanchez-Arevalo Serrano, J.; Perez Sanchez, P.; Rancano Perez, A.

2009-01-01

The disinfection of municipal wastewater using ultraviolet radiation depends greatly on the presence within the water of particles in suspension. This work determines how the level of elimination of particles varies depending on the technique of filtration used (open, closed sand filters, with continuous washing of the sand, cloth, disk and ring filters). all systems are very effective in the removal of particles more than 25 microns and for removing helminth eggs. The membrane bio-reactors with ultrafiltration membranes were superior in terms of particle removal when compared to conventional filters. (Author) 11 refs.

Life Support Filtration System Trade Study for Deep Space Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Agui, Juan H.; Perry, Jay L.

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) technical developments for highly reliable life support systems aim to maximize the viability of long duration deep space missions. Among the life support system functions, airborne particulate matter filtration is a significant driver of launch mass because of the large geometry required to provide adequate filtration performance and because of the number of replacement filters needed to a sustain a mission. A trade analysis incorporating various launch, operational and maintenance parameters was conducted to investigate the trade-offs between the various particulate matter filtration configurations. In addition to typical launch parameters such as mass, volume and power, the amount of crew time dedicated to system maintenance becomes an increasingly crucial factor for long duration missions. The trade analysis evaluated these parameters for conventional particulate matter filtration technologies and a new multi-stage particulate matter filtration system under development by NASAs Glenn Research Center. The multi-stage filtration system features modular components that allow for physical configuration flexibility. Specifically, the filtration system components can be configured in distributed, centralized, and hybrid physical layouts that can result in considerable mass savings compared to conventional particulate matter filtration technologies. The trade analysis results are presented and implications for future transit and surface missions are discussed.

Comparison of filtration and treatment performance between polymeric and ceramic membranes in anaerobic membrane bioreactor treatment of domestic wastewater

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Yeongmi

2018-02-28

The feasibility of an anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) was investigated by comparison with a conventional anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). With regard to treatment performance, the AnCMBR achieved higher organic removal rates than the AnMBR because the ceramic membranes retained a high concentration of biomass in the reactor. Despite a high mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentration, the AnCMBR exhibited lower membrane fouling. To elucidate effects of sludge properties on membrane fouling in the AnCMBR and AnMBR, soluble microbial products (SMPs) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) were analyzed. The SMP and EPS concentrations in the AnCMBR were higher than in the AnMBR. This may be because some suspended solids bio-degraded and likely released protein-like SMPs in the AnCMBR. Hydrophobicity and surface charges were analyzed; the sludge in the AnCMBR was found to be more hydrophobic and less negative than in the AnMBR because protein was abundant in the AnCMBR. Despite the adverse properties of the sludge in the AnCMBR, it showed more stable filtration performance than the AnMBR. This is because the alumina-based ceramic membrane had a superhydrophilic surface and could thus mitigate membrane fouling by hydrophilic-hydrophobic repulsion. The findings from this study have significant implications for extending the application of AnCMBRs to, for example, treatment of high-strength organic waste such as food waste or livestock manure.

Comparison of filtration and treatment performance between polymeric and ceramic membranes in anaerobic membrane bioreactor treatment of domestic wastewater

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Yeongmi; Kim, Youngjin; Jin, Yongxun; Hong, Seungkwan; Park, Chanhyuk

2018-01-01

The feasibility of an anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) was investigated by comparison with a conventional anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). With regard to treatment performance, the AnCMBR achieved higher organic removal rates than the AnMBR because the ceramic membranes retained a high concentration of biomass in the reactor. Despite a high mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentration, the AnCMBR exhibited lower membrane fouling. To elucidate effects of sludge properties on membrane fouling in the AnCMBR and AnMBR, soluble microbial products (SMPs) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) were analyzed. The SMP and EPS concentrations in the AnCMBR were higher than in the AnMBR. This may be because some suspended solids bio-degraded and likely released protein-like SMPs in the AnCMBR. Hydrophobicity and surface charges were analyzed; the sludge in the AnCMBR was found to be more hydrophobic and less negative than in the AnMBR because protein was abundant in the AnCMBR. Despite the adverse properties of the sludge in the AnCMBR, it showed more stable filtration performance than the AnMBR. This is because the alumina-based ceramic membrane had a superhydrophilic surface and could thus mitigate membrane fouling by hydrophilic-hydrophobic repulsion. The findings from this study have significant implications for extending the application of AnCMBRs to, for example, treatment of high-strength organic waste such as food waste or livestock manure.

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of membrane filtration process adapted for water treatment of aerated sewage lagoons.

Science.gov (United States)

Cano, Grégory; Mouahid, Adil; Carretier, Emilie; Guasp, Pascal; Dhaler, Didier; Castelas, Bernard; Moulin, Philippe

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to apply the membrane bioreactor technology in an oxidation ditch in submerged conditions. This new wastewater filtration process will benefit rural areas (membranes developed without support are immersed in an aeration well and work in suction mode. The development of the membrane without support and more precisely the performance of spacers are approached by computational fluid dynamics in order to provide the best compromise between pressure drop/flow velocity and permeate flux. The numerical results on the layout and the membrane modules' geometry in the aeration well indicate that the optimal configuration is to install the membranes horizontally on three levels. Membranes should be connected to each other to a manifold providing a total membrane area of 18 m². Loss rate compared to the theoretical throughput is relatively low (less than 3%). Preliminary data obtained by modeling the lagoon provide access to its hydrodynamics, revealing that recirculation zones can be optimized by making changes in the operating conditions. The experimental validation of these results and taking into account the aeration in the numerical models are underway.

A New Insight into Morphology of Solvent Resistant Nano filtration Membranes: Image Processing Assisted Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pouresmaeel-Selakjani, P.; Jahanshahi, M.; Peyravi, M.; Fauzi Ismail, A.; Nabipoor, M. R.

2016-01-01

The aim of this review is to investigate the morphological properties of polyimide based Solvent Resistant Nano filtration membranes by mean of image processing. Effect of phase inversion parameters like polymer concentration, volatile co-solvent, pre-evaporation time, additives in coagulation bath, polymers weight ratio in composite membranes, addition of nano particles and cross-linking agents have been reviewed. The voids of membrane were targeted to survey in the aspect of void area concentration in the scanning electron microscopy micrograph, mean of voids area, voids orientation and circle equivalent diameters of voids. This method by mean of the developed software could make the morphological studies of membranes easy. The population of different measured parameters of the voids could also measure. In conclusion for polyimide based membranes there are specific trends for change in voids properties by changing of phase inversion parameters. It was predictable, but investigated qualitatively up to now and this review can confirm the qualitative observations and also open new discussions about, for example void orientations that are not investigated in any study up to now

Development of a Model for a Continuous Ultra-Filtration System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jhamb, Spardha Virendra; Gani, Rafiqul; Rype, Jens-Ulrik

Due to the wide applicability and simplicity of the ultra-filtration process, it is currently being used in a variety of commercial processes for the purpose of separation and concentration of valuable products and/or recovery of raw materials from dilute systems [1]. A predictive model......) system consisting of different geometry (and ‘N’ membrane stacks) used for the concentration of enzyme solutions from a known inlet concentration to a desired (target) outlet concentration during the recovery and/or downstream processing of enzymes. The envisaged purpose of this model is to improve...... for a system derived from first principles, is instrumental in evading the costs of conducting time-consuming experiments while also allowing one to not be dependent on a trial and error analysis approach. The validated final model can serve to understand the operational issues of the process and from...

Dynamic filtration and static adsorption of lead ions in aqueous solution by use of blended polysulfone membranes with nano size MCM-41 particles coated by polyaniline.

Science.gov (United States)

Toosi, Mohammad Reza; Emami, Mohammad Reza Sarmasti; Hajian, Sudeh

2018-05-11

MCM-41 mesopore was prepared by hydrothermal method and used for synthesis of polyaniline/MCM-41 nanocomposite via in situ polymerization. The nanocomposite was blended with polysulfone to prepare mixed matrix membrane in different content of nanocomposite by phase inversion method. Structural and surface properties of the samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, AFM, TGA, BET, and zeta potential measurements. Effect of the nanocomposite content on the hydrophilicity, porosity, and permeability of the membrane was determined. Membrane performance was evaluated for removal of lead ions in dynamic filtration and static adsorption. The membranes were found as effective adsorptive filters for removal of lead ions via interactions between active sites of nanocomposite in membrane structure and lead ions during filtration. Results of batch experiments proved adsorptive mechanism of membranes for removal of lead ions with the maximum adsorption capacity of 19.6 mg/g.

Vibratory shear enhanced membrane process and its application in starch wastewater recycle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazi Sarwar Hasan

2002-11-01

Full Text Available Membrane application in wastewater is gaining significant popularity. Selecting the right membrane and filtration technique is an important consideration to ensure a successful system development and long term performance. A new type of membrane filtration technology known as ‘Vibratory Shear Enhanced Process’ (VSEP is introduced in this paper with some test results that has been conducted with VSEP pilot unit to recycle starch wastewater. Conventional cross flow membrane process used in wastewater application always led to rapid fouling. This loss in throughput capacity is primarily due to the formation of a layer that builds up naturally on the membranes surface during the filtration process. In addition to cutting down on the flux performance of the membrane, this boundary or gel layer acts as a secondary membrane reducing the native design selectivity of the membrane in use. This inability to handle the buildup of solids has also limited the use of membranes to low-solids feed streams. In a VSEP system, an additional shear wave produced by the membrane’s vibration cause solids and foulants to be lifted off the membrane surface and remixed with the bulk material flowing through the membrane stack. This high shear processing exposes the membrane pores for maximum throughput that is typically between 3 to10 times the throughput of conventional cross-flow systems. The short term results with raw starch wastewater shows very stable flux rate of 110 lmh using the VSEP system and selecting the PVDF ultrafiltration membrane with no pre-filtration.

Influence of nitrogen ion implantation on filtration of fluoride and cadmium using polysulfone/chitosan blend membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wanichapichart, P., E-mail: pikul.v@psu.ac.th [Membrane Science and Technology Research Center, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Commission on Higher Education, 328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand); Bootluck, W. [Membrane Science and Technology Research Center, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110 (Thailand); Thopan, P. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Yu, L.D. [Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Commission on Higher Education, 328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand); Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand)

2014-05-01

Composite membranes between polysulfone and biopolymer chitosan were produced with variations of the chitosan content and temperature during the phase inversion process. The lower chitosan content led to lower water permeability and smaller membrane cut off. When the temperature of the phase inversion process was reduced from 25 °C to 5 °C, membrane pores were further decreased from somewhat greater than 10 kDa to a value smaller than 2 kDa. After being implanted with N-ions of 50 keV to a fluence of 1 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}, the composite membranes showed an improvement in the rejection by about 15% for fluoride and 10% for cadmium. In addition, a slight increase in permeation flux was observed in the ion implanted membranes. Filtration tests using the N-ion implanted membranes showed that fluoride was rejected from 100 ppm NaF solution by 47% and the rejection was increased to 60% when 2.20 ppm underground water was filtered. In the case of cadmium, the rejection was increased from 80% to 90% as an effect of the N-ion implantation.

Large-scale night soil treatment by membrane filtration. Shipped to Shida administrative associate; Daikibo makubunri shinyoshori shisetsu. Shida koiki jimu kumiai nonyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seki, H [Ebara Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1995-10-20

Ebara`a UF (Ultra Filtration) Deni-pack Process, featuring night soil treatment by membrane filtration and high load denitrification, was installed at Fujieda Environment Management Center, Shizuoka Prefecture. This UF process is the largest of its kind in Japan-treatment capacity: 58 kl/d of night soil and 102 kl/d of septic tank sludge, total of 160 kl/d. The disposability standards are below 10 mg/l of COD, below 10 mg/l of total nitrogen, and below 20 degrees of Color Unit. Nitrification and denitrification are done in a 10-meter deep vertical reactor. As for membranes for the liquid-solid separation, polyolefine, tubular type array-flow UF membranes, fractional molecular weight of 10,000, are used. Three belt press dehydrators and a fluidized-bed incinerator are used for sludge treatment. Installation of this process was completed in December 1995, and stable operation is being continued after a successful commissioning test. 8 figs., 3 tabs.

ALTERNATE HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICULATE AIR (HEPA) FILTRATION SYSTEM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruce Bishop; Robert Goldsmith; Karsten Nielsen; Phillip Paquette

2002-08-16

In Phase IIA of this project, CeraMem has further developed and scaled up ceramic HEPA filters that are appropriate for use on filtration of vent gas from HLW tanks at DOE sites around the country. This work included procuring recrystallized SiC monoliths, developing membrane and cement materials, and defining a manufacturing process for the production of prototype full sizes HEPA filters. CeraMem has demonstrated that prototype full size filters can be manufactured by producing 9 full size filters that passed DOP aerosol testing at the Oak Ridge Filter Test Facility. One of these filters was supplied to the Savannah River Technical Center (SRTC) for process tests using simulated HLW tank waste. SRTC has reported that the filter was regenerable (with some increase in pressure drop) and that the filter retained its HEPA retention capability. CeraMem has also developed a Regenerable HEPA Filter System (RHFS) design and acceptance test plan that was reviewed by DOE personnel. The design and acceptance test plan form the basis of the system proposal for follow-on work in Phase IIB of this project.

ALTERNATE HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICULATE AIR (HEPA) FILTRATION SYSTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruce Bishop; Robert Goldsmith; Karsten Nielsen; Phillip Paquette

2002-01-01

In Phase IIA of this project, CeraMem has further developed and scaled up ceramic HEPA filters that are appropriate for use on filtration of vent gas from HLW tanks at DOE sites around the country. This work included procuring recrystallized SiC monoliths, developing membrane and cement materials, and defining a manufacturing process for the production of prototype full sizes HEPA filters. CeraMem has demonstrated that prototype full size filters can be manufactured by producing 9 full size filters that passed DOP aerosol testing at the Oak Ridge Filter Test Facility. One of these filters was supplied to the Savannah River Technical Center (SRTC) for process tests using simulated HLW tank waste. SRTC has reported that the filter was regenerable (with some increase in pressure drop) and that the filter retained its HEPA retention capability. CeraMem has also developed a Regenerable HEPA Filter System (RHFS) design and acceptance test plan that was reviewed by DOE personnel. The design and acceptance test plan form the basis of the system proposal for follow-on work in Phase IIB of this project

Filter aids influence on pressure drop across a filtration system

Science.gov (United States)

Hajar, S.; Rashid, M.; Nurnadia, A.; Ammar, M. R.; Hasfalina, C. M.

2017-06-01

Filter aids is commonly used to reduce pressure drop across air filtration system as it helps to increase the efficiency of filtration of accumulated filter cake. Filtration velocity is one of the main parameters that affect the performance of filter aids material. In this study, a formulated filter aids consisting of PreKot™ and activated carbon mixture (designated as PrekotAC) was tested on PTFE filter media under various filtration velocities of 5, 6, and 8 m/min at a constant material loading of 0.2 mg/mm2. Results showed that pressure drop is highly influenced by filtration velocity where higher filtration velocity leads to a higher pressure drop across the filter cake. It was found that PrekotAC performed better in terms of reducing the pressure drop across the filter cake even at the highest filtration velocity. The diversity in different particle size distribution of non-uniform particle size in the formulated PrekotAC mixture presents a higher permeability causes a lower pressure drop across the accumulated filter cake. The finding suggests that PrekotAC is a promising filter aids material that helps reducing the pressure drop across fabric filtration system.

Novel Particulate Air-Filtration Media: Market Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

larger and more efficient filter designs similar to those being considered for future integrated respirator/helmet systems. To avoid eliminating ...including nonwoven, woven, and electret and combinations of media. Some of the manufacturers identified themselves as specializing in biofiltration or...Three Millipore products were identified. The 0.2 µm hydrophobic Aervent PTFE membrane62 is used for the sterile filtration of gases . Aerex

Bench scale model studies on sanitary landfill leachate treatment with M. oleifera seed extract and hollow fibre micro-filtration membrane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Muyibi

2002-10-01

Full Text Available A laboratory-based study using a Bench Scale model of four unit operations made up of coagulation (using Moringa oleifera seed extract as a coagulant, flocculation, sedimentation and micro-filtration, have been adopted to treat the leachate from Air Hitman Sanitary Landfill at Puchong in Malaysia. M. oleifera dosages of 150 and 175 mg/L had achieved 43.8% Cadmium removal, 21.2% Total Chromium removal, 66.8% Lead removal and 16% Iron removal. It also removed 55.4% of Total Suspended Solids, 10% of Total Dissolved Solids and 24.2% of Volatile Suspended Solids. Micro-filtration hollow fibre membrane decreased the turbidity, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, volatile suspended solids, and organic matter in the leachate by 98.3%, 96.7%, 20.8%, 36.6% and 21.9% respectively. Overall heavy metals removal after micro-filtration using hollow fibre membrane was 94% for Cadmium, 29.8% for Total Chromium, 73.2% for Lead, and 18.3% for Iron. The results have shown that M. oleifera is a promising natural polymer for removing heavy metals from leachates and may be used as a pre-treatment to eliminate a portion of the toxic heavy metals, which limits the activity of micro organisms in the leachates.

Dynamic optimization of a dead-end filtration trajectory: Blocking filtration laws

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blankert, B.; Betlem, Bernardus H.L.; Roffel, B.

2006-01-01

An operating model for dead-end membrane filtration is proposed based on the well-known blocking laws. The resulting model contains three parameters representing, the operating strategy, the fouling mechanism and the fouling potential of the feed. The optimal control strategy is determined by

Additive Difference Schemes for Filtration Problems in Multilayer Systems

CERN Document Server

Ayrjan, E A; Pavlush, M; Fedorov, A V

2000-01-01

In the present paper difference schemes for solution of the plane filtration problem in multilayer systems are analyzed within the framework of difference schemes general theory. Attention is paid to splitting the schemes on physical processes of filtration along water-carring layers and vertical motion between layers. Some absolutely stable additive difference schemes are obtained the realization of which needs no software modification. Parallel algorithm connected with the solving of the filtration problem in every water-carring layer on a single processor is constructed. Program realization on the multi-processor system SPP2000 at JINR is discussed.

Sensitive enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species in various naturally contaminated matrices using a membrane filtration method.

Science.gov (United States)

Barre, Léna; Brasseur, Emilie; Doux, Camille; Lombard, Bertrand; Besse, Nathalie Gnanou

2015-06-01

For the enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) in food, a sensitive enumeration method has been recently developed. This method is based on a membrane filtration of the food suspension followed by transfer of the filter on a selective medium to enumerate L. monocytogenes. An evaluation of this method was performed with several categories of foods naturally contaminated with L. monocytogenes. The results obtained with this technique were compared with those obtained from the modified reference EN ISO 11290-2 method for the enumeration of L. monocytogenes in food, and are found to provide more precise results. In most cases, the filtration method enabled to examine a greater quantity of food thus greatly improving the sensitivity of the enumeration. However, it was hardly applicable to some food categories because of filtration problems and background microbiota interference. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Natural Organic Matter Removal and Fouling in a Low Pressure Hybrid Membrane Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vedat Uyak

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate powdered activated carbon (PAC contribution to natural organic matter (NOM removal by a submerged MF and UF hybrid systems. It was found that filtration of surface waters by a bare MF and UF membranes removed negligible TOC; by contrast, significant amounts of TOC were removed when daily added PAC particles were predeposited on the membrane surfaces. These results support the assumption that the membranes surface properties and PAC layer structure might have considerably influential factor on NOM removal. Moreover, it was concluded that the dominant removal mechanism of hybrid membrane system is adsorption of NOM within PAC layer rather than size exclusion of NOM by both of membrane pores. Transmembrane pressure (TMP increases with PAC membrane systems support the view that PAC adsorption pretreatment will not prevent the development of membrane pressure; on the contrary, PAC particles themselves caused membrane fouling by blocking the entrance of pores of MF and UF membranes. Although all three source waters have similar HPI content, it appears that the PAC interaction with the entrance of membrane pores was responsible for offsetting the NOM fractional effects on membrane fouling for these source waters.

Filtration effectiveness of HVAC systems at near-roadway schools.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, M C; Ludwig, J F; Brown, S G; Vaughn, D L; Roberts, P T

2013-06-01

Concern for the exposure of children attending schools located near busy roadways to toxic, traffic-related air pollutants has raised questions regarding the environmental benefits of advanced heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) filtration systems for near-road pollution. Levels of black carbon and gaseous pollutants were measured at three indoor classroom sites and at seven outdoor monitoring sites at Las Vegas schools. Initial HVAC filtration systems effected a 31-66% reduction in black carbon particle concentrations inside three schools compared with ambient air concentrations. After improved filtration systems were installed, black carbon particle concentrations were reduced by 74-97% inside three classrooms relative to ambient air concentrations. Average black carbon particle concentrations inside the schools with improved filtration systems were lower than typical ambient Las Vegas concentrations by 49-96%. Gaseous pollutants were higher indoors than outdoors. The higher indoor concentrations most likely originated at least partially from indoor sources, which were not targeted as part of this intervention. Recent literature has demonstrated adverse health effects in subjects exposed to ambient air near major roadways. Current smart growth planning and infill development often require that buildings such as schools are built near major roadways. Improving the filtration systems of a school's HVAC system was shown to decrease children's exposure to near-roadway diesel particulate matter. However, reducing exposure to the gas-phase air toxics, which primarily originated from indoor sources, may require multiple filter passes on recirculated air. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Erosion critical stress of a matter surface deposit on a micro filtration membrane; Contrainte critique d`erosion d`un depot superficiel de matiere sur membrane de microfiltration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aubert, M C

1995-05-11

During the tangential micro filtration and ultrafiltration processes a membranes fouling in surface and inside the pores often appears. This fouling has the effect of a permeation flow decrease in terms of the filtration time. In order to keep this flow constant (to improve the rentability) the transfer pressure gradient is frequently increased and leads to solid matter surface deposit on the porous wall. The fouling can then be irreversible and requires the stopping of the facilities. The fouling and more particularly the fouling by solid deposit seems to be an abatement to the micro filtration technology development. It is then necessary to search the carrying away conditions of these solid deposits and thus to control the fouling process. An ultrafiltration or micro filtration appliance has been realized and allows to calculate experimentally the erosion critical stress on a porous wall : this is the minimum stress to apply in order to lead in the principal flow a solid particles deposit and the parietal stress to be imposed to lead by an erosion process a solid particles deposit. (O.L.). 122 refs., 73 figs., 25 tabs.

Novel carbon fiber cathode membrane with Fe/Mn/C/F/O elements in bio-electrochemical system (BES) to enhance wastewater treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Changfei; Liu, Lifen; Yang, Fenglin

2018-03-01

A novel conductive membrane with Fe/Mn/C/F/O elements is developed, it functions as the catalytic cathode of MFC and the antifouling filter of MBR simultaneously, in a newly designed integrated wastewater treatment system, without proton exchange membrane (PEM). The optimal conductive membrane is characterized using SEM-EDX, XRD and XPS. BET and porous structure analysis of the grounded membrane material indicate a narrow and small pore size (2-7 nm). The membrane surface is rich in Fe species (Fe - Fe2O3- Fe3O4) and manganese oxide (MnO2). Its characteristics such as excellent electro-chemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity, high clear water flux (>240 L/(m2·h)) and better antifouling filtration performance are further confirmed. The new system features bio-electrochemical system (BES) and integrates bio-filtration (trickling filter and air contact oxidation bed) and proton transfer through quartz sand chamber (QSC) which eliminates the use of expensive proton exchange membrane. The system removes chemical oxygen demand (>97.4%), ammonia nitrogen (>96.7%), total phosphorus (>98.0%) effectively, and it simultaneously generates electricity (446 mW/m3). The low cost and high performances, economic and advantageous system has good compatibility with existing wastewater treatment facilities and a wide application prospect.

Global sensitivity analysis of a filtration model for submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR).

Science.gov (United States)

Robles, A; Ruano, M V; Ribes, J; Seco, A; Ferrer, J

2014-04-01

The results of a global sensitivity analysis of a filtration model for submerged anaerobic MBRs (AnMBRs) are assessed in this paper. This study aimed to (1) identify the less- (or non-) influential factors of the model in order to facilitate model calibration and (2) validate the modelling approach (i.e. to determine the need for each of the proposed factors to be included in the model). The sensitivity analysis was conducted using a revised version of the Morris screening method. The dynamic simulations were conducted using long-term data obtained from an AnMBR plant fitted with industrial-scale hollow-fibre membranes. Of the 14 factors in the model, six were identified as influential, i.e. those calibrated using off-line protocols. A dynamic calibration (based on optimisation algorithms) of these influential factors was conducted. The resulting estimated model factors accurately predicted membrane performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Membrane separation systems---A research and development needs assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, R.W. (Membrane Technology and Research, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (USA)); Cussler, E.L. (Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis, MN (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science); Eykamp, W. (California Univ., Berkeley, CA (USA)); Koros, W.J. (Texas Univ., Austin, TX (USA)); Riley, R.L. (Separation Systems Technology, San Diego, CA (USA)); Strathmann, H. (Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Grenzflaech

1990-03-01

Membrane based separation technology, a relative newcomer on the separations scene, has demonstrated the potential of saving enormous amounts of energy in the processing industries if substituted for conventional separation systems. Over 1 quad annually, out of 2.6, can possibly be saved in liquid-to-gas separations, alone, if membrane separation systems gain wider acceptance, according to a recent DOE/OIP (DOE/NBM-80027730 (1986)) study. In recent years great strides have been made in the field and offer even greater energy savings in the future when substituted for other conventional separation techniques such as distillation, evaporation, filtration, sedimentation, and absorption. An assessment was conducted by a group of six internationally known membrane separations experts who examined the worldwide status of research in the seven major membrane areas. This encompassed four mature technology areas: reverse osmosis, micorfiltration, ultrafiltration, and electrodialysis; two developing areas: gas separation and and pervaporation; and one emerging technology: facilitated transport. Particular attention was paid to identifying the innovative processes currently emerging, and even further improvements which could gain wider acceptance for the more mature membrane technology. The topics that were pointed out as having the greatest research emphasis are pervaporation for organic-organic separations; gas separation; micorfiltration; an oxidant-resistant reverse osmosis membrane; and a fouling-resistant ultrafiltration membrane. 35 refs., 6 figs., 22 tabs.

40 CFR 141.173 - Filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Enhanced Filtration and Disinfection-Systems Serving 10,000 or More People § 141.173 Filtration. A public water system subject to the requirements of this subpart that does... treatment, direct filtration, slow sand filtration, or diatomaceous earth filtration. A public water system...

Filtration system for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otani, Takashi; Nakamizo, Hiroshi.

1991-01-01

The filtration system of the present invention comprises a filtering device incorporating ceramic filament element bundles, a pool return line for returning filtrates to a side banker pool or fuel storage pool, a waste sludge discharge line for discharging waste sludges captured in the filter elements by way of washing operation and a settling separation vessel. Ceramics of excellent radiation resistance and having an extremely thin multi-layered structure at the surface are used for the filter elements. Highly radioactive cruds captured at the surface of the elements by liquid passage are removed by supplying water or gas in a pulsative manner in the direction opposite to the liquid passage thereby cleaning the surface of the elements at a high speed. The thus removed high radioactive cruds are concentrically confined within the settling separation layer by gravitational settling separation. Thus, there is no more necessary for disposing the filtration element bundles after use, so that the amount of wastes can be reduced, the radiation dosage can be lowered and the facility can be simplified. (N.H.)

Field-scale electrolysis/ceramic membrane system for the treatment of sewage from decentralized small communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Dong-Jin; Kim, Woo-Yeol; Yun, Chan-Young; Kim, Dae-Gun; Chang, Duk; Sunwoo, Young; Hong, Ki-Ho

2017-07-05

The electrolysis process adopting copper electrodes and ceramic membrane with pore sizes of 0.1-0.2 μm were consisted to a system for the treatment of sewage from decentralized small communities. The system was operated under an HRT of 0.1 hour, voltage of 24 V, and TMP of 0.05 MPa. The system showed average removals of organics, nitrogen, phosphorus, and solids of up to 80%, 52%, 92%, and 100%, respectively. Removal of organics and nitrogen dramatically increased in proportion to increment of influent loading. Phosphorus and solids were remarkably eliminated by both electro-coagulation and membrane filtration. The residual particulate constituents could also be removed successfully through membrane process. A system composed of electrolysis process with ceramic membrane would be a compact, reliable, and flexible option for the treatment of sewage from decentralized small communities.

Impact of ozonation and biological activated carbon filtration on ceramic membrane fouling.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibn Abdul Hamid, Khaled; Sanciolo, Peter; Gray, Stephen; Duke, Mikel; Muthukumaran, Shobha

2017-12-01

Ozone pre-treatment (ozonation, ozonisation) and biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration pre-treatment for the ceramic microfiltration (CMF) treatment of secondary effluent (SE) were studied. Ozone pre-treatment was found to result in higher overall removal of UV absorbance (UVA 254 ) and colour, and higher permeability than BAC pre-treatment or the combined use of ozone and BAC (O3+BAC) pre-treatment. The overall removal of colour and UVA 254 by ceramic filtration of the ozone pre-treated water was 97% and 63% respectively, compared to 86% and 48% respectively for BAC pre-treatment and 29% and 6% respectively for the untreated water. Ozone pre-treatment, however, was not effective in removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The permeability of the ozone pre-treated water through the ceramic membrane was found to decrease to 50% of the original value after 200 min of operation, compared to approximately 10% of the original value for the BAC pre-treated, O3+BAC pre-treated water and the untreated water. The higher permeability of the ozone pre-treated water was attributed to the excellent removal of biopolymer particles (100%) and high removal of humic substances (84%). The inclusion of a BAC stage between ozone pre-treatment and ceramic filtration was detrimental. The O3+BAC+CMF process was found to yield higher biopolymer removal (96%), lower humic substance (HS) component removal (66%) and lower normalized permeability (0.1) after 200 min of operation than the O3+CMF process (86%, 84% and 0.5 respectively). This was tentatively attributed to the chemical oxidation effect of ozone on the BAC biofilm and adsorbed components, leading to the generation of foulants that are not generated in the O3+CMF process. This study demonstrated the potential of ozone pre-treatment for reducing organic fouling and thus improving flux for the CMF of SE compared to O3+BAC pre-treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Particulate Matter Filtration Design Considerations for Crewed Spacecraft Life Support Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Agui, Juan H.; Vijayakumar, R.; Perry, Jay L.

