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Membranes
Volume 9
Issue 12
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Membranes, Volume 9, Issue 12 (December 2019) – 17 articles

Cover Story (view full-size image): Measles virus (MV) has gained broad interest due to its effectiveness in treating late-stage cancer. For cancer therapy, at least 108 infectious MV particles per dose with a defined purity are needed. A typical unit operation to concentrate viruses is tangential flow filtration (TFF). In this study, we successfully concentrated MV by TFF and determined the effect of cell culture media and membrane properties (cut-offs and materials). We conducted a fouling analysis and found correlations among membrane fouling, virus recovery, and impurity depletion. View this paper
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14 pages, 4181 KiB  
Article
Research on Operation Efficiency and Membrane Fouling of A2/O-MBR in Reclaimed Water Treatment
by Fenfen Li, Xinyue An, Cuimin Feng, Jianwei Kang, Junling Wang and Hongying Yu
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120172 - 17 Dec 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4016
Abstract
Taking the public building domestic wastewater as an example, the combination of the MBR (membrane bioreactor) process and the traditional A2/O (anaerobic-anoxic-oxic) process was established and analyzed in terms of the removal effect of the pollutants, the impact of the microbial [...] Read more.
Taking the public building domestic wastewater as an example, the combination of the MBR (membrane bioreactor) process and the traditional A2/O (anaerobic-anoxic-oxic) process was established and analyzed in terms of the removal effect of the pollutants, the impact of the microbial community changes on the process, the MBR membrane fouling, the cleaning methods, and the cleaning performance. The results indicated that the effluent water quality of the domestic wastewater treated with the A2/O-MBR process was stable and met the emission requirement to the natural water body. There was good microbial diversity in raw water, the anaerobic tank, the anoxic tank, the aerobic MBR tank and the disinfection tank, and the aerobic MBR tank has a wide variety of aerobic microorganisms, which elevates the removal of organics and the nitrification of ammonia nitrogen and ensures the qualification of nitrogen and phosphorus indexes of the system effluent water. For the fouled membrane, the surface of the contaminated membrane was covered by macromolecular contaminants, causing the membrane flux to drop, and after different cleaning methods to the membrane were compared, it was discovered that the combined use of cleaning agents had better effects than the single ones, and the cleaning method of sodium hydroxide followed by hydrochloric acid showed the best effect, achieving a membrane flux restoration ratio above 80% after cleaning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Membrane Processing and Engineering)
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15 pages, 1941 KiB  
Article
Neutralization Dialysis for Phenylalanine and Mineral Salt Separation. Simple Theory and Experiment
by Anton Kozmai, Elena Goleva, Vera Vasil’eva, Victor Nikonenko and Natalia Pismenskaya
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120171 - 10 Dec 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3377
Abstract
A simple non-steady state mathematical model is proposed for the process of purification of an amino acid solution from mineral salts by the method of neutralization dialysis (ND), carried out in a circulating hydrodynamic mode. The model takes into account the characteristics of [...] Read more.
A simple non-steady state mathematical model is proposed for the process of purification of an amino acid solution from mineral salts by the method of neutralization dialysis (ND), carried out in a circulating hydrodynamic mode. The model takes into account the characteristics of membranes (thickness, exchange capacity and electric conductivity) and solution (concentration and components nature) as well as the solution flow rate in dialyzer compartments. In contrast to the known models, the new model considers a local change in the ion concentration in membranes and the adjacent diffusion layers. In addition, the model takes into consideration the ability of the amino acid to enter the protonation/deprotonation reactions. A comparison of the results of simulations with experimental data allows us to conclude that the model adequately describes the ND of a strong electrolyte (NaCl) and amino acid (phenylalanine) mixture solutions in the case where the diffusion ability of amino acids in membranes is much less, than mineral salts. An example shows the application of the model to predict the fluxes of salt ions through ion exchange membranes as well as pH of the desalination solution at a higher than in experiments flow rate of solutions in ND dialyzer compartments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ion-Exchange Membranes and Processes)
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20 pages, 2462 KiB  
Article
Concentration Dependencies of Diffusion Permeability of Anion-Exchange Membranes in Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate, Monosodium Phosphate, and Potassium Hydrogen Tartrate Solutions
by Natalia Pismenskaya, Veronika Sarapulova, Ekaterina Nevakshenova, Natalia Kononenko, Maria Fomenko and Victor Nikonenko
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120170 - 10 Dec 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3788
Abstract
The concentration dependencies of diffusion permeability of homogeneous (AMX-Sb and AX) and heterogeneous (MA-41 and FTAM-EDI) anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) is obtained in solutions of ampholytes (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3; monosodium phosphate, NaH2PO4; and potassium hydrogen tartrate, KHT) and [...] Read more.
