Effect of the relative degree of foulant “hydrophobicity” on membrane fouling

Mu, Situ; Wang, Shu; Liang, Shuai; Xiao, Kang; Fan, Honggang; Han, Bing; Liu, Chun; Wang, Xiaomao; Huang, Xia

doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2018.10.023

Cited by 64 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…A greater fouling potential of the hydrophilic organic fractions was admitted by Johir et al [112], Qin et al [113], Shen et al [114] and Pramanik et al [115]. Mu et al [116] used multivariate statistics to study the relationships between RH, the other physicochemical properties of the mixed liquor constituents and the fouling rate in MBR with PVDF modules. The analysed substances were classified as hydrophobic/hydrophilic based on the critical retention factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategy for Flux Enhancement in Biofilm Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor Applying Prepolymerized and Non-Prepolymerized Inorganic Coagulants

Kulesha

Maletskyi

Kvaal

et al. 2019

Water

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Considering new legislative and economic restrictions caused by the water crisis, this work focuses on a more efficient wastewater treatment process, which combines biological treatment in a moving bed biofilm system with a membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) and coagulation, particularly addressing fouling alleviation in the separation stage. The study justifies the positive impact of coagulant dosing in BF-MBR regarding membrane flux and fouling rate. Statistical techniques connect the results of coagulation and membrane separation experiments with properties of mixed liquor, obtained after biotreatment in the representative pilot plant and characteristics of prepolymerized and non-prepolymerized inorganic coagulants. Research results substantiate the need for a pH-controlled coagulation of mixed liquor in BF-MBR depending on coagulant type, which influences charge, hydrophobicity and size of flocs and organic content of the system. It is suggested, that the adsorption/charge neutralization mechanism dominates in flux enhancement in BF-MBR, giving the best results in the case of prepolymerized aluminium coagulants. Together with high quality of permeate, the application of prepolymerized aluminium chloride of medium basicity entails a tenfold increase in filtration time of the membrane separation cycle and increases net membrane flux by 30–56%. The results of the study are practically significant for the development of an automated control system for BF-MBR, optimizing treatment rates together with membrane separation efficiency.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategy for Flux Enhancement in Biofilm Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor Applying Prepolymerized and Non-Prepolymerized Inorganic Coagulants

Kulesha

Maletskyi

Kvaal

et al. 2019

Water

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“…solution processing [48,[102][103][104][105]. Using a microfluidic approach, Bacchin et al showed how a small change in surface properties of a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has drastic consequences on pore blocking and particle adsorption [59].…”

Section: Membrane Adsorption and Pore Blockingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The presence of a hydrophobic surface in water disturbs the preexisting network of hydrogen bonds of water molecules, increasing the free energy of the system; as a consequence, hydrophobic surfaces will be naturally pushed together so as to reduce the water-contacting interfacial area [ 101 ]. Membrane and foulant hydrophobicity is notoriously known to be one of the main contributors to fouling especially in protein solution processing [ 48 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 ]. Using a microfluidic approach, Bacchin et al showed how a small change in surface properties of a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has drastic consequences on pore blocking and particle adsorption [ 59 ].…”

Section: Fouling: Stages and Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Membrane Fouling Phenomena in Microfluidic Systems: From Technical Challenges to Scientific Opportunities

2021

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The almost ubiquitous, though undesired, deposition and accumulation of suspended/dissolved matter on solid surfaces, known as fouling, represents a crucial issue strongly affecting the efficiency and sustainability of micro-scale reactors. Fouling becomes even more detrimental for all the applications that require the use of membrane separation units. As a matter of fact, membrane technology is a key route towards process intensification, having the potential to replace conventional separation procedures, with significant energy savings and reduced environmental impact, in a broad range of applications, from water purification to food and pharmaceutical industries. Despite all the research efforts so far, fouling still represents an unsolved problem. The complex interplay of physical and chemical mechanisms governing its evolution is indeed yet to be fully unraveled and the role played by foulants’ properties or operating conditions is an area of active research where microfluidics can play a fundamental role. The aim of this review is to explore fouling through microfluidic systems, assessing the fundamental interactions involved and how microfluidics enables the comprehension of the mechanisms characterizing the process. The main mathematical models describing the fouling stages will also be reviewed and their limitations discussed. Finally, the principal dynamic investigation techniques in which microfluidics represents a key tool will be discussed, analyzing their employment to study fouling.

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“…A large number of studies have shown that a membrane surface with higher hydrophobicity would suffer more serious adsorptive fouling (Jin et al, 2001;Weis et al, 2005;Maximous et al, 2009;Xiao et al, 2014b;Zhao et al, 2018). Higher hydrophobicity of the foulant would make the hydrophobic adsorption stronger (Xiao et al, 2014b;Mu et al, 2019). The air-water-solid three-phase contact angle (θ ) is usually used to judge the relative hydrophobicity of the membrane surface or foulant particle surface, and a smaller contact angle suggests a weaker hydrophobicity (or stronger hydrophilicity) (van Oss, 2006;Israelachvili, 2015;Jiang and Patel, 2019).…”

Section: Hydrophobic Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outlining the Roles of Membrane-Foulant and Foulant-Foulant Interactions in Organic Fouling During Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration: A Mini-Review

Xiao

Wang

et al. 2020

Front. Chem.

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Membrane fouling remains a notorious problem in microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF), and a systematic understanding of the fouling mechanisms is fundamental for solving this problem. Given a wide assortment of fouling studies in the literature, it is essential that the numerous pieces of information on this topic could be clearly compiled. In this review, we outline the roles of membrane-foulant and foulant-foulant intermolecular interactions in MF/UF organic fouling. The membrane-foulant interactions govern the initial pore blocking and adsorption stage, whereas the foulant-foulant interactions prevail in the subsequent build-up of a surface foulant layer (e.g., a gel layer). We classify the interactions into non-covalent interactions (e.g., hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions), covalent interactions (e.g., metal-organic complexation), and spatial effects (related to pore structure, surface morphology, and foulants size for instance). They have either short-or long-range influences on the transportation and immobilization of the foulant toward the membrane. Specifically, we profile the individual impacts and interplay between the different interactions along the fouling stages. Finally, anti-fouling strategies are discussed for a targeted control of the membrane-foulant and foulant-foulant interactions.

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Effect of the relative degree of foulant “hydrophobicity” on membrane fouling

Cited by 64 publications

References 40 publications

Strategy for Flux Enhancement in Biofilm Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor Applying Prepolymerized and Non-Prepolymerized Inorganic Coagulants

Strategy for Flux Enhancement in Biofilm Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor Applying Prepolymerized and Non-Prepolymerized Inorganic Coagulants

Membrane Fouling Phenomena in Microfluidic Systems: From Technical Challenges to Scientific Opportunities

Outlining the Roles of Membrane-Foulant and Foulant-Foulant Interactions in Organic Fouling During Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration: A Mini-Review

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