2016-01-01

Particulate matter filtration is a key component of crewed spacecraft cabin ventilation and life support system (LSS) architectures. The basic particulate matter filtration functional requirements as they relate to an exploration vehicle LSS architecture are presented. Particulate matter filtration concepts are reviewed and design considerations are discussed. A concept for a particulate matter filtration architecture suitable for exploration missions is presented. The conceptual architecture considers the results from developmental work and incorporates best practice design considerations.

The effect of pretreatment on the performance of membrane separation processes in the circulation water systems of paper production; Esikaesittelyiden vaikutus kalvoerotusprosessien toimintaan paperinvalmistuksen vesikierroissa - EKT 01

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuortila-Jokinen, J.; Nystroem, M. [Lappeenranta Univ. of Technology (Finland). Dept. of Chemical Technology

1998-12-31

The aim of this project is to establish an optimized membrane filtration process for internal water treatment in the pulp and paper industry. In membrane filtration fouling reduces the capacity of a plant, and frequent or ineffective membrane washing reduces the membrane lifetime. These factors affect directly the feasibility of the process. Moreover, the retentates have to be economically destroyed. In this project effective pretreatment systems for membrane filtration processes will be developed. The pretreatments studied will be chemical, biological (thermophilic aerobic or anaerobic processes), oxidative (ozonation or other AOP methods) or enzymatic methods or their combinations. The target is to increase capacity and/or reduce fouling in the membrane process. In addition, the effect of the different pretreatment methods on the washability of the membranes will be studied and an optimized washing routine will be developed. The composition of the forming retentates are also affected by the pretreatment used and additionally the same methods can be used for developing a sensible and economically feasible retentate posttreatment method, which will also be developed in the project. (orig.)

The effect of pretreatment on the performance of membrane separation processes in the circulation water systems of paper production; Esikaesittelyiden vaikutus kalvoerotusprosessien toimintaan paperinvalmistuksen vesikierroissa - EKT 01

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuortila-Jokinen, J; Nystroem, M [Lappeenranta Univ. of Technology (Finland). Dept. of Chemical Technology

1999-12-31

The aim of this project is to establish an optimized membrane filtration process for internal water treatment in the pulp and paper industry. In membrane filtration fouling reduces the capacity of a plant, and frequent or ineffective membrane washing reduces the membrane lifetime. These factors affect directly the feasibility of the process. Moreover, the retentates have to be economically destroyed. In this project effective pretreatment systems for membrane filtration processes will be developed. The pretreatments studied will be chemical, biological (thermophilic aerobic or anaerobic processes), oxidative (ozonation or other AOP methods) or enzymatic methods or their combinations. The target is to increase capacity and/or reduce fouling in the membrane process. In addition, the effect of the different pretreatment methods on the washability of the membranes will be studied and an optimized washing routine will be developed. The composition of the forming retentates are also affected by the pretreatment used and additionally the same methods can be used for developing a sensible and economically feasible retentate posttreatment method, which will also be developed in the project. (orig.)

Filtration of engineered nanoparticles using porous membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Trzaskus, Krzystof

2016-01-01

The research presented in this thesis aims at providing a better understanding of the fundamental aspects responsible for nanoparticle removal and fouling development during filtration of engineered nanoparticles. The emphasis is put on the role of interparticle interactions in the feed solution,

The effect of protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions on membrane fouling in ultrafiltration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huisman, I.H.; Prádanos, P.; Hernández, A.

2000-01-01

It was studied how protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions influence the filtration performance during the ultrafiltration of protein solutions over polymeric membranes. This was done by measuring flux, streaming potential, and protein transmission during filtration of bovine serum albumin

Particle filtration in consolidated granular systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, L.M.; Wilkinson, D.J.; Bolsterli, M.; Hammond, P.

1993-01-01

Grain-packing algorithms are used to model the mechanical trapping of dilute suspensions of particles by consolidated granular media. We study the distribution of filtrate particles, the formation of a damage zone (internal filter cake), and the transport properties of the host--filter-cake composite. At the early stages of filtration, our simulations suggest simple relationships between the structure of the internal filter cake and the characteristics of the underlying host matrix. These relationships are then used to describe the dynamics of the filtration process. Depending on the grain size and porosity of the host matrix, calculated filtration rates may either be greater than (spurt loss) or less than (due to internal clogging) those predicted by standard surface-filtration models

In-Water Hull Cleaning & Filtration System

Science.gov (United States)

George, Dan

2015-04-01

Dan George R & D Mining Technology LinkedIn GRD Franmarine have received the following prestigious awards in 2014 for their research & development of an in-water hull cleaning and filtration system "The Envirocart: Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence; WA Innovator of the Year - Growth Sector; Department of Fisheries - Excellence in Marine Biosecurity Award - Innovation Category; Lloyd's List Asia Awards - Environmental Award; The Australian Innovation Challenge - Environment, Agriculture and Food Category; and Australian Shipping and Maritime Industry Award - Environmental Transport Award. The Envirocart developed and patented by GRD Franmarine is a revolutionary new fully enclosed capture and containment in-water hull cleaning technology. The Envirocart enables soft Silicon based antifouling paints and coatings containing pesticides such as Copper Oxide to be cleaned in situ using a contactless cleaning method. This fully containerised system is now capable of being deployed to remote locations or directly onto a Dive Support Vessel and is rated to offshore specifications. This is the only known method of in-water hull cleaning that complies with the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and Department of Fisheries WA (DoF) Guidelines. The primary underwater cleaning tool is a hydraulically powered hull cleaning unit fitted with rotating discs. The discs can be fitted with conventional brushes for glass or epoxy based coatings or a revolutionary new patented blade system which can remove marine biofouling without damaging the antifouling paint (silicone and copper oxide). Additionally there are a patented range of fully enclosed hand cleaning tools for difficult to access niche areas such as anodes and sea chests, providing an innovative total solution that enables in-water cleaning to be conducted in a manner that causes no biological risk to the environment. In full containment mode or when AIS are present, material is pumped

Purification of contaminated water by filtration through porous glass

Science.gov (United States)

Wydeven, T.; Leban, M. I.

1972-01-01

Method for purifying water that is contaminated with mineral salts and soluble organic compounds is described. Method consists of high pressure filtration of contaminated water through stabilized porous glass membranes. Procedure for conducting filtration is described. Types of materials by percentage amounts removed from the water are identified.

Cake layers and long filtration times protect ceramic micro-filtration membranes for fouling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lu, J.

2013-01-01

The objective of this research was to decrease membrane fouling of a ceramic microfiltration system and at the same time increase the recovery. A conventional operation in micro- and ultrafiltration is an in-line coagulation and a frequent hydraulic backwash. The idea about these frequent backwashes

Centrifugal Filtration System for Severe Accident Source Term Treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Shu Chang; Yim, Man Sung [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The objective of this paper is to present the conceptual design of a filtration system that can be used to process airborne severe accident source term. Reactor containment may lose its structural integrity due to over-pressurization during a severe accident. This can lead to uncontrolled radioactive releases to the environment. For preventing the dispersion of these uncontrolled radioactive releases to the environment, several ways to capture or mitigate these radioactive source term releases are under investigation at KAIST. Such technologies are based on concepts like a vortex-like air curtain, a chemical spray, and a suction arm. Treatment of the radioactive material captured by these systems would be required, before releasing to environment. For current filtration systems in the nuclear industry, IAEA lists sand, multi-venturi scrubber, high efficiency particulate arresting (HEPA), charcoal and combinations of the above in NS-G-1-10, 4.143. Most if not all of the requirements of the scenario for applying this technology near the containment of an NPP site and the environmental constraints were analyzed for use in the design of the centrifuge filtration system.

Filtration Characterization Method as Tool to Assess Membrane Bioreactor Sludge Filterability—The Delft Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Lousada-Ferreira

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Prevention and removal of fouling is often the most energy intensive process in Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs, responsible for 40% to 50% of the total specific energy consumed in submerged MBRs. In the past decade, methods were developed to quantify and qualify fouling, aiming to support optimization in MBR operation. Therefore, there is a need for an evaluation of the lessons learned and how to proceed. In this article, five different methods for measuring MBR activated sludge filterability and critical flux are described, commented and evaluated. Both parameters characterize the fouling potential in full-scale MBRs. The article focuses on the Delft Filtration Characterization method (DFCm as a convenient tool to characterize sludge properties, namely on data processing, accuracy, reproducibility, reliability, and applicability, defining the boundaries of the DFCm. Significant progress was made concerning fouling measurements in particular by using straight forward approaches focusing on the applicability of the obtained results. Nevertheless, a fouling measurement method is still to be defined which is capable of being unequivocal, concerning the fouling parameters definitions; practical and simple, in terms of set-up and operation; broad and useful, in terms of obtained results. A step forward would be the standardization of the aforementioned method to assess the sludge filtration quality.

Process to remove turbidity-causing components from a fluid by micro-filtration - passes the fluid across an asymmetric membrane with inlet pores larger than those of nominal size, and cleans the membrane by backwashing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

1995-01-01

turbidity-causing components from beer, wine, fruit juice, milk and blood, and from bacterial and enzyme suspensions. ADVANTAGE-The process greatly reduces the lost production time associated with earlier filtration methods, and beneficial components can pass through the membrane, thereby improving...

Performance of Hybrid Photocatalytic-Ceramic Membrane System for the Treatment of Secondary Effluent.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lili; Zhu, Bo; Gray, Stephen; Duke, Mikel; Muthukumaran, Shobha

2017-03-28

Evaluation of an advanced wastewater treatment system that combines photocatalysis with ceramic membrane filtration for the treatment of secondary effluent was undertaken. The results showed that, after photocatalysis and ceramic membrane filtration, the removal of dissolved organic carbon and UV 254 was 60% and 54%, respectively, at a concentration of 4 g/L of TiO₂. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in the secondary effluent was characterised with a liquid chromatography-organic carbon detector (LC-OCD) technique. The results showed low removal of humics, building blocks, the other oxidation by-products and no removal of biopolymers after TiO₂/UV photocatalytic treatment. This suggested that the radical non-selective oxidation mechanisms of TiO₂/UV process resulted in secondary effluent in which all of the DOM fractions were present. However, the hybrid system was effective for removing biopolymers with the exception of low molecular weight (LMW) compounds acids, which accumulated from the beginning of the reaction. In addition, monitoring of the DOM fractions with LC-OCD analysis demonstrated that the reduction of the effluent aromaticity was not firmly correlated with the removal of humic substances for the combined processes.

A membrane stirrer for product recovery and substrate feeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Femmer, T; Carstensen, F; Wessling, M

2015-02-01

During fermentation processes, in situ product recovery (ISPR) using submerged membranes allows a continuous operation mode with effective product removal. Continuous recovery reduces product inhibition and organisms in the reactor are not exposed to changing reaction conditions. For an effective in situ product removal, submerged membrane systems should have a sufficient large membrane area and an anti-fouling concept integrated in a compact device for the limited space in a lab-scale bioreactor. We present a new membrane stirrer with integrated filtration membranes on the impeller blades as well as an integrated gassing concept in an all-in-one device. The stirrer is fabricated by rapid prototyping and is equipped with a commercial micromesh membrane. Filtration performance is tested using a yeast cell suspension with different stirring speeds and aeration fluxes. We reduce membrane fouling by backflushing through the membrane with the product stream. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In-situ Non-destructive Studies on Biofouling Processes in Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems

KAUST Repository

Farhat, Nadia

2016-12-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membrane systems are high-pressure membrane filtration processes that can produce high quality drinking water. Biofouling, biofilm formation that exceeds a certain threshold, is a major problem in spiral wound RO and NF membrane systems resulting in a decline in membrane performance, produced water quality, and quantity. In practice, detection of biofouling is typically done indirectly through measurements of performance decline. Existing direct biofouling detection methods are mainly destructive, such as membrane autopsies, where biofilm samples can be contaminated, damaged and resulting in biofilm structural changes. The objective of this study was to test whether transparent luminescent planar oxygen sensing optodes, in combination with a simple imaging system, can be used for in-situ, non-destructive biofouling characterization. Aspects of the study were early detection of biofouling, biofilm spatial patterning in spacer filled channels, and the effect of feed cross-flow velocity, and feed flow temperature. Oxygen sensing optode imaging was found suitable for studying biofilm processes and gave detailed spatial and quantitative biofilm development information enabling better understanding of the biofouling development process. The outcome of this study attests the importance of in-situ, non-destructive imaging in acquiring detailed knowledge on biofilm development in membrane systems contributing to the development of effective biofouling control strategies.

Feasibility study of micro-filtration for algae separation in an innovative nuclear effluents decontamination process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouvion Saint Cyr, D. de; Wisniewski, C.; Schrive, L.; Farhi, E.; Rivasseau, C.

2014-01-01

Bio-remediation technologies often offer efficiency, cost and environmental impact benefits against physico-chemical technologies. Concerning the remediation of radionuclide-containing water, a few bio-based technologies have been proposed but none is currently operational in highly radioactive environments. A new radio-tolerant micro-alga, isolated from a nuclear facility, possesses properties that offer new decontamination prospects for the nuclear industry or for the clean-up of environmental water. A pilot-scale treatment unit based on this alga is currently under development for the decontamination of radioactive water. It includes separation and/or concentration steps relying on membrane filtration. This work aims at verifying the feasibility of micro-filtration as separation step for the targeted algae separation. Recommendations about the choice of operating conditions limiting and/or controlling the membrane fouling are provided with the objective to enhance the separation efficiency. Lab-scale dead-end filtration tests were implemented and the key factors involved in the separation performances were investigated. Membrane characteristics, biomass composition, and hydrodynamic conditions were considered. Organic membranes provided adequate filtration performance. Membrane fouling was essentially induced by a rapid reversible algae deposit and to a lesser extent by irreversible pore blockage caused by smaller particles and dissolved organic matter. To cancel the reversible fouling, hydrodynamic actions such as stirring and back-flush efficiently prevented algae deposit, allowing higher filtration productivity. This study demonstrates the feasibility of membrane separation for micro-algae harvesting at laboratory-scale and specifies the suitable working conditions. (authors)

Four years experience with filtration systems in commercial nurseries for eliminating Phytophthora species from recirculation water

Science.gov (United States)

T. Ufer; M. Posner; H.-P. Wessels; S. Wagner; K. Kaminski; T. Brand; Werres S.

2008-01-01

In a four year project, three different filtration systems were tested under commercial nursery conditions to eliminate Phytophthora spp. from irrigation water. Five nurseries were involved in the project. Slow sand filtration systems were tested in three nurseries. In the fourth nursery, a filtration system with lava grains (Shieer® Bio filtration)...

Comparative Evaluation of Ultrafiltration/Microfiltration Membranes for Removal of Nitrocellulose (NC) Fines from Wastewater

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kim, Byung

1997-01-01

.... In Phase II, a pilot-scale crossflow membrane filtration system was constructed to: (1) investigate the concentration polarization and fouling mechanism caused by NC fines during crossflow filtration of NC wastewater, (2...

GSPEL - Air Filtration Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Evaluation capabilities for air filtration devicesThe Air Filtration Lab provides testing of air filtration devices to demonstrate and validate new or legacy system...

Infrasonic backpulsed membrane cleaning of micro- and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Membrane fouling is universally considered to be one of the most critical problems in the wider application of membrane filtration. In this research microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes were fouled during a cross-flow filtration process, using yeast and alumina suspensions in a flat cell. Infrasonic backpulsing directly ...

Influence of membrane fouling reducers (MFRs) on filterability of disperse mixed liquor of jet loop bioreactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Koseoglu-Imer, Derya Yuksel; Dizge, Nadir; Karagunduz, Ahmet; Keskinler, Bulent

2011-07-01

The effects of membrane fouling reducers (MFRs) (the cationic polyelectrolyte (CPE) and FeCI(3)) on membrane fouling were studied in a lab-scale jet loop submerged membrane bioreactor (JL-SMBR) system. The optimum dosages of MFRs (CPE dosage=20 mg g(-1)MLSS, FeCI(3) dosage=14 mg g(-1)MLSS) were continuously fed to JL-SMBR system. The soluble and bound EPS concentrations as well as MLSS concentration in the mixed liquor of JL-SMBR were not changed substantially by the addition of MFRs. However, significant differences were observed in particle size and relative hydrophobicity. Filtration tests were performed by using different membrane types (polycarbonate (PC) and nitrocellulose mixed ester (ME)) and various pore sizes (0.45-0.22-0.1 μm). The steady state fluxes (J(ss)) of membranes increased at all membranes after MFRs addition to JL-SMBR. The filtration results showed that MFRs addition was an effective approach in terms of improvement in filtration performance for both membrane types. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation and Characterization of Polypropylene Non-woven Fabrics Prepared by Melt-blown Spinning for Filtration Membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Konghee; Park, Mira; Kim, Hakyong [Chonbuk National Univ., Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Jin, Fanlong; Park, Soojin [Inha Univ., Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-06-15

PP non-woven fabrics were prepared by melt-blown spinning, followed by heat and plasma treatments. After heat treatment, the PP non-woven fabrics displayed decreased water flux, increased tensile strength, decreased elongation, and an average pore size of 0.7 μm. The hydrophilicity of the PP non-woven fabrics was improved by plasma treatment. The water flux of the PP non-woven fabrics increased about two fold after the plasma treatment. The particle removal efficiency was determined to be 97.2-99.4% for 1-3 μm sized particles, demonstrating a high particle removal efficiency. Polypropylene (PP) non-woven fabrics have been widely used as filtration membranes in wastewater purification with industrial applications due to their low cost, good mechanical strength, and high thermal and chemical stability. The membrane fouling behavior depends strongly on the physical and mechanical properties of the membrane, including pore size, porosity, morphology, and hydrophilicity. In general, PP non-woven fabrics have poor hydrophilicity; this has limited their application in the biomedical field. It is therefore necessary to develop PP non-woven fabrics with improved surface hydrophilicity to increase the scope of their use. Plasma treatment, an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical activation, only changes the uppermost atomic layers of a membrane surface without affecting the bulk properties of the polymer.

Ultrasonic control of ceramic membrane fouling by particles: effect of ultrasonic factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Dong; Weavers, Linda K; Walker, Harold W

2006-07-01

Ultrasound at 20 kHz was applied to a cross-flow ultrafiltration system with gamma-alumina membranes in the presence of colloidal silica particles to systematically investigate how ultrasonic factors affect membrane cleaning. Based on imaging of the ultrasonic cavitation region, optimal cleaning occurred when the membrane was outside but close to the cavitation region. Increasing the filtration pressure increased the compressive forces driving cavitation collapse and resulted in fewer cavitation bubbles absorbing and scattering sound waves and increasing sound wave penetration. However, an increased filtration pressure also resulted in greater permeation drag, and subsequently less improvement in permeate flux compared to low filtration pressure. Finally, pulsed ultrasound with short pulse intervals resulted in permeate flux improvement close to that of continuous sonication.

Recovery of iron after Fenton-like secondary treatment of olive mill wastewater by nano-filtration and low-pressure reverse osmosis membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ochando-Pulido, J.M.; Victor-Ortega, M.D.; Martinez-Ferez, A.

2016-01-01

In this work, the performances of novel nano-filtration (NF) and low-pressure reverse osmosis (RO) polymeric membranes were examined with the aim of recovering the iron used as catalyst in former secondary treatment based on the Fenton-like advanced oxidation of olive mill wastewater (OMW). Results highlight that both membranes exhibit a good performance towards the rejection of iron (99.1% for the NF membrane vs. 100% for the low-pressure RO membrane) in the secondary-treated OMW effluent, thus permitting the recovery of iron in the concentrate stream in order to recycle it back into the oxidation reactor to reduce catalyst consumption. Finally, the permeate streams could be re-used for irrigation. Major productivity was observed by the selected NF membrane, about 47.4 L/hm2 upon 9 bar, whereas 30.9 L/hm2 could be yielded with the RO membrane under an operating pressure of 8 bar. Moreover, a sensibly lower fouling index was measured on the NF membrane (0.0072 in contrast with 0.065), which ensures major steady-state performance on this membrane and a longer service lifetime. This also results in lower required membrane area and membrane plant over dimension (4 modules in case of RO operation whereas only 2 modules for NF). [es

A new approach for determination of fouling potential by colloidal nanoparticles during reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration of seawater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ji Yeon; Lim, Sungil; Park, Kihong

2013-01-01

A direct measurement of number concentration of colloidal nanoparticles (15–450 nm) in water was made with the membrane filtration-differential mobility analyzer technique, and its corresponding flux decline rate (FDR) was determined by laboratory-scale RO fouling test unit using varying number concentrations of silica nanoparticles in artificial seawaters. This relationship was used to predict fouling potential of colloidal nanoparticles in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process of seawaters in RO plant. It was found that the FDR linearly increased with the increasing number of colloidal nanoparticles for the given concentration range and that the relationship between the number concentration and the FDR also depended on RO membrane surface properties. Data for estimated FDR values for natural seawaters after pretreatment showed a clear difference among samples, which is contrary to the pre-existing index such as silt density index and modified fouling index. Our data suggest that measurement of colloidal nanoparticles is useful for selection of proper pretreatment and successful operation of RO membrane process along with other particle fouling predictors accounting for large particles (>450 nm).

A new approach for determination of fouling potential by colloidal nanoparticles during reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration of seawater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Ji Yeon; Lim, Sungil; Park, Kihong, E-mail: kpark@gist.ac.kr [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), School of Environmental Science and Engineering (Korea, Republic of)

2013-04-15

A direct measurement of number concentration of colloidal nanoparticles (15-450 nm) in water was made with the membrane filtration-differential mobility analyzer technique, and its corresponding flux decline rate (FDR) was determined by laboratory-scale RO fouling test unit using varying number concentrations of silica nanoparticles in artificial seawaters. This relationship was used to predict fouling potential of colloidal nanoparticles in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process of seawaters in RO plant. It was found that the FDR linearly increased with the increasing number of colloidal nanoparticles for the given concentration range and that the relationship between the number concentration and the FDR also depended on RO membrane surface properties. Data for estimated FDR values for natural seawaters after pretreatment showed a clear difference among samples, which is contrary to the pre-existing index such as silt density index and modified fouling index. Our data suggest that measurement of colloidal nanoparticles is useful for selection of proper pretreatment and successful operation of RO membrane process along with other particle fouling predictors accounting for large particles (>450 nm).

Biofouling Control in Spiral-Wound Membrane Systems: Impact of Feed Spacer Modification and Biocides

KAUST Repository

Siddiqui, Amber

2016-12-01

High-quality drinking water can be produced with membrane-based filtration processes like reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. One of the major problems in these membrane systems is biofouling that reduces the membrane performance, increasing operational costs. Current biofouling control strategies such as pre-treatment, membrane modification, and chemical cleaning are not sufficient in all cases. Feed spacers are thin (0.8 mm), complex geometry meshes that separate membranes in a module. The main objective of this research was to evaluate whether feed spacer modification is a suitable strategy to control biofouling. Membrane fouling simulator studies with six feed spacers showed differences in biofouled spacer performance, concluding that (i) spacer geometry influences biofouling impact and (ii) biofouling studies are essential for evaluation of spacer biofouling impact. Computed tomography (CT) was found as a suitable technique to obtain three-dimensional (3D) measurements of spacers, enabling more representative mathematical modeling of hydraulic behavior of spacers in membrane systems. A strategy for developing, characterizing, and testing of spacers by numerical modeling, 3D printing of spacers and experimental membrane fouling simulator studies was developed. The combination of modeling and experimental testing of 3D printed spacers is a promising strategy to develop advanced spacers aiming to reduce the impact of biofilm formation on membrane performance and to improve the cleanability of spiral-wound membrane systems.

Air filtration in HVAC systems

CERN Document Server

Ginestet, Alain; Tronville, Paolo; Hyttinen, Marko

2010-01-01

Air filtration Guidebook will help the designer and user to understand the background and criteria for air filtration, how to select air filters and avoid problems associated with hygienic and other conditions at operation of air filters. The selection of air filters is based on external conditions such as levels of existing pollutants, indoor air quality and energy efficiency requirements.

Renin-angiotensin system antagonists, glomerular filtration rate and blood pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.D. Ivanov

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the mModern data on the influence of renin-angiotensin system blockers on the glomerular filtration rate, the level of arterial pressure and the outcome of chronic kidney disease. The strategy of  rennin-angiotensine blockade is offered to be changed depending on the criteria va­lues of glomerular filtration rate: a combination of inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme + angiotensin receptors blo­ckers, monotherapy and drug withdrawal in glomerular filtration rate under 15–30 ml/min/m2. The formula BRIMONEL for treatment of chronic kidney disease is given.

A forced-flow membrane reactor for transfructosylation using ceramic membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishizawa, K; Nakajima, M; Nabetani, H

2000-04-05

A forced-flow membrane reactor system for transfructosylation was investigated using several ceramic membranes having different pore sizes. beta-Fructofuranosidase from Aspergillus niger ATCC 20611 was immobilized chemically to the inner surface of a ceramic membrane activated by a silane-coupling reagent. Sucrose solution was forced through the ceramic membrane by crossflow filtration while transfructosylation took place. The saccharide composition of the product, which was a mixture of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), was a function of the permeate flux, which was easily controlled by pressure. Using 0.2 micrometer pore size of symmetric ceramic membrane, the volumetric productivity obtained was 3.87 kg m(-3) s(-1), which was 560 times higher than that in a reported batch system, with a short residence time of 11 s. The half-life of the immobilized enzyme in the membrane was estimated to be 35 days by a long-term operation. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Analysis of the membrane fouling on cross-flow ultrafiltration and microfiltration of soy sauce lees; Shoyuhiireden no kurosuforo roka ni okeru fauringu no kaiseki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furukakwa, T. [Kikkoman Corporation, Chiba (Japan); Kobayashi, H.; Kokubo, K.; Watanabe, A. [Niigata University, Niigata (Japan). Graduate School of Science and Technology

2000-05-10

Although since the 1980's Japanese soy sauce manufactures have developed cross-flow membrane filtration systems to recover soy sauce from its lees, the mechanisms by which the membrane fouls during filtration have not been theoretically discussed. Calculated flux declines using a theoretical equation developed for cross-flow cake filtration were compared against experimental results involving the filtration of soy sauce lees using polysulfone ultrafiltration and micro filtration membranes. Membrane fouling due to the deposition and intrusion of soy sauce lees was evaluated from the hydraulic resistances of the membrane and the cake layer. Calculated flux declines with time agree with the experimental results. Specific resistance of the cake layer which is an adjustable parameter of the equation, decreases with increasing cross-flow velocity. Hydraulic resistance exhibited by the membranes is independent of feed flow velocity. However, the resistance of the cake layers decreases with increasing cross-flow velocity. This corresponds to the steady-state flux increase. In conclusion, the main cause of fouling in the filtration of soy sauce lees is cake layer formation. By using the cake filtration model for cross-flow, the flux decline with time during the filtration is capable of being predicted. (author)

Vapor compression distiller and membrane technology for water revitalization

Science.gov (United States)

Ashida, A.; Mitani, K.; Ebara, K.; Kurokawa, H.; Sawada, I.; Kashiwagi, H.; Tsuji, T.; Hayashi, S.; Otsubo, K.; Nitta, K.

1987-01-01

Water revitalization for a space station can consist of membrane filtration processes and a distillation process. Water recycling equipment using membrane filtration processes was manufactured for ground testing. It was assembled using commercially available components. Two systems for the distillation are studied: one is absorption type thermopervaporation cell and the other is a vapor compression distiller. Absorption type thermopervaporation, able to easily produce condensed water under zero gravity, was investigated experimentally and through simulated calculation. The vapor compression distiller was studied experimentally and it offers significant energy savings for evaporation of water.

A Dual Filtration-Based Multiplex PCR Method for Simultaneous Detection of Viable Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus on Fresh-Cut Cantaloupe.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke Feng

Full Text Available Fresh-cut cantaloupe is particularly susceptible to contamination with pathogenic bacteria, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, development of rapid, yet accurate detection techniques is necessary to ensure food safety. In this study, a multiplex PCR system and propidium monoazide (PMA concentration were optimized to detect all viable pathogens in a single tube. A dual filtration system utilized a filtration membrane with different pore sizes to enrich pathogens found on fresh-cut cantaloupe. The results revealed that an optimized multiplex PCR system has the ability to effectively detect three pathogens in the same tube. The viable pathogens were simultaneously detected for PMA concentrations above 10 μg/ml. The combination of a nylon membrane (15 μm and a micro pore filtration membrane (0.22 μm formed the dual filtration system used to enrich pathogens. The achieved sensitivity of PMA-mPCR based on this dual filtration system was 2.6 × 103 cfu/g for L. monocytogenes, 4.3 × 10 cfu/g for E. coli O157:H7, and 3.1 × 102 cfu/g for S. aureus. Fresh-cut cantaloupe was inoculated with the three target pathogens using concentrations of 103, 102, 10, and 1 cfu/g. After 6-h of enrichment culture, assay sensitivity increased to 1 cfu/g for each of these pathogens. Thus, this technique represents an efficient and rapid detection tool for implementation on fresh-cut cantaloupe.

Initial testing of electrospun nanofibre filters in water filtration ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of nanofibre microfiltration membranes, spun by an innovative electrospinning technique, in water filtration applications. As such, this study bridges the gap between developments in electrospinning techniques for the production of flat-sheet membranes and the application of ...

Experience in therapeutic plasma exchange by membrane filtration at an academic center in Colombia: Registry of the first 500 sessions.