The concentration dependencies of diffusion permeability of homogeneous (AMX-Sb and AX) and heterogeneous (MA-41 and FTAM-EDI) anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) is obtained in solutions of ampholytes (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3; monosodium phosphate, NaH2PO4; and potassium hydrogen tartrate, KHT) and a strong electrolyte (sodium chloride, NaCl). It is established that the diffusion permeability of AEMs increases with dilution of the ampholyte solutions, while it decreases in the case of the strong electrolyte solution. The factors causing the unusual form of concentration dependencies of AEMs in the ampholyte solutions are considered: (1) the enrichment of the internal AEM solution with multiply charged counterions and (2) the increase in the pore size of AEMs with dilution of the external solution. The enrichment of the internal solution of AEMs with multiply charged counterions is caused by the Donnan exclusion of protons, which are the products of protolysis reactions. The increase in the pore size is conditioned by the stretching of the elastic polymer matrix due to the penetration of strongly hydrated anions of carbonic, phosphoric, and tartaric acids into the AEMs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ion-Exchange Membranes and Processes)
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13 pages, 6093 KiB  
Article
A Study of Ralex Membrane Morphology by SEM
by Elmara M. Akberova, Vera I. Vasil’eva, Victor I. Zabolotsky and Lubos Novak
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120169 - 6 Dec 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4517
Abstract
A comparative analysis of the effect of the manufacturing technology of heterogeneousion-exchange membranes Ralex CM Pes manufactured by MEGA a.s. (Czech Republic) on the structural properties of their surface and cross section by SEM was carried out. The CM Pes membrane is a [...] Read more.
A comparative analysis of the effect of the manufacturing technology of heterogeneousion-exchange membranes Ralex CM Pes manufactured by MEGA a.s. (Czech Republic) on the structural properties of their surface and cross section by SEM was carried out. The CM Pes membrane is a composite of a sulfonated ion-exchanger with inert binder of polyethylene and reinforcing polyester fiber. In the manufacture of membranes Ralex the influence of two factors was investigated. First, the time of ion-exchange grain millingvaried at a constant resin/polyethylene ratio. Second, the ratio of the cation-exchanger and the inert binder of polyethylene varied. It has been found that the membrane surface becomes more electrically homogeneous with the growth of the ion-exchanger loading and a decrease in its particle size. With an increase in the milling time of resin grainsfrom 5 to 80 min a more than 1.5-fold decrease in their radius and in the distance between them was revealed.Besides, there is a 1.5-fold decrease in the fraction, as well as in the size of pores and structure defects. The fraction of the ion-exchange phase on the membrane surface decreases by 7%. With an increase in the resin loading from 45 to 70 wt %, the growth of the fraction of conducting regions on the surface is almost twofold, while their sizes remain practically unchanged. More significant changes in the surface structure of the studied membranes are established in comparison with the cross section. An increase in the resin content in the membranes from 45 to 70 wt % corresponds to a 43% increment of its fraction on the cross-section.The increase in the ion-exchanger content of Ralex membranes is accompanied by the growth of the fraction of macropores and structure defects on the membrane surface by 70% and a twofold decrease in the distance between conducting zones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ion-Exchange Membranes and Processes)
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14 pages, 3373 KiB  
Article
Oil Deposition on Polymer Brush-Coated NF Membranes
by Anh Vu, Naama Segev Mark, Guy Z. Ramon, Xianghong Qian, Arijit Sengupta and S. Ranil Wickramasinghe
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120168 - 6 Dec 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2543
Abstract
Membrane-based processes are attractive for treating oily wastewaters. However, membrane fouling due to the deposition of oil droplets on the membrane surface compromises performance. Here, real-time observation of the deposition of oil droplets by direct confocal microscopy was conducted. Experiments were conducted in [...] Read more.
