Effects of the original state of sodium-based additives on microstructure,surface characteristics and filtration performance of SiC membranes

Sodium-contained compounds are promising sintering additives for the low-temperature preparation of reaction bonded SiC membranes.Although sodium-based sintering additives in various original states were attempted,their effects on microstructure and surface properties have rarely been studied.In this work,three types of sodium-based additives,including solid-state NaA zeolite residue(NaA)and liquidstate dodecylbenzene sulfonate(SDBS)and water glass(WG),were separately adopted to prepare SiC membranes,and the microstructure,surface characteristics and filtration performance of these SiC membranes were comparatively studied.Results showed that the SiC membranes prepared with liquid-state SDBS and WG(S-SDBS and S-WG)showed lower open porosity yet higher bending strength compared to those prepared with solid-state NaA(S-NaA).The observed differences in bending strength were further interpreted by analyzing the reaction process of each sintering additive and the composition of the bonding phase in the reaction bonded SiC membranes.Meanwhile,the microstructural differentiation was correlated to the original state of the additives.In addition,their surface characteristics and filtration performance for oil-in-water emulsion were examined and correlated to the membrane microstructure.The S-NaA samples showed higher hydrophilicity,lower surface roughness(1.80μm)and higher rejection ratio(99.99%)in O/W emulsion separation than those of S-WG and S-SDBS.This can be attributed to the smaller mean pore size and higher open porosity,resulting from the originally solid-state NaA additives.Therefore,this work revealed the comprehensive effects of original state of sintering additives on the prepared SiC membranes,which could be helpful for the application-oriented fabrication by choosing additives in suitable state.

Zwitterionic monolayer grafted ceramic membrane with an antifouling performance for the efficient oil-water separation

Enormous demands on the separation of oil/water(O/W)emulsions in various industries,such as petrochemical,food and pharmaceutical industries,are looking for high performance and energy-efficient separation methods.Ceramic membranes have been used to deal with O/W emulsions,for its outstanding characteristics of easy-operation,high-flux,and long-term stability.However,membrane fouling is still a challenge in the industrial application of ceramic membranes.Herein,antifouling ceramic membranes were fabricated by grafting zwitterions on the membrane surface via an environment-friendly two-step grafting method,which improves the antifouling property and permeability.Successful grafting of such zwitterion on the ceramic surface was assessed by the combination of FTIR and XPS characterization.More importantly,the hydration can be formed by electrostatic interactions layer on the modified membrane,which was confirmed by TGA characterization.The antifouling performance of prepared zwitterionic ceramic membranes in the separation of O/W emulsions was systematically tested.The results suggested that zwitterion can significantly improve the flux of ceramic ultrafiltration membrane,and can also improve antifouling property dramatically by reducing the irreversible fouling in the separation of O/W emulsions.Therefore,zwitterionic ceramic membranes hold promising potentials as an antifouling,highly efficient and green method in the practical purification of the O/W emulsions.

Two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride for membrane separation

Recent years,membrane separation technology has attracted significant research attention because of the efficient and environmentally friendly operation.The selection of suitable materials to improve the membrane selectivity,permeability and other properties has become a topic of vital research relevance.Two-dimensional(2D)materials,a novel family of multifunctional materials,are widely used in membrane separation due to their unique structure and properties.In this respect,as a novel 2D material,graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))have found specific attention in membrane separation.This study reviews the application of carbon nitride in gas separation membranes,pervaporation membranes,nanofiltration membranes,reverse osmosis membranes,ion exchange membranes and catalytic membranes,along with describing the separation mechanisms.

Meltblown fabric vs nanofiber membrane, which is better for fabricating personal protective equipments

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has led to a great demand on the personal protection products such as reusable masks.As a key raw material for masks,meltblown fabrics play an important role in rejection of aerosols.However,the electrostatic dominated aerosol rejection mechanism of meltblown fabrics prevents the mask from maintaining the desired protective effect after the static charge degradation.Herein,novel reusable masks with high aerosols rejection efficiency were fabricated by the introduction of spider-web bionic nanofiber membrane(nano cobweb-biomimetic membrane).The reuse stability of meltblown and nanofiber membrane mask was separately evaluated by infiltrating water,75%alcohol solution,and exposing under ultraviolet(UV)light.After the water immersion test,the filtration efficiency of meltblown mask was decreased to about 79%,while the nanofiber membrane was maintained at 99%.The same phenomenon could be observed after the 75%alcohol treatment,a high filtration efficiency of 99%was maintained in nanofiber membrane,but obvious negative effect was observed in meltblown mask,which decreased to about 50%.In addition,after long-term expose under UV light,no filtration efficiency decrease was observed in nanofiber membrane,which provide a suitable way to disinfect the potential carried virus.This work successfully achieved the daily disinfection and reuse of masks,which effectively alleviate the shortage of masks during this special period.