Science.gov (United States)

Córdoba, Juan Pablo; Larrarte, Carolina; Medina, María Camila

2015-12-01

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an extracorporeal blood purification therapy that is part of the treatment of various diseases. Plasma and blood cells can be separated by centrifugation or using membrane separators. A descriptive analysis, in which the first 500 TPE sessions using membrane filtration without anticoagulation of the extracorporeal circuit are described. Five hundred (500) TPE sessions were performed on 68 patients over a period of 5 years. Therapeutic indications were 17 different diseases. 5% albumin was the most frequent replacement solution used in 62% of sessions. The mean number of plasma volume replacements was 1.33. Complications occurred in 7.6% of the sessions. Arterial hypotension was the most common event and clotting of the extracorporeal circuit was documented in just one TPE session. Electrolyte tests performed in patients during the procedure showed: 11% hypocalcemia, with a similar distribution of hypokalemia. Twenty-two percent (22%) and 37% of phosphorus and magnesium records, respectively, were higher than normal. No symptoms associated with electrolyte abnormalities were documented. TPE by membrane filtration is one of the techniques by which it is possible to perform such therapy. In this registry, a low rate of complications was documented. While the need for anticoagulation may be related not only to clotting of the circuit but also to the efficiency of the therapy, clinical response in this series of patients was as expected for each disease. Continuous monitoring and an individualized analysis of electrolytes should be performed in TPE patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A novel anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactor (AnEMBR) with conductive hollow-fiber membrane for treatment of low-organic strength solutions

KAUST Repository

Katuri, Krishna; Werner, Craig M.; Jimenez Sandoval, Rodrigo J.; Chen, Wei; Jeon, Sungil; Logan, Bruce E.; Lai, Zhiping; Amy, Gary L.; Saikaly, Pascal

2014-01-01

A new anaerobic treatment system that combined a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) with membrane filtration using electrically conductive, porous, nickel-based hollow-fiber membranes (Ni-HFMs) was developed to treat low organic strength solution and recover energy in the form of biogas. This new system is called an anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactor (AnEMBR). The Ni-HFM served the dual function as the cathode for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the membrane for filtration of the effluent. The AnEMBR system was operated for 70 days with synthetic acetate solution having a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 320 mg/L. Removal of COD was >95% at all applied voltages tested. Up to 71% of the substrate energy was recovered at an applied voltage of 0.7 V as methane rich biogas (83% CH4; < 1% H2) due to biological conversion of the hydrogen evolved at the cathode to methane. A combination of factors (hydrogen bubble formation, low cathode potential and localized high pH at the cathode surface) contributed to reduced membrane fouling in the AnEMBR compared to the control reactor (open circuit voltage). The net energy required to operate the AnEMBR system at an applied voltage of 0.7 V was significantly less (0.27 kWh/m3) than that typically needed for wastewater treatment using aerobic membrane bioreactors (1-2 kWh/m3).

A novel anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactor (AnEMBR) with conductive hollow-fiber membrane for treatment of low-organic strength solutions

KAUST Repository

Katuri, Krishna

2014-11-04

A new anaerobic treatment system that combined a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) with membrane filtration using electrically conductive, porous, nickel-based hollow-fiber membranes (Ni-HFMs) was developed to treat low organic strength solution and recover energy in the form of biogas. This new system is called an anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactor (AnEMBR). The Ni-HFM served the dual function as the cathode for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the membrane for filtration of the effluent. The AnEMBR system was operated for 70 days with synthetic acetate solution having a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 320 mg/L. Removal of COD was >95% at all applied voltages tested. Up to 71% of the substrate energy was recovered at an applied voltage of 0.7 V as methane rich biogas (83% CH4; < 1% H2) due to biological conversion of the hydrogen evolved at the cathode to methane. A combination of factors (hydrogen bubble formation, low cathode potential and localized high pH at the cathode surface) contributed to reduced membrane fouling in the AnEMBR compared to the control reactor (open circuit voltage). The net energy required to operate the AnEMBR system at an applied voltage of 0.7 V was significantly less (0.27 kWh/m3) than that typically needed for wastewater treatment using aerobic membrane bioreactors (1-2 kWh/m3).

Study on the Fouling Behavior of Polyethylene and Silica Nanoparticles Mixed Matrix Membranes in Filtration of Humic Acid Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Akbari

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Because most contaminants in water create strong interactions with hydrophobic surfaces, there are usually problems such as flux decline and pore blocking in polyethylene (PE membranes due to irreversible adsorption of foulants on their intrinsic hydrophobic surface. Therefore, in this work, attempts were made to improve the properties of PE membranes in terms of water flux and membrane fouling resistance by dispersion of silica nanoparticles (NPs. First, NPs were synthesized by sol-gel method at two concentrations of ammonia (0.5 and 1 mol/L. The synthesized NPs with smaller size were used to fabricate the mixed matrix PE membranes containing 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 wt% NPs. FE-SEM and EDX analyses were employed to evaluate the morphology and structure of the fabricated membranes and confirmed the presence of NPs in the membranes matrix. The results of pure water flux test revealed that the membrane containing 1 wt% NPs displayed the maximum flux of 30 L/m2.h. Furthermore, the performance and fouling behaviors of membranes during filtration of humic acid solution, one of the most important contaminants of water resources, were studied using a classical fouling model. Fouling mechanism analysis showed that for neat and NPs-embedded membranes containing 0.5 and 2 wt% NPs, the best fit of the data was obtained by cake layer formation as well as the intermediate blocking mechanisms. However, the best fit of the experimental data of NPs-embedded membrane containing 1 wt% occurred with only cake layer formation mechanism. The investigation on membrane fouling resistance showed that 1 wt% NPs-embedded membrane displayed 58% maximum flux recovery and 52% reversibility to total fouling ratio, respectively.

Influence of membrane properties on fouling in submerged membrane bioreactors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Marel, P.; Zwijnenburg, A.; Kemperman, Antonius J.B.; Wessling, Matthias; Temmink, Hardy; van der Meer, Walterus Gijsbertus Joseph

2010-01-01

Polymeric flat-sheet membranes with different properties were used in filtration experiments with activated sludge from a pilot-scale MBR to investigate the influence of membrane pore size, surface porosity, pore morphology, and hydrophobicity on membrane fouling. An improved flux-step method was

One Step Membrane Filtration : A fundamental study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haidari, A.H.

2017-01-01

This study focuses on spiral-wound membrane (SWM) modules, which are the most common commercially available membrane modules for reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF). While RO membranes can remove almost all kinds of substances from the feed water, they are usually equipped with pretreatment

Pilot demonstration of energy-efficient membrane bioreactor (MBR) using reciprocating submerged membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Jaeho; Smith, Shaleena; Patamasank, Jaren; Tontcheva, Petia; Kim, Gyu Dong; Roh, Hyung Keun

2015-03-01

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is becoming popular for advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse. Air scouring to "shake" the membrane fibers is most suitable and applicable to maintain filtration without severe and rapidfouling. However, membrane fouling mitigating technologies are energy intensive. The goal of this research is to develop an alternative energy-saving MBR system to reduce energy consumption; a revolutionary system that will directly compete with air scouring technologies currently in the membrane water reuse market. The innovative MBR system, called reciprocation MBR (rMBR), prevents membrane fouling without the use of air scouring blowers. The mechanism featured is a mechanical reciprocating membrane frame that uses inertia to prevent fouling. Direct strong agitation of the fiber is also beneficial for the constant removal of solids built up on the membrane surface. The rMBR pilot consumes less energy than conventional coarse air scouring MBR systems. Specific energy consumption for membrane reciprocation for the pilot rMBR system was 0.072 kWh/m3 permeate produced at 40 LMH, which is 75% less than the conventional air scouring in an MBR system (0.29 kWh/m3). Reciprocation of the hollow-fiber membrane can overcome the hydrodynamic limitations of air scouring or cross-flow membrane systems with less energy consumption and/or higher energy efficiency.

Diatomite releases silica during spirit filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, J; Gil, M L A; de la Rosa-Fox, N; Alguacil, M

2014-09-15

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether diatomite is an inert filter aid during spirit filtration. Surely, any compound with a negative effect on the spirit composition or the consumer's health could be dissolved. In this study different diatomites were treated with 36% vol. ethanol/water mixtures and the amounts and structures of the extracted compounds were determined. Furthermore, Brandy de Jerez was diatomite- and membrane-filtered at different temperatures and the silicon content was analysed. It was found that up to 0.36% by weight of diatomite dissolved in the aqueous ethanol and amorphous silica, in the form of hollow spherical microparticles, was the most abundant component. Silicon concentrations in Brandy de Jerez increased by up to 163.0% after contact with diatomite and these changes were more marked for calcined diatomite. In contrast, reductions of more than 30% in silicon concentrations were achieved after membrane filtration at low temperatures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Construction of a dead-end type micro- to R.O. membrane test cell and performance test with the laboratory- made and commercial membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darunee Bhongsuwan

2002-11-01

Full Text Available A dead-end type membrane stirred cell for an RO filtration test has been designed and constructed. Magnetic stirring system is applied to overcome a pressure-induced concentration polarization occurred over a membrane surface in the test cell. A high pressure N2 tank is used as a pressure source.Feed container is designed for 2.5 l feed solution and a stirred cell volume is 0.5 l . The test cell holds a magnetic stirrer freely moved over the membrane surface. All units are made of stainless steel. A porous SS316L disc is used as a membrane support. The dead-end stirred cell is tested to work properly in an operating pressure ranged 0 - 400 psi. It means that the dead-end cell can be used to test a membrane of different filtration modes, from micro- to Reverse Osmosis filtration. Tests performed at 400 psi for 3 hours are safe but tests at a 500 psi increase leakage possibility. The cell is used to test the performance of both commercial and laboratory-made membranes. It shows that the salt rejection efficiency of the nano- and RO membranes, NTR759HR and LES90, determined by using the new test cell, is closely similar to those reported from the manufacture. Result of the tests for our own laboratory-made membrane shows a similar performance to the nanofiltration membrane LES90.

Innovative cross-flow membrane system for volume reduction of mixed waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greene, W. [SpinTek Membrane Systems, Huntington Beach, CA (United States)

1997-10-01

In this task, SpinTek Membrane Systems, Inc., and the Institute of Gas Technology are completing engineering development leading to a full-scale demonstration of the SpinTek ST-II High Shear Rotary Membrane Filtration System (ST-II) under a Program Research and Development Agreement (PRDA) with the Federal Energy Technology Center-Morgantown. The SpinTek ST-II technology will be scaled-up, and a two-stage ST-II system will be designed, constructed, and operated on both surrogate and actual feed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility (LRWTF). Results from these studies on both surrogate and actual wastewater streams will also be used by LANL personnel to produce a model for determining the applicability and economics of the SpinTek ST-II system to other DOE waste and process streams. The ST-II is a unique, compact cross-flow membrane system having several advantages in performance and cost compared to currently available systems. Staff at LANL have performed pilot-scale testing with the SpinTek technology to evaluate its feasibility for enhanced radionuclide removal from wastewater at its 5- to 8-million-gallon-per-year LRWTF. Recent data have shown the system`s capabilities to remove radionuclides from the waste stream at concentration factors greater than 2000:1, and performance has exceeded both conventional and all other advanced technologies examined.

Phosphate adsorption from wastewater using zirconium (IV) hydroxide: Kinetics, thermodynamics and membrane filtration adsorption hybrid system studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Johir, M A H; Pradhan, M; Loganathan, P; Kandasamy, J; Vigneswaran, S

2016-02-01

Excessive phosphate in wastewater should be removed to control eutrophication of water bodies. The potential of employing amorphous zirconium (Zr) hydroxide to remove phosphate from synthetic wastewater was studied in batch adsorption experiments and in a submerged membrane filtration adsorption hybrid (MFAH) reactor. The adsorption data satisfactorily fitted to Langmuir, pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order models. Langmuir adsorption maxima at 22 °C and pHs of 4.0, 7.1, and 10.0 were 30.40, 18.50, and 19.60 mg P/g, respectively. At pH 7.1 and temperatures of 40 °C and 60 °C, they were 43.80 and 54.60 mg P/g, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔG° and ΔS° were negative and ΔH° was positive. FTIR, zeta potential and competitive phosphate, sulphate and nitrate adsorption data showed that the mechanism of phosphate adsorption was inner-sphere complexation. In the submerged MFAH reactor experiment, when Zr hydroxide was added at doses of 1-5 g/L once only at the start of the experiment, the removal of phosphate from 3 L of wastewater containing 10 mg P/L declined after 5 h of operation. However, when Zr hydroxide was repeatedly added at 5 g/L dose every 24 h, satisfactory removal of phosphate was maintained for 3 days. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of standard and modified M-FC, MacConkey, and Teepol media for membrane filtration counting of fecal coliforms in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Grabow, W O; Hilner, C A; Coubrough, P

1981-08-01

MacConkey agar, standard M-FC agar, M-FC agar without rosolic acid, M-FC agar with a resuscitation top layer, Teepol agar, and pads saturated with Teepol broth, were evaluated as growth media for membrane filtration counting of fecal coliform bacteria in water. In comparative tests on 312 samples of water from a wide variety of sources, including chlorinated effluents, M-FC agar without rosolic acid proved the medium of choice because it generally yielded the highest counts, was readily obtainable, easy to prepare and handle, and yielded clearly recognizable fecal coliform colonies. Identification of 1,139 fecal coliform isolates showed that fecal coliform tests cannot be used to enumerate Escherichia coli because the incidence of E. coli among fecal coliforms varied from an average of 51% for river water to 93% for an activated sludge effluent after chlorination. The incidence of Klebsiella pneumoniae among fecal coliforms varied from an average of 4% for the activated sludge effluent after chlorination to 32% for the river water. The advantages of a standard membrane filtration procedure for routine counting of fecal coliforms in water using M-FC agar without rosolic acid as growth medium, in the absence of preincubation or resuscitation steps, are outlined.

Sol-gel applications for ceramic membrane preparation

Science.gov (United States)

Erdem, I.

2017-02-01

Ceramic membranes possessing superior properties compared to polymeric membranes are more durable under severe working conditions and therefore their service life is longer. The ceramic membranes are composed of some layers. The support is the layer composed of coarser ceramic structure and responsible for mechanical durability under filtration pressure and it is prepared by consolidation of ceramic powders. The top layer is composed of a finer ceramic micro-structure mainly responsible for the separation of components present in the fluid to be filtered and sol-gel method is a versatile tool to prepare such a tailor-made ceramic filtration structure with finer pores. Depending on the type of filtration (e.g. micro-filtration, ultra-filtration, nano-filtration) aiming separation of components with different sizes, sols with different particulate sizes should be prepared and consolidated with varying precursors and preparation conditions. The coating of sol on the support layer and heat treatment application to have a stable ceramic micro-structure are also important steps determining the final properties of the top layer. Sol-gel method with various controllable parameters (e.g. precursor type, sol formation kinetics, heat treatment conditions) is a practical tool for the preparation of top layers of ceramic composite membranes with desired physicochemical properties.

Ceramic membrane defouling (cleaning) by air Nano Bubbles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghadimkhani, Aliasghar; Zhang, Wen; Marhaba, Taha

2016-03-01

Ceramic membranes are among the most promising technologies for membrane applications, owing to their excellent resistance to mechanical, chemical, and thermal stresses. However, membrane fouling is still an issue that hampers the applications at large scales. Air Nano Bubbles (NBs), due to high mass transfer efficiency, could potentially prevent fouling of ceramic membrane filtration processes. In this study, bench and pilot scale ceramic membrane filtration was performed with air NBs to resist fouling. To simulate fouling, humic acid, as an organic foulant, was applied to the membrane flat sheet surface. Complete membrane clogging was achieved in less than 6 h. Membrane defouling (cleaning) was performed by directly feeding of air NBs to the membrane cells. The surface of the ceramic membrane was superbly cleaned by air NBs, as revealed by atomic force microscope (AFM) images before and after the treatment. The permeate flux recovered to its initial level (e.g., 26.7 × 10(-9) m(3)/m(2)/s at applied pressure of 275.8 kPa), which indicated that NBs successfully unclogged the pores of the membrane. The integrated ceramic membrane and air NBs system holds potential as an innovative sustainable technology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Chemistry in a spinneret" to fabricate hollow fibers for organic solvent filtration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dutczak, S.M.; Tanardi, Cheryl; Kopec, K.K.; Wessling, Matthias; Stamatialis, Dimitrios

2012-01-01

Organic solvent filtration (OSF) is a very efficient separation technique with high potential in many branches of industry. Currently the choice of the commercial membranes is limited only to a few flat sheet membranes and spiral wound modules. It is generally known that a membrane in hollow fiber

Membrane fouling mechanism transition in relation to feed water composition

KAUST Repository

Myat, Darli Theint

2014-12-01

The impact of secondary effluent wastewater from the Eastern Treatment Plant (ETP), Melbourne, Australia, before and after ion exchange (IX) treatment and polyaluminium chlorohydrate (PACl) coagulation, on hydrophobic polypropylene (PP) and hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane fouling was studied. Laboratory fouling tests were operated over 3-5 days with regular, intermittent backwash. During the filtration with PP membranes, organic rejection data indicated that humic adsorption on hydrophobic PP membrane occurred during the first 24h of filtration and contributed to fouling for both raw wastewater and pre-treated wastewaters. However, after the first 24h of filtration the contribution of humic substances to fouling diminished and biopolymers that contribute to cake layer development became more prominent in their contribution to the fouling rate. For PVDF membranes, the per cent removal of humic substances from both raw wastewater and pre-treated wastewaters was very small as indicated by no change in UV254 from the feed to the permeate over the filtration period, even during the early stages of filtration. This suggested that the hydrophobic PP membrane adsorbed humic substances while the hydrophilic PVDF membrane did not. The highest mass of biopolymer removal by each PVDF membrane was from ETP water followed by PACl and IX treated water respectively. This was possibly due to differences in the backwashing efficiency linked to the filter cake contributed by biopolymers. Hydraulic backwashing was more effective during the later stages of filtration for the ETP water compared to IX and PACl treated waters, indicating that the filter cake contributed by ETP biopolymers was more extensively removed by hydraulic backwashing. It was proposed that humic substances may act to stabilise biopolymers in solution and that removing humics substances by coagulation or IX results in greater adhesive forces between the biopolymers and membrane/filter cake

Preliminary Study on Treatment of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME by Sand Filtration-DBD Plasma System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariadi Hazmi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In the palm oil industry, open ponding, aerobic and anaerobic digestion, physicochemical treatment and membrane filtration are generally applied as conventional treatments of palm oil mill effluent (POME. In this study, a sand filtration-dielectric barrier discharge (DBD system was investigated as an alternative process for treating POME. This system can reduce land usage, processing time and costs compared to conventional systems. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD, biological oxygen demand (BOD5, and oil-grease in relation to the applied voltage were studied. Furthermore, the pH and temperature profiles were investigated. The obtained results indicate that the removal efficiency of COD, BOD5, and oil-grease increased with an increase of the applied voltage. The electrical energy consumption needed is about 10.56 kWh/L of POME.

Development of an Indexing Media Filtration System for Long Duration Space Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Agui, Juan H.; Vijayakumar, R.

2013-01-01

The effective maintenance of air quality aboard spacecraft cabins will be vital to future human exploration missions. A key component will be the air cleaning filtration system which will need to remove a broad size range of particles derived from multiple biological and material sources. In addition, during surface missions any extraterrestrial planetary dust, including dust generated by near-by ISRU equipment, which is tracked into the habitat will also need to be managed by the filtration system inside the pressurized habitat compartments. An indexing media filter system is being developed to meet the demand for long-duration missions that will result in dramatic increases in filter service life and loading capacity, and will require minimal crew involvement. The filtration system consists of three stages: an inertial impactor stage, an indexing media stage, and a high-efficiency filter stage, packaged in a stacked modular cartridge configuration. Each stage will target a specific range of particle sizes that optimize the filtration and regeneration performance of the system. An 1/8th scale and full-scale prototype of the filter system have been fabricated and have been tested in the laboratory and reduced gravity environments that simulate conditions on spacecrafts, landers and habitats. Results from recent laboratory and reduce-gravity flight tests data will be presented. The features of the new filter system may also benefit other closed systems, such as submarines, and remote location terrestrial installations where servicing and replacement of filter units is not practical.

Characterization, Washing, Leaching, and Filtration of C-104 Sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

KP Brooks; PR Bredt; GR Golcar; SA Hartley; LK Jagoda; KG Rappe; MW Urie

2000-06-09

Approximately 1,400 g of wet Hanford Tank C-104 Sludge was evaluated by Battelle for the high-level waste (HLW) pretreatment processes of ultrafiltration, dilute caustic washing, and elevated-temperature caustic leaching. The filterability of diluted C-104 sludge was measured with a 0.1-{micro}m sintered metal Mott filter using a 24-inch-long, single-element, crossflow filtration system (cells unit filter [CUF]). While the filtrate was being recirculated prior to washing and leaching, a 6.9 wt% solids slurry was evaluated with a matrix of seven 1-hour conditions of varying trans-membrane pressure (30 to 70 psid) and axial velocity (9 to 15 ft/s). The filtrate flux and backpulse efficiency were determined for each condition. The slurry was concentrated to 23 wt% solids, a second matrix of six 1-hour conditions was performed, and data analogous to that recorded in the first matrix were obtained. The low-solids-concentration matrix produced filtrate flux rates that ranged from 0.038 to 0.083 gpm/ft{sup 2}. The high-solids-concentration matrix produced filtrate flux rates that ranged from 0.0095 to 0.0172 gpm/ft{sup 2}. In both cases, the optimum filtrate flux was at the highest axial velocity (15 ft/s) and transmembrane pressure had little effect. Nearly all of the measured filtrate fluxes were more than an order of magnitude greater than the required plant flux for C-104 of 0.00126 gpm/ft{sup 2}. In both matrices, the filtrate flux appeared to be proportional to axial velocity, and the permeability appeared to be inversely proportional to the trans-membrane pressure. The first test condition was repeated as the last test condition for each matrix. In both cases, there was a significant decrease in filtrate flux, indicating some filter fouling during the test matrix that could not be removed by backpulsing alone, although the backpulse number and duration were not optimized. Following testing of these two matrices, the material was washed within the CUF by

Characterisation of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) produced during algal bloom: A membrane treatment perspective

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, Loreen O.; Ekowati, Yuli; Winters, Harvey; Amy, Gary L.; Schippers, Jan Cornelis; Kennedy, D.

2013-01-01

Algal blooms are currently a major concern of the membrane industry as it generates massive concentrations of organic matter (e.g. transparent exopolymer particles [TEP]), which can adversely affect the operation of membrane filtration systems

Hanford underground storage tank waste filtration process evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, B.W.; McCabe, D.J.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this filter study was to evaluate cross-flow filtration as effective solid-liquid separation technology for treating Hanford wastes, outline operating conditions for equipment, examine the expected filter flow rates, and determine proper cleaning. Two Hanford waste processing applications have been identified as candidates for the use of cross-flow filtration. The first of the Hanford applications involves filtration of the decanted supernate from sludge leaching and washing operations. This process involves the concentration and removal of dilute (0.05 wt percent) fines from the bulk of the supernate. The second application involves filtration to wash and concentrate the sludge during out-of-tank processing. This process employs a relatively concentrated (8 wt percent) solids feed stream. Filter studies were conducted with simulants to evaluate whether 0.5 micron cross-flow sintered metal Mott filters and 0.1 micron cross-flow Graver filters can perform solid-liquid separation of the solid/liquid waste streams effectively. In cross-flow filtration the fluid to be filtered flows in parallel to the membrane surface and generates shearing forces and/or turbulence across the filter medium. This shearing influences formation of filter cake stabilizing the filtrate flow rate

Fouling Resilient Perforated Feed Spacers for Membrane Filtration

KAUST Repository

Kerdi, Sarah

2018-04-24

The improvement of feed spacers with optimal geometry remains a key challenge for spiral-wound membrane systems in water treatment due to their impact on the hydrodynamic performance and fouling development. In this work, novel spacer designs are proposed by intrinsically modifying cylindrical filaments through perforations. Three symmetric perforated spacers (1-Hole, 2-Hole, and 3-Hole) were in-house 3D-printed and experimentally evaluated in terms of permeate flux, feed channel pressure drop and membrane fouling. Spacer performance is characterized and compared with standard no perforated (0-Hole) design under constant feed pressure and constant feed flow rate. Perforations in the spacer filaments resulted in significantly lowering the net pressure drop across the spacer filled channel. The 3-Hole spacer was found to have the lowest pressure drop (50% - 61%) compared to 0-Hole spacer for various average flow velocities. Regarding permeate flux production, the 0-Hole spacer produced 5.7 L.m-2.h-1 and 6.6 L.m-2.h-1 steady state flux for constant pressure and constant feed flow rate, respectively. The 1-Hole spacer was found to be the most efficient among the perforated spacers with 75% and 23% increase in permeate production at constant pressure and constant feed flow, respectively. Furthermore, membrane surface of 1-Hole spacer was found to be cleanest in terms of fouling, contributing to maintain higher permeate flux production. Hydrodynamic understanding of these perforated spacers is also quantified by performing Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). The performance enhancement of these perforated spacers is attributed to the formation of micro-jets in the spacer cell that aided in producing enough unsteadiness/turbulence to clean the membrane surface and mitigate fouling phenomena. In the case of 1-Hole spacer, the unsteadiness intensity at the outlet of micro-jets and the shear stress fluctuations created inside the cells are higher than those observed with

Fouling resilient perforated feed spacers for membrane filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerdi, Sarah; Qamar, Adnan; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S; Ghaffour, Noreddine

2018-04-24

The improvement of feed spacers with optimal geometry remains a key challenge for spiral-wound membrane systems in water treatment due to their impact on the hydrodynamic performance and fouling development. In this work, novel spacer designs are proposed by intrinsically modifying cylindrical filaments through perforations. Three symmetric perforated spacers (1-Hole, 2-Hole, and 3-Hole) were in-house 3D-printed and experimentally evaluated in terms of permeate flux, feed channel pressure drop and membrane fouling. Spacer performance is characterized and compared with standard no perforated (0-Hole) design under constant feed pressure and constant feed flow rate. Perforations in the spacer filaments resulted in significantly lowering the net pressure drop across the spacer filled channel. The 3-Hole spacer was found to have the lowest pressure drop (50%-61%) compared to 0-Hole spacer for various average flow velocities. Regarding permeate flux production, the 0-Hole spacer produced 5.7 L m -2 .h -1 and 6.6 L m -2 .h -1 steady state flux for constant pressure and constant feed flow rate, respectively. The 1-Hole spacer was found to be the most efficient among the perforated spacers with 75% and 23% increase in permeate production at constant pressure and constant feed flow, respectively. Furthermore, membrane surface of 1-Hole spacer was found to be cleanest in terms of fouling, contributing to maintain higher permeate flux production. Hydrodynamic understanding of these perforated spacers is also quantified by performing Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). The performance enhancement of these perforated spacers is attributed to the formation of micro-jets in the spacer cell that aided in producing enough unsteadiness/turbulence to clean the membrane surface and mitigate fouling phenomena. In the case of 1-Hole spacer, the unsteadiness intensity at the outlet of micro-jets and the shear stress fluctuations created inside the cells are higher than those

Resolution of the three dimensional structure of components of the glomerular filtration barrier

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arkill, Kenton P; Qvortrup, Klaus; Starborg, Tobias

2014-01-01

The human glomerulus is the primary filtration unit of the kidney, and contains the Glomerular Filtration Barrier (GFB). The GFB had been thought to comprise 3 layers - the endothelium, the basement membrane and the podocyte foot processes. However, recent studies have suggested that at least two...

Evaluation of environmental filtration control of engineered nanoparticles using the Harvard Versatile Engineered Nanomaterial Generation System (VENGES)

Science.gov (United States)

Echevarría-Vega, Manuel E.; Sotiriou, Georgios A.; Santeufemio, Christopher; Schmidt, Daniel; Demokritou, Philip; Ellenbecker, Michael

2013-01-01

Applying engineering controls to airborne engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is critical to prevent environmental releases and worker exposure. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two air sampling and six air cleaning fabric filters at collecting ENPs using industrially relevant flame-made engineered nanoparticles generated using a versatile engineered nanomaterial generation system (VENGES), recently designed and constructed at Harvard University. VENGES has the ability to generate metal and metal oxide exposure atmospheres while controlling important particle properties such as primary particle size, aerosol size distribution, and agglomeration state. For this study, amorphous SiO2 ENPs with a 15.4 nm primary particle size were generated and diluted with HEPA-filtered air. The aerosol was passed through the filter samples at two different filtration face velocities (2.3 and 3.5 m/min). Particle concentrations as a function of particle size were measured upstream and downstream of the filters using a specially designed filter test system to evaluate filtration efficiency. Real time instruments (FMPS and APS) were used to measure particle concentration for diameters from 5 to 20,000 nm. Membrane-coated fabric filters were found to have enhanced nanoparticle collection efficiency by 20–46 % points compared to non-coated fabric and could provide collection efficiency above 95 %. PMID:23412707

Evaluation of environmental filtration control of engineered nanoparticles using the Harvard Versatile Engineered Nanomaterial Generation System (VENGES)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, Candace S.-J.; Echevarría-Vega, Manuel E.; Sotiriou, Georgios A.; Santeufemio, Christopher; Schmidt, Daniel; Demokritou, Philip; Ellenbecker, Michael

2012-01-01

Applying engineering controls to airborne engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is critical to prevent environmental releases and worker exposure. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two air sampling and six air cleaning fabric filters at collecting ENPs using industrially relevant flame-made engineered nanoparticles generated using a versatile engineered nanomaterial generation system (VENGES), recently designed and constructed at Harvard University. VENGES has the ability to generate metal and metal oxide exposure atmospheres while controlling important particle properties such as primary particle size, aerosol size distribution, and agglomeration state. For this study, amorphous SiO 2 ENPs with a 15.4 nm primary particle size were generated and diluted with HEPA-filtered air. The aerosol was passed through the filter samples at two different filtration face velocities (2.3 and 3.5 m/min). Particle concentrations as a function of particle size were measured upstream and downstream of the filters using a specially designed filter test system to evaluate filtration efficiency. Real time instruments (FMPS and APS) were used to measure particle concentration for diameters from 5 to 20,000 nm. Membrane-coated fabric filters were found to have enhanced nanoparticle collection efficiency by 20–46 % points compared to non-coated fabric and could provide collection efficiency above 95%.

