Analysis of Temperature and Concentration Polarizations to Improve the Performance of Vacuum Membrane Distillation

Vacuum membrane distillation technology shows considerable promise for the treatment of mine water. Nevertheless, the current vacuum membrane distillation technology’s significant reliance on a heat source presents a challenging equilibrium between its energy consumption and thermal efficiency. Consequently, the present study employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations and analyses to examine the phenomena of temperature-differential polarisation and concentration-differential polarisation generated during the membrane distillation process, and to ascertain the extent to which the operating parameters affect them. Furthermore, it was observed that CPC and TPC exhibited a notable decline with the elevation of feed inlet temperature, while the polarisation phenomenon was diminished with the augmentation of feed inlet flow rate. The optimal equilibrium between membrane flux and thermal efficiency is intimately associated with the operating parameters. Additionally, this study offers a theoretical rationale for the enhancement of vacuum membrane distillation performance.

Polydopamine/Imogolite Nanotubes(PDA/INTs)Interlayer Modulated Thin Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane for Minimizing Internal Concentration Polarization

Forward osmosis(FO)as an energy-saving membrane process has attracted much attention in food concentration,water treatment,and desalination.Thin film composite(TFC)membrane is the most popular FO membrane,but it suffers from the internal concentration polarization(ICP),which significantly limits the water flux and FO efficiency.In this report,we demonstrate a novel and high-performing thin film nanocomposite(TFN)membrane that employs a hydrophilic interlayer composed of imogolite nanotubes(INTs)and polydopamine(PDA).The INTs can be adhered to the porous substrate by the self-polymerization of PDA,and the as-prepared PDA/INTs interlayer displays a nanostructured network with outstanding hydrophilicity.The detailed investigation was conducted to understand the relationship between the structure and property of the PDA/INTs interlayer and the morphology and performance of the TFN membrane.The TFN membrane with the PDA/INTs interlayer performs a thinner and smoother polyamide selective layer.Correspondingly,the TFN membrane shows a water flux of 18.38 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1),which is 2.18 times of the pristine TFC membrane.Moreover,the TFN membrane has a minimized structural parameter(577μm),almost a half of that of the pristine one(949μm).It reveals that the ICP effect of TFC membrane can be effectively alleviated by using a hydrophilic PDA/INTs interlayer.This TFN membrane with a satisfactory water permeability is promising in terms of future applications.

Enrichment and immobilization of macromolecular analytes on a porous membrane utilizing permeation drag

Enrichment and immobilization of analytes by chemical bonding or physical adsorption is typically the first step in many commonly used analytical techniques. In this paper, we discuss a permeation drag based technique as an alternative approach for carrying out location-specific immobilization of macro- molecular analytes. Fluorescein isothiocyanate （FITC） labeled macromolecules and their complexes were enriched near the surface of ultrafiltration membranes and detected by direct visual observation and fluorescence imaging. The level of macromolecule enrichment at the immobilization sites could be controlled by manipulating the filtration rate and thereby the magnitude of permeation drag. Higher enrichment as indicated by higher fluorescence intensity was observed at higher filtration rates. Also, larger macromolecules were more easily enriched. The feasibility of using this technique for detecting immunocomplexes was demonstrated by carrying out experiments with FITC labeled bovine serum al- bumin （FITC-BSA） and its corresponding antibody. This permeation drag based enrichment technique could potentially be developed further to suit a range of analytical applications involving more sophis- ticated detection methods.

Free-standing ultrathick LiMn_(2)O_(4)@single-wall carbon nanotubes electrode with high areal capacity

The ever-increasing demands for advanced lithium-ion batteries with high energy density have greatly stimulated the pursuit of thick electrodes with high active material loading.However,it is not feasible to prepare thick electrodes with traditional coating methods due to mechanical instability.Herein,using single-wall carbon nanotubes(SWCNT)as conductive carbon and binder,free-standing LiMn_(2)O_(4) thick electrodes(F-LMO)with ultrahigh-mass loading up to~190 mg cm^(-2)were prepared by vacuum filtration combined with freeze-drying.The thick electrodes with~30 mg cm^(-2)mass loading achieved a high specific capacity of 106.7 mAh g^(-1)with a good capacity retention of 94%over 50 cycles at 0.5 C,which was superior to the traditional coating electrodes(~20 mg cm^(-2))of 99.3 mAh g^(-1)with 95%because of the enhanced electronic conductivity originated from SWCNT.In addition,the high active material ratio of 97.5 wt%,near-theoretical reversible capacity,and high mass loading gave ultrathick F-LMO electrodes(600μm)of~190 mg cm^(-2)with a remarkable areal capacity of 20 mAh cm^(-2).Moreover,the concentration polarization that occurred in the thick F-LMO electrodes under high current density was discussed via electrochemical stimulation.