A bifunctional MnO_x@PTFE catalytic membrane for efficient low temperature NO_x-SCR and dust removal

Low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NOx combined with dust removal technique due to its energy conservation characteristic has been attracted much attention for fume purification.In this work,the MnOx wrapped PTFE membrane with efficient dust removal and low-temperature NH3-SCR has been prepared with a facile route.MnOxwith different crystal structures was uniformly grown around the PTFE fibrils through water bath.The flower-sphere-like MnOx@PTFE(O-MnOx@PTFE)and lamellar-interlaced ripple-like MnOx@PTFE(W-MnOx@PTFE)have large specific surface area which is favorable for enhancing catalytic performance.Also,the uniformly wrapped W-MnOxaround the PTFE fibrils optimized the pore structure for ultrafine dust capture.The membrane can almost 100%reject particles that are smaller than 1.0μm with a low filtration resistance.Meanwhile,W-MnOx@PTFE with more surface chemisorbed oxygen has the best NO conversion efficiency of 100%at a comparatively low and wide activity temperature window of 160–210°C,which is far to the thermal limitation of the PTFE.Therefore,this efficient and energy conserving membrane has a bright application prospects for tail gas treatment compared to the original treatment process.

Fabrication of poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane via thermally induced phase separation using ionic liquid as green diluent

Ionic liquid(IL),1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate([BMIM]PF6)as a new and environmentally friendly diluent was introduced to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)membranes via thermally induced phase separation(TIPS).Phase diagram of PVDF/[BMIM]PF6 was measured.The effects of polymer concentration and quenching temperature on the morphologies,properties,and performances of the PVDF membranes were investigated.When the polymer concentration was 15 wt%,the pure water flux of the fabricated membrane was up to nearly 2000 L·m-2·h-1,along with adequate mechanical strength.With the increasing of PVDF concentration and quenching temperature,mean pore size and water permeability of the membrane decreased.SEM results showed that PVDF membranes manufactured by ionic liquid(BMIm PF6)presented spherulite structure.And the PVDF membranes were represented asβphase by XRD and FTIR characterization.It provides a new way to prepare PVDF membranes with piezoelectric properties.

Membranes for extracorporeal membrane oxygenator(ECMO): History,preparation, modification and mass transfer

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenator(ECMO) has been in development for nearly 70 years, and the oxygenator has gone through several generations of optimizations, with advances from bubble oxygenators to membrane oxygenators leading to more and more widespread use of ECMO. Membrane is the core of a ECMO system and the working mechanism of membrane oxygenator depends on the membrane material,from PDMS flat membrane to PMP hollow fiber membrane, which have experienced three generations.Blood compatibility on the surface of the membrane material is very vital, which directly determines the use duration of the oxygenator and can reduce the occurrence of complications. The mechanism of mass transfer is the basis of oxygenator operation and optimization. This review summarizes the membrane development history and preparation technology, modification approaches and mass transfer theory in the process of oxygen and blood exchange. We hoped that this review will provide more ideas for the study of gas blood exchange membrane.

Recent developments on catalytic membrane for gas cleaning

Catalytic membrane, a novel membrane separation technology that combines catalysis and separation, exhibits significant potential in gas purification such as formaldehyde, toluene and nitrogen oxides(NO_x). The catalytic membrane can remove solid particles through membrane separation and degrade gaseous pollutants to clean gas via a catalytic reaction to achieve green emissions. In this review, we discussed the recent developments of catalytic membranes from two aspects: preparation of catalytic membrane and its application in gas cleaning.Catalytic membranes are divided into organic catalytic membranes and inorganic catalytic membranes depending on the substrate materials. The organic catalytic membranes which are used for low temperature operation(less than 300 °C) are prepared by modifying the polymers or doping catalytic components into the polymers through coating, grafting, or in situ growth of catalysts on polymeric membrane. Inorganic catalytic membranes are used at higher temperature(higher than 500 °C). The catalyst and inorganic membrane can be integrated through conventional deposition methods, such as chemical(physical) vapor deposition and wet chemical deposition. The application progress of catalytic membrane is focused on purifying indoor air and industrial exhaust to remove formaldehyde, toluene, NO_x and PM2.5, which are also summarized. Perspectives on the future developments of the catalytic membranes are provided in terms of material manufacturing and process optimization.