Reforming and filtration Dual membrane for the production of hydrogen by cracking reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hafsaoui, J.

2009-02-01

In a context of rarefaction and increasing of prices of fossil energetic resources, it is necessary to diversify the energetic offer. Hydrogen seems to be one of the most promising vectors, although technological matters associated to its production slow down its development. In this context, the present work aims at elaborating a system able to produce pure hydrogen from hydrocarbon, and in particularly from methane. It is constituted of three membranes, which specific roles are reforming, separation and restitution of molecular hydrogen. The first membrane is porous and is made of a cermet BaCe 0.85 Y 0.15 O 3-α / nickel. The second one is dense and is elaborated either simply from BaCe 0.85 Y 0.15 O 3-α , or from the same cermet as the first membrane, depending whether the system operates in a galvanic or in a non-galvanic mode. The last one is of the same nature and morphology as the first one. The three membranes are fabricated and coupled one with the others by the process called co-tape-casting in organic solvent followed by a step of co-sintering. Hydrogen enters then in the porosity of the first membrane where it is oxidized when meeting with triple phases boundaries. In a non-galvanic system, protons and electrons can go through the second membrane, following the percolating proton and ion conducting paths, to reach the third membrane. In a galvanic system, electrons are transported toward the third membrane via an external circuit, which imposes a voltage. At the third membrane triple phase boundaries, electrons and protons recombine to form pure molecular hydrogen. These two systems galvanic and non galvanic have been designed and fabricated, and the motivation that has led to the choice of the materials used was given at each step of the process. Thanks to the comprehension of the different phenomena taking place during operating conditions, a rather optimized process leading to a system of production and purification of hydrogen was realized

Synthesis of inorganic materials in a supercritical carbon dioxide medium. Application to ceramic cross-flow filtration membranes preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papet, Sebastien

2000-01-01

Membrane separations, using cross-flow mineral ceramic membranes, allows fractionation of aqueous solutions due to the molecular sieve effect and electrostatic charges. To obtain a high selectivity, preparation of new selective ceramic membranes is necessary. We propose in this document two different routes to prepare such cross-flow tubular mineral membranes. In the first exposed method, a ceramic material is used, titanium dioxide, synthesized in supercritical carbon dioxide by the hydrolysis of an organometallic precursor of the oxide. The influence of operating parameters is similar to what is observed during a liquid-phase synthesis (sol-gel process), and leads us to control the size and texture of the prepared particles. This material is then used to prepare mineral membrane with a compressed layer process. The particles are mixed with organic components to form a liquid suspension. A layer is then deposited on the internal surface of a tubular porous support by slip-casting. The layer is then dried and compressed on the support before sintering. The obtained membranes arc in the ultrafiltration range. A second process has been developed in this work. It consists on the hydrolysis, in a supercritical CO 2 medium, of a precursor of titanium dioxide infiltrated into the support. The obtained material is then both deposited on the support but also infiltrated into the porosity. This new method leads to obtain ultrafiltration membranes that retain molecules which molecular weight is round 4000 g.mol -1 . Furthermore, we studied mass transfer mechanisms in cross-flow filtration of aqueous solutions. An electrostatic model, based on generalized Nernst-Planck equation that takes into account electrostatic interactions between solutes and the ceramic material, lead us to obtain a good correlation between experimental results and the numerical simulation. (author) [fr

Evaluation of Standard and Modified M-FC, MacConkey, and Teepol Media for Membrane Filtration Counting of Fecal Coliforms in Water

OpenAIRE

Grabow, W. O. K.; Hilner, C. A.; Coubrough, P.

1981-01-01

MacConkey agar, standard M-FC agar, M-FC agar without rosolic acid, M-FC agar with a resuscitation top layer, Teepol agar, and pads saturated with Teepol broth, were evaluated as growth media for membrane filtration counting of fecal coliform bacteria in water. In comparative tests on 312 samples of water from a wide variety of sources, including chlorinated effluents, M-FC agar without rosolic acid proved the medium of choice because it generally yielded the highest counts, was readily obtai...

Lanthanides(3)/ actinides (3) separation by nano-filtration-complexation in aqueous medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chitry, F.; Pellet-Rostaing, S.; Gozzi, C.; Lemaire, M.; Guy, A.; Foos, J.

2000-01-01

Lanthanides(III)/actinides(III) separation is a major research subject in matter of treatment of high activity liquid effluents. Liquid-liquid extraction actually gives the best results for this separation. In order to demonstrate that nano-filtration (NF) is a valuable alternative to liquid-liquid extraction, we tried to separate different lanthanides(III) with a nano-filtration process combined with a selective complexation step. At first DTPA (diethylene-triamine-pentaacetic acid) combined with a Sepa MG-17 (Osmonics) gave a 95% retention of Gd 3+ and a 50% retention of La 3+ . Then new hydrosoluble and more selective ligands derived from DTPA were synthesized. One of them combined with a Sepa MG-17 membrane allowed a 87% retention of Gd 3+ and a 5% retention of La 3+ . The same nano-filtration-complexation system was experimented with an equimolar aqueous solution of Gd 3+ , Pr 3+ and La 3+ . Other experiments in the field of actinides(III)/lanthanides(III) separation were also performed. (authors)

Field Demonstration of Fuel Crud Filtration System at Ulchin Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Duk-Won; Lee, Doo-Ho; Park, Jong-Youl; Choi, In-Kyu

2007-01-01

Crud deposited onto the fuel assemblies in nuclear power plants was not a serious problem until an upper core flux depression named Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) was found at Callaway, USA in 1989. Though the mechanism of an AOA is not completely understood, crud is believed to be a key component of initiating AOA. After the sufficient amount of corrosion products in the reactor cooling system are deposited on the fuel clad by a sub-cooled nucleate boiling, boron is adsorbed in the crud. Thus a measurable reduction in the neutron flux occurs which causes an AOA problem. A filtration system has been developed to remove the fuel crud from irradiated fuel assemblies for mitigating the axial offset anomaly under a technical cooperation agreement with DEI (Dominion Engineering Inc.). This filtration system with a fuel cleaning fixture was successfully demonstrated at Ulchin plant unit 2. Within several minutes, detachable crud deposits were effectively removed from the clad surfaces of the fuel assembly. Also, to characterize the crud particles for each fuel assembly, a small crud sampling device and radiation monitor devices were connected to the filtration system during the cleaning operation. In this study, we completed a functional test and demonstration of an ultrasonic fuel cleaning system by using four spent fuel assemblies. It took only 5 minutes to remove the fuel crud from each fuel assembly. In addition, collective dose rates indicated an average of 8 R/Hr per assembly

Initial testing of electrospun nanofibre filters in water filtration ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2009-11-17

Nov 17, 2009 ... for water filtration applications, but that further improvements are necessary before these membranes can be ... power supply, and a grounded collector. .... nanofibres so that the pore size increases and bacteria leak through ...

Crude biodiesel refining using membrane ultra-filtration process: An environmentally benign process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.M. Atadashi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Ceramic membrane separation system was developed to simultaneously remove free glycerol and soap from crude biodiesel. Crude biodiesel produced was ultra-filtered by multi-channel tubular membrane of the pore size of 0.05 μm. The effects of process parameters: transmembrane pressure (TMP, bar, temperature (°C and flow rate (L/min on the membrane system were evaluated. The process parameters were then optimized using Central Composite Design (CCD coupled with Response Surface Methodology (RSM. The best retention coefficients (%R for free glycerol and soap were 97.5% and 96.6% respectively. Further, the physical properties measured were comparable to those obtained in ASTMD6751-03 and EN14214 standards.

Influence of gas-liquid two-phase flow on angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory peptides separation by ultra-filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Charoenphun, Narin; Youravong, Wirote

2017-01-01

Membrane fouling is a major problem in ultra-filtration systems and two-phase flow is a promising technique for permeate flux enhancement. The objective of this research was to study the use of an ultra-filtration (UF) system to enrich angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides from tilapia protein hydrolysate. To select the most appropriate membrane and operating condition, the effects of membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), transmembrane pressure (TMP) and cross-flow velocity (CFV) on permeate flux and ACE inhibitory peptide separation were studied. Additionally, the gas-liquid two-phase flow technique was applied to investigate its effect on the process capability. The results showed that the highest ACE inhibitory activity was obtained from permeate of the 1 kDa membrane. In terms of TMP and CFV, the permeate flux tended to increase with TMP and CFV. The use of gas-liquid two-phase flow as indicated by shear stress number could reduce membrane fouling and increase the permeate flux up to 42%, depending on shear stress number. Moreover, the use of a shear stress number of 0.039 led to an augmentation in ACE inhibitory activity of permeates. Operating conditions using a shear stress number of 0.039 were recommended for enrichment of ACE inhibitory peptides. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sieve plugs in fenestrae of glomerular capillaries--site of the filtration barrier?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rostgaard, Jørgen; Qvortrup, Klaus

2002-01-01

The exact location of the filtration barrier of the glomerular capillary wall, which consists of an endothelium, a basement membrane and a visceral epithelium, has not yet been determined. Apparent discrepancies between different investigators in the past could be explained if postmortem...... and a filamentous surface coat about 60 nm thick covered the interfenestral domains of the endothelial cell. Based on these purely morphological data, we dare to suggest that the fenestral plugs are the primary site of the glomerular filtration barrier - albeit highly speculative, nevertheless a logical location...... - and consequently that the glomerular filtration process is a 'tangential-flow' as opposed to a 'dead-end' filtration process. A tangential-flow filtration would minimize 'clogging' and 'concentration polarization' in the 'filter'....

Efficient filtration system for paraffin-catalyst slurry separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khodagholi Mohammad Ali

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The filtration efficiency for separating liquid paraffin (or water from a slurry consisting of 25 weight% spherical alumina in a Slurry Bubble Column Reactor (SBCR comprised of a cylindrical tube of 10 cm diameter and 150 cm length was studied. Various differential pressures (ΔP were applied to two separate tubular sintered metal stainless steel filter elements with nominal pore size of 4 and 16μm. The experimental results disclosed that the rate of filtrations increased on applying higher differential pressure to the filter element. Albeit this phenomenon is limited to moderate ΔPs and for ΔP more than 1 bar is neither harmful nor helpful. The highest filtration rates at ΔPs higher than 1 bar were 170 and 248 ml/minute for 4 and 16μm respectively. Using water as the liquid in slurry the rate of filtration enhanced to 4 folds, and this issue reveals impact of viscosity on filtration efficiency clearly. In all situations, the total amount of particles present in the filtrate part never exceeded a few parts per million (ppm. The statistical analysis of the SEM image of the filtrate indicated that by applying higher pressure difference to the filter element the frequency percent of larger particle size increases. The operation of filter cake removing was performed with back flashing of 300 ml of clean liquid with pressures of 3-5 bar of N2 gas.

The use of an air filtration system in podiatry clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

McLarnon, Nichola; Burrow, Gordon; Maclaren, William; Aidoo, Kofi; Hepher, Mike

2003-06-01

A small-scale study was conducted to ascertain the efficiency and effectiveness of an air filtration system for use in podiatry/chiropody clinics (Electromedia Model 35F (A), Clean Air Ltd, Scotland, UK). Three clinics were identified, enabling comparison of data between podiatry clinics in the West of Scotland. The sampling was conducted using a portable Surface Air Sampler (Cherwell Laboratories, Bicester, UK). Samples were taken on two days at three different times before and after installation of the filtration units. The global results of the study indicate the filter has a statistically significant effect on microbial counts, with an average percentage decrease of 65%. This study is the first time, to the authors' knowledge, such a system has been tested within podiatric practice.

Comparison of pressure-driven membrane processes and traditional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this article a comparison is made between drinking water production from surface water using pressure-driven membrane processes and using traditional surface water treatment systems. Three alternatives are considered: Traditional treatment using coagulation/flocculation, sand filtration, physicochemical softening, ...

Filtration Isolation of Nucleic Acids: A Simple and Rapid DNA Extraction Method.

Science.gov (United States)

McFall, Sally M; Neto, Mário F; Reed, Jennifer L; Wagner, Robin L

2016-08-06

FINA, filtration isolation of nucleic acids, is a novel extraction method which utilizes vertical filtration via a separation membrane and absorbent pad to extract cellular DNA from whole blood in less than 2 min. The blood specimen is treated with detergent, mixed briefly and applied by pipet to the separation membrane. The lysate wicks into the blotting pad due to capillary action, capturing the genomic DNA on the surface of the separation membrane. The extracted DNA is retained on the membrane during a simple wash step wherein PCR inhibitors are wicked into the absorbent blotting pad. The membrane containing the entrapped DNA is then added to the PCR reaction without further purification. This simple method does not require laboratory equipment and can be easily implemented with inexpensive laboratory supplies. Here we describe a protocol for highly sensitive detection and quantitation of HIV-1 proviral DNA from 100 µl whole blood as a model for early infant diagnosis of HIV that could readily be adapted to other genetic targets.

Separation Properties of Wastewater Containing O/W Emulsion Using Ceramic Microfiltration/Ultrafiltration (MF/UF Membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanji Matsumoto

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Washing systems using water soluble detergent are used in electrical and mechanical industries and the wastewater containing O/W emulsion are discharged from these systems. Membrane filtration has large potential for the efficient separation of O/W emulsion for reuses of treated water and detergent. The separation properties of O/W emulsions by cross-flow microfiltration and ultrafiltration were studied with ceramic MF and UF membranes. The effects of pore size; applied pressure; cross-flow velocity; and detergent concentration on rejection of O/W emulsion and flux were systematically studied. At the condition achieving complete separation of O/W emulsion the pressure-independent flux was observed and this flux behavior was explained by gel-polarization model. The O/W emulsion tended to permeate through the membrane at the conditions of larger pore size; higher emulsion concentration; and higher pressure. The O/W emulsion could permeate the membrane pore structure by destruction or deformation. These results imply the stability of O/W emulsion in the gel-layer formed on membrane surface play an important role in the separation properties. The O/W emulsion was concentrated by batch cross-flow concentration filtration and the flux decline during the concentration filtration was explained by the gel- polarization model.

Separation Properties of Wastewater Containing O/W Emulsion Using Ceramic Microfiltration/Ultrafiltration (MF/UF) Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Kazuho; Matsumoto, Kanji

2013-01-01

Washing systems using water soluble detergent are used in electrical and mechanical industries and the wastewater containing O/W emulsion are discharged from these systems. Membrane filtration has large potential for the efficient separation of O/W emulsion for reuses of treated water and detergent. The separation properties of O/W emulsions by cross-flow microfiltration and ultrafiltration were studied with ceramic MF and UF membranes. The effects of pore size; applied pressure; cross-flow velocity; and detergent concentration on rejection of O/W emulsion and flux were systematically studied. At the condition achieving complete separation of O/W emulsion the pressure-independent flux was observed and this flux behavior was explained by gel-polarization model. The O/W emulsion tended to permeate through the membrane at the conditions of larger pore size; higher emulsion concentration; and higher pressure. The O/W emulsion could permeate the membrane pore structure by destruction or deformation. These results imply the stability of O/W emulsion in the gel-layer formed on membrane surface play an important role in the separation properties. The O/W emulsion was concentrated by batch cross-flow concentration filtration and the flux decline during the concentration filtration was explained by the gel- polarization model. PMID:24958621

Reduced Graphene Oxide Membranes: Applications in Fog Collection and Water Purification

KAUST Repository

Tang, Bo

2017-05-01

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has attracted considerable interest recently as the low cost and chemical stable derivative of pristine graphene with application in many applications such as energy storage, water purification and electronic devices. This dissertation thoroughly investigated stacked rGO membrane fabrication process by vacuum-driven filtration, discovered asymmetry of the two surfaces of the rGO membrane, explored application perspectives of the asymmetric rGO membrane in fog collection and microstructure patterning, and disclosed membrane compaction issue during water filtration and species rejection. In more details, this dissertation revealed that, with suitable pore size, the filtration membrane substrate would leave its physical imprint on the bottom surface of the rGO membrane in the form of surface microstructures, which result in asymmetric dynamic water wettability properties of the two surfaces of the rGO membrane. The asymmetric wettability of the rGO membrane would lead to contrasting fog harvesting behavior of its two surfaces. The physical imprint mechanism was further extended to engineering pre-designed patterns selectively on the bottom surface of the rGO membrane. This dissertation, for the first time, reported the water flux and rejection kinetics, which was related to the compaction of the rGO membrane under pressure in the process of water filtration.

Ultrafiltration of biologically treated domestic wastewater: How membrane properties influence performance

KAUST Repository

Filloux, Emmanuelle; Teychene, Benoî t; Tazi-Pain, Annie; Croue, Jean-Philippe

2014-01-01

In this study, the impact of membrane properties on membrane fouling and permeate water quality was investigated. Short- and long-term laboratory scale experiments using four commercially available hollow fiber UF membranes were performed to study the impact of membrane properties on reversible and irreversible fouling. No significant differences in terms of permeate quality (i.e. biopolymer rejection) were observed over the four tested membranes. It was found that membrane characteristics including pore size, pore distribution and especially materials had a strong impact on the filtration performances in terms of both reversible and irreversible fouling. The short-term filtration tests showed that due to its specific hydrodynamic condition only the inside-out mode UF membrane was subjected to irreversible fouling. These data demonstrate the importance of membrane selection with appropriate operating conditions for optimum performances. The added value of membrane characterization to lab-scale filtration tests for membrane performance was discussed. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrafiltration of biologically treated domestic wastewater: How membrane properties influence performance

KAUST Repository

Filloux, Emmanuelle

2014-09-01

In this study, the impact of membrane properties on membrane fouling and permeate water quality was investigated. Short- and long-term laboratory scale experiments using four commercially available hollow fiber UF membranes were performed to study the impact of membrane properties on reversible and irreversible fouling. No significant differences in terms of permeate quality (i.e. biopolymer rejection) were observed over the four tested membranes. It was found that membrane characteristics including pore size, pore distribution and especially materials had a strong impact on the filtration performances in terms of both reversible and irreversible fouling. The short-term filtration tests showed that due to its specific hydrodynamic condition only the inside-out mode UF membrane was subjected to irreversible fouling. These data demonstrate the importance of membrane selection with appropriate operating conditions for optimum performances. The added value of membrane characterization to lab-scale filtration tests for membrane performance was discussed. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing Nutrient Removal from Membrane Filtered and Unfiltered Domestic Wastewater Using Chlorella vulgaris

Science.gov (United States)

Mayhead, Elyssia; Llewellyn, Carole A.; Fuentes-Grünewald, Claudio

2018-01-01

The nutrient removal efficiency of Chlorella vulgaris cultivated in domestic wastewater was investigated, along with the potential to use membrane filtration as a pre-treatment tool during the wastewater treatment process. Chlorella vulgaris was batch cultivated for 12 days in a bubble column system with two different wastewater treatments. Maximum uptake of 94.18% ammonium (NH4-N) and 97.69% ortho-phosphate (PO4-P) occurred in 0.2 μm membrane filtered primary wastewater. Membrane filtration enhanced the nutrient uptake performance of C. vulgaris by removing bacteria, protozoa, colloidal particles and suspended solids, thereby improving light availability for photosynthesis. The results of this study suggest that growing C. vulgaris in nutrient rich membrane filtered wastewater provides an option for domestic wastewater treatment to improve the quality of the final effluent. PMID:29351200

A dense cell retention culture system using stirred ceramic membrane reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, T; Sato, T; Kominami, M

1994-11-20

A novel reactor design incorporating porous ceramic tubes into a stirred jar fermentor was developed. The stirred ceramic membrane reactor has two ceramic tubular membrane units inside the vessel and maintains high filtration flux by alternating use for filtering and recovering from clogging. Each filter unit was linked for both extraction of culture broth and gas sparging. High permeability was maintained for long periods by applying the periodical control between filtering and air sparging during the stirred retention culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The ceramic filter aeration system increased the k(L)a to about five times that of ordinary gas sparing. Using the automatic feeding and filtering system, cell mass concentration reached 207 g/L in a short time, while it was 64 g/L in a fed-batch culture. More than 99% of the growing cells were retained in the fermentor by the filtering culture. Both yield and productivity of cells were also increased by controlling the feeding of fresh medium and filtering the supernatant of the dense cells culture. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Development of a Comprehensive Fouling Model for a Rotating Membrane Bioreactor System Treating Wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parneet Paul

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Membrane bioreactors (MBRs are now main stream wastewater treatment technologies. In recent times, novel pressure driven rotating membrane disc modules have been specially developed that induce high shear on the membrane surface, thereby reducing fouling. Previous research has produced dead-end filtration fouling model which combines all three classical mechanisms that was later used by another researcher as a starting point for a greatly refined model of a cross flow side-stream MBR that incorporated both hydrodynamics and soluble microbial products’ (SMP effects. In this study, a comprehensive fouling model was created based on this earlier work that incorporated all three classical fouling mechanisms for a rotating MBR system. It was tested and validated for best fit using appropriate data sets. The initial model fit appeared good for all simulations, although it still needs to be calibrated using further appropriate data sets.

Gravity-driven membrane filtration as pretreatment for seawater reverse osmosis: linking biofouling layer morphology with flux stabilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhondi, Ebrahim; Wu, Bing; Sun, Shuyang; Marxer, Brigit; Lim, Weikang; Gu, Jun; Liu, Linbo; Burkhardt, Michael; McDougald, Diane; Pronk, Wouter; Fane, Anthony G

2015-03-01

In this study gravity-driven membrane (GDM) ultrafiltration is investigated for the pretreatment of seawater before reverse osmosis (RO). The impacts of temperature (21 ± 1 and 29 ± 1 °C) and hydrostatic pressure (40 and 100 mbar) on dynamic flux development and biofouling layer structure were studied. The data suggested pore constriction fouling was predominant at the early stage of filtration, during which the hydrostatic pressure and temperature had negligible effects on permeate flux. With extended filtration time, cake layer fouling played a major role, during which higher hydrostatic pressure and temperature improved permeate flux. The permeate flux stabilized in a range of 3.6 L/m(2) h (21 ± 1 °C, 40 mbar) to 7.3 L/m(2) h (29 ± 1 °C, 100 mbar) after slight fluctuations and remained constant for the duration of the experiments (almost 3 months). An increase in biofouling layer thickness and a variable biofouling layer structure were observed over time by optical coherence tomography and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The presence of eukaryotic organisms in the biofouling layer was observed by light microscopy and the microbial community structure of the biofouling layer was analyzed by sequences of 16S rRNA genes. The magnitude of permeate flux was associated with the combined effect of the biofouling layer thickness and structure. Changes in the biofouling layer structure were attributed to (1) the movement and predation behaviour of the eukaryotic organisms which increased the heterogeneous nature of the biofouling layer; (2) the bacterial debris generated by eukaryotic predation activity which reduced porosity; (3) significant shifts of the dominant bacterial species over time that may have influenced the biofouling layer structure. As expected, most of the particles and colloids in the feed seawater were removed by the GDM process, which led to a lower RO fouling potential. However, the dissolved organic carbon in the

Innovative hybrid biological reactors using membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diez, R.; Esteban-Garcia, A. L.; Florio, L. de; Rodriguez-Hernandez, L.; Tejero, I.

2011-01-01

In this paper we present two lines of research on hybrid reactors including the use of membranes, although with different functions: RBPM, biofilm reactors and membranes filtration RBSOM, supported biofilm reactors and oxygen membranes. (Author) 14 refs.

Synthesis and characterization of ceramic membranes for micro filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammad Idrees; Lim Yan Ne; Hamdani Saidi

1996-01-01

This paper presents the results of a preliminary research work in the development of ceramic membranes by moulding process. The two major objectives were to determine the effect of operating parameters ori- the membrane sheet and membrane characterization. The starting material for the membrane was powdered aluminum oxide and alumina granules. Alumina granules were obtained by spray drying of mixture of alumina with additives and binders under specific conditions. The membrane sheet was produced by mould pressing at various pressures and then sintering at different temperatures. Membrane characterization was done based on microstructure using SEM, pore size distribution, density, and porosity. Strong and porous membranes were produced at pressing force of 120 -140 kN and sintering temperature of 1400 -1500 'C. Pore size and porosity obtained was in the range of 2 -10 μ m, and 13 - 48% respectively. These membranes can be used for, microfiltration at elevated temperature and under extreme environmental condition. They can also be used as porous support for the production qf composite asymmetric UF/hyperfiltration, and gas separation membranes. Further work in the refinement of' pore-size and permeation studies is envisaged

Fouling resistant membrane spacers

KAUST Repository

Ghaffour, Noreddine

2017-10-12

Disclosed herein are spacers having baffle designs and perforations for efficiently and effectively separating one or more membrane layers a membrane filtration system. The spacer (504) includes a body (524) formed at least in part by baffles (520) that are interconnected, and the baffles define boundaries of openings or apertures (525) through a thickness direction of the body of the spacer. Alternatively or additionally, passages or perforations (526A, 526B) may be present in the spacer layer or baffles for fluid flow there through, with the passages and baffles having a numerous different shapes and sizes.

Rapid antibiotic efficacy screening with aluminum oxide nanoporous membrane filter-chip and optical detection system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsou, Pei-Hsiang; Sreenivasappa, Harini; Hong, Sungmin; Yasuike, Masayuki; Miyamoto, Hiroshi; Nakano, Keiyo; Misawa, Takeyuki; Kameoka, Jun

2010-09-15

We have developed a filter-chip and optical detection system for rapid antibiotic efficacy screening. The filter-chip consisted of a 1-mL reservoir and an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanoporous membrane. Sample solution with liquid growth media, bacteria, and antibiotics was incubated in the reservoir for a specific period of time. The number of live bacteria on the surface of membrane was counted after the incubation with antibiotics and filtration. Using this biosensing system, we have demonstrated a 1-h antibiotic screening for patients' clinical samples, significantly faster than the conventional antibiotic susceptibility tests that typically take more than 24h. This rapid screening nature makes the filter-chip and detection system ideal for tailoring antibiotic treatment to individual patients by reducing the microbial antibiotic resistance, and improving the survival rate for patients suffering from postoperative infections. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Characterization of secondary treated effluents for tertiary membrane filtration and water recycling

KAUST Repository

Ayache, C.; Pidou, Marc; Gernjak, Wolfgang; Poussade, Yvan; Croue, Jean-Philippe; Tazi-Pain, Annie; Keller, Jurg R.

2012-01-01

This study evaluates the impacts of water quality from three different secondary effluents on low pressure membrane fouling. Effluent organic matter (EfOM) has been reported by previous studies as responsible for membrane fouling. However, the contribution of the different components of EfOM to membrane fouling is still not well understood. In order to improve and optimize treatment processes, characterization and quantification of the organic matter are important. The characterization methods used in this study are liquid chromatography coupled with an organic detector (LC-OCD) and excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (EEM). A bench-scale hollow fibre membrane system was used to identify the type of fouling depending on the feed water quality. Results showed no measurable dissolved organic carbon removal by the membranes for the three secondary effluents. Biopolymers and humic-like substances found in different proportions in the three effluents were partially retained by the membranes and were identified to contribute significantly to the flux decline of the low pressure membranes. The observed fouling was determined to be reversible by hydraulic backwashing for two effluents and only by chemical cleaning for the third effluent. © IWA Publishing 2012.

Characterization of secondary treated effluents for tertiary membrane filtration and water recycling

KAUST Repository

Ayache, C.

2012-06-01

This study evaluates the impacts of water quality from three different secondary effluents on low pressure membrane fouling. Effluent organic matter (EfOM) has been reported by previous studies as responsible for membrane fouling. However, the contribution of the different components of EfOM to membrane fouling is still not well understood. In order to improve and optimize treatment processes, characterization and quantification of the organic matter are important. The characterization methods used in this study are liquid chromatography coupled with an organic detector (LC-OCD) and excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (EEM). A bench-scale hollow fibre membrane system was used to identify the type of fouling depending on the feed water quality. Results showed no measurable dissolved organic carbon removal by the membranes for the three secondary effluents. Biopolymers and humic-like substances found in different proportions in the three effluents were partially retained by the membranes and were identified to contribute significantly to the flux decline of the low pressure membranes. The observed fouling was determined to be reversible by hydraulic backwashing for two effluents and only by chemical cleaning for the third effluent. © IWA Publishing 2012.

Transport of micropollutants in a riverbank filtration system

Science.gov (United States)

van Driezum, Inge; Oudega, Thomas; Reiner, Philipp; Zessner, Matthias; Farnleitner, Andreas; Blaschke, Paul

2014-05-01

Groundwater locations at alluvial backwaters are essential for public water supply. Riverbank filtration (RBF) systems are widely used as a means of obtaining public water supplies. Riverbank filtration is an effective way to remove micropollutants from the receiving surface water. The efficiency of the RBF system strongly depends on the residence time of the water in the aquifer and on the soil properties (Ray, 2011). In order to understand all bio- and geochemical processes within the hyporheic zone (e.g. the region were mixing of surface water and groundwater occurs), exchange rates and flow patterns need to be quantified. The main study area covers the porous groundwater aquifer study site (PGWA) - an urban floodplain extending on the left bank of the River Danube downstream of the City of Vienna. It is one of the main groundwater bodies in Austria. Groundwater quality in the PGWA is influenced by a combination of anthropogenic activities, industry, wastewater treatment plants, heavy precipitation events and floodings. The upper layer of the DPA is impermeable, preventing pollution originating from the surface. The upper layer consists of silt. The underlying confined aquifer consists of sand and gravel layers. Hydraulic conductivities range from 5 x 10-2 m/s up to 5 x 10-5 m/s. Underneath the aquifer are alternating sand an clay/silt layers. Samples are taken from two transects in the DPA. These transects consist of four piezometers in the first few meters of the groundwater aquifer. Several other piezometers are placed downstream from the river-groundwater interface. The behaviour of the micropollutants in the hyporheic zone can therefore be studied intensively. The transport behaviour of several micropollutants is modeled using carbamazepine (CBZ) and acesulfame (ACE) as natural tracers. Furthermore, temperature and electrical conductivity data was used for modeling. The micropollutants are measured using an in house developed online SPE-HPLC-MS/MS method

Exploration Mission Particulate Matter Filtration Technology Performance Testing in a Simulated Spacecraft Cabin Ventilation System

Science.gov (United States)

Agui, Juan H.; Vijayakumar, R.; Perry, Jay L.; Frederick, Kenneth R.; Mccormick, Robert M.

