Effect of Heat Treatment on Structures and Properties of Polyurethane Blend Ultrafiltration Membranes

The polyurethane/polyacrylonitrile (PU/PAN) and polyurethane/cellulose acetate (PU/CA) blend ultra filtration membranes were prepared based on Loeb-Sourirajan phase transition method. The change of the structures and properties of the PU/PAN and PU/CA membranes with the heat treatment process was studied. The results showed: the water flux decreased and retention increased with the increase of heat treatment temperature of PU/PAN blend membrane, but the water flux of PU/CA blend membrane got the maximum with heat treatment temperature of 60℃ and decreased rapidly with the heat treatment temperature of 100 ℃. The interfacial microvoid structure and its influence on the properties of PU/PAN and PU/CA blend membranes were studied.

The effect of coupling coagulation and flocculation with membrane filtration in water treatment:A review

Water supply and sanitation demands are foreseen to face enormous challenges over the coming decades to meet the fast growing needs in a global perspective. Significant growth in the industry is predicted and membrane separation technologies have been identified as one of the possible solutions to meet future demands. Application and implementation of membrane technology is expected both in production of potable water as well as in treatment of wastewater. In potable water production membranes are substituting conventional separation technologies due to the superior performance, potential for less chemical use and sludge production, as well as the potential to fulfill hygienic barrier requirements. Membrane bio-reactor （MBR） technology is probably the membrane process which has had most success and has the best prospects for the future in wastewater treatment. Trends and developments indicate that this technology is becoming accepted and is rapidly becoming the best available technology for many wastewater treatment applications. A major drawback of MBR systems is membrane fouling. Studies have shown that fouling mitigation in MBR systems can potentially be done by coupling coagulation and flocculation to the process.

Model Study on a Submerged Catalysis/Membrane Filtration System for Phenol Hydroxylation Catalyzed by TS-1

This ranearch is focused on the, develonment of a simnle design model of the submerged catalysis/membrane filtration （catalysis/MF） system for phenol hydroxylation over TS-1 based on the material balance of the phenol under steady state and the reported kinetic studies. Based on the developed model, the theoretical phenol Conversions at steady state could be calculated using the kinetic parameters obtained from the previous batch experiments. The theoretical conversions are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained in the submerged catalysis/MF system within relative error of ±5%. The model can be used to determine the optimal experimental conditions to carry out the phenol hydroxylation over TS-1 in the submerged catalysis/MF system.

Transfer and transport of aluminum in filtration unit

Aluminum salt coagulants were used prevalently in various water works. In this article, the effects of filtration on residual aluminum concentration and species distribution were researched by determining the concentration of different aluminum species before and after single layer filter, double layer filter, and membrane filtration units. In the research, size exclusion chromatography （SEC） was used to separate colloidal and soluble aluminum, ion exchange chromatography （IEC） was used to separate organic and inorganic aluminum, and inductivity coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry （ICP-AES） was used to determine the aluminum concentration. The results showed that the rapid filtration process had the ability of removing residual aluminum from coagulant effluent water, and that double layer filtration was more effective in residual aluminum removal than single layer filtration, while nano filtration was more effective than micro filtration. It was found that when the residual aluminum concentration was below lmg/L in sediment effluent, the residual aluminum concentration in treated water was above 0.2 mg/L. The direct rapid filtration process mainly removed the suspended aluminum. The removal of soluble and colloidal aluminum was always less than 10% and the natural small particles that adsorbed the amount of soluble or small particles aluminum on their surface were difficult to be removed in this process. Micro filtration and nano filtration were good technologies for removing aluminum; the residual aluminum concentration in the effluent was less than 0.05 mg/L.

Evaluation of media for simultaneous enumeration of total coliform and Escherichia coli in drinking water supplies by membrane filtration techniques

This study evaluated three different dehydrated media for simultaneous detection and enumeration of total coliform （TC） and Escherichia coil in drinking water samples with a standard membrane filtration procedure. The experiment indicated that the differential coliform agar （DCA） medium was the most effective among the tested media in enumerating TC and E. coil, without the need for extensive accompanying confirmation tests. The results for DCA medium were highly reproducible for both TC and E. coil with standard deviation of 6.0 and 6.1, respectively. A high agreement （82%） was found between DCA and m-Endo media on 152 drinking water samples in terms of TC positive. The DCA medium also reduced concealment of background bacteria.

