Synthesis and evaluation of nanocomposite forward osmosis membranes for Kuwait seawater desalination (original) (raw)
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DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 2021
In this study, two main key features are used for the successful forward osmosis desalination process. The first key is the thin-film nanocomposite membrane fabrication. This key is achieved by consolidating different concentrations of zeolite nanoparticles in the polysulfone supporting sheet (ranging from 0%wt. to 0.6% wt.) to enhance the hydrophilicity and porosity of the membrane. A thin polyamide layer is formed on the top surface of the modified polysulfone by interfacial polymerization of Metaphenylenediamine (MPD) and Trimesoyl chloride (TMC) to fabricate thinfilm nanocomposite (TFNC) forward osmosis membranes for forward osmosis (FO) application. The other key feature that makes the FO practical is selecting the ideal draw solute achieved by selecting sodium chloride as inorganic salt. Sodium chloride is characterized by high osmotic pressure, chemically inert, low membrane reverse solute flux, and easily regenerated. The fabricated TFNC membranes were first tested using a cross-flow RO module to evaluate the effect of different loadings of zeolite nanoparticles on the membrane performance. The FO membrane with 0.4 wt% zeolite in polysulfone matrix (TFNC-0.4%) shows the most promising results through increasing the water flux by 126% than the TFC membranes. Then were tested using a cross-flow FO module with 0.02-0.8 M NaCl concentration as feed solution. Results indicate that the water flux of the TFNC-0.4% was increased by (55%-64%) than the TFC Control membrane depending on the membrane orientation and draw solution concentration. It is observed that the solute reverse flux increased with the increase of the concentration of draw solution. Different characterization tests have been carried out on the forward osmosis membranes to verify their successful preparation and modification and specify the various effects of the zeolite nanoparticles added to the membrane substrate. A sponge-like structure is developed by adding zeolite nanoparticles compared to the TFC membrane, enhancing water permeability. Moreover, an increase in mechanical and thermal properties is detected. Furthermore, the power consumption for the forward osmosis process was [0.72-4.66%] only from the total power consumption of the FO-RO process. The current power cost as OPEX for FO TFNC-0.4% membrane desalination process ranges from 0.072 to 0.132 EGP/m 3 compared to the commercial SWRO+PX [5.53 EGP/m 3 ] operated in Hurghada, Red sea, Egypt.
Innovative Nanostructured Membranes for Reverse Osmosis Water Desalination
University of the Future: Re-Imagining Research and Higher Education
Reverse osmosis (RO) is considered as the most widely utilized technique worldwide for water treatment. However, the commercial thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, which are normally made of polyamide (PA) through interfacial polymerization (IP), still experience certain major issues in performance and fabrication. The spin assisted layer-by-layer (SA-LbL) technique was established for overcoming some drawbacks with commercially available PA membranes. Also, recent investigations have recognized the nanoparticle inclusion into the selective layer as a powerful technique for improving the membrane efficiency. Hence, two different methodologies are presented here to improve the membrane performance, i.e., (1) SA-LbL technique to fabricate TFC membrane by the deposition of alternate ultrathin layers of different polyelectrolytes on polysulfone (PSF) commercial ultrafiltration membrane and (2) the nanoclay incorporation into the membranes during IP process to develop TFC membrane. Two ...
Review of Thin Film Nanocomposite Membranes and Their Applications in Desalination
Frontiers in Chemistry, 2022
All over the world, almost one billion people live in regions where water is scarce. It is also estimated that by 2035, almost 3.5 billion people will be experiencing water scarcity. Hence, there is a need for water based technologies. In separation processes, membrane based technologies have been a popular choice due to its advantages over other techniques. In recent decades, sustained research in the field of membrane technology has seen a remarkable surge in the development of membrane technology, particularly because of reduction of energy footprints and cost. One such development is the inclusion of nanoparticles in thin film composite membranes, commonly referred to as Thin Film Nanocomposite Membranes (TFN). This review covers the development, characteristics, advantages, and applications of TFN technology since its introduction in 2007 by Hoek. After a brief overview on the existing membrane technology, this review discusses TFN membranes. This discussion includes TFN membra...
DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT
The performance evaluation of forward osmosis (FO) nanofibers based membranes against model solutions and real seawater were investigated. The desalination of seawater performed using 2 M NaCl as a draw solution. Performance data showed that when real seawater used as a feed solution, the newly fabricated FO membrane has a water flux of 15.1 and 49.4 LMH in both co-current FO and co-current pressure retard mode (PRO) respectively. Two different model solutions (NaCl and MgSO 4), have a salt concentration equal to that of the real seawater sample, were prepared to characterize the performance of the fabricated membrane against them under the same operating conditions. The flux obtained in 1.1% model NaCl in FO mode was 8 LMH, whereas in PRO mode was 54 LMH and 10.3 LMH in FO mode, whereas 45.6 LMH in PRO mode for model 1.1% MgSO 4 solution using 2 M NaCl solution as a draw solution. The structural parameter (S-value) of the sulfonated polysulfone (sPSf) thin-film-composite membrane is estimated to be 125 µm, which is considered one of the smallest values ever reported in the literature. In this manuscript, the performance study of thin-film composite (TFC-FO) nanofiber flat-sheet membrane on sPSf substrate is proven that fabricated membranes are perfectly meet the high rejection ratios whether strong enough to sustain high flux and durability through the operation.