2017-01-01

Human deep space exploration missions will require advances in long-life, low maintenance airborne particulate matter filtration technology. As one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) developments in this area, a prototype of a new regenerable, multi-stage particulate matter filtration technology was tested in an International Space Station (ISS) module simulation facility. As previously reported, the key features of the filter system include inertial and media filtration with regeneration and in-place media replacement techniques. The testing facility can simulate aspects of the cabin environment aboard the ISS and contains flight-like cabin ventilation system components. The filtration technology test article was installed at the inlet of the central ventilation system duct and instrumented to provide performance data under nominal flow conditions. In-place regeneration operations were also evaluated. The real-time data included pressure drop across the filter stages, process air flow rate, ambient pressure, humidity and temperature. In addition, two video cameras positioned at the filtration technology test articles inlet and outlet were used to capture the mechanical performance of the filter media indexing operation under varying air flow rates. Recent test results are presented and future design recommendations are discussed.

Diesel fuel filtration system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, D.

1996-01-01

The American nuclear utility industry is subject to tight regulations on the quality of diesel fuel that is stored at nuclear generating stations. This fuel is required to supply safety-related emergency diesel generators--the backup power systems associated with the safe shutdown of reactors. One important parameter being regulated is the level of particulate contamination in the diesel fuel. Carbon particulate is a natural byproduct of aging diesel fuel. Carbon particulate precipitates from the fuel's hydrocarbons, then remains suspended or settles to the bottom of fuel oil storage tanks. If the carbon particulate is not removed, unacceptable levels of particulate contamination will eventually occur. The oil must be discarded or filtered. Having an outside contractor come to the plant to filter the diesel fuel can be costly and time consuming. Time is an even more critical factor if a nuclear plant is in a Limiting Condition of Operation (LCO) situation. A most effective way to reduce both cost and risk is for a utility to build and install its own diesel fuel filtration system. The cost savings associated with designing, fabricating and operating the system inhouse can be significant, and the value of reducing the risk of reactor shutdown because of uncertified diesel fuel may be even higher. This article describes such a fuel filtering system

Microfiltration of distillery stillage: Influence of membrane pore size

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasić Vesna M.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Stillage is one of the most polluted waste products of the food industry. Beside large volume, the stillage contains high amount of suspended solids, high values of chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand, so it should not be discharged in the nature before previous purification. In this work, three ceramic membranes for microfiltration with different pore sizes were tested for stillage purification in order to find the most suitable membrane for the filtration process. Ceramic membranes with a nominal pore size of 200 nm, 450 nm and 800 nm were used for filtration. The influence of pore size on permeate flux and removal efficiency was investigated. A membrane with the pore size of 200 nm showed the best filtration performance so it was chosen for the microfiltration process.

Introduction of filtration systems in container nurseries for nonchemical elimination of Phytophthora spp. from irrigation water

Science.gov (United States)

Thorsten Ufer; Heinrich Beltz; Thomas Brand; Katrin Kaminski; Ralf Lüttmann; Martin Posner; Stefan Wagner; Sabine Werres; Hans-Peter Wessels

2006-01-01

In a 3-year project the elimination of Phytophthora spp. from the recirculation water with different kinds of filtration systems will be tested under commercial conditions in container nurseries. First results indicate that the filtration systems eliminate Phytophthora spp. from the water.

Filtration and compression of organic materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard; Keiding, Kristian

is to use more simple systems. Dextran-MnO2 particles and polystyrene particles with a water-swollen polyacrylic acid shell have therefore been synthesised. These particles have been filtered and used to study the non-linear filtration behaviour. The compressibility of the formed cake has been investigated......The conventional filtration theory has been based on filtrations of incompressible particles such as anatase, kaolin and clay. The filtration models have later been used for organic slurries but can often not explain the observed experimental data. At constant pressure, the filtrate volume does...... and the discrepancy between the filtration theory and the observed filtration behaviour explained as a time-dependent collapse of the formed cake (creep). Thus, the creep phenomenon has been adopted in the conventional filtration models and it will be shown that the model can be used to simulate filtration data...

Dynamic Heterogeneous Multiscale Filtration Model: Probing Micro- and Macroscopic Filtration Characteristics of Gasoline Particulate Filters.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Jian; Viswanathan, Sandeep; Rothamer, David A; Foster, David E; Rutland, Christopher J

2017-10-03

Motivated by high filtration efficiency (mass- and number-based) and low pressure drop requirements for gasoline particulate filters (GPFs), a previously developed heterogeneous multiscale filtration (HMF) model is extended to simulate dynamic filtration characteristics of GPFs. This dynamic HMF model is based on a probability density function (PDF) description of the pore size distribution and classical filtration theory. The microstructure of the porous substrate in a GPF is resolved and included in the model. Fundamental particulate filtration experiments were conducted using an exhaust filtration analysis (EFA) system for model validation. The particulate in the filtration experiments was sampled from a spark-ignition direct-injection (SIDI) gasoline engine. With the dynamic HMF model, evolution of the microscopic characteristics of the substrate (pore size distribution, porosity, permeability, and deposited particulate inside the porous substrate) during filtration can be probed. Also, predicted macroscopic filtration characteristics including particle number concentration and normalized pressure drop show good agreement with the experimental data. The resulting dynamic HMF model can be used to study the dynamic particulate filtration process in GPFs with distinct microstructures, serving as a powerful tool for GPF design and optimization.

Deposition of toxic metal particles on rough nanofiltration membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agboola, Oluranti; Maree, Jannie; Mbaya, Richard; Zvinowanda, Caliphs Musa; Molelekwa, Gomotsegang Fred; Jullok, Nora; Bruggen, Bart Van der; Volodine, Alexander; Haesendonck, Chris Van

2014-01-01

Two nanofiltration (NF90 and Nano-Pro-3012) membranes were investigated for their capacity to remove metal ions. This study presents the effect of membrane roughness on the removal of toxic metal ions during dead end membrane filtration. Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, WSXM software and ImageJ were used to characterize the roughness of the membranes. Gradual decrease in filtration permeate flux was observed as foulants accumulated at the interface of the membranes; filtration permeate flux varied from 20 L/m 2 /h to 14 L/m 2 /h and 11 L/ m 2 /h to 6 L/m 2 /h for NF90 and Nano-Pro-3012, respectively. NF90 membrane was more prone to fouling than the Nano-Pro-3012 membrane: the percentage flux reduction was higher for NF90 (3.6%) than Nano-Pro-3012 (0.98%). The bearing ratio of the fouled NF90 exhibited a high peak of 7.09 nm than the fouled Nano-Pro-3012 with the peak of 6.8 nm

Deposition of toxic metal particles on rough nanofiltration membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agboola, Oluranti; Maree, Jannie; Mbaya, Richard; Zvinowanda, Caliphs Musa [Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria (South Africa); Molelekwa, Gomotsegang Fred; Jullok, Nora; Bruggen, Bart Van der; Volodine, Alexander; Haesendonck, Chris Van [KU Leuven, Heverlee (Belgium)

2014-08-15

Two nanofiltration (NF90 and Nano-Pro-3012) membranes were investigated for their capacity to remove metal ions. This study presents the effect of membrane roughness on the removal of toxic metal ions during dead end membrane filtration. Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, WSXM software and ImageJ were used to characterize the roughness of the membranes. Gradual decrease in filtration permeate flux was observed as foulants accumulated at the interface of the membranes; filtration permeate flux varied from 20 L/m{sup 2}/h to 14 L/m{sup 2}/h and 11 L/ m{sup 2}/h to 6 L/m{sup 2}/h for NF90 and Nano-Pro-3012, respectively. NF90 membrane was more prone to fouling than the Nano-Pro-3012 membrane: the percentage flux reduction was higher for NF90 (3.6%) than Nano-Pro-3012 (0.98%). The bearing ratio of the fouled NF90 exhibited a high peak of 7.09 nm than the fouled Nano-Pro-3012 with the peak of 6.8 nm.

Engineering a self-driven PVDF/PDA hybrid membranes based on membrane micro-reactor effect to achieve super-hydrophilicity, excellent antifouling properties and hemocompatibility

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian-Hua; Ni, Xing-Xing; Zhang, De-Bin; Zheng, Hui; Wang, Jia-Bin; Zhang, Qi-Qing

2018-06-01

A facile and versatile approach for the preparation of super-hydrophilic, excellent antifouling and hemocompatibility membranes had been developed through the generation in situ of bio-inspired polydopamine (PDA) microspheres on PVDF membranes. SEM images showed that the PDA microspheres were uniformly dispersed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the modified membranes. And there were a great number of PDA microspheres immobilized on the cross-section, but the interconnected pores structure was not destroyed. These facts indicated the existence of membrane micro-reactor effect for the whole membrane structure. Considering the remarkable improvement of hydrophilicity, antifouling properties, and permeation fluxes, we also proposed the cluster phenolic hydroxyl effect for the PVDF/PDA hybrid membranes. And the cluster phenolic hydroxyl effect can be ascribed to the all directions distributed phenolic hydroxyl groups on the whole membrane structure. Besides, the self-driven filtration experiments showed the great wetting ability and permeability of the PVDF/PDA hybrid membranes in filtration process without any external pressure. This implied the existence of accelerating self-driven force after the water flow flowed into the internal of membranes, which contributed to the increase of water flow velocity. All the three aspects were in favor of the enhancement of hydrophilicity, antifouling properties and permeability of the modified membranes. Moreover, the conventional filtration tests, oil/water emulsion filtration tests and protein adsorption tests were also carried out to discuss the practical applications of PVDF/PDA hybrid membranes. And the hemocompatibility of the modified membranes was also proved to enhance greatly through the hemolysis tests and platelet adhesion tests, indicating that the membranes were greatly promising in biomedical applications. The strategy of material modification reported here is substrate-independent and can be extended

Filtration of lager beer with microsieves: Flux, permeate haze and in-line microscope observations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuiper, S.; van Rijn, C.J.M.; Nijdam, W.; Raspe, Onno; van Wolferen, Hendricus A.G.M.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

2002-01-01

Membrane fouling during filtration of lager beer with microsieves was studied through in-line microscope observations. It was observed that the main fouling was caused by micrometre-sized particles, presumably aggregated proteins. These particles formed flocks covering parts of the membrane surface.

Reverse osmosis membrane allows in situ regeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonhomme, N.; Menjeaud, C.; Poyet, C.

1989-01-01

The use of mineral membranes on metallic supports has provided a novel solution to the problem of filtration by the reverse osmosis process. A new reverse osmosis membrane is described which is capable of resisting high operational temperatures (120 0 C), fluctuations in pH(3 to 12) and high pressure (100 bar), as well as significant chlorine concentrations. In addition, the membrane can be regenerated in-situ on the same porous metal support. Numerous membranes can thus be used over the multi-year life of the porous support. Moreover, accidental damage to the membrane is of no great consequence as the membrane itself can be easily replaced. The life of the installation can thus be extended and the overall cost of filtration reduced. The membrane's various applications include water and effluent treatment in the nuclear power industry. (author)

Development and Testing of a Fully Adaptable Membrane Bioreactor Fouling Model for a Sidestream Configuration System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parneet Paul

2013-04-01

Full Text Available A dead-end filtration model that includes the three main fouling mechanisms mentioned in Hermia (i.e., cake build-up, complete pore blocking, and pore constriction and that was based on a constant trans-membrane pressure (TMP operation was extensively modified so it could be used for a sidestream configuration membrane bioreactor (MBR situation. Modifications and add-ons to this basic model included: alteration so that it could be used for varying flux and varying TMP operations; inclusion of a backwash mode; it described pore constriction (i.e., irreversible fouling in relation to the concentration of soluble microbial products (SMP in the liquor; and, it could be used in a cross flow scenario by the addition of scouring terms in the model formulation. The additional terms in this modified model were checked against an already published model to see if they made sense, physically speaking. Next this modified model was calibrated and validated in Matlab© using data collected by carrying out flux stepping tests on both a pilot sidestream MBR plant, and then a pilot membrane filtration unit. The model fit proved good, especially for the pilot filtration unit data. In conclusion, this model formulation is of the right level of complexity to be used for most practical MBR situations.

Effect of powdered activated carbon dosage on sludge properties and membrane bioreactor performance in a hybrid MBR-PAC system.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shi; Zuo, Xingtao; Xiong, Juan; Ma, Cong; Hu, Bo

2017-12-22

An improved insight into the effect of powdered activated carbon (PAC) on membrane fouling is crucial to the MBR performance. Sludge key property, soluble microbial products (SMP) and transmembrane pressure (TMP) were monitored. The membrane fouling rate in the MBRs was also analyzed based on TMP profile and resistance-in-series model. PAC reduced the membrane filtration resistance and significantly decreased the fouling rate. The sludge filterability was improved by extending the filtration time by almost twofold. PAC affected the SMP release and protein/polysaccharide (carbohydrate) was in a lower ratio. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated that PAC decreased the impact of organic carbon, and reduced the proteins' and polysaccharides' absorption and deposition on the membrane surface and in the pores. The degree of reversible and irreversible fouling was related to the PAC content added into the MBRs. At the optimum dosage of 2 g/L, the results signified the PAC potential as a mitigation strategy of membrane fouling.

Treatment of tuna cooking juices by nano filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walha, K. a.; Ben Amar, R.; Bourseau, P.; Jaouen, P.

2009-01-01

Canned tuna is among the largest commercial canned fishery product in Tunisia. This industry rejects many aqueous effluents (washing, thawing, rinsing and cooking waters). Cooking juice represents 50 pour cent of the total effluent volume. It has a high organic load and a very high salt content. For consequence, discarding directly the effluent in the environment is not possible and need further treatment. However, the juice seems to contain interesting flavour compounds. In this work, a membrane process system consisting in nano filtration was used to reduce the pollution load and to concentrate flavour compounds of tuna cooking juice. The NF membrane tested in this work concentrate the organic matter since the retentions are high, starting at 74 pour cent for total circulation and increasing up to 85 pour cent for volume reduction factor (VRF) of 5. The membrane undergoes severe fouling, it can be effectively cleaned through a complete basic-acid washing cycle. The effect of three chemical reagents was studied for the regeneration of the fouled membrane. In the future, we will focus on the concentrates obtained by NF: sensory analysis with a panel of trained tasters and analysis of aromatic molecules should allow to value the quality of the flavouring concentrates.

STUDI MEMBRAN KITOSAN DARI KULIT LOBSTER BAMBU SEBAGAI MEMBRAN FILTRASI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ni Nyoman Putri Windari

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The study of the extraction and characterization of chitosan from skin waste of Bamboo Lobster (Panulirus versicolor has been done. Chitosan is extracted using conventional method, namely the initial process: cleaning and drying (pretreatment, demineralization, deproteination, and deacetylation. The chitosan obtained has been used to prepare chitosan membrane 2% with acetic acid 1% as solvent. The membrane prepared by phase inversion method withprecipitation through solvent evaporation. The prepared membranes were characterized by FTIR spectrophotometer, Nova 1200e by BJH method and filtration method. The results obtained that degree of deacetylation (DD of chitosan is 70.016%. The thickness of the membrane is 0.361 mm. The FTIR spectra show that functional groups obtained are -NH, -CH, C=O, C-O and -CN. From BJH method obtained that the pore radius is 1.69 nm and pore density is 8.95 x 105pores/m3. From the filtration method obtained that at each pressure, 80-85 kPa and 90-100 kPa, the PWF values are 381.232 and 454.545 L/m2.h, respectively.

Numerical Simulation of Particle Distribution in Capillary Membrane during Backwash

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anik Keller

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The membrane filtration with inside-out dead-end driven UF-/MF- capillary membranes is an effective process for particle removal in water treatment. Its industrial application increased in the last decade exponentially. To date, the research activities in this field were aimed first of all at the analysis of filtration phenomena disregarding the influence of backwash on the operation parameters of filtration plants. However, following the main hypothesis of this paper, backwash has great potential to increase the efficiency of filtration. In this paper, a numerical approach for a detailed study of fluid dynamic processes in capillary membranes during backwash is presented. The effect of particle size and inlet flux on the backwash process are investigated. The evaluation of these data concentrates on the analysis of particle behavior in the cross sectional plane and the appearance of eventually formed particle plugs inside the membrane capillary. Simulations are conducted in dead-end filtration mode and with two configurations. The first configuration includes a particle concentration of 10% homogeneously distributed within the capillary and the second configuration demonstrates a cake layer on the membrane surface with a packing density of 0:6. Analyzing the hydrodynamic forces acting on the particles shows that the lift force plays the main role in defining the particle enrichment areas. The operation parameters contribute in enhancing the lift force and the heterogeneity to anticipate the clogging of the membrane.

Fouling kinetics in microfiltration of protein solutions using different membrane configurations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Sune; Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

1997-01-01

Protein fouling in microfiltration has a large impact on the permeate flux and observed retention of the proteins despite the fact that the protein molecule is several times smaller than the average pore size in microfiltration membranes. This is due to adsorption and deposition of protein...... molecules and aggregates. The effect of membrane configuration upon protein fouling was investigated in crossflow filtration with asymmetric membranes either in a normal mode or in a reverse mode. It was observed by Jonsson et al. [1] that beer filtration in a reverse mode results in a smaller decrease...... in the flux compared to beer filtration in a normal mode. Similar results for protein filtration were observed by Bowen et al. [2]. One possible way to avoid fouling is the novel backshock technique (see Jonsson et al. [1]). The effect of backshock on protein filtration was investigated using a hollow fiber...

Effects of feed solution chemistry on low pressure reverse osmosis filtration of cesium and strontium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Shiyuan, E-mail: dingshiyuan@bnu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 (China); Yang, Yu, E-mail: yangyu@bnu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 (China); Huang, Haiou, E-mail: huanghaiou@bnu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 (China); Liu, Hengchen, E-mail: 799599501@qq.com [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 (China); Hou, Li-an, E-mail: houlian678@hotmail.com [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875 (China); Xi’an High-Tech Institute, No. 2, Tongxin Street, Baqiao District, Xi’an 710025 (China)

2015-08-30

Highlights: • A low pressure spiral wound RO membrane can reject Cs and Sr efficiently. • The rejection of Cs and Sr is dependent on feed pH and co-existing ions. • Donnan exclusion and electrostatic interaction govern the rejection of Cs and Sr. • The differences of filtration mechanism were influenced by the size of ions. • Sr could strengthen the irreversible membrane fouling resistance with HA. - Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify the removal mechanisms of radionuclides by reverse osmosis (RO) membranes under conditions relevant to full-scale water treatment. For this purpose, the effects of feed solution chemistry on the removal of Cs and Sr by a low pressure RO system was investigated by systematically varying membrane surface charge, ionic composition, and organic matter concentrations. The results showed that the effects of solution chemistry on the filtration of Cs and Sr were related to their hydrated ionic radius, resulting in the predominance of the Donnan’s effect and electrostatic interactions, respectively. Consequently, the rejection of Cs increased more pronouncedly than Sr with the increases of feed concentration. Due to the Donnan’s effect, different anions decreased the rejection of Cs to different extents in accordance to the order of anions’ radii as SO{sub 4}{sup 2−} > Cl{sup −} > NO{sub 3}{sup −} > F{sup −}. The variations in Sr rejection were influenced by the electrostatic interactions between Sr{sup 2+} and the membrane. In addition, humic acid (HA) lowered the rejection of Cs and caused significant membrane flux decline, but did not change the rejection of Sr. Sr also aggravated HA fouling of the membrane.

EFFECTS OF OZONATION ON THE PERMEATE FLUX OF NANOCRYSTALLINE CERAMIC MEMBRANES. (R830908)

Science.gov (United States)

Titania membranes, with a molecular weight cut-off of 15 kD were used in an ozonation/membrane system that was fed with water from Lake Lansing, which had been pre-filtered through a 0.45 �m glass fiber filter. The application of ozone gas prior to filtration resulted in signi...

A hierarchically assembled mesoporous ZnO hemisphere array and hollow microspheres for photocatalytic membrane water filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Jia Hong; Zhang, Xiwang; Du, Alan J; Bai, Hongwei; Ng, Jiawei; Sun, Darren

2012-05-28

A mesoporous ZnO hemisphere array has been prepared via a topotactic transition of Zn(4)(OH)(6)CO(3)·H(2)O (ZCHH) by chemical bath deposition. Each hemisphere is comprised of a radially oriented nanoflake shell grown on the hemispherical interior. Reaction time-dependent SEM analysis shows that the morphological formation of ZCHH involves a deposition-growth-secondary growth-redeposition procedure. Upon calcination, ZCHH readily decomposes to nanocrystalline wurtzite-phase ZnO without significant change in morphology, and the release of CO(2) and H(2)O from ZCHH creates an additional mesoporous structure in both hemispherical interior and nanoflake shell. A similar process but without using a substrate has been developed for synthesis of mesoporous ZnO hollow microspheres in powder form. Both the elaborated superstructured photocatalysts consisting of mesoporous nanoflakes have been demonstrated to exhibit excellent performances in the photocatalytic membrane filtration.

Economic Assessment of an Integrated Membrane System for Secondary Effluent Polishing for Unrestricted Reuse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gideon Oron

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Extra treatment stages are required to polish the secondary effluent for unrestricted reuse, primarily for agricultural irrigation. Improved technology for the removal of particles, turbidity, bacteria and cysts, without the use of disinfectants is based on MicroFiltration (MF and UltraFiltration (UF membrane technology and in series with Reverse Osmosis (RO for dissolved solids removal. Field experiments were conducted using a mobile UF and RO membrane pilot unit at a capacity of around 1.0 m3/hr. A management model was defined and tested towards optimal polishing of secondary effluent. The two major purposes of the management model are: (i to delineate a methodology for economic assessment of optimal membrane technology implementation for secondary effluent upgrading for unrestricted use, and; (ii to provide guidelines for optimal RO membrane selection in regards to the pretreatment stage. The defined linear model takes into account the costs of the feed secondary effluent, the UF pretreatment and the RO process. Technological constraints refer primarily to the longevity of the membrane and their performance. Final treatment cost (the objective function includes investment, operation and maintenance expenses, UF pretreatment, RO treatment, post treatment and incentive for low salinity permeate use. The cost range of water for irrigation according to the model is between 15 and 42 US cents per m3.

An Investigation of Low Biofouling Copper-charged Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Asapu, Sunitha

Water is essential for the survival of life on Earth, but pollutants in water can cause dangerous diseases and fatalities. The need for purified water has been increasing with increasing world population; however, natural sources of water such as rivers, lakes and streams, are progressively falling shorter and shorter of meeting water needs. The provision of clean, drinkable water to people is a key factor for the development of novel and alternative water purification technologies, such as membrane separations. Nanofiltration (NF) is a membrane separations technology that purifies water from lower quality sources, such as brackish water, seawater and wastewater. During the filtration of such sources, materials that are rejected by the membrane may accumulate on the surface of the membrane to foul it. Such materials include organic and inorganic matter, colloids, salts and microorganisms. The former four can often be controlled via pretreatment; however, the accumulation of microorganisms is more problematic to membranes. Biofouling is the accumulation and growth of microorganisms on the surface of membranes and on feed spacers. After attachment, microorganisms excrete extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which form a matrix around the organism's outer surface as biofilm. These biofilms are detrimental and result in irreversible membrane fouling. Copper and silver ions inactivate the bacterial cells and prevent the DNA replication in microbial cells. Previous studies using copper-charged feed spacers have shown the ability of copper to control biofouling without a significant amount of copper leaching from copper-charged polypropylene (PP) feed spacers during crossflow filtration. Also, filtration using unmodified speed facers experienced almost 70% flux decline, while filtration using copper-charged feed spacers displayed only 25% flux decline. These intriguing results led to the hypothesis that the polymer chemistry could be extrapolated to produce membranes

Development of membrane technology in BARC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misra, B.M.

2003-01-01

BARC has been engaged in research and development work on pressure-driven membrane technology from laboratory to pilot plant scale and its commercial scale deployment, for sea and brackish water desalination into potable water, effluent water treatment and water reuse and in various industrial separations including decontamination of radioactive liquid effluents for their safe disposal into the environment. This paper gives a brief description of pressure-driven membrane processes, reverse osmosis, nano filtration, ultrafiltration and micro filtration. Selection of polymeric candidate materials, preparation of semi-permeable membranes and their characterization has been discussed. Various applications of these processes conducted on pilot plant scale have been presented. Large scale deployment of membrane processes for sea water desalination has been indicated. Research and development at BARC has thus resulted in the indigenous development of membrane processes for commercial scale operation. (author)

Surface interactions and fouling properties of Micrococcus luteus with microfiltration membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Lei; Li, Xiufen; Song, Ping; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

2011-11-01

This study was conducted to investigate microbial adhesion of Micrococcus luteus to polypropylene (PP) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes in relation to the variation of the interfacial energies in the membrane-bacteria systems, for revealing effects of short-range surface interactions on filtration behavior. Both the membranes and M. luteus showed typical strong electron donors and hydrophilic properties. The AB component was dominant in the interfacial energies of the two membrane-bacteria systems. M. luteus presented larger negative U(mlb)(XDLVO) to the PP membrane than to the PVDF membrane. The adhesion experiments also proved that M. luteus had higher adhesion percentage to the PP membrane. This study demonstrated that the adhesion potentials of M. luteus to the PP and PVDF membranes might be explained in terms of bacterium, membrane, and intervening medium surface properties, which are mainly determined by the interfacial energies in the systems according to the XDLVO theory.

Evaluation of Filtration and UV Disinfection for Inactivation of Viruses in Non-Community Water Systems in Minnesota

Science.gov (United States)

This study evaluated filtration and disinfection processes for removal and inactivation of pathogens in non-community water systems (NCWS) in two surface water supplies. Pretreatment systems included 1) pressure sand filtration, and 2) granular activated carbon adsorption, and 3...

Fundamental Characteristics of the Newly Developed ATA™ Membrane Dialyzer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sunohara, Takashi; Masuda, Toshiaki

2017-01-01

Dialysis membranes are often made from synthetic polymers, such as polysulfone. However, membranes made from cellulose triacetate have superior biocompatibility and have been used since the 1980s. On-line hemodiafiltration treatment accompanied by massive fluid replacement is increasingly being used in Europe and Japan, but cellulose triacetate is not suitable for this treatment. Our newly developed asymmetric triacetate membrane, the ATA™ membrane, substantially improved the filtration properties and blood compatibility because of the asymmetric structure and smooth surface of this cellulose acetate membrane. Key Message: The ATA membrane maintains its high permeability even after massive filtration and shows less temporal variation in its permeation performance, lower protein adsorption, and superior biocompatibility compared with conventional membranes. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Pore-scale modeling and simulation of flow, transport, and adsorptive or osmotic effects in membranes: the influence of membrane microstructure

KAUST Repository

Calo, Victor M.

2015-07-17

The selection of an appropriate membrane for a particular application is a complex and expensive process. Computational modeling can significantly aid membrane researchers and manufacturers in this process. The membrane morphology is highly influential on its efficiency within several applications, but is often overlooked in simulation. Two such applications which are very important in the provision of clean water are forward osmosis and filtration using functionalized micro/ultra/nano-filtration membranes. Herein, we investigate the effect of the membrane morphology in these two applications. First we present results of the separation process using resolved finger- and sponge-like support layers. Second, we represent the functionalization of a typical microfiltration membrane using absorptive pore walls, and illustrate the effect of different microstructures on the reactive process. Such numerical modeling will aid manufacturers in optimizing operating conditions and designing efficient membranes.

Fouling and Cleaning of Membrane Filtration Systems in the Dairy Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg, Thilo Heinz Alexander

not necessarily be perfect hydraulic cleanliness in order to restore processing performance. Consequences of reduced cleaning could however be observed in subsequent CIPs; hydraulic cleanliness reached a lower level. Further research is required to assess the practical significance of these consequences......membranes that were industrially used for a longer period of time (“aged membranes”) to study fouling and cleaning phenomena. During this study, reduced cleaning (a onestep CIP instead of a three-step CIP) was investigated, leading to the suggestion that the aim of a cleaning procedure should...

Realization of asymmetrical microporous membranes by double irradiation and membranes obtained

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balanzat, E.; Bieth, C.

