Hydrochloric acid recovery from rare earth chloride solutions by vacuum membrane distillation

The possibility of the recovery of hydrochloric acid from rare earth （RE） chloride solutions was first experimentally studied by batch vacuum membrane distillation （VMD）. The recovery by continuous VMD was also studied to devise methods that enabled the operation of VMD setup in a stable condition as well as to increase the membrane-operating life The results indicated that HCl separation with RE by VMD was possible, and the recovery ratio of 80% could be achieved by batch VMD. In continuous VMD, when the temperature of circular solutions, circular rate, and downstream pressure was 62-63℃, 5.4 cm/s, and 9.33 kPa, respectively, the HCl concentration in circular solutions and the processing capacity per membrane area were obtained. The mathematical results were in accordance with the experimental ones.

Hydrophobic modification of poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) hollow fiber membrane for vacuum membrane distillation

New hydrophobic poly（phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone） （PPESK） hollow fiber composite membranes were obtained by surface-coated modification method.

Enrichment of Semi-Volatile Organic Acids from Aqueous Solutions by Multiple-Effect Membrane Distillation

Multiple-effect membrane distillation （MEMD） process for enriching semi-volatile organic acids from their individual aqueous solutions was performed by using a hollow fiber-based air gap membrane distillation （AGMD） module with the function of internal heat recovery. Aqueous solutions of glyoxylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, pyrnvic acid, malonic acid and glutaric acid were used as model feed. For a feed of 1% （mass fraction）, each acid could be enriched for 8--20 times, which depended on the surface tension of the concentrate. The operation performance of MEMD process was characterized by permeation flux J, performance ratio PR and acid rejection rate R. The effects of cold feed-in temperature, heated feed-in temperature, feed-in volumetric flow rate and feed-in concen- tration on MEMD performance were experimentally evaluated. Maximum values of J, PR and R were 4.8 L/（h-m2）, 9.84 and 99.93%, respectively. Moreover, MEMD process demonstrated a fairly good stability in a long-term experiment lasting for 30 d when aqueous solution of 4% （mass fraction） lactic acid was used as a feed.

Removal of aqueous phenol compound by vacuum membrane distillation

The effects of feed temperature and pH value on the removal of aqueous phenol wastewater by vacuum membrane distillation process are studied by experiments employing micro porous membranes of poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and ploy tetrafluoro ethylene (PTFE) with nominal average pore sizes 0.22 mm and 0.20 mm, respectively. It is found that the optimal feed temperature for PVDF membrane is 50 ℃; and for PTFE membrane, 60 ℃. The pH value of the feed has little influence on the membrane fluxes and ion rejection ratios, while it influenced considerably on the selectivity. Increase of pH value of the feed is conducive to the increase of selectivity. In the same experimental conditions, PTFE membrane shows better separation performance than PVDF membrane does.

Preparation of High Concentration Polyaluminum Chloride with High Al_c Content by Membrane Distillation

A direct contact membrane distillation（DCMD）process was applied to prepare high concentration polyaluminum chloride（PACl）with high Alc content.The changes in total Al concentration（AlT）and Al species distribution were investigated.The results showed that AlT increased but the flux decreased with operating time during the DCMD process.The Alc content increased from 65%to 81%while the Alb content decreased from 34% to 18%,and the Ala content was almost 1%in the process.2.1 mol·L 1PACl with 81%Alc was successfully prepared by DCMD method.Thus the DCMD is an effective method for preparing high concentration PACl with high Alc content.

Hydrochloric Acid Recovery from Rare Earth Chloride Solutions by Vacuum Membrane Distillation (1) Study on the Possibility

The equilibrium between the gas-liquid phases of the system of HCl-RECl_3-H_2O was analyzed,and the possibility of hydrochloric acid recovery from rare earth chloride solutions by vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) was experimentally studied in the laboratory scale. The results indicate that increasing initial concentrations of both hydrochloric acid and rare earth increase recovery ratio of hydrochloric acid,and recovery ratio of 80% can be achieved. Concentrated multiple of rare earth shows great influence on recovery ratio,leakage ratio of rare earth is less than 2% generally,and pure acid can be acquired in the permeate side. The two factors,namely flux and leakage ratio,which may determine the future use of VMD were also discussed.