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.

Mass-producible low-cost flexible electronic fabrics for azo dye wastewater treatment by electrocoagulation

Electrocoagulation is progressively becoming an ecologically friendly water treatment method owing to its lack of secondary pollution,high active ingredient concentration,high treatment effectiveness,simple equipment,and simplicity of automated control implementation.Herein,electrocoagulation is offered as a method for treating wastewater containing azo dyes using a revolutionary flexible electronic fabric that can be mass-producible at a reasonable price.A computer-controlled machine embroiders 316L stainless steel fiber(316L SSF)onto an insulating fabric to manufacture a flexible electronic device of cathode and anode with a monopolar arrangement on the fabric surface.Using methyl orange(MO)solution to simulate azo dye wastewater,the decolorization rate of 500 ml MO reached 99.25% under the conditions of 50 mg·L^(-1)initial mass concentration,120 min electrolysis time,15 mA·g^(-1)current density,1 cm electrode spacing,0.1 mol·L^(-1)NaCl,pH 7.6,200 r·min^(-1)rotational speed of the stirrer,and 22-25℃ room temperature.In addition,it is feasible to embroider flexible electronic fabrics with varied sizes and numbers of electrodes based on the amount of treated sewage to increase the degradation rate,which has significant practical application value.

Controllable preparation of ZnO porous flower through a membrane dispersion reactor and their photocatalytic properties

Three dimensional (3D) flower-like basic zinc carbonate constructed by multilayered nanoplates were rapidly prepared at room temperature through the direct precipitation method coupled with membrane dispersion technology, and porous ZnO with similar structures could be obtained after calcining the precursor. The structural properties of the products before and after the calcining process were characterized by SEM, TEM and XRD.The supersaturation of the reaction system due to the membrane dispersion played an important role in the formation of uniform Zn_5(CO_3)_2(OH)_6 precursors. A plausible mechanism was proposed for the formation of the flower-like ZnO assembled by nanoplates composed of nanoparticles. The obtained ZnO microspheres showed excellent photocatalytic properties, which could be attributed to the open structure and remarkable amount of porous nanoplates.

Membrane enhanced COD degradation of pulp wastewater using Cu_2O/H_2O_2 heterogeneous Fenton process

Both activity and stability of the catalyst can be improved in heterogeneous Fenton reaction,in particular,with no limitation for the working p H and no production of the sludge.In this work,a combination of catalyst Cu_2O and pore-channel-dispersed H_2O_2is proposed to treat the pulp wastewater.Degradation degree of CODs in the wastewater was up to 77%in the ceramic membrane reactor using Cu_2O powder(2.0 g·L^(-1))and membranefeeding H_2O_2(0.8 ml·L^(-1))within 60 min.Evolution of·OH radical formation in the advanced oxidation process was analyzed with a fluorescent method.Utilization efficiency of H_2O_2was successfully enhanced by 10%with the membrane distributor.Further on,the catalyst recyclability was evaluated in a five-cycle test.The concentration of copper ions being dissolved in the treated water was monitored with ICP.After Cu_2O/H_2O_2(membrane)treatment the effluent is qualified to discharge with COD concentration lower than 15 mg·L^(-1)with regard to the national standard GB25467-2010.

Fouling behavior of poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)ultrafiltration membrane by polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)and chemical cleaning method

Severe fouling to poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)membrane is usually caused as filtrating the papermaking wastewater in the ultrafiltration(UF)process.In the paper,fouling behavior and mechanism were investigated,and the low-concentration polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)contained in the sedimentation tank wastewater was found as the main foulant.Consequently,the corresponding cleaning approach was proposed.The experiment and modeling results elaborated that the fouling mode developed from pore blockage to cake layer along with filtration time.Chemical cleaning conditions including the composition and concentration of reagents,cleaning duration and trans-membrane pressure were investigated for their effect on cleaning efficiency.Pure water flux was recovered by over 95% after cleaning the PVDF membrane using the optimal conditions 0.5 wt% NaClO(as oxidant)and 0.1 wt% sodiumdodecyl benzene sulfonate(SDBS,as surfactant)at 0.04MPa for 100 min.In the chemical cleaning method,hypochlorite(ClO−)could first chain-scissor PVA macromolecules to small molecules and SDBS could wrap the fragments in micelles,so that the foulants were removed from the pores and surface of membrane.After eight cycling tests,pure water flux recovery maintained above 95% and the reused membrane was found intact without defects.