1988-01-01

The membrane is irradiated twice, especially with heavy ions, once with an energy to low to pass through, then with enough energy. Molecular defects created by irradiation are preferentially attached by chemicals. Two pore networks are obtained: blind large diameter pores and fine pores through the membrane which can be used in filtration [fr

A comparative study of the safety and efficacy effect of 5-fluorouracil or mitomycin C mounted biological delivery membranes in a rabbit model of glaucoma filtration surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zhihong; Li, Shuning; Wang, Ningli; Liu, Wanshun; Liu, Wen

2013-01-01

To investigate the potential usage of biological delivery membranes containing mitomycin C (MMC) or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the construction of glaucoma-filtering blebs, and to evaluate their safety and efficacy. Chitosan was selected as the biological membrane carrier to prepare sustained-released membranes. Twelve micrograms of 5-FU or MMC was covalently conjugated onto the membranes by solvent volatilization. Rabbits underwent glaucoma filtration surgery and were randomly allocated into one of the four treatment regimens: glaucoma filtration operation with no implantation of chitosan membrane group (as control), drug-free chitosan membrane implantation group (blank/placebo group), membrane containing 5-FU treatment group (5-FU group), and membrane containing MMC treatment group (MMC group). Each group consisted of 12 rabbits. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured and evaluated over a 28-day period follow-up preoperatively, then after surgery on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 by Tono-Pen. The aqueous humor was analyzed in each experimental and control groups at days 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 20 after operation. Bleb survival and anterior segment were examined with a slit lamp microscope and photographed simultaneously. Two rabbits from each group were killed on day 28 and eight eye samples obtained for histopathological study. Corneas and lenses were examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Both 5-FU and MMC significantly prolonged bleb survival compared with control groups. The filtering bleb's survival period was significantly more prolonged in the MMC and 5-FU groups (maintained 14 days) than the other two groups (maintained 7 days). Significantly lower IOP was observed within the control, blank, and 5-FU groups after surgery on day 14 compared with that before operation, with F-values of 6.567, 11.426, and 13.467, respectively (P < 0.01). The most significant lower IOP was recorded in the MMC group on day 28 postoperation (F-value 26

Directing filtration to narrow molecular weight distribution of oligodextran in an enzymatic membrane reactor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Su, Ziran; Luo, Jianquan; Pinelo, Manuel

2018-01-01

) should be minimized to reduce accumulation of large oligodextran molecules on the membrane surface, which might diffuse through the membrane and thus broaden the Mw distribution of the products in the permeate. Both dextranase and dextran caused membrane irreversible fouling. The fouling caused...... product, hypersaline wastewater discharge and potential safety hazards. In this work, a novel enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) system to produce oligodextran is proposed, whereby in-situ product recovery can be manipulated to control the Mw distribution of the resulting products. Results showed...... that the membrane material played an important role in the permeate flux and transmission of oligodextran. Among the tested membranes, a 20kDa polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was found to be optimal for building up the EMR, as it successfully controlled the oligodextran Mw within the desired range with a relatively...

40 CFR 141.174 - Filtration sampling requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Enhanced Filtration and Disinfection... water system subject to the requirements of this subpart that provides conventional filtration treatment... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Filtration sampling requirements. 141...

Novel Aluminum Oxide-Impregnated Carbon Nanotube Membrane for the Removal of Cadmium from Aqueous Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ihsanullah

2017-09-01

Full Text Available An aluminum oxide-impregnated carbon nanotube (CNT-Al2O3 membrane was developed via a novel approach and used in the removal of toxic metal cadmium ions, Cd(II. The membrane did not require any binder to hold the carbon nanotubes (CNTs together. Instead, the Al2O3 particles impregnated on the surface of the CNTs were sintered together during heating at 1400 °C. Impregnated CNTs were characterized using XRD, while the CNT-Al2O3 membrane was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM. Water flux, contact angle, and porosity measurements were performed on the membrane prior to the Cd(II ion removal experiment, which was conducted in a specially devised continuous filtration system. The results demonstrated the extreme hydrophilic behavior of the developed membrane, which yielded a high water flux through the membrane. The filtration system removed 84% of the Cd(II ions at pH 7 using CNT membrane with 10% Al2O3 loading. A maximum adsorption capacity of 54 mg/g was predicted by the Langmuir isotherm model for the CNT membrane with 10% Al2O3 loading. This high adsorption capacity indicated that adsorption was the main mechanism involved in the removal of Cd(II ions.

40 CFR 141.71 - Criteria for avoiding filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Filtration and Disinfection § 141.71 Criteria for avoiding filtration. A public water system that uses a surface water source must meet all of...)(C)(iii), that filtration is required. A public water system that uses a ground water source under...

Development of laundry drainage treatment system with ceramic ultra filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanda, Masanori; Kurahasi, Takafumi

1995-01-01

A compact laundry drainage treatment system (UF system hereafter) with a ceramic ultra filter membrane (UF membrane hereafter) has been developed to reduce radioactivity in laundry drainage from nuclear power plants. The UF membrane is made of sintered fine ceramic. The UF membrane has 0.01 μm fine pores, resulting in a durable, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant porous ceramic filter medium. A cross-flow system, laundry drainage is filtrated while it flows across the UF membrane, is used as the filtration method. This method creates less caking when compared to other methods. The UF membrane is back washed at regular intervals with permeated water to minimize caking of the filter. The UF membrane and cross-flow system provides long stable filtration. The ceramic UF membrane is strong enough to concentrate suspended solids in laundry drainage up to a weight concentration of 10%. The final concentrated laundry drainage can be treated in an incinerator. The performance of the UF system was checked using radioactive laundry drainage. The decontamination factor of the UF system was 25 or more. The laundry drainage treatment capacity and concentration ratio of the UF system, as well as the service life of the UF membrane were also checked by examination using simulated non-radioactive laundry drainage. Even though laundry drainage was concentrated 1000 times, the UF system showed good permeated water quality and permeated water flux. (author)

Novel Cleanup Agents Designed Exclusively for Oil Field Membrane Filtration Systems Low Cost Field Demonstrations of Cleanup Agents in Controlled Experimental Environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David Burnett; Harold Vance

2007-08-31

The goal of our project is to develop innovative processes and novel cleaning agents for water treatment facilities designed to remove fouling materials and restore micro-filter and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane performance. This project is part of Texas A&M University's comprehensive study of the treatment and reuse of oilfield brine for beneficial purposes. Before waste water can be used for any beneficial purpose, it must be processed to remove contaminants, including oily wastes such as residual petroleum hydrocarbons. An effective way of removing petroleum from brines is the use of membrane filters to separate oily waste from the brine. Texas A&M and its partners have developed highly efficient membrane treatment and RO desalination for waste water including oil field produced water. We have also developed novel and new cleaning agents for membrane filters utilizing environmentally friendly materials so that the water from the treatment process will meet U.S. EPA drinking water standards. Prototype micellar cleaning agents perform better and use less clean water than alternate systems. While not yet optimized, the new system restores essentially complete membrane flux and separation efficiency after cleaning. Significantly the amount of desalinated water that is required to clean the membranes is reduced by more than 75%.

Measured performance of filtration and ventilation systems for fine and ultrafine particles and ozone in an unoccupied modern California house

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Delp, William W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Black, Douglas R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Walker, Iain S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2016-12-01

This study evaluated nine ventilation and filtration systems in an unoccupied 2006 house located 250m downwind of the I-80 freeway in Sacramento, California. Systems were evaluated for reducing indoor concentrations of outdoor particles in summer and fall/winter, ozone in summer, and particles from stir-fry cooking. Air exchange rate was measured continuously. Energy use was estimated for year-round operation in California. Exhaust ventilation without enhanced filtration produced indoor PM_2.5 that was 70% lower than outdoors. Supply ventilation with MERV13 filtration provided slightly less protection whereas supply MERV16 filtration reduced PM_2.55 by 97-98% relative to outdoors. Supply filtration systems used little energy but provided no benefits for indoor-generated particles. Systems with MERV13-16 filters in the recirculating heating and cooling unit (FAU) operating continuously or 20 min/h reduced PM_2.5 by 93-98%. Across all systems, removal percentages were higher for ultrafine particles and lower for black carbon, relative to PM_2.5. Indoor ozone was 3-4% of outdoors for all systems except an electronic air cleaner that produced ozone. Filtration via the FAU or portable filtration units lowered PM_2.5 by 25-75% when operated over the hour following cooking. The energy for year-round operation of FAU filtration with an efficient blower motor was estimated at 600 kWh/year.

Nano-structured silica coated mesoporous carbon micro-granules for potential application in water filtration

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Avik; Sen, D.; Mazumder, S.; Ghosh, A. K.

2017-05-01

A novel nano-composite spherical micro-granule has been synthesized using a facile technique of solvent evaporation induced assembly of nanoparticles for potential application in water filtration. The spherical micro-granule is comprised of nano-structured shell of hydrophilic silica encapsulating a hydrophobic mesoporous carbon at the core. Hierarchical structure of such core-shell micro-granules has been rigorously characterized using small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering techniques and complemented with scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophilic silica envelope around the carbon core helps in incorporation of such granules into the hydrophilic polymeric ultra-filtration membrane. The interstitial micro-pores present in the silica shell can serve as water transport channels and the mesoporus carbon core enhances the separation performance due its well adsorption characteristics. It has been found that the incorporation of such granules inside the ultra-filtration membrane indeed enhances the water permeability as well as the separation performance in a significant way.

40 CFR 141.73 - Filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Filtration and Disinfection § 141.73 Filtration. A public water system that uses a surface water source or a ground water source under the direct influence of surface water...

Diatomite releases silica during spirit filtration

OpenAIRE

Gómez Benítez, Juan; Gil Montero, María Luisa Almoraima; De la Rosa Fox, Nicolas; Alguacil, Marcos

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether diatomite is an inert filter aid during spirit filtration. Surely, any compound with a negative effect on the spirit composition or the consumer’s health could be dissolved. In this study different diatomites were treated with 36% vol. ethanol/water mixtures and the amounts and structures of the extracted compounds were determined. Furthermore, Brandy de Jerez was diatomite- and membrane-filtered at different temperatures and the silicon cont...

Cross-flow filtration and axial filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraus, K.A.

1974-01-01

Two relatively novel alternative solid-liquid-separation techniques of filtration are discussed. In cross-flow filtration, the feed is pumped past the filtering surface. While in axial filtration the filter, mounted on a rotor, is moved with respect to the feed. While large-scale application of the axial filter is still in doubt, it permits with little expenditure of time and money, duplication of many hydrodynamic aspects of cross-flow filtration for fine-particle handling problems. The technique has been applied to municipal wastes, low-level radioactive waste treatment plant, lead removal from industrial wastes, removal of pulp-mill contaminants, textile-mill wastes, and pretreatment of saline waters by lime-soda process in preparation for hyperfiltration. Economics and energy requirements are also discussed

Investigation of a submerged membrane reactor for continuous biomass hydrolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malmali, Mohammadmahdi; Stickel, Jonathan; Wickramasinghe, S. Ranil

2015-10-01

Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is one of the most costly steps in the bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Use of a submerged membrane reactor has been investigated for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose thus allowing for greater use of the enzyme compared to a batch process. Moreover, the submerged 0.65 μm polyethersulfone microfiltration membrane avoids the need to pump a cellulose slurry through an external loop. Permeate containing glucose is withdrawn at pressures slightly below atmospheric pressure. The membrane rejects cellulose particles and cellulase enzyme bound to cellulose. Our proof-of-concept experiments have been conducted using a modified, commercially available membrane filtration cell under low fluxes around 75 L/(m2 h). The operating flux is determined by the rate of glucose production. Maximizing the rate of glucose production involves optimizing mixing, reactor holding time, and the time the feed is held in the reactor prior to commencement of membrane filtration and continuous operation. When we maximize glucose production rates it will require that we operate it at low glucose concentration in order to minimize the adverse effects of product inhibition. Consequently practical submerged membrane systems will require a combined sugar concentration step in order to concentrate the product sugar stream prior to fermentation.

Deashing of coal liquids with ceramic membrane microfiltration and diafiltration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bishop, B.; Goldsmith, R. [CeraMem Corp., Waltham, MA (United States)

1995-12-31

Removal of mineral matter from liquid hydrocarbons derived from the direct liquefaction of coal is required for product acceptability. Current methods include critical solvent deashing (Rose{sup {reg_sign}} process from Kerr-McGee) and filtration (U.S. Filter leaf filter as used by British Coal). These methods produce ash reject streams containing up to 15% of the liquid hydrocarbon product. Consequently, CeraMem proposed the use of low cost, ceramic crossflow membranes for the filtration of coal liquids bottoms to remove mineral matter and subsequent diafiltration (analogous to cake washing in dead-ended filtration) for the removal of coal liquid from the solids stream. The use of these ceramic crossflow membranes overcomes the limitations of traditional polymeric crossflow membranes by having the ability to operate at elevated temperature and to withstand prolonged exposure to hydrocarbon and solvent media. In addition, CeraMem`s membrane filters are significantly less expensive than competitive ceramic membranes due to their unique construction. With these ceramic membrane filters, it may be possible to reduce the product losses associated with traditional deashing processes at an economically attractive cost. The performance of these ceramic membrane microfilters is discussed.

Treatment of Wastewater From Car Washes Using Natural Coagulation and Filtration System

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Gheethi, A. A.; Mohamed, R. M. S. R.; Rahman, M. A. A.; Johari, M. R.; Kassim, A. H. M.

2016-07-01

Wastewater generated from carwash is one of the main wastewater resources, which contribute effectively in the increasing of environmental contamination due to the chemical characteristics of the car wastes. The present work aimed to develop an integrated treatment system for carwash wastewater based on coagulation and flocculation using Moringa oleifera and Ferrous Sulphate (FeSO4.7H2O) as well as natural filtration system. The carwash wastewater samples were collected from carwash station located at Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia. The treatment system of car wash wastewater was designed in the lab scale in four stages included, aeration, coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation and filtration. The coagulation and flocculation unit was carried out using different dosage (35, 70, 105 and 140 mg L-1) of M. oleifera and FeSO4.7H2O, respectively. The efficiency of the integrated treatment system to treat carwash wastewater and to meet Environmental Quality Act (EQA 1974) was evaluated based on the analysis of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity (NTU). The integrated treatment system was efficient for treatment of raw carwash wastewater. The treated carwash wastewaters meet EQA 1974 regulation 2009 (Standards A) in the term of pH and DO while, turbidity and COD reduced in the wastewater to meet Standards B. The integrated treatment system designed here with natural coagulant (M. oleifera) and filtration unit were effective for primary treatment of carwash wastewater before the final disposal or to be reused again for carwash process.

Pretreatment of agriculture field water for improving membrane flux during pesticide removal

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Romil; Saha, N. K.; Bhattacharya, A.

2017-10-01

Pretreatment of feed water to improve membrane flux during filtration of agriculture field water containing substituted phenyl urea pesticide diuron has been reported. Laboratory-made reverse osmosis membrane was used for filtration. Preliminary experiments were conducted with model solution containing natural organic matter extracted from commercial humic acids, divalent ions Ca2+, Mg2+. Membrane fouling was characterized by pure water flux decline, change in membrane hydrophilicity and infrared spectroscopy. Natural organic matter present in field water causes severe membrane fouling. The presence of divalent cations further aggravated fouling. Use of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and polyacrylic acids (PAA) in feed resulted in the decrease in membrane fouling. Pretreatment of field water is a must if it is contaminated with micro-organism having membrane fouling potential. Feed water pretreatment and use of PAA restricted membrane fouling to 16 % after 60 h of filtration. Membrane permeate flux decline was maximum at the first 12 h and thereafter remained steady at around 45-46 lm-2h-1 till the end of 60 h. Diuron rejection remained consistently greater than 93 % throughout the experiment. Diuron rejection was found to be unaffected by membrane fouling.

CRNL research reactor retrofit Emergency Filtration System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philippi, H.M.

1990-01-01

This paper presents a brief history of NRX and NRU research reactor effluent air treatment systems before describing the selection and design of an appropriate retrofit Emergency Filtration System (EFS) to serve these reactors and the future MX-10 isotope production reactor. The conceptual design of the EFS began in 1984. A standby concrete shielding filter-adsorber system, sized to serve the reactor with the largest exhaust flow, was selected. The standby system, bypassed under normal operating conditions, is equipped with normal exhaust stream shutoff and diversion valves to be activated manually when an emergency is anticipated, or automatically when emergency levels of gamma radiation are detected in the exhaust stream. The first phase of the EFS installation, that is the construction of the EFS and the connection of NRU to the system, was completed in 1987. The second phase of construction, which includes the connection of NRX and provisions for the future connection of MX-10, is to be completed in 1990

Biomimetic Membranes for Water Purification and Wastewater Treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tang, Chuyang Y.; Wang, Zhining; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus

2016-01-01

Reverse osmosis (RO)-based desalination and wastewater reclamation are gaining increasing popularity driven by water shortages and population growth. Advances in membrane technology in the past few decades have resulted in great savings in energy consumption of RO processes. Further reduction...... in energy consumption calls for novel membranes with significantly enhanced water permeability compared to the current state of the art thin-film composite polyamides. An attractive option is to learn from nature's high efficiently water filtration systems that involve a group of specialised water transport...

Fluoride removal from water by nano filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bejaoui, Imen; Mnif, Amine; Hamrouni, Bechir

2009-01-01

As any oligo element, fluoride is necessary and beneficial for human health to low concentrations, but an excess amount of fluoride ions in drinking water has been known to cause undesirable effects, especially tooth and bones fluoro sis. The maximum acceptable concentration of fluoride in drinking water was fixed by the World Health Organization according to the climate in the range of 1 mg.L -1 to 1,2 mg.L -1 . Many methods have been used to remove fluoride from water such as precipitation, adsorption, electrocoagulation and membrane processes. Technologies using membrane processes are being used in many applications, particularly for brackish water desalination. Nano filtration seems to be the best process for a good selective defluorination of fluorinated waters. The main objective of this work was to investigate the retention of fluoride anions by nano filtration. The first part of this study deals with the characterisation of the NF HL2514TF membrane. The influence of various experimental parameters such as initial fluoride content, feed pressure, permeate flux, ionic strength, type of cation associated to fluoride and pH were studied in the second part. Results show that the retention order for the salts tested was TR(Na 2 SO 4 ) > TR(CaCl 2 ) > TR(NaCl), showing a retention sequence inversely proportional to the salt diffusion coefficients in water. It was also shown that charge effects could not be neglected, and a titration experiments confirmed that the NF membrane carry a surplus of negatively charged groups. Fluoride retention exceeds 60 pour cent, and increases with increasing concentration, where the rejection mechanism is related to the dielectric effects. Speigler-Kedem model was applied to experimental results in the aim to determine phenomenological parametersσand P s respectively, the reflexion coefficient of the membrane and the solute permeability of ions. The convective and diffusive parts of the mass transfer were quantified with

Energy Efficient Aeration in a Single Low Pressure Hollow Sheet Membrane Filtration Module

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bentzen, Thomas Ruby; Ratkovich, Nicolas Rios; Rasmussen, Michael R.

2011-01-01

The main drawback of membrane bioreactors (MBR) systems is the fouling of the membrane, which is decreased and/or prevented through gas sparging. However, this practice is based on rules of thumb or a trial-and-error approaches which are tedious, very time-consuming, do not necessarily provide...... optimal fouling control and they are not energy efficient. Therefore, dedicated experiments are needed to fully understand the hydrodynamics of it. A hollow sheet (HS) MBR was studied. Experimental velocity measurements were made using micro-propellers and compared to CFD results. A good agreement between...... is homogeneously distributes over the predominant part of the membrane surface....

Performance evaluation of carbon nanotube enhanced membranes for SWRO pretreatment application

KAUST Repository

Lee, Jieun

2016-04-25

Multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) membrane was tested for SWRO pretreatment. The MWCNT membrane itself showed a superior permeate flux (321.3 LMH/bar), which was 4-times as polyethersulfone ultrafiltration (PES-UF) membrane. Reduction of dissolved organic matter improved to 66% with fewer amounts of powder activated carbon (PAC) (0.5 g/L) in MWCNT membrane filtration maintaining a high permeate flux of 600 LMH/bar. It was due to the increased porosity (84.5%) and hydrophilicity (52.9°) by incorporating MWCNT/polyaniline into PES membrane. Ionic strength affected organic removal in seawater filtration by altering electrostatic interaction between organic matter and surface charge of the positively charged MWCNT membrane.

Biofilm Formation on Reverse Osmosis Membranes Is Initiated and Dominated by Sphingomonas spp.▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Bereschenko, L. A.; Stams, A. J. M.; Euverink, G. J. W.; van Loosdrecht, M. C. M.

2010-01-01

The initial formation and spatiotemporal development of microbial biofilm layers on surfaces of new and clean reverse osmosis (RO) membranes and feed-side spacers were monitored in situ using flow cells placed in parallel with the RO system of a full-scale water treatment plant. The feed water of the RO system had been treated by the sequential application of coagulation, flocculation, sand filtration, ultrafiltration, and cartridge filtration processes. The design of the flow cells permitted the production of permeate under cross-flow conditions similar to those in spiral-wound RO membrane elements of the full-scale system. Membrane autopsies were done after 4, 8, 16, and 32 days of flow-cell operation. A combination of molecular (fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH], denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [DGGE], and cloning) and microscopic (field emission scanning electron, epifluorescence, and confocal laser scanning microscopy) techniques was applied to analyze the abundance, composition, architecture, and three-dimensional structure of biofilm communities. The results of the study point out the unique role of Sphingomonas spp. in the initial formation and subsequent maturation of biofilms on the RO membrane and feed-side spacer surfaces. PMID:20190090

40 CFR 141.717 - Pre-filtration treatment toolbox components.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... surface water or GWUDI source. (c) Bank filtration. Systems receive Cryptosporidium treatment credit for... paragraph. Systems using bank filtration when they begin source water monitoring under § 141.701(a) must... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Pre-filtration treatment toolbox...

Severe Hemolysis in a Patient With Erythrocytosis During Coupled Plasma Filtration Adsorption Therapy Was Prevented by Changing From Membrane-Based Technique to a Centrifuge-Based One.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Rong; Wu, Buyun; Kong, Ling; Gong, Dehua

2016-01-01

Coupled plasma filtration adsorption (CPFA) usually adopts membrane to separate plasma from blood. Here, we reported a case with erythrocytosis experienced severe hemolysis and membrane rupture during CPFA, which was avoided by changing from membrane-based technique to a centrifuge-based one. A 66-year-old man was to receive CPFA for severe hyperbilirubinemia (total bilirubin 922 μmol/L, direct bilirubin 638 μmol/L) caused by obstruction of biliary tract. He had erythrocytosis (hemoglobin 230 g/L, hematocrit 0.634) for years because of untreated tetralogy of Fallot. Severe hemolysis and membrane rupture occurred immediately after blood entering into the plasma separator even at a low flow rate (50 mL/min) and persisted after changing a new separator. Finally, centrifugal plasma separation technique was used for CPFA in this patient, and no hemolysis occurred. After 3 sessions of CPFA, total bilirubin level decreased to 199 μmol/L with an average decline by 35% per session. Thereafter, the patient received endoscopic biliary stent implantation, and total bilirubin level returned to nearly normal. Therefore, centrifugal-based plasma separation can also be used in CPFA and may be superior to a membrane-based one in patients with hyperviscosity.

Measurement of filtration efficiency of Nuclepore filters challenged with polystyrene latex nanoparticles: experiments and modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ling, Tsz Yan; Wang Jing; Pui, David Y. H.

2011-01-01

Membrane filtration has been demonstrated to be effective for the removal of liquid-borne nanoparticles (NPs). Such technique can be applied to purify and disinfect drinking water as well as remove NPs in highly pure chemicals used in the industries. This study aims to study the filtration process of a model membrane filter, the Nuclepore filter. Experiments were carried out using standard filtration tools and the nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) technique was used to measure particle (50–500 nm) concentration upstream and downstream of the filter to determine the filtration efficiency. The NTA technique has been calibrated using 150-nm polystyrene latex particles to determine its accuracy of particle concentration measurement. Measurements were found reliable within a certain concentration limit (about 10 8 –10 10 particles/cm 3 ), which is dependent on the camera settings during the measurement. Experimental results are comparable with previously published data obtained using the aerosolization method, validating the capability of the NTA technique. The capillary tube model modified from that developed for aerosol filtration was found to be useful to represent the experimental results, when a sticking coefficient of 0.15 is incorporated. This suggests that only 15% of the particle collisions with the filter results in successful attachment. The small sticking coefficient found can be explained by the unfavorable surface interactions between the particles and the filter medium.

Hybrid Filter Membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Laicer, Castro; Rasimick, Brian; Green, Zachary

2012-01-01

Cabin environmental control is an important issue for a successful Moon mission. Due to the unique environment of the Moon, lunar dust control is one of the main problems that significantly diminishes the air quality inside spacecraft cabins. Therefore, this innovation was motivated by NASA s need to minimize the negative health impact that air-suspended lunar dust particles have on astronauts in spacecraft cabins. It is based on fabrication of a hybrid filter comprising nanofiber nonwoven layers coated on porous polymer membranes with uniform cylindrical pores. This design results in a high-efficiency gas particulate filter with low pressure drop and the ability to be easily regenerated to restore filtration performance. A hybrid filter was developed consisting of a porous membrane with uniform, micron-sized, cylindrical pore channels coated with a thin nanofiber layer. Compared to conventional filter media such as a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, this filter is designed to provide high particle efficiency, low pressure drop, and the ability to be regenerated. These membranes have well-defined micron-sized pores and can be used independently as air filters with discreet particle size cut-off, or coated with nanofiber layers for filtration of ultrafine nanoscale particles. The filter consists of a thin design intended to facilitate filter regeneration by localized air pulsing. The two main features of this invention are the concept of combining a micro-engineered straight-pore membrane with nanofibers. The micro-engineered straight pore membrane can be prepared with extremely high precision. Because the resulting membrane pores are straight and not tortuous like those found in conventional filters, the pressure drop across the filter is significantly reduced. The nanofiber layer is applied as a very thin coating to enhance filtration efficiency for fine nanoscale particles. Additionally, the thin nanofiber coating is designed to promote capture of

Ceramic membrane in production of recycled water; Keraamikalvo uusioveden valmistuksessa - EKT 05

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laitinen, N.; Luonsi, A.; Levaenen, E.; Maentylae, T.; Vilen, J. [Haemeen ympaeristoekeskus, Tampere (Finland)

1998-12-31

Applicability of ceramic ultrafiltration membrane modifications were studied with laboratory units to purify clear filtrate and biologically treated combined wastewater from high quality board manufacturing process for reuse. Also performance of polymeric membrane and ceramic membrane was compared. The performance of the membrane filtration cell, developed according to requirements of the fixed dimensions of ceramic membrane was compared with the performance of the cross-rotational commercial test unit (CR-filter) of polymeric membranes. The quality of ultrafiltration permeate, namely suspended solids, turbidity and colour, was better than the quality of lake water used in the mill. The permeate fluxes were in the range of 60-75 l/m{sup 2}h. The fouling layer primarily controlled the flux and the retention, leaving the effects of surface modifications as the secondary function. The flux was slightly higher with the biologically treated wastewater. Differences in membrane material and pore size had an effect on the cleaning ability of the membranes. The polymeric membrane and the membrane with smaller pore size were easier to clean. Tests with the CR-filter showed that the rotor increases shear forces, reduces the filtration resistance and thus increases the flux compared to the cell for ceramic membranes where the increase of shear forces can be done by increasing the flow velocities. (orig.)

Ceramic membrane in production of recycled water; Keraamikalvo uusioveden valmistuksessa - EKT 05

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laitinen, N; Luonsi, A; Levaenen, E; Maentylae, T; Vilen, J [Haemeen ympaeristoekeskus, Tampere (Finland)

1999-12-31

Applicability of ceramic ultrafiltration membrane modifications were studied with laboratory units to purify clear filtrate and biologically treated combined wastewater from high quality board manufacturing process for reuse. Also performance of polymeric membrane and ceramic membrane was compared. The performance of the membrane filtration cell, developed according to requirements of the fixed dimensions of ceramic membrane was compared with the performance of the cross-rotational commercial test unit (CR-filter) of polymeric membranes. The quality of ultrafiltration permeate, namely suspended solids, turbidity and colour, was better than the quality of lake water used in the mill. The permeate fluxes were in the range of 60-75 l/m{sup 2}h. The fouling layer primarily controlled the flux and the retention, leaving the effects of surface modifications as the secondary function. The flux was slightly higher with the biologically treated wastewater. Differences in membrane material and pore size had an effect on the cleaning ability of the membranes. The polymeric membrane and the membrane with smaller pore size were easier to clean. Tests with the CR-filter showed that the rotor increases shear forces, reduces the filtration resistance and thus increases the flux compared to the cell for ceramic membranes where the increase of shear forces can be done by increasing the flow velocities. (orig.)

Polymer filtration: A new technology for selective metals recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, B.F.; Robison, T.W.; Cournoyer, M.E.; Wilson, K.V.; Sauer, N.N.; Mullen, K.I.; Lu, M.T.; Jarvinen, J.J.

1995-04-01

Polymer Filtration (PF) was evaluated for the recovery of electroplating metal ions (zinc and nickel) from rinse waters. Polymer Filtration combines the use of water-soluble metal-binding polymers and ultrafiltration to concentrate metal ions from dilute rinse water solutions. The metal ions are retained by the polymers; the smaller, unbound species freely pass through the ultrafiltration membrane. By using this process the ultrafiltered permeate more than meets EPA discharge limits. The metal ions are recovered from the concentrated polymer solution by pH adjustment using diafiltration and can be recycled to the original electroplating baths with no deleterious effects on the test panels. Metal-ion recovery is accomplished without producing sludge.

Inline UV-Vis spectroscopy to monitor and optimize cleaning-in-place (CIP) of whey filtration plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg, Thilo Heinz Alexander; Ottosen, Niels; van der Berg, Franciscus Winfried J.

2017-01-01

used for every day. We investigated the capability of inline UV-Vis spectroscopy to elucidate the dynamics of CIP of membrane filtration plants as a gateway to control and optimize the process. For this investigation aged membranes that had been used for industrial ultrafiltration of whey were...

Biofilm Filtrates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains Isolated from Cystic Fibrosis Patients Inhibit Preformed Aspergillus fumigatus Biofilms via Apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shirazi, Fazal; Ferreira, Jose A G; Stevens, David A; Clemons, Karl V; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P

2016-01-01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) and Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) colonize cystic fibrosis (CF) patient airways. Pa culture filtrates inhibit Af biofilms, and Pa non-CF, mucoid (Muc-CF) and nonmucoid CF (NMuc-CF) isolates form an ascending inhibitory hierarchy. We hypothesized this activity is mediated through apoptosis induction. One Af and three Pa (non-CF, Muc-CF, NMuc-CF) reference isolates were studied. Af biofilm was formed in 96 well plates for 16 h ± Pa biofilm filtrates. After 24 h, apoptosis was characterized by viability dye DiBAc, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, DNA fragmentation and metacaspase activity. Muc-CF and NMuc-CF filtrates inhibited and damaged Af biofilm (pbiofilms (3.7- fold) compared to treatment with filtrates from Muc-CF- (2.5- fold) or non-CF Pa (1.7- fold). Depolarization of mitochondrial potential was greater upon exposure to NMuc-CF (2.4-fold) compared to Muc-CF (1.8-fold) or non-CF (1.25-fold) (pbiofilm, compared to control, mediated by metacaspase activation. In conclusion, filtrates from CF-Pa isolates were more inhibitory against Af biofilms than from non-CF. The apoptotic effect involves mitochondrial membrane damage associated with metacaspase activation.