Examination of Whey Degreasing by Modified Membrane Filtration

The largest amount of dairy by-products, especially the whey, comes from the manufacture of cheese. The whey proteins are used in several different industry technologies. The forage production is used for animal feeding in the forms of various flours mixed in feeds, and the food industry uses whey proteins as human nutrition, such as different dry soups, infant formulas and supplements. The fat components of whey may inhibit the efficient processing and might impair the use of whey in these technologies. Thus, the aim of the experiment was to investigate a cheap and economical separation of the lipid fraction of whey. This separation method was made by microfiltration, which is an inexpensive, effective and energy efficient method for this task. During the measurements, 0.2 μm and 0.45 μm microfiltration membranes were used in a laboratory tubular membrane filtration module, and the membrane separation method was combined and modified by using astatic mixer and/or air insufflation. The same pore size membranes were used in a vibrating membrane filtration equipment （VSEP）, too. The two different membrane filtration devices allowed the comparison of the effect of vibration and the effect of the static mixer and/or air insufflation. The flux values above 0.2 MPa transmembrane pressures strongly decreased on using the tubular membrane. Therefore, it can be determined that the use of the lower transmembrane pressures gave better flux combined with air insufflation and the use of static mixer. The flux values increased three times higher with using vibration during the microfiltration process than that without vibration. Comparing these methods, it can be concluded that the separation made on tubular membrane （0.2 μm） combined with statics mixer gave sufficient result according to the degreasing, retentions and flux values of the other components.

Ba^(2+)/Ca^(2+)co-crosslinked alginate hydrogel filtration membrane with high strength,high flux and stability for dye/salt separation

Alginate is a natural polysaccharide polymer.Hydrogel filtration membranes prepared from alginate show excellent fouling resistance and controllable separation performance,but poor mechanical properties limit the use of algae hydrogels.In this study,Ba^(2+)/Ca^(2+)co-crosslinked alginate(Ba/CaAlg)hydrogel membrane was prepared by cross-linking sodium alginate with a blend aqueous solution of barium ions and calcium ions,and the membrane was applied to the separation of dyes/salts from dyeing wastewater.Compared with the CaAlg membrane,the Ba/CaAlg hydrogel membrane exhibited more stable structure,and the mechanical properties and salt tolerance of the membrane were significantly improved.The flux of Ba/CaAlg membrane for methyl blue/sodium chloride mixed solution reached 43.5 L m^(−2) h^(−1),which was significantly higher than that of CaAlg membrane.Besides,the Ba/CaAlg membrane showed higher dye rejection(>99.6%)and lower salt rejection(<8.2%).The structure of Ba/CaAlg membrane was preliminarily simulated by molecular dynamics,and the pore size and distribution of the membrane were calculated.The Ba/CaAlg membrane has a broad application prospect in dyes/salts separation.

Dynamic membrane filtration accelerates electroactive biofilms in bioelectrochemical systems

Bioelectrochemical systems(BES)have emerged as a dual-function technology for treating wastewater and recovering energy.A vital element of BES is the rapid formation and maintenance of electroactive biofilms(EABs).Previous attempts to accelerate EAB formation and improve electroactivities focused on enhancing the bacterial adhesion process while neglecting the rate-limiting step of the bacterial transport process.Here,we introduce membrane filtration into BES,establishing a dynamic membrane filtration system that enhances overall performance.We observed that optimal membrane flux considerably reduced the startup time for EAB formation.Specifically,EABs established under a 25 L m^(-2)h^(-1)flux(EAB_(25)LMH)had a formation time of 43.8±1.3 h,notably faster than the 51.4±1.6 h in the static state(EAB_(0)LMH).Additionally,EAB_(25)LMH exhibited a significant increase in maximum current density,approximately 2.2 times higher than EAB_(0)LMH.Pearson correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between current densities and biomass quantities and an inverse correlation with startup time.Microbial analysis revealed two critical findings:(i)variations in maximum current densities across different filtration conditions were associated with redox-active substances and biomass accumulation,and(ii)the incorporation of a filtration process in EAB formation enhanced the proportion of viable cells and encouraged a more diverse range of electroactive bacteria.Moreover,the novel electroactive membrane demonstrated sustained current production and effective solid-liquid separation during prolonged operation,indicating its potential as a viable alternative in membrane-based systems.This approach not only provides a new operational model for BES but also holds promise for expanding its application in future wastewater treatment solutions.