Humidity-control assists high-efficient coal fly ash removal by PTFE membrane

In the present study,the effects of relative humidity on filtrating coal-fired fly ash with hydrophobic poly tetra fluoroethylene(PTFE) membranes were investigated.The intergranular force of particulate matter at different RH conditions was measured by analyzing the critical angle between particles.Effects of humidity(from 30% to 70%) on filtration pressure drop and membrane fouling conditions were characterized.It was found the membrane showed optimal filtration resistance of 530 Pa at RH of 60% and the gas permeance can be maintained at 1440 m^(3)·m^(-2)·h^(-1)·kPa^(-1).Moreover,to optimize the operation parameters for this filtration system,effects of fly ash concentration,diameter,membrane pore size,and gas velocities were systematically investigated.

Magnéli phases TinO2n-1 as novel ozonation catalysts for effective mineralization of phenol

Magnéli phases TinO2n-1 have been demonstrated as promising environmentally friendly materials in advanced oxidation processes.In this study,Magnéli phases TinO2n-1 have been used as catalysts for the ozonation of phenol in aqueous solution for the first time.The materials exhibited excellent catalytic ozonation activities both in phenol degradation and mineralization.When Ti4O7was added,the reaction rate was six-fold higher than that of with ozone alone,while the total organic carbon removal rate was substantially elevated from around 19.2%to 92%.By virtue of the good chemical stability of the materials,a low metal leaching of less than 0.15 mg·L^-1could effectively avoid the secondary pollution by metal ions.Radical quenching tests revealed·O2^-and ^1O2to be active oxygen species for phenol degradation at p H 5.As semiconductor catalysts,TinO2n-1 materials show electronic transfer capability.Ozone adsorbed at B-acid sites of the catalyst surface can capture an electron from the conversion of Ti（Ⅲ）to Ti（Ⅳ）,and is thereby broken into the active oxygen species.It was interesting to observe that TinO2n-1 exhibit better catalytic activity for phenol degradation and mineralization with lower n value.The difference in electrical conductivity can be considered as a major factor for the catalytic performances.More highly conductive catalysts show a faster electron-transfer rate and better catalytic activity.Thus,significant evidences have been obtained for a single-electron-transfer mechanism of catalytic ozonation with Magnéli phases TinO2n-1.

Acid precipitation coupled electrodialysis to improve separation of chloride and organics in pulping crystallization mother liquor

Inefficient separation of inorganic salts and organic matters in crystallization mother liquor is still a problem to industrial wa stewater treatment since the high salinity significantly impedes organic pollutant degradation by oxidation or incineration.In the study,acidification combined electrodialysis(ED)was attempted to effectively separate Cl-ions from organics in concentrate pulping wastewater.Membrane’s rejection rate to total organic carbon(TOC)was 85%at wastewater intrinsic pH=9.8 and enhanced to 93%by acidifying it to pH=2 in ED process.Negative-charged alkaline organic compounds(mainly lignin)could be liberated from their sodium salt forms and coagulated in acidification pretreatment.Neutralization of the organic substances also made their electro-migration less effective under electric driving force and in particular improved separation efficiency of chloride and organics.After acid-ED coupled treatment(pH=2 and J=40 mA·cm-2)[TOC]remarkably reduced from 1.315 g·L-1 to 0.048 g·L-1 and[Cl-]accumulated to 130 g·L-1 in concentrate solution.Recovery rate of NaCl was 89%and the power consumption was 0.38 kW·h·kg-1 NaCl.Irreversible fouling was not caused as electric resistance of membrane pile maintained stably.In conclusion,acidic-ED is a practical option to treat salinity organic wastewater when current techniques including thermal evaporation and pressure-driven membrane se paration present limitations.