Using the developed cross-flow filtration chip for collecting blood plasma under high flow rate condition and applying the immunoglobulin E detection

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Chia-Hsien; Hung, Chia-Wei; Wu, Chun-Han; Lin, Yu-Cheng

2014-09-01

This paper presents a cross-flow filtration chip for separating blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets) and obtaining blood plasma from human blood. Our strategy is to flow the sample solution in parallel to the membrane, which can generate a parallel shear stress to remove the clogging microparticles on the membrane, so the pure sample solution is obtained in the reservoir. The cross-flow filtration chip includes a cross-flow layer, a Ni-Pd alloy micro-porous membrane, and a reservoir layer. The three layers are packaged in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) frame to create the cross-flow filtration chip. Various dilutions of the blood sample (original, 2 × , 3 × , 5 × , and 10×), pore sizes with different diameters (1 µm, 2 µm, 4 µm, 7 µm, and 10 µm), and different flow rates (1 mL/min, 3 mL/min, 5 mL/min, 7 mL/min, and 10 mL/min) are tested to determine their effects on filtration percentage. The best filtration percentage is 96.2% when the dilution of the blood sample is 10 × , the diameter of pore size of a Ni-Pd alloy micro-porous membrane is 2 µm, and the flow rate is 10 mL/min. Finally, for the clinical tests of the immunoglobulin E (IgE) concentration, the cross-flow filtration chip is used to filter the blood of the allergy patients to obtain the blood plasma. This filtered blood plasma is compared with that obtained using the conventional centrifugation based on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results reveal that these two blood separation methods have similar detection trends. The proposed filtration chip has the advantages of low cost, short filtration time, and easy operation and thus can be applied to the separation of microparticles, cells, bacteria, and blood.

Using the developed cross-flow filtration chip for collecting blood plasma under high flow rate condition and applying the immunoglobulin E detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, Chia-Hsien; Hung, Chia-Wei; Lin, Yu-Cheng; Wu, Chun-Han

2014-01-01

This paper presents a cross-flow filtration chip for separating blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets) and obtaining blood plasma from human blood. Our strategy is to flow the sample solution in parallel to the membrane, which can generate a parallel shear stress to remove the clogging microparticles on the membrane, so the pure sample solution is obtained in the reservoir. The cross-flow filtration chip includes a cross-flow layer, a Ni-Pd alloy micro-porous membrane, and a reservoir layer. The three layers are packaged in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) frame to create the cross-flow filtration chip. Various dilutions of the blood sample (original, 2 × , 3 × , 5 × , and 10×), pore sizes with different diameters (1 µm, 2 µm, 4 µm, 7 µm, and 10 µm), and different flow rates (1 mL/min, 3 mL/min, 5 mL/min, 7 mL/min, and 10 mL/min) are tested to determine their effects on filtration percentage. The best filtration percentage is 96.2% when the dilution of the blood sample is 10 × , the diameter of pore size of a Ni-Pd alloy micro-porous membrane is 2 µm, and the flow rate is 10 mL/min. Finally, for the clinical tests of the immunoglobulin E (IgE) concentration, the cross-flow filtration chip is used to filter the blood of the allergy patients to obtain the blood plasma. This filtered blood plasma is compared with that obtained using the conventional centrifugation based on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results reveal that these two blood separation methods have similar detection trends. The proposed filtration chip has the advantages of low cost, short filtration time, and easy operation and thus can be applied to the separation of microparticles, cells, bacteria, and blood. (paper)

Characterization of membrane foulants at ambient temperature anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating low-strength industrial wastewater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zarebska, Agata; Kjerstadius, Hamse; Petrinic, Irena

2016-01-01

The large volume of industrial low-strength wastewaters has a potential for biogas production through conventional anaerobic digestion (AD), limited though by the need of heating and concentrating of the wastewaters. The use of anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) combining membrane filtration...... with anaerobic biological treatment at low temperature could not only reduce the operational cost of AD, but also alleviate environmental problems. However, at low temperature the AnMBR may suffer more fouling due to the increased extracellular polymeric substances production excreted by bacteria hampering...... the application of the process for the industrial wastewater treatment. In order to solve or reduce the fouling problem it is necessary to have a good insight into the processes that take place both on and in the membrane pores during filtration. Therefore, the objective of this study is to contribute to a better...

Removal of 125I from radioactive experimental waste with an anion exchange paper membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Hiroyoshi; Kagoshima, Mayumi

2000-01-01

The behavior of radioactive iodide and chloride ions through an anion exchange paper membrane to remove 125 I from radioactive experimental waste has been studied with nonequilibrium thermodynamic analyses. Anion exchange paper membrane was found to be electroconductively more permeable to iodide ion than to chloride ion. The iodide ion bound more strongly to the anion exchange site within a membrane phase than the chloride ion by more than twice. The results suggested that an anion exchange paper membrane was appropriate for the filtration removal system

Impact of sludge flocs on membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard; Niessen, Wolfgang; Jørgensen, Mads Koustrup

Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are widely used for wastewater treatment, but membrane fouling reduces membrane performance and thereby increases the cost for membranes and fouling control. Large variation in filtration properties measured as flux decline was observed for the different types of sludges....... Further, the flux could partly be reestablished after the relaxation period depending on the sludge composition. The results underline that sludge properties are important for membrane fouling and that control of floc properties, as determined by the composition of the microbial communities...... and the physico-chemical properties, is an efficient method to reduce membrane fouling in the MBR. High concentration of suspended extracellular substances (EPS) and small particles (up to 10 µm) resulted in pronounced fouling propensity. The membrane fouling resistance was reduced at high concentration...

Study of efficiency of particles removal by different filtration systems in a municipal wastewater tertiary treatment; Eficacia en la eliminacion de particulas por diferentes sistemas de filtracion aplicados al tratamiento terciario de las aguas residuales urbanas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andreu, P. S.; Lardin Mifsut, C.; Farinas Iglesias, M.; Sanchez-Arevalo Serrano, J.; Perez Sanchez, P.; Rancano Perez, A.

2009-07-01

The disinfection of municipal wastewater using ultraviolet radiation depends greatly on the presence within the water of particles in suspension. This work determines how the level of elimination of particles varies depending on the technique of filtration used (open, closed sand filters, with continuous washing of the sand, cloth, disk and ring filters). all systems are very effective in the removal of particles more than 25 microns and for removing helminth eggs. The membrane bio-reactors with ultrafiltration membranes were superior in terms of particle removal when compared to conventional filters. (Author) 11 refs.

Measurement of renal glomerular filtration rate using labelled substances with compartmental analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberstadt, P.L.

1981-10-01

Using a model for the two-compartmental open system and experiments on animals (rabbits and dogs) as well as on human healthy volunteers, an attempt was made to study the advantages and limitations of different radionuclide methods for glomerular filtration rate determination. Labelled compounds used in different combinations were: 3 H-inulin, sup(113m)In-EDTA, 131 I-iothalamate, sup(99m)Tc-DTPA and 14 C-creatinine. The results of the study lead to some working hypotheses concerning the value of creatinine and other labelled substances in the measurement of glomerular filtration rate in clinical practice. The advantages and disadvantages of individual methods summarized in the final report are generally in agreement with the present views of many research workers. Also the hypothesis can be justified that the different labelled compounds which have been studied might be handled independently by the membranes involved but at the long run produce similar homeostatic balance

A novel In-situ Enzymatic Cleaning Method for Reducing Membrane Fouling in Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. R. Bilad

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A novel in-situ enzymatic cleaning method was developed for fouling control in membrane bioreactors (MBRs. It is achieved by bringing the required enzymes near the membrane surface by pulling the enzymes to a magnetic membrane (MM surface by means of magnetic forces, exactly where the cleaning is required. To achieve this, the enzyme was coupled to a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP and the membrane it self was loaded with MNP. The magnetic activity was turned by means of an external permanent magnet. The effectiveness of concept was tested in a submerged membrane filtration using the model enzyme-substrate of Bacillus subitilis xylanase-arabinoxylan. The MM had almost similar properties compared to the unloaded ones, except for its well distributed MNPs. The enzyme was stable during coupling conditions and the presence of coupling could be detected using a high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR. The system facilitated an in-situ enzymatic cleaning and could be effectively applied for control fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs.

Hg removal and the effects of coexisting metals in forward osmosis and membrane distillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chia-Yu; Chen, Shiao-Shing; Zhang, Dai-Zhou; Kobayashi, Jun

2017-06-01

In this study, we investigate the rejection of Hg, Cd, and Pb and the effect of coexisting metals on Hg removal through forward osmosis (FO) and membrane distillation (MD) in order to establish a more effective water treatment process. The results of our laboratory experiment indicate that more than 97% of the rejection for each metal is achieved through the FO system, and this rejection is the highest among previous studies using membrane filtrations. Moreover, we examine the matrix effect of the coexisting Cd and Pb on the rejection of Hg in the FO system. Hg 2+ rejection increases with increase in the concentration of the coexisting metals. Furthermore, we study the effect of the Hg concentration and the water temperature on rejection of Hg 2+ . Indeed, the rejection of Hg 2+ is achieved above 95% under any condition. However, approximately 1-10 ppb Hg from the feed solution remains in the draw solution due to permeation. Therefore, we use a FO-MD hybrid system. Approximately 100% rejection of Hg 2+ and a stable water flux are achieved. Thus, the FO-MD hybrid system is considered an important alternative to previous studies using membrane filtration for heavy metals removal.

Evaluating the effects of granular and membrane filtrations on chlorine demand in drinking water.

Science.gov (United States)

Jegatheesan, Veeriah; Kim, Seung Hyun; Joo, C K; Gao, Baoyu

2009-01-01

In this study, chlorine decay experiments were conducted for the raw water from Nakdong River that is treated by Chilseo Water Treatment Plant (CWTP) situated in Haman, Korea as well as the effluents from sand and granular activated carbon (GAC) filters of CWTP and fitted using a chlorine decay model. The model estimated the fast and slow reacting nitrogenous as well as organic/inorganic compounds that were present in the water. It was found that the chlorine demand due to fast and slow reacting (FRA and SRA) organic/inorganic substances was not reduced significantly by sand as well as GAC filters. However, the treated effluents from those filters contained FRA and SRA that are less reactive and had small reaction rate constants. For the effluents from microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration the chlorine demand because FRA and SRA were further reduced but the reaction rate constants were larger compared to those of sand and GAC filter effluents. This has implications in the formation of disinfection by products (DBPs). If DBPs are assumed to form due to the interactions between chlorine and SRA, then it is possible that the DBP formation potential in the effluents from membrane filtrations could be higher than that in the effluents from granular media filters.

Vacuum distillation/vapor filtration water recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Honegger, R. J.; Neveril, R. B.; Remus, G. A.

1974-01-01

The development and evaluation of a vacuum distillation/vapor filtration (VD/VF) water recovery system are considered. As a functional model, the system converts urine and condensates waste water from six men to potable water on a steady-state basis. The system is designed for 180-day operating durations and for function on the ground, on zero-g aircraft, and in orbit. Preparatory tasks are summarized for conducting low gravity tests of a vacuum distillation/vapor filtration system for recovering water from urine.

Measurement and characterization of filtration efficiencies for prefilter materials used in aerosol filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sciortino, J.

1991-01-01

In applications where the filtration of large quantities of mixed (liquid and solid) aerosols is desired, a multistage filtration system is often employed. This system consists of a prefilter, a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, and any number of specialized filters particular to the filtration application. The prefilter removes liquids and any large particles from the air stream, keeping them from prematurely loading the HEPA filter downstream. The HEPA filter eliminates 99.97% of all particulates in the aerosol. The specialized filters downstream of the HEPA filter can be used to remove organic volatiles or other vapors. While the properties of HEPA filters have been extensively investigated, literature characterizing the prefilter is scarce. The purpose of this report is to characterize the efficiency of the prefilter as a function of particle size, nature of the particle (solid or liquid), and the gas flow rate across the face of the prefilter. 1 ref., 4 figs

Forced-flow bioreactor for sucrose inversion using ceramic membrane activated by silanization.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, M; Watanabe, A; Jimbo, N; Nishizawa, K; Nakao, S

1989-02-20

A forced-flow enzyme membrane reactor system for sucrose inversion was investigated using three ceramic membranes having different pore sizes. Invertase was immobilized chemically to the inner surface of a ceramic membrane activated by a silane-glutaraldehyde technique. With the cross-flow filtration of sucrose solution, the reaction rate was a function of the permeate flux, easily controlled by pressure. Using 0.5 microm support pore size of membrane, the volumetric productivity obtained was 10 times higher than that in a reported immobilized enzyme column reactor, with a short residence time of 5 s and 100% conversion of the sucrose inversion.

Static and dynamic filtrations of different clay, electrolytes, polymer systems; Filtrations statiques et dynamiques de differents systemes argile, electrolytes, polymere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Y

1996-04-16

Filtration properties of model drilling fluids composed of water, clays, electrolytes and water soluble polymers have been studied in static and dynamic conditions on paper filters and rock slices. Filtration experiments combined with cake observations by cryo-S.E.M. and T.E.M., show the influence of the size shape of clay particles as well as their associating mode in suspension, on the texture of the cake, its permeability, and relaxation properties. These parameters depend on the nature of the electrolyte. The polymer reduces the cake permeability by enhancing the dispersion of the clay within the suspension, but mainly by plugging the porous network due its auto aggregation properties. The cake construction in dynamic conditions, is related to the state of aggregation of the initial suspension, its poly-dispersity, its sensitivity to shear rates, and also, to the permeability of the cake built at the beginning of the filtration. In all cases, the rate of thickening of the cake is slower and larger filtrate volumes are obtained compared to the static conditions. Shear rate has two effects: first, to dissociate the weak aggregates in suspension, second, to impose a size selection of the particles in the case of a poly-dispersed suspension. At high shear rates, a cake of constant thin thickness is quickly obtained. The thickness of this limiting cake depends on the fraction of small particles present in suspension, or that can be formed by dissociation of weak aggregates under shear rate. The permeability of this limiting cake formed in dynamic conditions is, as in static conditions, controlled by the size and the shape of the particles that form the cake or by the presence of a build loss reducer water soluble polymer. Filtrations carried out on Fontainebleau sandstones allow to visualize the internal cake and to precise the risks of formation damage by the drilling fluid. (author) 127 refs.

Using tracer methods and experimental design approach for examination of hydrodynamic conditions in membrane separation modules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miskiewicz, Agnieszka, E-mail: a.miskiewicz@ichtj.waw.pl [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Dorodna 16, 03-195 Warsaw (Poland); Zakrzewska-Trznadel, Grazyna; Dobrowolski, Andrzej; Jaworska-Sobczak, Agnieszka [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Dorodna 16, 03-195 Warsaw (Poland)

2012-05-15

The possibility of application of fluorescein and radioactive 99mTc as tracers for determination of residence time distribution of liquid phase and for diagnosing hydrodynamic conditions in apparatuses for membrane separation was studied. Two different ultrafiltration systems with diverse arrangement of liquid flow: the apparatus with helical flow generated by the movable element (inner cylinder) and the tubular module with cross flow filtration, were tested by the RTD technique. The tracer studies were supplemented with modelling. The optimal conditions enabling to handle the plug flow-like structure in the helical apparatus were determined. The minimum of dimensionless variance (vard) was obtained at P=0.765 bar, Q{sub R}=121.88 l/h and {Omega}=2887.5 rpm. In spite of higher linear velocities attained in the tubular cross-flow module, the flow structure in the helical apparatus was more similar to the ideal plug flow pattern that was demonstrated by higher Peclet numbers and lower values of the dimensionless variance. Application of movable part and Couette-Taylor flow in the membrane apparatus may balance the advantages coming from high flow rates applied in cross-flow filtration systems minimising formation of the deposit on the membrane surface and reducing membrane fouling. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Application of RTD method with modelling for testing the membrane modules. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The use of generator isotope, as convenient tracer for the membrane modules studies. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Application of RSM with experimental design for testing interactions between parameters. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Assessment of the hydrodynamic conditions in two arrangements of the membrane modules. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Demonstration of the advantage of dynamic filtration over the cross-flow arrangement.

Removal of actinides from dilute waste waters using polymer filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, B.F.; Robison, T.W.; Gibson, R.R.

1995-01-01

More stringent US Department of Energy discharge regulations for waste waters containing radionuclides (30 pCi/L total alpha) require the development of new processes to meet the new discharge limits for actinide metal ions, particularly americium and plutonium, while minimizing waste. We have been investigating a new technology, polymer filtration, that has the potential for effectively meeting these new limits. Traditional technology uses basic iron precipitation which produces large amounts of waste sludge. The new technology is based on using water-soluble chelating polymers with ultrafiltration for physical separation. The actinide metal ions are selectively bound to the polymer and can not pass through the membrane. Small molecules and nonbinding metals pass through the membrane. Advantages of polymer filtration technology compared to ion, exchange include rapid kinetics because the binding is occurring in a homogenous solution and no mechanical strength requirement on the polymer. We will present our results on the systematic development of a new class of water-soluble chelating polymers and their binding ability from dilute acid to near neutral waters

Physical-chemical hydrodynamics of the processes of sorption-membrane technology of LRW treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander D Efanov; Pyotr N Martynov; Yuri D Boltoev; Ivan V Yagodkin; Nataliya G Bogdanovich; Sergey S Skvortsov; Alexander R Sokolovsky; Elena V Ignatova; Gennady V Grigoriev; Vitaly V Grigorov

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Liquid radioactive NPP waste is generated, when radioactive water is collected and mixed from various routine and non-routine process measures being performed in accordance with the operating regulations of reactor units with water coolant. The main sources of LRW are the primary loop water coolant, deactivation, regeneration and rinse waters, waste laundry and showers water producing the initial averaged LRW as well as spent fuel element cooling pond water and water of biological protection tanks. LRW handling can be substantially advanced, in particular, through development and introduction of the non-conventional sorption-membrane technology of NPP LRW treatment, being developed at SSC RF IPPE. This technology makes use of natural inorganic sorbents (tripolite, zeolite, ion-exchange materials) and filtering nano-structured metallic and ceramic membranes (titanium, zirconium, chromium and other or their oxides, carbides and nitrides). The efficiency of the sorption membrane technology is associated just with the investigation of the physical-chemical processes of sorption, coagulation and sedimentation under the conditions of forced and free convection occurring in LRW. Besides, it is necessary to take into consideration that the hydrodynamics of the flows of LRW being decontaminated by membrane filtration depends on the structure and composition of the porous composition pare 'nano-structured membrane-substrate'. Neglecting these peculiarities can result in drastic reduction of the time of stable LRW filtration, reduction of the operability resource of filtration systems or in quick mechanical destruction of porous materials. The paper presents the investigation results on: -the effect of the convection flows being generated by air bubbling or LRW stirring by agitator on the static sorption conditions (sorption time, medium pH, sorbent dispersity, sorbent concentration in liquid medium) and on the efficiency of extraction by

Forward osmosis biomimetic membranes in industrial and environmental applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Henrik Tækker; Søgaard, Erik Gydesen; Bajraktari, Niada

Membrane processes have in recent years found increasing uses in several sectors where separation of one or more components from a solvent, typically water, is required. The most widespread types of membranes are polymeric and pressure driven, but the high pressures that are required results...... consumption and lead to much more stable operations, but is currently limited by the availability of suitable membranes. However, by introducing aquaporin protein channels into a polymeric membrane to make a biomimetic membrane, the vision of both high flux and separation efficiency may be achieved......) a single use filtration module containing a sample reservoir and a biomimetic aquaporin based forward osmosis membrane. 2) a multi-use desktop forward osmosis system containing draw solution mixing, and monitoring devices. The sample is placed in the single use module and the module is then mounted...

Polydopamine/Cysteine surface modified isoporous membranes with self-cleaning properties

KAUST Repository

Shevate, Rahul; Kumar, Mahendra; Karunakaran, Madhavan; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2017-01-01

The major challenge in membrane filtration is fouling which reduces the membrane performance. Fouling is mainly due to the adhesion of foulants on the membrane surfaces. In this work, we studied the fouling behaviour of polystyrene-b-poly(4

Fouling Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter in Papermaking Process Water on Polyethersulfone Ultrafiltration Membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenpeng Su

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In the papermaking industry, closure of process water (whitewater circuits has been used to reduce fresh water consumption. Membrane separation technology has potential for use in treating process water for recirculation. The purpose of this study was to reveal the fouling characteristics of a polyethersulfone (PES ultrafiltration membrane caused by dissolved organic matter (DOM in process water. Ultrafiltration membranes (UF and DAX ion exchange resins were applied to characterize the molecular weight (MW and hydrophilicity distribution of DOM. The interactions between various fractions of DOM and a PES ultrafiltration membrane were investigated. The membrane fouling characteristics were elucidated by examining the filtration resistances and linearized Herman’s blocking models. The results demonstrated that the membrane was fouled significantly by much of the MW distribution. The membrane was fouled more significantly by the low MW fraction rather than the high MW fraction. The filtration resistances and the fitted equation of Hermia’s laws indicated that hydrophilic organics were the main foulants. The hydrophilic organics partially block the membrane pores and form intermediate blocking, reducing the effective filtration area, while the hydrophobic organics form a gel layer or cake on the surface of the membrane.

The application of ceramic membranes for treating effluent water from closed-circuit fish farming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bonisławska Małgorzata

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to analyze and assess the possibility of using a two-stage filtration system with ceramic membranes: a 3-tube module with 1.0 kDa cut-off (1st stage and a one-tube module with 0.45 kDa cut-off (2nd stage for treating effluent water from a juvenile African catfish aquaculture. The study revealed that during the 1st filtration stage of the effluent water, the highest degrees of retention were obtained with respect to: suspended solids SS (rejection coefficient RI=100%, turbidity (RI=99.40%, total iron (RI=89.20%, BOD5 (RI=76.0%, nitrite nitrogen (RI=62.30%, and CODCr (RI=41.74%. The 2nd filtration stage resulted in a lower reduction degree of the tested indicators in comparison to the 1st filtration stage. At the 2nd stage, the highest values of the rejection coefficient were noted in for the total iron content (RIV=100%, CODCr (RIV=59.52%; RV=64.28%, RVI=63.49% and turbidity (RIV and RV = 45.0%, RVI=50.0%. The obtained results indicate that ceramic membranes (with 1.0 and 0.45 kDa cut-offs may be used in recirculation aquaculture systems as one of the stages of effluent water treatment.

A comparative study of the safety and efficacy effect of 5-fluorouracil or mitomycin C mounted biological delivery membranes in a rabbit model of glaucoma filtration surgery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu ZH

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Zhihong Wu,1 Shuning Li,2 Ningli Wang,2 Wanshun Liu,3 Wen Liu3 1General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China 3Ocean University of China, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China Purpose: To investigate the potential usage of biological delivery membranes containing mitomycin C (MMC or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU in the construction of glaucoma-filtering blebs, and to evaluate their safety and efficacy. Methods: Chitosan was selected as the biological membrane carrier to prepare sustained-released membranes. Twelve micrograms of 5-FU or MMC was covalently conjugated onto the membranes by solvent volatilization. Rabbits underwent glaucoma filtration surgery and were randomly allocated into one of the four treatment regimens: glaucoma filtration operation with no implantation of chitosan membrane group (as control, drug-free chitosan membrane implantation group (blank/placebo group, membrane containing 5-FU treatment group (5-FU group, and membrane containing MMC treatment group (MMC group. Each group consisted of 12 rabbits. Intraocular pressure (IOP was measured and evaluated over a 28-day period follow-up preoperatively, then after surgery on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 by Tono-Pen. The aqueous humor was analyzed in each experimental and control groups at days 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 20 after operation. Bleb survival and anterior segment were examined with a slit lamp microscope and photographed simultaneously. Two rabbits from each group were killed on day 28 and eight eye samples obtained for histopathological study. Corneas and lenses were examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Results: Both 5-FU and MMC significantly prolonged bleb survival compared with control groups. The filtering bleb’s survival period was significantly more prolonged in the MMC and 5-FU groups (maintained 14 days than the

Treatment of exhausted tannin liquors of the leather industry by nano filtration; Tratamiento por nanofiltracion de los licores agotados de taninos en la industria del curtido

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adzet, J.; Buonomenna, M. G.; Cassano, A.; Drioli, E.; Molineri, R.

2002-07-01

The use of a nano filtration process is described in order to rationalize the vegetable tonnage step in leather industry through the recovery of tannins from the exhausted baths and their reuse as tanning agents. The results obtained on pilot scale using a membrane module, identified after a screening of various nano filtration membranes, the operating and fluid-dynamic conditions and the mass balance of the nano filtration process are reported and discussed. Skins treated with the recovered solutions revealed chemical and physical parameters very similar to those measured on control skins tanned with standard solutions. According to the obtained results, it is possible to suggest a process scheme that, starting from the exhausted tanning baths, through a nano filtration membrane purification/concentration, permits to increase the tannin/non tannin ratio of the retentate solution. Advantages are in terms of: reduction of environmental impact, simplification of cleaning-up processes of wastewaters, decrease of disposal costs, saving of chemicals and water. (Author)

An Innovative Optical Sensor for the Online Monitoring and Control of Biomass Concentration in a Membrane Bioreactor System for Lactic Acid Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong Fan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Accurate real-time process control is necessary to increase process efficiency, and optical sensors offer a competitive solution because they provide diverse system information in a noninvasive manner. We used an innovative scattered light sensor for the online monitoring of biomass during lactic acid production in a membrane bioreactor system because biomass determines productivity in this type of process. The upper limit of the measurement range in fermentation broth containing Bacillus coagulans was ~2.2 g·L−1. The specific cell growth rate (µ during the exponential phase was calculated using data representing the linear range (cell density ≤ 0.5 g·L−1. The results were consistently and reproducibly more accurate than offline measurements of optical density and cell dry weight, because more data were gathered in real-time over a shorter duration. Furthermore, µmax was measured under different filtration conditions (transmembrane pressure 0.3–1.2 bar, crossflow velocity 0.5–1.5 m·s−1, showing that energy input had no significant impact on cell growth. Cell density was monitored using the sensor during filtration and was maintained at a constant level by feeding with glucose according to the fermentation kinetics. Our novel sensor is therefore suitable for integration into control strategies for continuous fermentation in membrane bioreactor systems.

Membrane fouling mechanism transition in relation to feed water composition

KAUST Repository

Myat, Darli Theint; Mergen, Max R D; Zhao, Oliver; Stewart, Matthew B.; Orbell, John D.; Merle, Tony; Croue, Jean-Philippe; Gray, Stephen R.

2014-01-01

on hydrophobic PP membrane occurred during the first 24h of filtration and contributed to fouling for both raw wastewater and pre-treated wastewaters. However, after the first 24h of filtration the contribution of humic substances to fouling diminished

Aerosol filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

First, M.W.; Gilbert, H.

1981-01-01

Significant developments in high efficiency filtration for nuclear applications are reviewed for the period 1968 to 1980. Topics of special interest include factory (bench) and in-place test methods, new developments in paper and filter unit construction methods, vented containment air cleaning systems for LMFBR and light water moderated reactors, and decontamination of offgases from nuclear waste volume reduction processes. It is noted that standards development has been vigorously pursued during this period but that advances in filtration theory have been few. One of the significant changes likely to occur in the immediate future is adoption of the European style of HEPA filters for those that have been in service for the past three decades to obtain the benefits of having almost twice as much filter paper in the same filter cartridge. 71 references

Enhanced permeability, selectivity, and antifouling ability of CNTs/Al2O3 membrane under electrochemical assistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xinfei; Zhao, Huimin; Liu, Yanming; Quan, Xie; Yu, Hongtao; Chen, Shuo

2015-02-17

Membrane filtration provides effective solutions for removing contaminants, but achieving high permeability, good selectivity, and antifouling ability remains a great challenge for existing membrane filtration technologies. In this work, membrane filtration coupled with electrochemistry has been developed to enhance the filtration performance of a CNTs/Al2O3 membrane. The as-prepared CNTs/Al2O3 membrane, obtained by coating interconnected CNTs on an Al2O3 substrate, presented good pore-size tunability, mechanical stability, and electroconductivity. For the removal of a target (silica spheres as a probe) with a size comparable to the membrane pore size, the removal efficiency and flux at +1.5 V were 1.1 and 1.5 times higher, respectively, than those without electrochemical assistance. Moreover, the membrane also exhibited a greatly enhanced removal efficiency for contaminants smaller than the membrane pores, providing enhancements of 4 orders of magnitude and a factor of 5.7 for latex particles and phenol, respectively. These results indicated that both the permeability and the selectivity of CNTs/Al2O3 membranes can be significantly improved by electrochemical assistance, which was further confirmed by the removal of natural organic matter (NOM). The permeate flux and NOM removal efficiency at +1.5 V were about 1.6 and 3.0 times higher, respectively, than those without electrochemical assistance. In addition, the lost flux of the fouled membrane was almost completely recovered by an electrochemically assisted backwashing process.

Membrane processes for the reuse of car washing wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deniz Uçar

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This study investigates alternative treatments of car wash effluents. The car wash wastewater was treated by settling, filtration, and membrane filtration processes. During settling, total solid concentration decreased rapidly within the first 2 hours and then remained constant. Chemical oxygen demand (COD and conductivity were decreased by 10% and 4%, respectively. After settling, wastewater was filtered throughout a 100 μm filter. It was found that filtration had a negligible effect on COD removal. Finally, wastewater was filtered by four ultrafiltration membranes of varying molecular weight cutoff (MWCO (1, 5, 10 and 50 kDa and one nanofiltration membrane (NF270, MWCO = 200–400 Da. The permeate COD concentrations varied between 64.5 ± 3.2 and 85.5 ± 4.3 mg L−1 depending on UF pore size. When the NF270 nanofiltration membrane was used, the permeate COD concentration was 8.1 ± 0.4 mg L−1 corresponding to 97% removal. FeCl3 precipitation and activated carbon adsorption techniques were also applied to the retentate and 60–76% COD removals were obtained for activated carbon adsorption and FeCl3 precipitation, respectively.