Microfiltration,ultrafiltration and nanofiltration as a post-treatment of biological treatment process with references to oil field produced water of Moran oilfield of Assam

The selection of an apt technology for the treatment of Oilfield Produced Water(OFPW)depends mainly on the quality of OFPW and methods of pre-and post-treatment processes.The most challenging part of the OFPW treatment process is the removal of Suspended Solid(SS),Oil&Grease(O&G)and dissolved organics.SS and O&G pose an acute problem to the membrane filtration system by fouling the membrane surface which increases operation&maintenance costs and decreases the life of the membrane.Fouling of the membrane surface is mainly attributed to the presence of low molecular weight aromatic compounds and naphthenic acids in the suspended and dissolved organic compounds.Thus,the removal of these suspended and dissolved organic compounds before membrane filtration proffers a challenge to the researchers.In this research,bioremediation process has been applied to remove the organic compounds and the performance and fouling behaviour of hollow fibre Microfiltration(MF),Ultrafiltration(UF)and Nanofiltration(NF)membranes after the bioremediation process has been analyzed in detail.The level of toxicity was determined by comparing the pollutants with the safe discharge limit for disposal into the environment set by Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB),India.The research presents its novelty by using a hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria,Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the Reduction of Organic Loads(ROL)from OFPW of Moran oil field of Upper Assam as a pre-treatment to membrane filtration.The Total Sum Corrected Area(TSCA)method through chromatographic analyses was used for this.The organic loads removal from OFPW by the TSCA method was found to be 67-100%,100%and 100%after 7,14 and 21 days of bioremediation respectively.The major parameters in feed OFPW of Moran oil field were found to be pH(7.5-9.3),Total Dissolved Solid(TDS)(1.79-4.75)ppt,O&G(1.78-2.8)ppt,Salinity(2.94-6.98)ppt,Chloride(Cl^(-))(1.6-3.86)ppt,Bicarbonate(HCO_(3)^(-))(2.89-4.03)ppt.It was observed that the ranges of pollutants removal by NF was highest such as TDS(26-86%),salinity(81-86%),turbidity(78-94%),hardness(67-75%),O&G(96-99%),Cl^(-)(80-89%)and HCO_(3)^(-)(95-97%).

Membrane preconcentration of iron in seawater samples and on-site determination in spectrophotometry

A novel method for on-site determination of trace iron was developed using membrane preconcentration and spectrophotometric detection. Fe（II）-ferrozine complex was reacted with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide （CTAB） to form a Fe（II）-ferrozine-CTAB paired compound, which was collected on a membrane by filtration under vacuum. The membrane was immersed in 2 mL of ethanol-nitric acid and the absorbance of the solution measured for quantitative analysis. Various factors affecting the iron collection and determination were investigated. With different sample preconcentration volumes, the range of determination was broadened to 0.5-120 ~tg/L. The detection limit of this method reached 0.19 ktg/L and the recoveries were between 97.2 and 109% when the concentration enrichment was about 45. The relative standard deviation （n = 7） was 1.9% for samples containing 10 ~g/L Fe. Twelve seawater samples were analyzed on-site using the proposed method, and two were also analyzed in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. No significant difference was shown between the two methods by the Student＇s t-test. The method has also been used on-site for iron enrichment experiments with phytoplankton and concluded to be simple, accurate and inexpensive.

Simulation and assessment of sludge concentration and rheology in the process of waste activated sludge treatment

The process of using flat-sheet membrane for simultaneous sludge thickening and digestion （MSTD） was employed. The variations of sludge concentration and rheology were characterized and simulated. Based on mass balance analysis, mathematical models were developed and successfully used to predict and evaluate the variations of sludge concentration and the digestion efficiency in the MSTD process. The apparent viscosity of sludge could be modeled as functions of mixed liquor suspended solids and shear rates. The sludge in the MSTD process showed both shear-thinning and viscoplastic behaviour, and under various shear rates different rheological models could be chosen to predict their flow behaviour. It was also found that sludge concentration and viscosity had significant correlations with membrane fouling in the MSTD process.

Effect of Alumina Particle Size on Ni/Al2O3 Catalysts for p-Nitrophenol Hydrogenation

The catalytic hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol was investigated over Ni/Al2O3 catalyst on alumina support with different particle size. It is found that support particle size has significant influences on physiochemical properties and catalytic activity of the resulting Ni/Al2O3 catalyst, but little influence on the selec-tivity. At a comparable amount of Ni loading, the catalytic activity of Ni/Al2O3 prepared with alumina support of smaller particle size is lower. The reduction behavior of the catalyst is a key factor in determining the catalytic activity of Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. The supported nickel catalyst 10.3Ni/Al2O3-3 improves the life span of the membrane by reducing fouling on the membrane surface compared to nano-sized nickel.