Membrane-based processes are attractive for treating oily wastewaters. However, membrane fouling due to the deposition of oil droplets on the membrane surface compromises performance. Here, real-time observation of the deposition of oil droplets by direct confocal microscopy was conducted. Experiments were conducted in dead-end and crossflow modes. Base NF 270 nanofiltration membranes as well as membranes modified by grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chains from the membrane surface using atom transfer radical polymerization were investigated. By using feed streams containing low and high NaCl concentrations, the grafted polymer chains could be induced to switch conformation from a hydrated to a dehydrated state, as the lower critical solution temperature for the grafted polymer chains moved above and below the room temperature, respectively. For the modified membrane, it was shown that switching conformation of the grafted polymer chains led to the partial release of adsorbed oil. The results also indicate that, unlike particles such as polystyrene beads, adsorption of oil droplets can lead to coalescence of the adsorbed oil droplets on the membrane surface. The results provide further evidence of the importance of membrane properties, feed solution characteristics, and operating mode and conditions on membrane fouling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the 12th Conference of the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS12))
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7 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Effect of Carbonic Anhydrase on CO2 Separation Performance of Thin Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer/Poly(ethylene glycol) Hybrid Membranes
by Shuhong Duan, Teruhiko Kai and Shin-ichi Nakao
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120167 - 5 Dec 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2808
Abstract
The effect of carbonic anhydrase (CA) on the separation performance of thin poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hybrid membranes was investigated. CA, a type of enzyme, was used to promote CO2 hydration and dehydration reactions and to assess whether these reactions were [...] Read more.
The effect of carbonic anhydrase (CA) on the separation performance of thin poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hybrid membranes was investigated. CA, a type of enzyme, was used to promote CO2 hydration and dehydration reactions and to assess whether these reactions were the rate-limiting step in CO2 permeation through the membrane. The relationship between the membrane thickness and the CO2 permeance was evaluated in CO2/H2 or CO2/He separation using PAMAM/PEG hybrid membranes (thickness: 10–100 μm) with and without CA. Without CA, the CO2 permeance of PAMAM/PEG hybrid membranes was not inversely proportional to the membrane thickness. On the other hand, with CA, the CO2 permeance was inversely proportional to the membrane thickness. It was implied that, without CA, the rate-limiting step of CO2 transport was either the CO2 hydration reaction at the feed side or the CO2 dehydration reaction at the permeate side. On the other hand, with CA addition, the rate-limiting step of CO2 transport was diffusion, and CO2 permeance could be increased without sacrificing the selectivity by reducing membrane thickness. The effect of the position of CA (i.e., on the surface and/or reverse surface) on CO2 separation performance was investigated to evaluate which reaction was the rate-limiting step of CO2 permeation through the membrane. It was suggested that the rate-limiting step of CO2 permeation was CO2 dehydration reaction at the permeate side. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the 12th Conference of the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS12))
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17 pages, 1607 KiB  
Review
Microalgae in Food-Energy-Water Nexus: A Review on Progress of Forward Osmosis Applications
by Yusuf Wibisono, Wahyunanto Agung Nugroho, Luhur Akbar Devianto, Akhmad Adi Sulianto and Muhammad Roil Bilad
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120166 - 5 Dec 2019
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5775
Abstract
Nowadays the world is facing vulnerability problems related to food, energy and water demands. The challenges in those subsystems are intertwined and thus require inter-discipline approaches to address them. Bioresources offer promising solutions of the dilemma. Microalgae biomass is expected to become a [...] Read more.