Magnetic-seeding filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ying, T.Y.; Chin, C.J.; Lu, S.C.; Yiacoumi, S.

1997-10-01

Magnetic-seeding filtration consists of two steps: heterogeneous particle flocculation of magnetic and nonmagnetic particles in a stirred tank and high-gradient magnetic filtration (HGMF). The effects of various parameters affecting magnetic-seeding filtration (HGMF). The effects of various parameters affecting magnetic seeding filtration are theoretically and experimentally investigated. A trajectory model that includes hydrodynamic resistance, van der Waals, and electrostatic forces is developed to calculate the flocculation frequency in a turbulent-shear regime. Fractal dimension is introduced to simulate the open structure of aggregates. A magnetic-filtration model that consists of trajectory analysis, a particle build-up model, a breakthrough model, and a bivariate population-balance model is developed to predict the breakthrough curve of magnetic-seeding filtration. A good agreement between modeling results and experimental data is obtained. The results show that the model developed in this study can be used to predict the performance of magnetic-seeding filtration without using empirical coefficients or fitting parameters. 35 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

Application of Cross-Flow Filtration Technique in Purification and Concentration of Juice from Vietnamese Fruits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huynh Cang Mai

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This study is to offer a 1st insight in the use of membrane process for the purification and concentration of Vietnamese fruit juices: cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale Line., dragon fruit (Cactus hémiépiphytes, pineapple (Ananas comosus, pomelo (Citrus grandis L., and gac aril oil (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.. On a laboratory scale, the effect of different operating parameters such as trans-membrane pressures (TMP, temperature and membrane pore sizes on permeate flux was determined in order to optimize process conditions that would ensure acceptable flux with adequate juice quality. The quality of the samples coming from the ultrafiltration (UF process was evaluated in terms of: total soluble solids (TSS, suspended solids (SS, and vitamin C. For example, the purification process of cashew apple juice by cross-flow filtration was optimized at 0.5 μm membrane pore size, 2.5 bars TMP, and 60 min filtration time. Besides, this technique was applied to enhance carotenoids concentration from gac oil. Optimum conditions for a high permeate flux and a good carotenoids retention are 5 nm, 2 bars, and 40 °C of membrane pore size, TMP, and temperature, respectively. Carotenoids were concentrated higher than that in feeding oil.

Mass transfer in corrugated-plate membrane modules. I. Hyperfiltration experiments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Waal, M.J.; Racz, I.G.

1989-01-01

The application of corrugations as turbulence promoters in membrane filtration was studied. This study showed that it is possible to deform an originally flat membrane to a corrugated shape without damaging it. In hyperfiltration experiments using corrugated cellulose acetate membranes it was found

Mass transfer in corrugated-plate membrane modules. II. Ultrafiltration experiments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Waal, M.J.; Stevanovic, S.; Racz, I.G.

1989-01-01

The application of corrugations as turbulence promoters in membrane filtration was studied. In ultrafiltration experiments with polysulfone membranes using Dextran T70 as solute, it was found that the corrugations result in reduced energy consumption or pressure drop compared with flat membranes at

Membrane technology for treating of waste nanofluids coolant: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Mohruni, Amrifan Saladin; Yuliwati, Erna; Sharif, Safian; Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi

2017-09-01

The treatment of cutting fluids wastes concerns a big number of industries, especially from the machining operations to foster environmental sustainability. Discharging cutting fluids, waste through separation technique could protect the environment and also human health in general. Several methods for the separation emulsified oils or oily wastewater have been proposed as three common methods, namely chemical, physicochemical and mechanical and membrane technology application. Membranes are used into separate and concentrate the pollutants in oily wastewater through its perm-selectivity. Meanwhile, the desire to compensate for the shortcomings of the cutting fluid media in a metal cutting operation led to introduce the using of nanofluids (NFs) in the minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) technique. NFs are prepared based on nanofluids technology by dispersing nanoparticles (NPs) in liquids. These fluids have potentially played to enhance the performance of traditional heat transfer fluids. Few researchers have studied investigation of the physical-chemical, thermo-physical and heat transfer characteristics of NFs for heat transfer applications. The use of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technique by NFs application is developed in many metal cutting operations. MQL did not only serve as a better alternative to flood cooling during machining operation and also increases better-finished surface, reduces impact loads on the environment and fosters environmental sustainability. Waste coolant filtration from cutting tools using membrane was treated by the pretreated process, coagulation technique and membrane filtration. Nanomaterials are also applied to modify the membrane structure and morphology. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is the better choice in coolant wastewater treatment due to its hydrophobicity. Using of polyamide nanofiltration membranes BM-20D and UF-PS-100-100, 000, it resulted in the increase of permeability of waste coolant filtration. Titanium dioxide

Biological black water treatment combined with membrane separation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Voorthuizen, E.M.; Zwijnenburg, A.; van der Meer, Walterus Gijsbertus Joseph; Temmink, Hardy

2008-01-01

Separate treatment of black (toilet) water offers the possibility to recover energy and nutrients. In this study three combinations of biological treatment and membrane filtration were compared for their biological and membrane performance and nutrient conservation: a UASB followed by effluent

Membrane filtration of olive mill wastewater and exploitation of its fractions.

Science.gov (United States)

Paraskeva, C A; Papadakis, V G; Kanellopoulou, D G; Koutsoukos, P G; Angelopoulos, K C

2007-04-01

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) produced from small units scattered in rural areas of Southern Europe is a major source of pollution of surface and subsurface water. In the present work, a treatment scheme based on physical separation methods is presented. The investigation was carried out using a pilot-plant unit equipped with ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis membranes. Approximately 80% of the total volume of wastewater treated by the membrane units was sufficiently cleaned to meet the standards for irrigation water. The concentrated fractions collected in the treatment concentrates were characterized by high organic load and high content of phenolic compounds. The concentrates were tested in hydroponic systems to examine their toxicity towards undesired herbs. The calculations of the cost of the overall process showed that fixed and operational costs could be recovered from the exploitation of OMW byproducts as water for irrigation and/or as bioherbicides.

Fluorescent sensor systems based on nanostructured polymeric membranes for selective recognition of Aflatoxin B1.

Science.gov (United States)

Sergeyeva, Tetyana; Yarynka, Daria; Piletska, Elena; Lynnik, Rostyslav; Zaporozhets, Olga; Brovko, Oleksandr; Piletsky, Sergey; El'skaya, Anna

2017-12-01

Nanostructured polymeric membranes for selective recognition of aflatoxin B1 were synthesized in situ and used as highly sensitive recognition elements in the developed fluorescent sensor. Artificial binding sites capable of selective recognition of aflatoxin B1 were formed in the structure of the polymeric membranes using the method of molecular imprinting. A composition of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membranes was optimized using the method of computational modeling. The MIP membranes were synthesized using the non-toxic close structural analogue of aflatoxin B1, ethyl-2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate as a dummy template. The MIP membranes with the optimized composition demonstrated extremely high selectivity towards aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Negligible binding of close structural analogues of AFB1 - aflatoxins B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G2 (AFG2), and ochratoxin A (OTA) was demonstrated. Binding of AFB1 by the MIP membranes was investigated as a function of both type and concentration of the functional monomer in the initial monomer composition used for the membranes' synthesis, as well as sample composition. The conditions of the solid-phase extraction of the mycotoxin using the MIP membrane as a stationary phase (pH, ionic strength, buffer concentration, volume of the solution, ratio between water and organic solvent, filtration rate) were optimized. The fluorescent sensor system based on the optimized MIP membranes provided a possibility of AFB1 detection within the range 14-500ngmL -1 demonstrating detection limit (3Ϭ) of 14ngmL -1 . The developed technique was successfully applied for the analysis of model solutions and waste waters from bread-making plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlations of filtration flux enhanced by electric fields in crossflow microfiltration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okada, K.; Nagase, Y. [Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, Okayama (Japan). Department of Chemical Technology; Ohnishi, Y.; Nishihan, A.; Akagi, Y. [Okayama University of Science, Okayama (Japan). Department of Applied Chemistry

1997-12-01

The steady state filtration flux in electrically-enhanced crossflow microfiltration is estimated using a correlation equation proposed for several kinds of suspensions. Baker`s yeast and Rhodotorula glutinis were used as model samples of microbial cells, and PMMA particles were used as samples of non-living solids. Application of the electric field in crossflow microfiltration is a useful method for improving the filtration flux of these samples. High flux levels for the cells were achieved when an electric field above 3000 V/m was applied. The effect of the electric field in increasing the filtration flux of the steady state was analyzed theoretically using a force balance model where the viscous drag force, F{sub J}, the electrophoretic force, F{sub E}, and the re-entraining force, F{sub B}, were considered to act on a particle on the membrane surface under a steady state of filtration, respectively. From force balance analysis, it is found that on application of an electric field, the electro-osmotic effect can be neglected in the present study, so that the filtration flux of the steady state, J{sub ES}, can be presented by, J{sub ES}=U{sub EP}E+J{sub OS} where U{sub EP} is the electrophoretic mobility of particles and E is the electric field applied. J{sub OS} is the filtration flux in the absence of an electric field, which is correlated with the operating parameters for suspensions tested. 22 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.

Comparative Study on Performance and Organic Fouling of ZrO2 Ceramic Membranes in Ultrafiltration of Synthetic Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent

KAUST Repository

Li, Cen

2011-07-01

Adsorption of organic matter on ceramic membrane can lead to hydraulic-irreversible fouling, which decreases the permeate flux and the cost-efficiency of membrane devices. In order to optimize the filtration process, detailed information is necessary about the organic fouling mechanisms on ceramic membranes. In this study, dead-end filtration experiments of both synthetic water and secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were conducted on a ZrO2 ceramic membrane. The experiment results of synthetic water showed that humic acid (HA) was able to be adsorbed by the ZrO2 membrane and cause permeate flux decline; and that HA-tryptophan mixture, at the same DOC level, promoted the filtration flux decline; DOC removal in the case of HA-tryptophan was lower than that of HA alone. It seems that hydrophilic organic matter with low molecular weight have some specific contribution to the organic fouling of the ZrO2 membrane. The results also suggest that tryptophan molecules were preferentially adsorbed on the membrane at the beginning, exposing their hydrophobic sides which might further adsorb HA from the feed water. During the filtration of WWTP effluent, protein-like substances (mainly tryptophan-like) were also preferentially adsorbed on the membrane compared with humic-like ones in the initial few cycles of filtration. More humic-like substances were adsorbed in the following filtration cycles due to the increase of membrane hydrophobicity. A significant rise in hydraulic-irreversible flux decline was obtained by decreasing pH from near pHpzc to below pHpzc of the membrane. It suggests that a positively charged surface is preferred for HA adsorption. Ionic strength increase did not affect the filtration of HA, but it lessened the hydraulic-irreversible flux decline of HA-tryptophan filtration. The adsorption of HA-tryptophan can be attributed to outersphere interaction while HA adsorption is mainly caused by inner-sphere interaction. The results of

Use of ultra-filtration in organic-rich groundwater for the physical separation of thorium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singhal, R.K.; Basu, H.; Pimple, M.V.; Manisha, V.; Bassan, M.K.T.; Reddy, A.V.R.

2014-01-01

During this work, size fractionation technique 'ultra filtration' is used in physical speciation of thorium in organic rich groundwater. Laboratory simulated experiments were carried out to study the physical speciation of thorium in aquatic environment having elevated level of dissolved humus material classified as dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Samples were collected from organic rich environment having DOC in the range of 50-60 μg mL -1 . Th(IV) ions are extremely particle reactive having K d value of the order of 105-6, hence to avoid adsorption on suspended particulate matter, spiking of the solution with Th(NO 3 )4 was carried out in ground water samples after filtering through 450 nm pore size using suction filtration. Particles in dissolved state (colloids) ranging between 220 nm were separated using suction filtration assembly having a membrane with a pore diameter of 220 nm. Thereafter, solution was sequentially passed through the ultra-filtration membranes having pore diameters of 14 nm [300 k NMWL (nominal molecular weight limit)], 3.1 nm (50 k NMWL), 2.2 nm (30 k NMWL), 1.6 nm (10 k NMWL) and 1.1 nm (0.5 k NMWL) by using 'Stirred Ultra-filtration Cells', operating in concentration mode. Thorium has only one stable oxidation state i.e. IV, under all redox conditions in natural waters and therefore, its speciation is dominated by its interaction with various fractions of DOC. Experimental results show 50-60 % of the spiked Th is in association with fraction enriched with particles of 10 k NMWL (1.6 nm) followed by fraction enriched with particle of 0.5 k NMWL and <220 nm. (author)

Study on the Matching Relationship between Polymer Hydrodynamic Characteristic Size and Pore Throat Radius of Target Block S Based on the Microporous Membrane Filtration Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Yiqiang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of the hydrodynamic characteristic size of polymer was proposed in this study, to characterize the size of aggregates of many polymer molecules in the polymer percolation process. The hydrodynamic characteristic sizes of polymers used in the target block S were examined by employing microporous membrane filtration method, and the factors were studied. Natural core flow experiments were conducted in order to set up the flow matching relationship plate. According to the flow matching plate, the relationship between the hydrodynamic characteristic size of polymer and pore throat radius obtained from core mercury injection data was found. And several suitable polymers for different reservoirs permeability were given. The experimental results of microporous membrane filtration indicated that the hydrodynamic characteristic size of polymer maintained a good nonlinear relationship with polymer viscosity; the value increased as the molecular weight and concentration of the polymer increased and increased as the salinity of dilution water decreased. Additionally, the hydrodynamic characteristic size decreased as the pressure increased, so the hydrodynamic characteristic size ought to be determined based on the pressure of the target block. In the core flow studies, good matching of polymer and formation was identified as polymer flow pressure gradient lower than the fracture pressure gradient of formation. In this case, good matching that was the pore throat radius should be larger than 10 times the hydrodynamic characteristic size of polymer in this study. Using relationship, more matching relationship between the hydrodynamic characteristic sizes of polymer solutions and the pore throat radius of target block was determined.

Detection of serum anti-sperm antibody in infertile couples with dot-immunogold filtration assay (DIGFA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Xiaoxian

2005-01-01

Objective: To develop a new method for rapid detection of serum anti-sperm antibody in infertile couples. Methods: Human sperm antigen was prepared from pooled semen specimens of fertile males. Nitro-cellulose membrane was used as solid-phase carrier of the antigen. Colloidal gold pellet combined goat anti-human IgG was taken as labelled antibody. A dot-immunogold filtration assay system was established for test of serum anti-human sperm antibody. Serum specimens from 137 infertile couples were tested and the result compared with flat from ELISA. Results: The human sperm antigen would react with the anti-sperm antibody in the tested serum over the cellulose membrane through filtration and the result could be read with naked eye within 6 minutes. In this study of 137 infertile coupled, the anti-sperm antibody was positive in 21.9% of the female serum specimens and 13.19% of the males. Compared with the result from ELISA, the consistency rate was 96.1%. The sensitivity of the assay was 90.2% and specificity was 95.4%. The p reparation was stable after 6 months refrigerator storage. Conclusion: This newly developed DIGFA is very adequate for rap id detection of anti-sperm antibody and deserves popularization. (authors)

Membrane processes for the reuse of car washing wastewater

OpenAIRE

Deniz Uçar

2018-01-01

This study investigates alternative treatments of car wash effluents. The car wash wastewater was treated by settling, filtration, and membrane filtration processes. During settling, total solid concentration decreased rapidly within the first 2 hours and then remained constant. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and conductivity were decreased by 10% and 4%, respectively. After settling, wastewater was filtered throughout a 100 μm filter. It was found that filtration had a negligible effect on COD...

New membranes made of sintered clay application to crossflow ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The new mineral membranes made of sintered clay are performed and characterized in terms of porosity, hydraulic resistance, pore diameter and mechanical resistance. It is shown that these membranes can be used as microfiltration membrane. The variations of the filtrate flux as a function of time are measured during the ...

Protein fouling in carbon nanotubes enhanced ultrafiltration membrane: Fouling mechanism as a function of pH and ionic strength

KAUST Repository

Lee, Jieun; Jeong, Sanghyun; Ye, Yun; Chen, Vicki; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu; Leiknes, TorOve; Liu, Zongwen

2016-01-01

The protein fouling behavior was investigated in the filtration of the multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite membrane and commercial polyethersulfone ultrafiltration (PES-UF) membrane. The effect of solution chemistry such as pH and ionic strength on the protein fouling mechanism was systematically examined using filtration model such as complete pore blocking, intermediate pore blocking and cake layer formation. The results showed that the initial permeate flux pattern and fouling behavior of the MWCNT composite membrane were significantly influenced by pH and ionic strength while the effect of PES-UF membrane on flux was minimal. In a lysozyme (Lys) filtration, the severe pore blocking in the MWCNT membrane was made by the combined effect of intra-foulant interaction (Lys-Lys) and electrostatic repulsion between the membrane surface and the foulant at pH 4.7 and 10.4, and increasing ionic strength where the foulant-foulant interaction and membrane-fouling interaction were weak. In a bovine serum albumin (BSA) filtration, severe pore blocking was reduced by less deposition via the electrostatic interaction between the membrane and foulant at pH 4.7 and 10.4 and increasing ionic strength, at which the interaction between the membrane and BSA became weak. For binary mixture filtration, the protein fouling mechanism was more dominantly affected by foulant-foulant interaction (Lys-BSA, Lys-Lys, and BSA-BSA) at pH 7.0 and increase in ionic strength. This research demonstrates that MWCNT membrane fouling can be alleviated by changing pH condition and ionic strength based on the foulant-foulant interaction and the electrostatic interaction between the membrane and foulant.

Protein fouling in carbon nanotubes enhanced ultrafiltration membrane: Fouling mechanism as a function of pH and ionic strength

KAUST Repository

Lee, Jieun

2016-11-04

The protein fouling behavior was investigated in the filtration of the multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite membrane and commercial polyethersulfone ultrafiltration (PES-UF) membrane. The effect of solution chemistry such as pH and ionic strength on the protein fouling mechanism was systematically examined using filtration model such as complete pore blocking, intermediate pore blocking and cake layer formation. The results showed that the initial permeate flux pattern and fouling behavior of the MWCNT composite membrane were significantly influenced by pH and ionic strength while the effect of PES-UF membrane on flux was minimal. In a lysozyme (Lys) filtration, the severe pore blocking in the MWCNT membrane was made by the combined effect of intra-foulant interaction (Lys-Lys) and electrostatic repulsion between the membrane surface and the foulant at pH 4.7 and 10.4, and increasing ionic strength where the foulant-foulant interaction and membrane-fouling interaction were weak. In a bovine serum albumin (BSA) filtration, severe pore blocking was reduced by less deposition via the electrostatic interaction between the membrane and foulant at pH 4.7 and 10.4 and increasing ionic strength, at which the interaction between the membrane and BSA became weak. For binary mixture filtration, the protein fouling mechanism was more dominantly affected by foulant-foulant interaction (Lys-BSA, Lys-Lys, and BSA-BSA) at pH 7.0 and increase in ionic strength. This research demonstrates that MWCNT membrane fouling can be alleviated by changing pH condition and ionic strength based on the foulant-foulant interaction and the electrostatic interaction between the membrane and foulant.

Modeling and optimization of membrane lifetime in dead-end ultra filtration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zondervan, E.; Roffel, B.

2008-01-01

In this paper, a membrane lifetime model is developed and experimentally validated. The lifetime model is based on the Weibull probability density function. The lifetime model can be used to determine an unambiguous characteristic membrane lifetime. Experimental results showed that membrane lifetime

Recovery of real dye bath wastewater using integrated membrane process: considering water recovery, membrane fouling and reuse potential of membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Balcik-Canbolat, Cigdem; Sengezer, Cisel; Sakar, Hacer; Karagunduz, Ahmet; Keskinler, Bulent

2017-11-01

It has been recognized by the whole world that textile industry which produce large amounts of wastewater with strong color and toxic organic compounds is a major problematical industry requiring effective treatment solutions. In this study, reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were tested on biologically treated real dye bath wastewater with and without pretreatment by nanofiltration (NF) membrane to recovery. Also membrane fouling and reuse potential of membranes were investigated by multiple filtrations. Obtained results showed that only NF is not suitable to produce enough quality to reuse the wastewater in a textile industry as process water while RO provide successfully enough permeate quality. The results recommend that integrated NF/RO membrane process is able to reduce membrane fouling and allow long-term operation for real dye bath wastewater.

Aerosol filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

First, M.W.; Gilbert, H.

1982-01-01

Significant developments in high-efficiency filtration for nuclear applications are reviewed for the period 1968 to 1980. Topics of special interest include (1) factory (bench) and in-place test methods, (2) new developments in paper and filter unit construction methods, (3) vented containment air cleaning systems for liquid-metal fast breeder reactors and light-water-moderated reactors, and (4) decontamination of off-gases from nuclear waste volume-reduction processes. Standards development has been vigorously pursued during this period, but advances in filtration theory have been few. One of the significant changes likely to occur in the immediate future is adoption of the European style of high-efficiency particulate air filters instead of those which have been in service for the past three decades to obtain the benefits of having almost twice as much filter paper in the same filter cartridge

Preparation of conductive membranes using poly pyrrole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madaeni, S.; Khavaran, B.

2003-01-01

Conductive membranes show many benefits including fouling reduction for feeds containing ionic species. These membranes may be prepared either by conductive polymers or coating of the surfaces of non-conductive membranes with conductive polymer. In this research, the commercial micro filtration GVHP membrane manufactured from PVDF was coated with poly pyrrole using two different techniques. The conductivity of the prepared membranes was measured. In this paper, effects of various factors including concentration of the solutions, oxidizing agents, time for leaving the support in the solutions, support type and temperature on membrane conductivity were investigated

Fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in conventional and membrane bioreactor wastewater treatment plants and by riverbank filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrovic, Mira; de Alda, Maria Jose Lopez; Diaz-Cruz, Silvia; Postigo, Cristina; Radjenovic, Jelena; Gros, Meritxell; Barcelo, Damià

2009-10-13

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and drugs of abuse (DAs) are two important groups of emerging environmental contaminants that have raised an increasing interest in the scientific community. A number of studies revealed their presence in the environment. This is mainly due to the fact that some compounds are not efficiently removed during wastewater treatment processes, being able to reach surface and groundwater and subsequently, drinking waters. This paper reviews the data regarding the levels of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs detected in wastewaters and gives an overview of their removal by conventional treatment technologies (applying activated sludge) as well as advanced treatments such as membrane bioreactor. The paper also gives an overview of bank filtration practices at managed aquifer recharge sites and discusses the potential of this approach to mitigate the contamination by PhACs and DAs.

design of ceramic membrane supports: permeability, tensile strength and stress

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Biesheuvel, Pieter Maarten; Biesheuvel, P.M.; Verweij, H.

1999-01-01

A membrane support provides mechanical strength to a membrane top layer to withstand the stress induced by the pressure difference applied over the entire membrane and must simultaneously have a low resistance to the filtrate flow. In this paper an experimental and a theoretical approach toward the

Operation of staged membrane oxidation reactor systems

Science.gov (United States)

Repasky, John Michael

2012-10-16

A method of operating a multi-stage ion transport membrane oxidation system. The method comprises providing a multi-stage ion transport membrane oxidation system with at least a first membrane oxidation stage and a second membrane oxidation stage, operating the ion transport membrane oxidation system at operating conditions including a characteristic temperature of the first membrane oxidation stage and a characteristic temperature of the second membrane oxidation stage; and controlling the production capacity and/or the product quality by changing the characteristic temperature of the first membrane oxidation stage and/or changing the characteristic temperature of the second membrane oxidation stage.

TECHNICAL BASIS DOCUMENT FOR VENTILATION SYSTEM FILTRATION FAILURE LEADING TO AN UNFILTERED RELEASE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

KOZLOWSKI, S.D.

2005-01-06

This document analyzed three scenarios involving failures of HEPA filtration systems leading to releases from liquid waste tanks. The scenarios are failure due to high temperature (fire), overpressure (filter blowout), and unfiltered release due to filter failure, improper installation. etc.

Innovative hybrid biological reactors using membranes; Reactores biologico hibrido innovadores utilizando membranas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diez, R.; Esteban-Garcia, A. L.; Florio, L. de; Rodriguez-Hernandez, L.; Tejero, I.

2011-07-01

In this paper we present two lines of research on hybrid reactors including the use of membranes, although with different functions: RBPM, biofilm reactors and membranes filtration RBSOM, supported biofilm reactors and oxygen membranes. (Author) 14 refs.

Thermophillic Sidestream Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors: The Shear Rate Dilemma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jeison, D.A.; Telkamp, P.; Lier, van J.B.

2009-01-01

Anaerobic biomass retention under thermophilic conditions has proven difficult. Membrane filtration can be used as alternative way to achieve high sludge concentrations. This research studied the feasibility of anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) under thermophilic conditions. A sidestream MBR

Fabrication of high flux and antifouling mixed matrix fumarate-alumoxane/PAN membranes via electrospinning for application in membrane bioreactors

Science.gov (United States)

Moradi, Golshan; Zinadini, Sirus; Rajabi, Laleh; Dadari, Soheil

2018-01-01

The nanofibrous Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes embedded with fumarate-alumoxane (Fum-A) nanoparticles were prepared via electrospinning technique as high flux and antifouling membranes for membrane bioreactor (MBR) applications. The effect of Fum-A nanoparticles on membrane morphology, surface hydrophilicity, pure water flux, effluent turbidity and the antifouling property was investigated. Fum-A is a carboxylate-alumoxane nanoparticle covered by extra hydroxyl and carboxylate groups on its surface. By embedding Fum-A nanoparticles into the spinning solution, the surface hydrophilicity and pure water flux of the resulted membranes were improved. The smooth surface of fibers at the low amount of nanoparticles and the agglomeration of nanoparticles at their high concentration were shown in SEM images of the membranes surface. The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of the prepared Fum-A/PAN membrane confirmed the presence of carboxylate and hydroxyl functional groups of Fum-A nanoparticles on the surface of the Fum-A nanoparticles containing membrane. The results obtained from the filtration of activated sludge suspension revealed that by addition of a low amount of Fum-A nanoparticles, the irreversible fouling was significantly decreased due to the higher hydrophilicity. The Fum-A/PAN membranes showed superior permeate flux and antifouling properties compared to bare electrospun PAN membrane. Finally, 2 wt.% Fum-A/PAN membrane exhibited the highest FRR of 96% and the lowest irreversible fouling of 4% with excellent durability of antifouling property during twenty repeated activated sludge filtrations.

Effect of granular activated carbon addition on the effluent properties and fouling potentials of membrane-coupled expanded granular sludge bed process.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, An; Liang, Heng; Qu, Fangshu; Bai, Langming; Li, Guibai; Ngo, Huu Hao; Guo, Wenshan

2014-11-01

To mitigate membrane fouling of membrane-coupled anaerobic process, granular activated carbon (GAC: 50 g/L) was added into an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB). A short-term ultrafiltration test was investigated for analyzing membrane fouling potential and underlying fouling mechanisms. The results showed that adding GAC into the EGSB not only improved the COD removal efficiency, but also alleviated membrane fouling efficiently because GAC could help to reduce soluble microbial products, polysaccharides and proteins by 26.8%, 27.8% and 24.7%, respectively, compared with the control system. Furthermore, excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy analysis revealed that GAC addition mainly reduced tryptophan protein-like, aromatic protein-like and fulvic-like substances. In addition, the resistance distribution analysis demonstrated that adding GAC primarily decreased the cake layer resistance by 53.5%. The classic filtration mode analysis showed that cake filtration was the major fouling mechanism for membrane-coupled EGSB process regardless of the GAC addition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A study on ion microporous membrane and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Hongying; Huang Zhengde

2002-01-01

The author depicted the physical, chemical character and the applied fields of ion microporous membrane. The technological procedure of making ion microporous membrane, applications in microporous counter-feinting trademark by heavy ion imaging and medical filtrater in authors' institute were stated

Composite membrane with integral rim

Science.gov (United States)

Routkevitch, Dmitri; Polyakov, Oleg G

2015-01-27

Composite membranes that are adapted for separation, purification, filtration, analysis, reaction and sensing. The composite membranes can include a porous support structure having elongate pore channels extending through the support structure. The composite membrane also includes an active layer comprising an active layer material, where the active layer material is completely disposed within the pore channels between the surfaces of the support structure. The active layer is intimately integrated within the support structure, thus enabling great robustness, reliability, resistance to mechanical stress and thermal cycling, and high selectivity. Methods for the fabrication of composite membranes are also provided.

Hydrodynamic effects of air sparging on hollow fiber membranes in a bubble column reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Lijun; Law, Adrian Wing-Keung; Fane, Anthony G

2013-07-01

controlled with even smaller superficial air velocity than the optimal value provided by a single air stone. Finally, the testing results with both inorganic and organic feeds showed that the solid particle composition and particle size distribution all contribute to the cake formation in a membrane filtration system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purification non-aqueous solution of quantum dots CdSe- CdS-ZnS from excess organic substance-stabilizer by use PE- HD membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Kosolapova, K.; Al-Alwani, A.; Gorbachev, I.; Glukhovskoy, E.

2015-11-01

Recently, a new simple method for the purification of CdSe-CdS-ZnS quantum dots by using membrane filtration, the filtration process, successfully separated the oleic acid from quantum dots through membranes purification after synthesis; purification of quantum dots is a very significant part of post synthetical treatment that determines the properties of the material. We explore the possibilities of the Langmuir-Blodgett technique to make such layers, using quantum dots as a model system. The Langmuir monolayer of quantum dots were then investigated the surface pressure-area isotherm. From isotherm, we found the surface pressure monolayer changed with time.

High-pressure size exclusion chromatography analysis of dissolved organic matter isolated by tangential-flow ultra filtration