减缓自由阴离子迁移以缓解浓差极化用于高性能的聚合物锂金属电池

Traditional dual-ion lithium salts have been widely used in solid polymer lithium-metal batteries(LMBs).Nevertheless, concentration polarization caused by uncontrolled migration of free anions has severely caused the growth of lithium dendrites. Although single-ion conductor polymers(SICP) have been developed to reduce concentration polarization, the poor ionic conductivity caused by low carrier concentration limits their application. Herein, a dual-salt quasi-solid polymer electrolyte(QSPE), containing the SICP network as a salt and traditional dual-ion lithium salt, is designed for retarding the movement of free anions and simultaneously providing sufficient effective carriers to alleviate concentration polarization. The dual salt network of this designed QSPE is prepared through in-situ crosslinking copolymerization of SICP monomer, regular ionic conductor, crosslinker with the presence of the dual-ion lithium salt,delivering a high lithium-ion transference number(0.75) and satisfactory ionic conductivity(1.16 × 10^(-3) S cm^(-1) at 30 ℃). Comprehensive characterizations combined with theoretical calculation demonstrate that polyanions from SICP exerts a potential repulsive effect on the transport of free anions to reduce concentration polarization inhibiting lithium dendrites. As a consequence, the Li||LiFePO_4 cell achieves a long-cycle stability for 2000 cycles and a 90% capacity retention at 30 ℃. This work provides a new perspective for reducing concentration polarization and simultaneously enabling enough lithiumions migration for high-performance polymer LMBs.

A review of CFD simulation in pressure driven membrane with fouling model and anti-fouling strategy

Pressure-driven membrane filtration systems are widely utilized in wastewater treatment,desalination,and water reclamation and have received extensive attention from researchers.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)offers a convenient approach for conducting mechanistic studies of flow and mass transfer characteristics in pressure-driven systems.As a signature phenomenon in membrane systems,the concentration polarization that accompanies the permeation process is a key factor in membrane performance degradation and membrane fouling intensification.Multiple fouling models(scaling,biofouling and colloidal particle fouling)based on CFD theory have been constructed,and considerable research has been conducted.Several representative antifouling strategies with special simulation methods,including patterned membranes,vibration membranes,rotation membranes,and pulsatile flows,have also been discussed.Future studies should focus on refining fouling models while considering local hydrodynamic characteristics;experimental observation tools focusing on the internal structure of inhomogeneous fouling layers;techno-economic model of antifouling strategies such as vibrational,rotational and pulsatile flows;and unfavorable hydraulic phenomena induced by rapidly changing flows in simulations.

Anomalous Pore-Density Dependence in Nanofluidic Osmotic Power Generation

Osmotic power generation in biomimetic nanofluidic systems has attracted considerable research interest owing to the enhanced performance and long-term stability. Towards practical applications, when extrapolating the materials from single-nanopore to multi-pore membranes, conventional viewpoint suggests that, to gain high electric power density, the porosity should be as high as possible. However, recent experimental observations show that the commonly-used linear amplification method largely overestimates the actual performance, particularly at high pore density. Herein, we provide a theoretical investigation to understand the reason. We find a counterintuitive pore-density dependence in high porosity nanofluidic systems that, once the pore density approaches more than lx109 pores/cm2, the overall output electric power goes down with the increasing pore density. The excessively high pore density impairs the charge selectivity and induces strong ion concentration polarization, which undermines the osmotic power generation process. By optimizing the geometric size of the nanopores, the performance degradation can be effectively relieved. These findings clarify the origin of the unsatisfactory performance of the current osmotic nanofluidic power sources, and provide insights to further optimize the device.

Mass transport in nanofluidic devices

Nanofluidics is a recent appearing research field, introduced in 1995 as an analogue of the field of microfluidics, and has been becoming popular in the past few years. The proximity of the channel dimension, the Debye length, and the size of biomolecules such as DNA and proteins gives the unique features of nanofluidic devices. Of various unique properties of the nanofluidics, mass transport in nanochannel plays determining roles in fundamental reaches and practical applications of nanofluidic device. Thus, much work including numerical and experimental researches has been performed to investigate the mass transport behaviors in nanofluidic devices. This review summarizes the fabrication technologies for nanofluidic devices, the mass transport behaviors in nanochannel, and their applications in bioanalysis. The main focus will be laid on the effects of nanochannel size and surface charge on mass transport including electrokinetic transport of charged analytes, diffusion of electric neutral molecules, ionic current rectification, concentration polarization, nonlinear electrokinetic flow at the micro-nanofluidic interfaces.