Preliminary Study on Airlift Membran-Bioreactor

A new type of membrane bioreactor named 'airliftmembrane-bioreactor' is discussed. For municipal wastewaterreclamation, the preliminary study on airlift membrane-bioreactorshows its good performance such as higher flux and lower energyconsumption. The airlift membrane-bioreactor is potentiallyapplicable in bioengineer- ing and environmental protection fields.

Upgrading Paper-grade Softwood Kraft Pulp to Dissolving Pulp by Cold Caustic Extraction

Cold caustic extraction has potential applications in the production of dissolving-grade pulps due to its ability to selectively remove hemicellulose from lignocellulosic materials. In this study,we demonstrate the conversion of paper-grade kraft pulp into dissolving pulp by a single-stage cold caustic extraction. Under the extraction conditions of 12 wt% NaOH lye,11% pulp consistency,a temperature of 35℃,and 2 h,a paper-grade softwood kraft pulp was purified to high-grade dissolving pulp with 97. 1% α-cellulose content,1. 2% pentosane content,and narrowed molecular weight distribution. The resulting extraction filtrate was concentrated by nano-filtration to obtain the hemicellulose content of 59. 0 g / L,while the permeate was a clear Na OH solution with 10. 9 wt% concentration. A process configuration was also proposed,integrating this cold caustic extraction process with existing pulp and paper production and multi-purpose utilization of the extraction filtrate.

Effective Solid Removal Technologies for Wash-Water Treatment to Allow Water Reuse in the Fresh-Cut Fruit and Vegetable Industry

Large quantities of fresh water are used intensively in the washing, cutting, peeling and disinfection of fruits and vegetables, resulting in high solids loading of the wash-water. Review of the literature shows that there is limited information available on how to treat this wash-water on-site. Accordingly, an investigative program was established by sampling wash-water from two industrial partners processing root vegetables to determine the best available approach. Bench scale technologies tested for solids removal were dissolved air flotation （DAF） and centrifuge, followed by ultraviolet （UV） disinfection to evaluate the potential for water reuse. The results showed that DAF and centrifuge were able to remove solids at an efficiency greater than 95%. The DAF process was also able to remove higher levels of dissolved matter and nutrients in comparison to the centrifuge. The DAF process was also able to produce waters with higher transmittance, which leads to improved filtration and UV disinfection for water reuse. Membrane filtration feasibility testing showed that high quality waters can be produced as low as 2 NTU and 4 NTU, following pretreatment with DAF and centrifuge, respectively. However, filtration was unable to remove E. coll. Collimated beam results show that UV disinfection is needed to allow for water reuse.

Complete Valorization of Olive Mill Wastewater through an Integrated Process for Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate Production

An economical and environmental sustainability of bioplastic production is dependent on the use of low cost and waste C-sources as raw materials. OMW （Olive Mill Wastewater） with its high organic load represents a dangerous polluting waste. Herein the authors present an integrated process for the simultaneous recovery of polyphenols, high value natural antioxidants, production of PHAs （polyhydroxyalkanotes）, thermoplastic bio-polymers, in particular of PHB （poly-3-hydroxybutyrate） starting from OMW. The combination of membrane filtration and bacterial digestion of OMW resulted in very high yields of polyphenols （3 2.5 g/L） and PHB （31.4 mg/L.h） if compared with the state of the art. These results make the technical approach described here effective for reducing the polluting effect of OMW and maximizing the valuable product yield. Moreover the process is readily suitable for an industrial scale PHB production from OMW.