Nowadays the world is facing vulnerability problems related to food, energy and water demands. The challenges in those subsystems are intertwined and thus require inter-discipline approaches to address them. Bioresources offer promising solutions of the dilemma. Microalgae biomass is expected to become a superfood and a favorable energy feedstock and assist in supplying clean water and treat wastewater. Efficient mass production of microalgae, both during upstream and downstream processes, is thus a key process for providing high quality and affordable microalgae biomass. This paper covers recent progress in microalgae harvesting and dewatering by using osmotic driven membrane process, i.e., forward osmosis. Critical factors during forward osmosis process for microalgae harvesting and dewatering are discussed. Finally, perspective on further research directions and implementation scenarios of the forward osmosis are also provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Bioeconomy)
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13 pages, 4962 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Properties of Water Confined in Graphene-Based Membrane: A Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study
by One-Sun Lee
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120165 - 4 Dec 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3846
Abstract
We performed molecular dynamics simulations of water molecules inside a hydrophobic membrane composed of stacked graphene sheets. By decreasing the density of water molecules inside the membrane, we observed that water molecules form a droplet through a hydrogen bond with each other in [...] Read more.
We performed molecular dynamics simulations of water molecules inside a hydrophobic membrane composed of stacked graphene sheets. By decreasing the density of water molecules inside the membrane, we observed that water molecules form a droplet through a hydrogen bond with each other in the hydrophobic environment that stacked graphene sheets create. We found that the water droplet translates as a whole body rather than a dissipate. The translational diffusion coefficient along the graphene surface increases as the number of water molecules in the droplet decreases, because the bigger water droplet has a stronger van der Waals interaction with the graphene surface that hampers the translational motion. We also observed a longer hydrogen bond lifetime as the density of water decreased, because the hydrophobic environment limits the libration motion of the water molecules. We also calculated the reorientational correlation time of the water molecules, and we found that the rotational motion of confined water inside the membrane is anisotropic and the reorientational correlation time of confined water is slower than that of bulk water. In addition, we employed steered molecular dynamics simulations for guiding the target molecule, and measured the free energy profile of water and ion penetration through the interstice between graphene sheets. The free energy profile of penetration revealed that the optimum interlayer distance for desalination is ~10 Å, where the minimum distance for water penetration is 7 Å. With a 7 Å interlayer distance between the graphene sheets, water molecules are stabilized inside the interlayer space because of the van der Waals interaction with the graphene sheets where sodium and chloride ions suffer from a 3–8 kcal/mol energy barrier for penetration. We believe that our simulation results would be a significant contribution for designing a new graphene-based membrane for desalination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue EWM 2019: Membranes for a Sustainable Future)
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16 pages, 5342 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Imidazolium based PILs and Investigation of Their Blend Membranes for Gas Separation
by Thanasis Chouliaras, Aristofanis Vollas, Theophilos Ioannides, Valadoula Deimede and Joannis Kallitsis
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120164 - 3 Dec 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4201
Abstract
Polymeric (ionic liquid) (PIL) copolymers bearing cationic imidazolium pendants and polar acrylic acid groups (P(VBCImY-co-AAx)), which both favor the interaction with CO2 molecules, have been synthesized and blended with film forming, high glass transition temperature aromatic polyether-based pyridinium PILs (PILPyr). [...] Read more.
Polymeric (ionic liquid) (PIL) copolymers bearing cationic imidazolium pendants and polar acrylic acid groups (P(VBCImY-co-AAx)), which both favor the interaction with CO2 molecules, have been synthesized and blended with film forming, high glass transition temperature aromatic polyether-based pyridinium PILs (PILPyr). The blend membranes based on the above combination have been prepared and characterized in respect to their thermal and morphological behavior as well as to their gas separation properties. The used copolymers and blends showed a wide range of glass transition temperatures from 32 to 286 °C, while blends exhibited two phase morphology despite the presence of polar groups in the blend components that could participate in specific interactions. Finally, the membranes were studied in terms of their gas separation behavior. It revealed that blend composition, counter anion type and acrylic acid molar percentage affect the gas separation properties. In particular, PILPyr-TFSI/P(VBCImTFSI-co-AA20) blend with 80/20 composition shows CO2 permeability of 7.00 Barrer and quite high selectivity of 103 for the CO2/CH4 gas pair. Even higher CO2/CH4. selectivity of 154 was achieved for PILPyr-BF4/P(VBCImBF4-co-AA10) blend with composition 70/30. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Gas Separation)
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28 pages, 4118 KiB  
Review
Ionizing Radiation for Preparation and Functionalization of Membranes and Their Biomedical and Environmental Applications
by Maria Helena Casimiro, Luis Mota Ferreira, João Paulo Leal, Claudia Cristina Lage Pereira and Bernardo Monteiro
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120163 - 3 Dec 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4635
Abstract
The use of ionizing radiation processing technologies has proven to be one of the most versatile ways to prepare a wide range of membranes with specific tailored functionalities, thus enabling them to be used in a variety of industrial, environmental, and biological applications. [...] Read more.