2016
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Desalination, 2016
Multidisciplinary, innovative and high values development of high performance, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable separation systems is highly desired to tackle the sustainability challenges that facing current desalination technology. Owing to their versatility and immense potentials to evolve scientific and technical innovations, nanotechnology is probably one of the most prominent strategies that has gained growing scientificandpublicrecognition to provide solutions that can extend the limits of sustainability in membrane desalination technology. This short review provides a brief insight into the roles and prospective of nanotechnology, particularly the nano-enabled membrane technology, to serve as a key element to render feasible solutions for sustainable development in membrane desalination technology. The contribution also highlights the strategies of transforming risk and challenges of this cutting edge technology into competitive advantage in order to timely and efficiently drive values in enhancing the desalination performance, profits and sustainability. The applications of nanomaterials and nanocomposite in membrane desalination are anticipated to foster untapped initiatives and innovation in fundamental science, engineering and technology to spearhead the new wave of leading edge sustainable membrane desalination technology.
Desalination, 2017
Thin film composite membranes (TFC) consisting of an ultra-thin polyamide layer made from interfacial polymerization remain to be of paramount importance for seawater desalination. Incorporation of nanoparticles into the polyamide layer has produced thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes with better performance than traditional TFC membranes. However, challenges of defect formation with the introduction of nanoparticles need careful adjustments in order to surpass the trade-off relationship between permeability and selectivity. Here, we explored the influential effects of nanoparticles, solvent and surfactant treatments on the desalination performance of TFN membranes under 55 bar using 35,000 ppm NaCl as the feed at 25°C. TFN membranes with various loadings of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and TiO 2-SiO 2 core-shell nanoparticles were fabricated. Surfactant treatment was performed in two different ways: membrane soaking and in-tank addition. Unexpectedly, the latter endows the membrane with an improved rejection without sacrificing its flux possibly due to the formation of a surfactant monolayer to heal defects in TFN membranes. The newly developed TFN-T membrane with the aid of synergic effects from nanoparticles, ethanol and surfactant post-treatments shows comparable performance to most commercial membranes. This work may provide useful insights to overcome the trade-off relationship between permeability and selectivity of TFN membranes for seawater desalination.
Forward Osmosis Membrane: Review of Fabrication, Modification, Challenges and Potential
Membranes, 2023
Forward osmosis (FO) is a low-energy treatment process driven by osmosis to induce the separation of water from dissolved solutes/foulants through the membrane in hydraulic pressure absence while retaining all of these materials on the other side. All these advantages make it an alternative process to reduce the disadvantages of traditional desalination processes. However, several critical fundamentals still require more attention for understanding them, most notably the synthesis of novel membranes that offer a support layer with high flux and an active layer with high water permeability and solute rejection from both solutions at the same time, and a novel draw solution which provides low solute flux, high water flux, and easy regeneration. This work reviews the fundamentals controlling the FO process performance such as the role of the active layer and substrate and advances in the modification of FO membranes utilizing nanomaterials. Then, other aspects that affect the performance of FO are further summarized, including types of draw solutions and the role of operating conditions. Finally, challenges associated with the FO process, such as concentration polarization (CP), membrane fouling, and reverse solute diffusion (RSD) were analyzed by defining their causes and how to mitigate them. Moreover, factors affecting the energy consumption of the FO system were discussed and compared with reverse osmosis (RO). This review will provide in-depth details about FO technology, the issues it faces, and potential solutions to those issues to help the scientific researcher facilitate a full understanding of FO technology.
Nanomaterials in membrane water desalination
Desalination and Water Treatment, 2021
Reverse osmosis (RO) is currently the most important desalination technology and it is experiencing significant growth. This paper reviews the historical and current development of RO membrane materials which are the key determinants of separation performance and water productivity, and hence to define performance targets for those who are developing new RO membrane materials. Given their unique structural and morphological features, nanomaterials have gained considerable attention for their applications in membrane desalination. The emergence of nanotechnology in membrane materials science could offer an attractive alternative to polymeric materials. Hence nanostructured membranes are discussed in this review including zeolite membranes, carbon nanotube, graphene and graphene oxide membranes in their free-standing and composite forms. It is proposed that these novel materials represent the most likely opportunities for enhanced RO desalination performance in the future, but that a ...
Characterization of nanofiltration membranes and their evaluation for RO desalination pre-treatment
2007
One of the most significant factors for a good performance and cost effectively operating a reverse osmosis desalination plant is the capacity of the pre-treatment to consistently produce high quality feed water. The use of low pressure filtration membranes pre-treatment become important in the last years because of the potential benefits compared with conventional, in terms of improved water quality, fewer RO cleanings and lower pressure drops. In the present work, different commercial NF membranes have been hydraulically characterized with synthetic seawater and analysed with FTIR-ATR, SEM, AFM and streaming potential. The results give us an evaluation of each membrane for their potential use as pretreatment for a RO desalination plant.