Microbial Analysis of Drinking Water from Randomly Selected Boreholes and Shallow Wells around Hargeisa, Somaliland

Background: Shallow wells and boreholes are vital sources of potable water in Hargeisa. This water can be polluted by runoff, in particular during the rainy season, causing outbreaks of waterborne infections. Objectives: This research aimed at evaluating the microbial quality of shallow wells and boreholes water around Hargeisa, Somaliland. Methods: The total coliform and Escherichia coli count were done by using the membrane filtration method. Overall, 100 ml of each water sample was filtered via a 0.45 μm membrane filter, and then the filters were put on m-Endo agar plates that were incubated at 37°C for 24 to 48 hours. Results: The mean value of total coliform counts for the boreholes and shallow wells ranged from 1.288 × 103 to 8.8 × 103 CFU/100ml, while the mean value of total E. coli counts also ranged from 3.5 × 102 to 4.429 × 103 CFU/100ml. Results from this study have demonstrated that all water sources (Arabsiyo, Dararweyne, Darasalaam, Dabaraqas, and Jaleelo) don’t comply with the WHO guideline for drinking water. Results from the analysis of water samples of 28 wells demonstrated a significant correlation between total coliform and E. coli counts (P = 0.01). Therefore, this water is not fit for human consumption unless it is treated. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that all results of both mean values of total coliform and E. coli counts from groundwater of selected shallow wells and boreholes were beyond WHO standards, so water from Arabsiyo, Jaleelo, Dabaraqas, Dararweyne, and Darasalaam requires treatment before human consumption.

Electrochemical removal and recovery of phosphorus from wastewater using cathodic membrane filtration reactor

Removal and recovery of phosphorus(P) from wastewater is of great importance to addressing the challenges of eutrophication and phosphorus shortage. The P removal and recovery performance of conventional electrochemical precipitation approach was constrained by the limited mass transfer rate. Herein,a cathodic membrane filtration(CMF) reactor was developed using Ti/SnO_(2)-Sb anode and titanium mesh cathodic membrane module to achieve efficient removal and recovery of P in wastewater. Compared with the flow-by mode, the CMF system in the flow-through mode exhibited excellent P removal performance due to the markedly enhanced mass transfer. At the current density of 4 A/m^(2), membrane flux of 16.6 L m^(-2)h^(-1), and Ca/P molar ratio of 1.67, the removal efficiency of P was 96.2% and the energy consumption was only 45.7 k Wh/kg P. The local high p H of cathode surface played a vital role in P removal,which substantially accelerated the nucleation of calcium phosphate(Ca P). Based on the crystalline and morphological characterization of the precipitates, the hydroxyapatite was the most stable crystalline phase of Ca P, which was transformed from intermediate phases(such as dicalcium phosphate and amorphous calcium phosphate). This study paves the way for applying electrochemical membrane filtration system for P removal and recovery from wastewater.

The variation of DOM during long distance water transport by the China South to North Water Diversion Scheme and impact on drinking water treatment

In this study,samples were taken from three locations,upstream to downstream,along the central route project of the China South to North Water Diversion(SNWD)scheme in summer and winter.These were used to reveal the variations of dissolved organic matter(DOM)during the water transfer process,and the effects of these variations on drinking water treatment and disinfection by-products formation potential(DBPs-FP).The results showed that polysaccharides accumulate in summer and reduce in winter with flow distance,which has an important effect on the overall properties of DOM,as well as on the performance of coagulation,ultrafiltration,and the formation of DBPs.Humic substances,and their hydrophilic content,also increased in summer and decreased in winter with flow distance.In contrast,the concentration of small organic substances(MW≤1000 Da)increased in both summer and winter with flow distance,which affected both nanofiltration(NF)membrane fouling and DBPs-FP.The results provide a useful case study of spatial and temporal changes in raw water DOM during long distance water transfer and their impact on the treatment and quality of drinking water from the SNWD.

Membrane fouling controlled by coagulation/adsorption during direct sewage membrane filtration(DSMF) for organic matter concentration

Unlike the role of the membrane in a membrane bioreactor, which is designed to replace a sediment tank, direct sewage membrane filtration（DSMF）, with the goal of concentrating organic matters, is proposed as a pretreatment process in a novel sewage treatment concept. The concept of membrane-based pretreatment is proposed to divide raw sewage into a concentrated part retaining most organics and a filtered part with less pollutant remaining, so that energy recovery and water reuse, respectively, could be realized by post-treatment. A pilot-scale experiment was carried out to verify the feasibility of coagulant/adsorbent addition for membrane fouling control, which has been the main issue during this DSMF process. The results showed that continuous coagulant addition successfully slowed down the increase in filtration resistance, with the resistance maintained below 1.0 × 1013m^（-1） in the first 70 hr before a jump occurred. Furthermore,the adsorbent addition contributed to retarding the occurrence of the filtration resistance jump, achieving simultaneous fouling control and chemical oxygen demand（COD）concentration improvement. The final concentrated COD amounted to 7500 mg/L after 6 days of operation.