Computational fluid dynamics applied to high temperature hydrogen separation membranes

This work reviews the development of computational fluid dynamics （CFD） modeling for hydrogen separation, with a focus on high temperature membranes to address industrial requirements in terms of membrane systems as contactors, or in membrane reactor arrange- ments. CFD modeling of membrane,.s attracts interesting challenges as the membrane provides a discontinuity of flow, and therefore cannot be solved by the Navier-Stokes equations. To address this problem, tile concept of source has been introduced to understand gas flows on both sides or domains （feed and permeate） of the membrane. This is an important solution, as the gas flow and concentrations in the permeate domain are intrinsically affected by the gas flow and concentrations in the feed domain and vice-versa. In turn, the source term will depend on the membrane used, as different membrane materials comply with different transport mechanisms, in addition to varying gas selectiv- ity and fluxes. This work also addresses concentration polarization, a common effect in membrane systems, though its significance is dependent upon the performance of the membrane coupled with the operating conditions. Finally, CFD modeling is shifting from simplified single gas simulation to industrial gas mixtures, when the mathematical treatment becomes more complex.

Removal of Ni（ll） ions from wastewater by micellar enhanced ultrafiltration using mixed surfactants

Ni（II） ions were removed from aqueous waste using micellar enhanced ultrafiltration （MEUF） with a mixture of surfactants. The surfactant mixture was the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 （TW80） mixed with the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate （SDS） in different molar ratios ranging from 0.1-1.5. The opera- tional variables of the MEUF process such as pH, applied pressure, surfactant to metal ion ratio and nonionic to ionic surfactant molar ratio （α） were evaluated. Rejection of Ni and TW80 was 99% and 98% respectively whereas that for SDS was 65%. The flux and all resistances （fouling resistance, resistance due to concentration polarization） were measured and calculated for entire range of α respectively. A calculated flux was found to be declined with time, which was mainly attributed to concentration polarization rather than resistance from membrane fouling.

Tracing the impact of stack configuration on interface resistances in reverse electrodialysis by in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Reverse electrodialysis(RED)is an emerging membrane-based technology for the production of renewable energy from mixing waters with different salinities.Herein,the impact of the stack configuration on the Ohmic and non-Ohmic resistances as well as the performance of RED were systematically studied by using in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).Three different parameters(membrane type,number of cell pairs and spacer design)were controlled.The Ohmic and non-Ohmic resistances were evaluated for RED stacks equipped with two types of commercial membranes(Type I and Type II)supplied by Fujifilm Manufacturing Europe B.V:Type I Fuji membranes displayed higher Ohmic and non-Ohmic resistances than Type II membranes,which was mainly attributed to the difference in fixed charge density.The output power of the stack was observed to decrease with the increasing number of cell pairs mainly due to the increase in ionic shortcut currents.With the reduction in spacer thickness from 750 to 200μm,the permselectivity of membranes in the stack decreased from 0.86 to 0.79 whereas the energy efificiency losses increased from 31%to 49%.Overall,the output of the present study provides a basis for understanding the impact of stack design on internal losses during the scaling-up of RED.

Fabrication and performance of PET mesh enhanced cellulose acetate membranes for forward osmosis

Polyethylene terephthalate mesh（PET） enhanced cellulose acetate membranes were fabricated via a phase inversion process. The membrane fabrication parameters that may affect the membrane performance were systematically evaluated including the concentration and temperature of the casting polymer solution and the temperature and time of the evaporation, coagulation and annealing processes. The water permeability and reverse salt flux were measured in forward osmosis（FO） mode for determination of the optimal membrane fabrication conditions. The optimal FO membrane shows a typical asymmetric sandwich structure with a mean thickness of about 148.2 μm. The performance of the optimal FO membrane was tested using 0.2 mol/L Na Cl as the feed solution and 1.5 mol/L glucose as the draw solution. The membrane displayed a water flux of 3.47 L/（m2·hr） and salt rejection of95.48% in FO mode. While in pressure retarded osmosis（PRO） mode, the water flux was4.74 L/（m2·hr） and salt rejection 96.03%. The high ratio of water flux in FO mode to that in PRO mode indicates that the fabricated membrane has a lower degree of internal concentration polarization than comparable membranes.

A PREDICTING MODEL OF THE LIMITING FLUX FOR THE CHARGED SOLUTE IN ULTRAFILTRATION PROCESS

In the process of ultrafiltration, the occurrence of the limiting flux iselucidated with the formation of a cake(gel) layer on the membrane surface. Before cake formation,the pressure drop on the concentration polarization layer, as well as the permeate flux, increaseswith the applied pressure. The pressure drop on the concentration polarization layer, however, willno longer change with the applied pressure after the formation of the cake layer. The limiting fluxwill be obtained if the hydrodynamic conditions in the filtration channel are not affected by thecake layer. A mathematics model for predicting the limiting flux for the charged solute inultrafiltration is developed. In this model, a repulsive electric force is taken into account inaddition to convection and diffusion when the solute is carrying the same charge as the membranematerial. A procedure to correlate the model with experimental ultrafiltration data is also present.The results show that a model in this paper is developed on a more realistic perception of theultrafiltration system and the predicting data agrees well with experimental data.