The use of ionizing radiation processing technologies has proven to be one of the most versatile ways to prepare a wide range of membranes with specific tailored functionalities, thus enabling them to be used in a variety of industrial, environmental, and biological applications. The general principle of this clean and environmental friendly technique is the use of various types of commercially available high-energy radiation sources, like 60Co, X-ray, and electron beam to initiate energy-controlled processes of free-radical polymerization or copolymerization, leading to the production of functionalized, flexible, structured membranes or to the incorporation of functional groups within a matrix composed by a low-cost polymer film. The present manuscript describes the state of the art of using ionizing radiation for the preparation and functionalization of polymer-based membranes for biomedical and environmental applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Membranes for Biomedical and Environmental Applications)
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19 pages, 4946 KiB  
Article
Insignificant Impact of Chemotactic Responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the Bacterial Attachment to Organic Pre-Conditioned RO Membranes
by Lan Hee Kim and Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120162 - 2 Dec 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3051
Abstract
We investigated the impact of conditioning compositions on the way bacteria move and adhere to reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that have been pre-conditioned by organic compounds. We used humic acid (HA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and sodium alginate (SA) to simulate conditioning layers [...] Read more.
We investigated the impact of conditioning compositions on the way bacteria move and adhere to reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that have been pre-conditioned by organic compounds. We used humic acid (HA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and sodium alginate (SA) to simulate conditioning layers on the RO membranes. First, we investigated the chemotactic responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 to the organic substances and the impact of changes in physicochemical characteristics of pre-conditioned membranes on bacterial attachment. Second, we observed bacterial attachment under the presence or absence of nutrients or microbial metabolic activity. Results showed that there was no relationship between the chemotactic response of P. aeruginosa PAO1 and the organic substances, and the changes in hydrophobicity, surface free energy, and surface charge resulting from changing the composition of the conditioning layer did not seem to affect bacterial attachment, whereas changing the roughness of the conditioned membrane exponentially did (exponential correlation coefficient, R2 = 0.85). We found that the initial bacterial attachment on the membrane surface is influenced by (i) the nutrients in the feed solution and (ii) the microbial metabolic activity, whereas the chemotaxis response has a negligible impact. This study would help to establish a suitable strategy to manage bacterial attachment. Full article
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22 pages, 2616 KiB  
Article
Reference Electrodes with Polymer-Based Membranes—Comprehensive Performance Characteristics
by Peter Lingenfelter, Bartosz Bartoszewicz, Jan Migdalski, Tomasz Sokalski, Mirosław M. Bućko, Robert Filipek and Andrzej Lewenstam
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120161 - 29 Nov 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6793
Abstract
Several types of liquid membrane and solid-state reference electrodes based on different plastics were fabricated. In the membranes studied, equitransferent organic (QB) and inorganic salts (KCl) are dispersed in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), urea-formaldehyde resin (UF), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), as well as [...] Read more.
Several types of liquid membrane and solid-state reference electrodes based on different plastics were fabricated. In the membranes studied, equitransferent organic (QB) and inorganic salts (KCl) are dispersed in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), urea-formaldehyde resin (UF), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), as well as remelted KCl in order to show the matrix impact on the reference membranes’ behavior. The comparison of potentiometic performance was made using specially designed standardized testing protocols. A problem in the reference electrode research and literature has been a lack of standardized testing, which leads to difficulties in comparing different types, qualities, and properties of reference electrodes. Herein, several protocols were developed to test the electrodes’ performance with respect to stability over time, pH sensitivity, ionic strength, and various ionic species. All of the prepared reference electrodes performed well in at least some respect and would be suitable for certain applications as described in the text. Most of the reference types, however, demonstrated some weakness that had not been previously highlighted in the literature, due in large part to the lack of exhaustive and/or consistent testing protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Artificial and Biological Membranes: Mechanisms of Ionic Sensitivity, Ion-Sensor Designs and Applications for Ions Measurement)
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22 pages, 1801 KiB  
Article
Tangential Flow Filtration for the Concentration of Oncolytic Measles Virus: The Influence of Filter Properties and the Cell Culture Medium
by Daniel Loewe, Tanja A. Grein, Hauke Dieken, Tobias Weidner, Denise Salzig and Peter Czermak
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120160 - 29 Nov 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 8628
Abstract
The therapeutic use of oncolytic measles virus (MV) for cancer treatment requires >108 infectious MV particles per dose in a highly pure form. The concentration/purification of viruses is typically achieved by tangential flow filtration (TFF) but the efficiency of this process for [...] Read more.