Superhydrophobic modification of ceramic membranes for vacuum membrane distillation

The hydrophobically modi fied ceramic membranes have great potential for energy-ef ficient membrane distillation.In this work,flat-sheet ceramic membranes with a superhydrophobic surface were fabricated by grafting 1H,1H,2H,2H-per fluorooctyltrichlorosilane or 1H,1H,2H,2H-per fluorodecyltriethoxysilane and followed by ultraviolet irradiation.The surface water contact angle was improved from 46° of original ceramic membrane to 159°,which exhibited a stable and excellent superhydrophobic effect.The modi fied membranes showed a high flux of 27.28 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1) and simultaneously maintained an excellent retention rate of 99.99%,when used in vacuum membrane distillation process for treatment of a 1 wt% NaCl(75 °C) aqueous solution.These results suggested that superhydrophobic modi fication of ceramic surface is a facile and cost-effective way to achieve higher membrane distillation performance.The superhydrophobically-modi fied ceramic membrane with an excellent desalination capacity would show considerable potential in practical membrane distillation utilizations.

Removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol from wasterwater by vacuum membrane distillation using hydrophobic PPESK hollow hiber membrane

2,4-Dichlorophenol was removed from wasterwater using a new hydrophobic poly（phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone） （PPESK） hollow fiber membrane by vacuum membrane distillation （VMD）.

Study on Regeneration of MDEA Solution Using Membrane Distillation

Treating acid gases contained in natural gas by MDEA is used widely. But the efficiency of regeneration of the MDEA solution limited the development of this technology. An optimal temperature is necessary for regeneration of the MDEA solution using membrane distillation. The experiment results showed that the regeneration rate of MDEA rose with an increasing temperature. But the rate increased slowly after the regeneration temperature arrived at a certain value. This study can confirm that regeneration of the MDEA solution using membrane distillation is feasible. This technology provides more advantages as compared to conventional regeneration process.

Innovative hydrophobic/hydrophilic perfluoropolyether(PFPE)/polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)composite membrane for vacuum membrane distillation

Though membrane distillation(MD)has gained more and more attention in the field of desalination,the wetting phenomenon was still a non-negligible problem.In this work,a method combined dip-coating and UV in situ polymerization for preparing hydrophobic/hydrophilic perfluoropolyether(PFPE)/polyvinylidene fluoride composite membranes.This composite membrane consisted of a top thin hydrophobic coating layer and hydrophilic substrate membrane.In terms of anti-wetting properties,contact angle and liquid entry pressure of all composite membranes(except for those based on 0.45μm)exceeded 160°and 0.3 MPa,respectively.In particular,the desalination performance was tested in vacuum membrane distillation tests by feeding 3.5%(mass)saline solution(NaCl)at 60℃.The composite membranes with larger support pore size and lower PFPE content had higher membrane distillation flux.And for stability tests(testing the 0.22μm membrane coated by 5%(mass)PFPE),the highest MD flux29.08 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1) and stable salt rejection(over 99.99%)during the period.Except that,the effects of coating material concentration and pore sizes of substrate membrane were also investigated for surface morphology and topography,porosity,mechanical strength and pore size characteristics.This work provided a simple and effective alternative to prepare excellent hydrophobic composite membranes for MD applications.

Improvement of porous polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluropropylene hollow fiber membranes for sweeping gas membrane distillation of ethylene glycol solution

Porous polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluropropylene(PVDF-HFP)hollow fiber membranes were fabricated through a wet spinning process.In order to improve the membrane structure,composition of the polymer solution was adjusted by studying ternary phase diagrams of polymer/solvent/non-solvent.The prepared membranes were used for sweeping gas membrane distillation(SGMD)of 20 wt% ethylene glycol(EG)aqueous solution.The membranes were characterized by different tests such as N2 permeation,overall porosity,critical water entry pressure(CEPw),water contact angle and collapsing pressure.From FESEM examination,addition of 3 wt% glycerol in the PVDF-HFP solution,produced membranes with smaller finger-likes cavities,higher surface porosity and smaller pore sizes.Increasing the polymer concentration up to 21 wt% resulted in a dense spongy structure which could significantly reduce the N2 permeance.The membrane prepared by 3 wt% glycerol and 17 wt% polymer demonstrated an improved structure with mean pore size of 18 nm and a high surface porosity of 872 m^−1.CEPw of 350 kPa and overall porosity of 84% were also obtained for the improved membrane.Collapsing pressure of the membranes relatively improved by increasing the polymer concentration.From the SGMDtest,the developed membrane represented a maximumpermeate flux of 28 kg·m^−2·h^−1 which is almost 19% higher than the flux of plain membrane.During 120 h of a long-termSGMD operation,a gradual flux reduction of 30% was noticed.In addition,EG rejection reduced from 100% to around 99.5% during 120 h of the operation.

