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Membranes
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Recent Advances in Desalination Based on Membrane Technologies
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Recent Advances in Desalination Based on Membrane Technologies

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 14287

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dieling Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
Interests: TFN membranes; water treatment; desalination; metal–organic frameworks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xingran Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: antifouling membranes; reverse osmosis membranes; membrane bioreactors; water and wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The universal provision of clean water for public health and economics cannot be overstated. Given the increasing demand for fresh water due to the growing population, improving living standards, and rapid industrialization, vigorous research continues to augment water supplies through the desalination of unconventional water sources (e.g., saline aquifers and seawater) by safe, reliable, and affordable membrane technology. 

This Special Issue, “Recent Advances in Desalination based on Membrane Technologies”, focuses on recent research regarding novel membranes and desalination technologies. Especially, studies on fouling control strategies for membranes used in desalination are welcomed. Pilot studies on membrane-based desalination processes are also of interest. We accept high-quality research papers as well as review articles. Given your insightful works in the field, we invite you and your colleagues to submit a contribution to this special issue in which leading experts will describe their works, ideas, and findings.

Dr. Dieling Zhao
Dr. Xingran Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • desalination
  • membrane-based separation
  • antifouling
  • pilot study
  • water treatment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1434 KiB  
Article
Use of Alteromonas sp. Ni1-LEM Supernatant as a Cleaning Agent for Reverse-Osmosis Membranes (ROMs) from a Desalination Plant in Northern Chile Affected by Biofouling
by Hernán Vera-Villalobos, Carlos Riquelme and Fernando Silva-Aciares
Membranes 2023, 13(5), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13050454 - 22 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1591
Abstract
Biofouling refers to the undesirable growth of microorganisms on water-submerged surfaces. Microfouling, the initial state of biofouling, is characterized by aggregates of microbial cells enclosed in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). In seawater desalination plants, filtration systems, such as reverse-osmosis membranes [...] Read more.
Biofouling refers to the undesirable growth of microorganisms on water-submerged surfaces. Microfouling, the initial state of biofouling, is characterized by aggregates of microbial cells enclosed in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). In seawater desalination plants, filtration systems, such as reverse-osmosis membranes (ROMs), are affected by microfouling, which decreases their efficiency in obtaining permeate water. The existing chemical and physical treatments are expensive and ineffective; therefore, controlling microfouling on ROMs is a considerable challenge. Thus, new approaches are necessary to improve the current ROM cleaning treatments. This study demonstrates the application of Alteromonas sp. Ni1-LEM supernatant as a cleaning agent for ROMs in a desalination seawater plant in northern Chile (Aguas Antofagasta S.A.), which is responsible for supplying drinking water to the city of Antofagasta. ROMs treated with Altermonas sp. Ni1-LEM supernatant exhibited statistically significant results (p < 0.05) in terms of seawater permeability (Pi), permeability recovery (PR), and the conductivity of permeated water compared with control biofouling ROMs and those treated with the chemical cleaning protocol applied by the Aguas Antofagasta S.A. desalination plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Desalination Based on Membrane Technologies)
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16 pages, 5395 KiB  
Article
Production of Drinking Water with Membranes with Simultaneous Utilization of Concentrate and Reject Effluent after Sludge Dewatering
by Alexei Pervov and Dmitry Spitsov
Membranes 2023, 13(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020133 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2010
Abstract
A new technology is described that enables us to completely exclude liquid discharges during production of drinking water from surface sources. The proposed described technological scheme separates the natural water into a stream of purified drinking water and dewatered sludge. The sludge moisture [...] Read more.
A new technology is described that enables us to completely exclude liquid discharges during production of drinking water from surface sources. The proposed described technological scheme separates the natural water into a stream of purified drinking water and dewatered sludge. The sludge moisture has a value of 80 percent. The experimental program is described to treat the natural water with nanofiltration membranes and to produce a drinking-quality water with recovery value of 0.99 and higher. Concentrate of membrane plant is mixed with the wet sludge and the reject effluent after sludge dewatering is again treated by reverse osmosis membranes and returned back to the sludge thickening tank. Results of experiments to treat reject water after sludge dewatering are presented. The use of nanofiltration membranes provides reduction in the Total Dissolved Solids content (TDS), aluminum, color and oxidation to meet drinking water standards. Experimental plots are presented that can be used to select membrane characteristics and to predict product water chemical composition at each stage of the membrane treatment scheme. Concentrate of membrane treatment plant is mixed with the wet sludge in the thickening tank. The sludge, after the thickening tank, is dewatered using either filter-press or centrifugal equipment. The reject (or fugate), after sludge dewatering, is treated by membrane facility to separate it into deionized water stream and concentrate stream. The deionized water can be mixed with the feed water or drinking water and the concentrate stream is returned back to the thickening tank. Thus, the salt balance is maintained in the thickening tank, whereby all dissolved salts and impurities that are rejected by membranes are collected in the thickening tank, and then are withdrawn together with the dewatered sludge. Based on the results of experimental data processing, balance diagrams of the sludge dehydration process with waste water purification at the membrane plant and with the addition of the membrane plant concentrate to the sludge thickener are presented, according to which all contaminants removed by the membranes are removed together with the sludge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Desalination Based on Membrane Technologies)
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15 pages, 13373 KiB  
Article
Calcium Sulfate and Calcium Carbonate Scaling of Thin-Film Composite Polyamide Reverse Osmosis Membranes with Surface-Tethered Polyacrylic Acid Chains
by Yian Chen and Yoram Cohen
Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1287; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12121287 - 19 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2172
Abstract
The gypsum and calcite scaling propensities of the thin-film composite polyamide (PA-TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, modified with a tethered surface layer of polyacrylic acid (PAA) chains, was evaluated and compared to the scaling of selected commercial RO membranes. The tethered PAA layer [...] Read more.
The gypsum and calcite scaling propensities of the thin-film composite polyamide (PA-TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, modified with a tethered surface layer of polyacrylic acid (PAA) chains, was evaluated and compared to the scaling of selected commercial RO membranes. The tethered PAA layer was synthesized onto a commercial polyamide membrane (i.e., base-PA) via atmospheric pressure plasma-induced graft polymerization (APPIGP). The PAA nano-structured (SNS) base-PA membrane (SNS-PAA-PA) was scaled to a lesser degree, as quantified by a lower permeate flux decline and surface imaging, relative to the tested commercial membranes (Dow SW30, Toray SWRO, and BWRO). The cleaning of gypsum-scaled membranes with D.I. water flushing achieved 100% water permeability recovery for both the SNS-PAA-PA and Dow SW30 membranes, relative to 92–98% permeability restoration for the Toray membranes. The calcium carbonate scaling of SNS-PAA-PA membranes was also lower relative to the commercial membranes, but permeability recovery after D.I. water cleaning was somewhat lower (94%) but consistent with the level of surface scale coverage. In contrast, the calcite and gypsum-scaled membrane areas of the commercial membranes post-cleaning were significantly higher than for the SNS-PAA-PA membrane but with 100% permeability recovery, suggesting the potential for membrane damage when mineral scaling is severe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Desalination Based on Membrane Technologies)
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18 pages, 2323 KiB  
Article
Opportunities of Reducing the Energy Consumption of Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination by Exploiting Salinity Gradients
by Miguel-Ángel Aumesquet-Carreto, Bartolomé Ortega-Delgado and Lourdes García-Rodríguez
Membranes 2022, 12(11), 1045; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12111045 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3847
Abstract
This work presents a performance assessment of three seawater reverse osmosis—pressure-retarded osmosis (SWRO-PRO) hybrid schemes for energy consumption reduction in seawater desalination applications by using an external low salinity water source. For comparison purposes, another arrangement based on the conventional SWRO process combined [...] Read more.
This work presents a performance assessment of three seawater reverse osmosis—pressure-retarded osmosis (SWRO-PRO) hybrid schemes for energy consumption reduction in seawater desalination applications by using an external low salinity water source. For comparison purposes, another arrangement based on the conventional SWRO process combined with brackish water RO (BWRO) and desalination was analyzed. Reverse osmosis system analysis software environments were used to select the best SWRO configuration and operating conditions. A purposely developed model was used to evaluate the PRO system. Two different cases were assessed depending on the origin of the external low-salinity resource for the PRO process: industrial wastewater and urban treated wastewater. In the case of the industrial wastewater, due to regulations on wastewater reclamation, the best arrangement would be the first SWRO-PRO scheme which was analyzed with a specific energy consumption of 1.54 kWh/m3. If urban treated wastewater is available as an external resource, the results obtained show that this scheme, leading to the minimum specific energy consumption of 1.46 kWh/m3, is the conventional SWRO combined with BWRO. Therefore, hybrid SWRO-PRO systems are recommended to reduce the specific energy consumption of seawater desalination if an industrial wastewater source with low osmotic pressure is available. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Desalination Based on Membrane Technologies)
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Review