Catalytic performance of hybrid Pt@ZnO NRs on carbon fibers for methanol electro-oxidation

A novel Pt@ZnO nanorod/carbon fiber （NR/CF） with hierarchical structure was prepared by atomic layer deposition combined with hydrothermal synthesis and magnetron sputtering （MS）. The morphology of Pt changes from nanoparticle to nanorod bundle with controlled thickness of Pt between 10 and 50 nm. Significantly, with the increase of voltage from 0 to 0.6 V （vs. standard calomel electrode）, the prompt photocurrent generated on ZnO NR/CF increases from 0235 to 0.725 mA. Besides, the Pt@ZnO NR/CF exhibited higher electrochemical active surface area （ECSA） value, better methanol oxidation ability and CO tolerance than Pt@CF, which demonstrated the importance of the multifunctional ZnO support. As the thickness of Pt increasing from 10 to 50 rim, the ECSA values were improved proportionally, leading to the improvement of methanol oxidation ability. More importantly, UV radiation increased the density of peak current of Pt@ZnO NR/CF towards methanol oxidation by additional 42.4%, which may be due to the synergy catalysis of UV light and electricity.

Chlorine-free emission disposal of spent acid etchant in a three-compartment ceramic membrane reactor

Electrochemical technologies for the on-site treatment of spent acid etchant have received great attention due their ease of operation and economic benefits. On the other hand, a large amount of Cl2 is generated during the electrolysis process, which leads to potential environmental risks. In the present work, a novel threecompartment ceramic membrane flow reactor, including a cathode chamber, an anode chamber, and a gas absorption chamber was developed. The three chambers were divided by an Al2O3 ceramic membrane and a breathable hydrophobic anode diffusion electrode(ADE). The Cl2 evolution onset potential of the ADE was increased to 1.19 V from 1.05 V of the graphite felt, effectively inhibiting the chlorine evolution reaction(CER).The anode-generated Cl2 diffused into the gas absorption chamber through the ADE and was eventually consumed by the H2O2 adsorbent. Cu could be recovered without emitting chlorine due to the special structure of reactor. The current efficiency of copper precipitation and cathode reduction from Cu2+to Cu+reached 97.7%at a working current of 150 m A. These results indicated that the novel membrane reactor had high potential for application in the copper recovery industry.

Acid precipitation coupled membrane-dispersion advanced oxidation process(MAOP)to treat crystallization mother liquor of pulp wastewater

Treatment to crystallization mother liquor containing high concentration of organic and inorganic substances is a challenge in zero liquid discharge of industrial wastewater.Acid precipitation coupled membrane-dispersion advanced oxidation process(MAOP)was proposed for organics degradation before salt crystallization by evaporation.With acid-MAOP treatment CODCrin mother liquor of pulping wastewater was eliminated by 55.2%from ultrahigh initial concentration up to 12,500 mg·L^-1.The decolorization rate was 96.5%.Recovered salt was mainly NaCl(83.3 wt%)having whiteness 50 brighter than industrial baysalt of whiteness 45.The oxidation conditions were optimized as CO3=0.11 g·L^-1 and CH2O2=2.0 g·L^-1 with dispersing rate 0.53 ml·min^-1 for 100 min reaction toward acidified liquor of p H=2.Acidification has notably improved evaporation efficiency during crystallization.Addition of H2O2 made through membrane dispersion has eliminated hydroxyl radical"quench effect"and enhanced the degradation capacity,in particular,the breakage of carbon-chloride bonds(of both aliphatic and aromatic).As a result,the proposed coupling method has improved organic pollutant reduction so as the purity of salt from the wastewater mixture which can facilitate water and salt recycling in industry.

High permeability poly(vinylidene fluoride)ultrafiltration membrane doped with polydopamine modified TiO_(2) nanoparticles

In order to improve the water permeability of poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)ultrafiltration(UF)membranes with low molecular weight cut-off(MWCO),polydopamine(PDA)was employed in the membrane preparation process.Owing to itsmerits of material-independent adhesion,PDAwas coated on inorganic particles or added in coagulation bath to tailor the final membrane structure and property.The introduction of PDA broke through the permeability/selectivity trade-off of the PVDF membrane.By adding the PDA coated titaniumdioxide(PDA/TiO2)nanoparticles,water flux increased by 287% while MWCO kept similar with the pristine PVDF membrane.Thermodynamics and Kinetics of the PVDF/additives/non-solvent were analyzed and shown that nanoparticles reduced the thermodynamic stability and increased the phase separation speed,and the speed can be adjusted using different nanoparticles.Additionally,X-ray diffraction(XRD)test indicated that PVDF crystalline form changed fromαphase to β phase after adding different nanoparticles.Permeability/selectivity trade-offwas broken through by DA addition in coagulation bath.Compared with the original PVDF membrane,when the DA concentration of the coagulation bath was 2.0 g·L^−1,water flux increased by 312%,and MWCO of the PVDF membrane ranged in 10,000 to 20,000 Da as well as contact angle decreased from 81.4°to 45°.