The therapeutic use of oncolytic measles virus (MV) for cancer treatment requires >108 infectious MV particles per dose in a highly pure form. The concentration/purification of viruses is typically achieved by tangential flow filtration (TFF) but the efficiency of this process for the preparation of MV has not been tested in detail. We therefore investigated the influence of membrane material, feed composition, and pore size or molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) on the recovery of MV by TFF in concentration mode. We achieved the recovery of infectious MV particles using membranes with a MWCO ≤ 300 kDa regardless of the membrane material and whether or not serum was present in the feed. However, serum proteins in the medium affected membrane flux and promoted fouling. The severity of fouling was dependent on the membrane material, with the cellulose-based membrane showing the lowest susceptibility. We found that impurities such as proteins and host cell DNA were best depleted using membranes with a MWCO ≥ 300 kDa. We conclude that TFF in concentration mode is a robust unit operation to concentrate infectious MV particles while depleting impurities such as non-infectious MV particles, proteins, and host cell DNA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue EWM 2019: Membranes for a Sustainable Future)
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15 pages, 3371 KiB  
Article
Membrane Adsorber for the Fast Purification of a Monoclonal Antibody Using Protein A Chromatography
by Chantal Brämer, Lisa Tünnermann, Alina Gonzalez Salcedo, Oscar-Werner Reif, Dörte Solle, Thomas Scheper and Sascha Beutel
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120159 - 27 Nov 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6781
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies are conquering the biopharmaceutical market because they can be used to treat a variety of diseases. Therefore, it is very important to establish robust and optimized processes for their production. In this article, the first step of chromatography (Protein A chromatography) [...] Read more.
Monoclonal antibodies are conquering the biopharmaceutical market because they can be used to treat a variety of diseases. Therefore, it is very important to establish robust and optimized processes for their production. In this article, the first step of chromatography (Protein A chromatography) in monoclonal antibody purification was optimized with a focus on the critical elution step. Therefore, different buffers (citrate, glycine, acetate) were tested for chromatographic performance and product quality. Membrane chromatography was evaluated because it promises high throughputs and short cycle times. The membrane adsorber Sartobind® Protein A 2 mL was used to accelerate the purification procedure and was further used to perform a continuous chromatographic run with a four-membrane adsorber-periodic counter-current chromatography (4MA-PCCC) system. It was found that citrate buffer at pH 3.5 and 0.15 M NaCl enabled the highest recovery of >95% and lowest total aggregate content of 0.26%. In the continuous process, the capacity utilization of the membrane adsorber was increased by 20%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Chromatography for Biomolecules Purification)
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16 pages, 4182 KiB  
Article
Concentration of 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone in Aqueous Solutions by Sweeping Gas Membrane Distillation: From Bench to Industrial Scale
by Ricardo Abejón, Hafedh Saidani, André Deratani, Christophe Richard and José Sánchez-Marcano
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120158 - 26 Nov 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3301
Abstract
Sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD) is a useful option for dehydration of aqueous solvent solutions. This study investigated the technical viability and competitiveness of the use of SGMD to concentrate aqueous solutions of 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI), a dipolar aprotic solvent. The concentration from 30% [...] Read more.
Sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD) is a useful option for dehydration of aqueous solvent solutions. This study investigated the technical viability and competitiveness of the use of SGMD to concentrate aqueous solutions of 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI), a dipolar aprotic solvent. The concentration from 30% to 50% of aqueous DMI solutions was attained in a bench installation with Liqui-Cel SuperPhobic® hollow-fiber membranes. The selected membranes resulted in low vapor flux (below 0.15 kg/h·m2) but were also effective for minimization of DMI losses through the membranes, since these losses were maintained below 1% of the evaporated water flux. This fact implied that more than 99.2% of the DMI fed to the system was recovered in the produced concentrated solution. The influence of temperature and flowrate of the feed and sweep gas streams was analyzed to develop simple empirical models that represented the vapor permeation and DMI losses through the hollow-fiber membranes. The proposed models were successfully applied to the scaling-up of the process with a preliminary multi-objective optimization of the process based on the simultaneous minimization of the total membrane area, the heat requirement and the air consumption. Maximal feed temperature and air flowrate (and the corresponding high operation costs) were optimal conditions, but the excessive membrane area required implied an uncompetitive alternative for direct industrial application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Distillation Process)
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37 pages, 3753 KiB  
Review
A Bibliometric Survey of Paraffin/Olefin Separation Using Membranes
by Débora Micheline Vaz de Miranda, Luciana da Silva Dutra, Débora Way, Nicolis Amaral, Frederico Wegenast, Maria Clara Scaldaferri, Normando Jesus and José Carlos Pinto
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120157 - 26 Nov 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6398
Abstract
Bibliometric studies allow to collect, organize and process information that can be used to guide the development of research and innovation and to provide basis for decision-making. Paraffin/olefin separations constitute an important industrial issue because cryogenic separation methods are frequently needed in industrial [...] Read more.
Bibliometric studies allow to collect, organize and process information that can be used to guide the development of research and innovation and to provide basis for decision-making. Paraffin/olefin separations constitute an important industrial issue because cryogenic separation methods are frequently needed in industrial sites and are very expensive. As a consequence, the use of membrane separation processes has been extensively encouraged and has become an attractive alternative for commercial separation processes, as this may lead to reduction of production costs, equipment size, energy consumption and waste generation. For these reasons, a bibliometric survey of paraffin/olefin membrane separation processes is carried out in the present study in order to evaluate the maturity of the technology for this specific application. Although different studies have proposed the use of distinct alternatives for olefin/paraffin separations, the present work makes clear that consensus has yet to be reached among researchers and technicians regarding the specific membranes and operation conditions that will make these processes scalable for large-scale commercial applications. Full article
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14 pages, 8201 KiB  
Article
ZnO Microfiltration Membranes for Desalination by a Vacuum Flow-Through Evaporation Method
by Shailesh Dangwal, Ruochen Liu, Lyndon D. Bastatas, Elena Echeverria, Chengqian Huang, Yu Mao, David N. Mcllroy, Sangil Han and Seok-Jhin Kim
Membranes 2019, 9(12), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9120156 - 23 Nov 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3564
Abstract
ZnO was deposited on macroporous α-alumina membranes via atomic layer deposition (ALD) to improve water flux by increasing their hydrophilicity and reducing mass transfer resistance through membrane pore channels. The deposition of ZnO was systemically performed for 4–128 cycles of ALD at 170 [...] Read more.
ZnO was deposited on macroporous α-alumina membranes via atomic layer deposition (ALD) to improve water flux by increasing their hydrophilicity and reducing mass transfer resistance through membrane pore channels. The deposition of ZnO was systemically performed for 4–128 cycles of ALD at 170 °C. Analysis of membrane surface by contact angles (CA) measurements revealed that the hydrophilicity of the ZnO ALD membrane was enhanced with increasing the number of ALD cycles. It was observed that a vacuum-assisted ‘flow-through’ evaporation method had significantly higher efficacy in comparison to conventional desalination methods. By using the vacuum-assisted ‘flow-through’ technique, the water flux of the ZnO ALD membrane (~170 L m−2 h−1) was obtained, which is higher than uncoated pristine membranes (92 L m−2 h−1). It was also found that ZnO ALD membranes substantially improved water flux while keeping excellent salt rejection rate (>99.9%). Ultrasonic membrane cleaning had considerable effect on reducing the membrane fouling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Membrane Physics and Theory)
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