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25 pages, 539 KiB  
Review
Thin-Film Nanocomposite (TFN) Membranes for Water Treatment Applications: Characterization and Performance
by Amr Tayel, Ahmed B. Abdelaal, Amal M. K. Esawi and Adham R. Ramadan
Membranes 2023, 13(5), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13050477 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3803
Abstract
Thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes have been widely investigated for water treatment applications due to their promising performance in terms of flux, salt rejection, and their antifouling properties. This review article provides an overview of the TFN membrane characterization and performance. It presents different [...] Read more.
Thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes have been widely investigated for water treatment applications due to their promising performance in terms of flux, salt rejection, and their antifouling properties. This review article provides an overview of the TFN membrane characterization and performance. It presents different characterization techniques that have been used to analyze these membranes and the nanofillers within them. The techniques comprise structural and elemental analysis, surface and morphology analysis, compositional analysis, and mechanical properties. Additionally, the fundamentals of membrane preparation are also presented, together with a classification of nanofillers that have been used so far. The potential of TFN membranes to address water scarcity and pollution challenges is significant. This review also lists examples of effective TFN membrane applications for water treatment. These include enhanced flux, enhanced salt rejection, antifouling, chlorine resistance, antimicrobial properties, thermal stability, and dye removal. The article concludes with a synopsis of the current status of TFN membranes and future perspectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Desalination Based on Membrane Technologies)
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