SEPARATION OF FORMIC ACID-WATER AZEOTROPIC MIXTURES BY MEMBRANE DISTILLATION

The azeotrope disappeared when the formic acid-water mixtures were treated by membrane distillation. Membrane distillation were used for separation of formic acid-water azeotropic mixtures for the first time.

Trends in Membrane Distillation for Wastewater Treatment

Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising technology that enables the treatment of high-salinity wastewater. To monitor the state and trends of MD technology for wastewater treatment, the patent filings from the last nine years were analyzed. A total of 72 documents with a special focus either on the membrane itself or on the equipment and process were found. China, United States and Japan play a leading role in the development of these technologies. Most of the inventions concentrating on the membrane apply polymers as the material. Inventions describing the equipment and process are mainly related to system and module design, but also cover the combination of MD with other technologies, the treatment customization to a specific type of wastewater, fouling control and cleaning, and energy recovery. Finally, enhancements in water flux and energy efficiency are found to be key factors to broaden the application of MD technology in wastewater treatment.

Fouling evaluation on membrane distillation used for reducing solvent in polyphenol rich propolis extract

Membrane distillation(MD) has not been widely studied in the concentrate of phenolic rich solution in comparison to osmotic distillation. In this work, the potential of MD to reduce solvent in the polyphenol rich propolis extract was further investigated. Polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) membranes were engineered with the smaller pore size for the less hydrophobic surface in order to avoid wetting, allowing only the solvent vapor to be transferred from the warm feed into the cold permeate. All the membranes exhibited more than 95% rejection of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Although the hydrophilic membranes exhibited less fouling, they displayed a lower flux than the hydrophobic membrane due to the hindrance in the wetted pores. The hydrophobic membrane was seriously fouled by the phenolic acid as shown in the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum. Pore plugging occurred on these hydrophobic membranes as confirmed in the scanning electron microscope images.

Experimental study on the membrane distillation of highly mineralized mine water

Membrane distillation(MD)is a promising membrane separation technique used to treat industrial wastewater.When coupled with cheap heat sources,MD has significant economic advantages.Therefore,MD can be combined with solar energy to realize the large-scale and low-cost treatment of highly mineralized mine water in the western coalproducing region of China.In this study,highly mineralized mine water from the Ningdong area of China was subjected to vacuum MD(VMD)using polyvinylidene fluoride hollow-fiber membranes.The optimal operation parameters of VMD were determined by response surface optimization.Subsequently,the feasibility of VMD for treating highly mineralized mine water was explored.The fouling behavior observed during VMD was further investigated by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(SEM-EDS).Under the optimal parameters(pressure=-0.08 MPa,temperature=70℃,and feed flow rate=1.5 L/min),the maximum membrane flux was 8.85 kg/(m^(2) h),and the desalination rate was 99.7%.Membrane fouling could be divided into three stages:membrane wetting,crystallization,and fouling layer formation.Physical cleaning restored the flux and salt rejection rate to 94%and 97%of the initial values,respectively;however,the cleaning interval and cleaning efficiency decreased as the VMD run time increased.SEM-EDS analysis revealed that the reduction in flux was caused by the precipitation of CaCO_(3).The findings also demonstrated that the membrane wetting could be attributed to the formation of NaCl on the cross section and outer surface of the membrane.Overall,the results confirm the feasibility of MD for treating mine water and provide meaningful guidance for the industrial application of MD.

Simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from liquid digestate by vacuum membrane distillation with permeate fractional condensation

A vacuum membrane distillation(VMD)process with permeate fractional condensation on membrane downstream has been developed for simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from liquid digestate.The polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)membrane flux could reach 6000 g·m-2·h-1 with the rejection efficiency of total phosphorus(TP)over 0.99,under the condition of flowrate being 120 L·h-1 and temperature being 40°C.Membrane fouling occurred with a film of organics and microorganism deposited on the surface of the membrane.Membrane flux could be reversed after the membrane was rinsed by water.Higher feed temperature and flowrate could improve the membrane flux,while hardly affect the rejection efficiency of total phosphorus.The concentration of TP could reach 1600 mg·L-1 after membrane distillation,which is about 5 times of that in initial liquid digestate.On the downstream of the membrane,some of the permeate vapor was condensed under the vacuum condition and most of water was collected here.The remaining vapor enriched with total nitrogen(TN)was compressed and pumped to the atmospheric condition to condense.The TN concentration in atmospheric condensate was as high as 7000 mg·L-1 with the process separation factor for ammonia being enhanced to 114.

Hydrochloric Acid Recovery from Rare Earth Chloride Solutions by Continuous Vacuum Membrane Distillation

The hydrochloric acid recovery from rare earth chloride solutions by continuous vacuum membrane distillation was first experimentally studied, then material balance of the process was calculated, and the equations which mathematically stimulate the process were lastly achieved. The results indicate a given RE concentration in circular solutions means its constant HCl concentration during the continuous VMD process, furthermore, increasing RE concentration in feed solutions increases the processing capacity per membrane of the experimental set-up. When keeping constant RE concentration in feed solutions, increasing RE concentration in circular solutions decreases its HCl concentration, and HCl recovery ratio increases accordingly, however, processing capacity per membrane of the experimental set-up decreases at the same time. The mathematical results are in accordance with experimental results.

Parameters optimization for direct contact membrane distillation based on orthogonal experiment

Parameter optimization integrating operation parameters and structure parameters for the purpose of high permeate flux,high productivity and low exergy consumption of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process was conducted based on Taguchi experimental design. L16(45) orthogonal experiments were carried out with feed inlet temperature,permeate stream inlet temperature,flow rate,module packing density and length-diameter ratio as optimization parameters and with permeate flux,water productivity per unit volume of module and water production per unit exergy loss separately as optimization objectives. By using range analysis method,the dominance degree of the various influencing factors for the three objectives was analyzed and the optimum condition was obtained for the three objectives separately. Furthermore,the multi-objectives optimization was performed based on a weight grade method. The combined optimum conditions are feed inlet temperature 75℃,packing density 30% ,length-diameter ratio 10,permeate stream inlet temperature 30 ℃ and flow rate 25 L/h,which is in order of their dominance degree,and the validity of the optimization scheme was confirmed.

A novel electro-Fenton hybrid system for enhancing the interception of volatile organic compounds in membrane distillation desalination

Membrane distillation(MD)is a promising alternative desalination technology,but the hydrophobic membrane cannot intercept volatile organic compounds(VOCs),resulting in aggravation in the quality of permeate.In term of this,electro-Fenton(EF)was coupled with sweeping gas membrane distillation(SGMD)in a more efficient way to construct an advanced oxidation barrier at the gas-liquid interface,so that the VOCs could be trapped in this layer to guarantee the water quality of the distillate.During the so-called EF-MD process,an interfacial interception barrier containing hydroxyl radical formed on the hydrophobic membrane surface.It contributed to the high phenol rejection of 90.2% with the permeate phenol concentration lower than 1.50 mg/L.Effective interceptions can be achieved in a wide temperature range,even though the permeate flux of phenol was also intensified.The EF-MD system was robust to high salinity and could electrochemically regenerate ferrous ions,which endowed the long-term stability of the system.This novel EF-MD configuration proposed a valuable strategy to intercept VOCs in MD and will broaden the application of MD in hypersaline wastewater treatment.

A review of membrane distillation enhancement via thermal management and molecular transport through nanomaterial-based membranes

Low-energy,high-efficiency desalination techniques are important because of the critical water-energy nexus.In particular,membrane distillation has great potential to harness low-grade and renewable energy sources.Composite membranes using micro-and nanomaterials have new capabilities and characteristics.This review focuses on the most recent developments and potential capabilities in membrane distillation systems from the perspective of nanomaterial enhancements,thermal management,and water transport.Self-heating nanomaterial membrane distillations using permeable composite membranes with significant photothermal or Joule-heating conversion capabilities enable macroscale thermal management and mitigate temperature polarization effects.Modifying the membrane structure and its interaction with water can accelerate water transport and evaporation,improving distillation at the microscopic level.This is expected to provide directions for the fabrication and manipulation of novel micro-and nanocomposite membranes for distillation processes at various levels,and enhance their applications.