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Membranes
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Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment
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Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2021) | Viewed by 21135

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Hazim Qiblawey

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, P. O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
Interests: membrane synthesis; thin film composite; interfacial polymerization; phase inversion; mixed matrix membranes; desalination; water treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Composite membranes consist of at least two thin layers made from different materials. Multilayers can be developed so that each layer performs a specific function. The lowest layer is the support layer to provide only mechanical strength, whereas the thin top layers perform separation. Both the top and the support layer contribute to the overall membrane performance and permeability. The optimization of each layer independently makes composite membranes one of the most widely spread membranes not only in the scientific community for water and wastewater treatment but also in almost all commercial processes. The main advantage of composite membranes is the achievement of higher flux. The most common methods for commercial production of thin-film composite membranes are interfacial polymerization and solution coating (dip coating, spray coating, spin coating) methods, among others. Different preparation techniques have not only made it possible to utilize the wide variety of polymers available in the market to produce composite membranes but also to target the separation of a particular material such as dyes, organic–inorganic materials, proteins, salts, etc. Composite membranes are widely applied in nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, membrane bioreactors (MBR), and pervaporation applications.

All state-of-the-art contributions from authors in the form of articles, communications, and reviews producing novel composite membranes from synthesis to applications for water and wastewater treatment are encouraged to be submitted to this Special Issue. This issue accepts papers in membrane science and papers related to materials and polymer sciences that support our understanding to produce novel composite membranes with high flux and rejection from different activities generating wastewater streams. Such activities include but are not limited to municipal wastewater, produced wastewater from gas and oil drilling activities, and the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Prof. Dr. Hazim Qiblawey
Guest Editor

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

  • Thin film composite
  • Interfacial polymerization
  • Nanofiltration
  • Reverse osmosis
  • Desalination
  • Membrane synthesis
  • Water treatment and reuse
  • Ceramic membranes
  • Mixed matrix membranes
  • Polymer sciences

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 185 KiB  
Editorial
Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment
by Hazim Qiblawey
Membranes 2022, 12(3), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12030260 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1212
Abstract
Composite membranes have attracted significant attention due to their flexibility in having more than one layer, with many materials being used to form the membrane [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

20 pages, 17914 KiB  
Article
Life Cycle Assessment of an Integrated Membrane Treatment System of Anaerobic-Treated Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)
by Khalisah Khairina Razman, Marlia M. Hanafiah, Abdul Wahab Mohammad and Ang Wei Lun
Membranes 2022, 12(2), 246; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12020246 - 21 Feb 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3013
Abstract
A life cycle assessment of anaerobic-treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) was conducted to assess the environmental performance on two integrated treatment processes: the typical hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration module coupled with adsorption and electro-oxidation as pretreatment. The analysis was undertaken using the [...] Read more.
A life cycle assessment of anaerobic-treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) was conducted to assess the environmental performance on two integrated treatment processes: the typical hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration module coupled with adsorption and electro-oxidation as pretreatment. The analysis was undertaken using the ReCiPe 2016 method and SimaPro v9 software was employed using a ‘cradle-to-gate’ approach. The results showed that hollow fiber membrane from the adsorption integrated membrane impacted significantly at 42% to 99% across all impact categories for both processes. Overall, the electro-oxidation integrated membrane was discovered to have a lesser environmental impact, particularly on the ozone formation (human health) (HOFP) at 0.38 kg NOx-eq in comparison to the adsorption integrated membrane at 0.66 kg NOx-eq. The total characterization factor of the endpoint category for human health is 8.61 × 10−4 DALY (adsorption integrated membrane) and 8.45 × 10−4 DALY (electro-oxidation integrated membrane). As membrane treatment is closely linked to energy consumption, the environmental impact with different sources of energy was evaluated for both processes with the impacts decreasing in the following order: Grid > Biogas > Grid/Solar. Future research should concentrate on determining the overall ‘cradle-to-grave’ environmental impact of treating POME, as well as other scenarios involving membrane treatment energy utilization using LCA. This study can help decision-makers in identifying an environmentally sustainable POME treatment and management, especially in Malaysia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment)
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18 pages, 50625 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Polyelectrolyte Membranes of Pectin Graft-Copolymers with PVA and Their Composites with Phosphomolybdic Acid for Drug Delivery, Toxic Metal Ion Removal, and Fuel Cell Applications
by Raagala Vijitha, Nagella Sivagangi Reddy, Kasula Nagaraja, Tiruchuru J. Sudha Vani, Marlia M. Hanafiah, Katta Venkateswarlu, Sivarama Krishna Lakkaboyana, Kummari S. V. Krishna Rao and Kummara Madhususdana Rao
Membranes 2021, 11(10), 792; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11100792 - 18 Oct 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3332
Abstract
In this study, a simple method for the fabrication of highly diffusive, adsorptive and conductive eco-friendly polyelectrolyte membranes (PEMs) with sulfonate functionalized pectin and poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) was established. The graft-copolymers were synthesized by employing the use of potassium persulfate as a free radical [...] Read more.
In this study, a simple method for the fabrication of highly diffusive, adsorptive and conductive eco-friendly polyelectrolyte membranes (PEMs) with sulfonate functionalized pectin and poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) was established. The graft-copolymers were synthesized by employing the use of potassium persulfate as a free radical initiator from pectin (PC), a carbohydrate polymer with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonic acid (AMPS) and sodium 4-vinylbenzene sulphonate (SVBS). The PEMs were fabricated from the blends of pectin graft-copolymers (PC-g-AMPS and PC-g-SVBS) and PVA by using a solution casting method, followed by chemical crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The composite PEMs were fabricated by mixing phosphomolybdic acid with the aforementioned blends. The PEMs were successfully characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDAX studies. They were assessed for the controlled release of an anti-cancer drug (5-fluorouracil) and the removal of toxic metal ions (Cu2+) from aqueous media. Furthermore, the composite PEMs were evaluated for fuel cell application. The 5-fluorouracil release capacity of the PEMs was found to be 93% and 99.1% at 300 min in a phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.4). The highest Cu2+ removal was observed at 206.7 and 190.1 mg/g. The phosphomolybdic acid-embedded PEMs showed superior methanol permeability, i.e., 6.83 × 10−5, and 5.94 × 10−5, compared to the pristine PEMs. Furthermore, the same trend was observed for the proton conductivities, i.e., 13.77 × 10−3, and 18.6 × 10−3 S/cm at 30 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment)
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17 pages, 4984 KiB  
Article
Polydopamine Functionalized Graphene Oxide as Membrane Nanofiller: Spectral and Structural Studies
by Abedalkader Alkhouzaam, Hazim Qiblawey and Majeda Khraisheh
Membranes 2021, 11(2), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11020086 - 27 Jan 2021
Cited by 70 | Viewed by 6252
Abstract
High-degree functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles (NPs) using polydopamine (PDA) was conducted to produce polydopamine functionalized graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO-PDA NPs). Aiming to explore their potential use as nanofiller in membrane separation processes, the spectral and structural properties of GO-PDA NPs were [...] Read more.
High-degree functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles (NPs) using polydopamine (PDA) was conducted to produce polydopamine functionalized graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO-PDA NPs). Aiming to explore their potential use as nanofiller in membrane separation processes, the spectral and structural properties of GO-PDA NPs were comprehensively analyzed. GO NPs were first prepared by the oxidation of graphite via a modified Hummers method. The obtained GO NPs were then functionalized with PDA using a GO:PDA ratio of 1:2 to obtain highly aminated GO NPs. The structural change was evaluated using XRD, FTIR-UATR, Raman spectroscopy, SEM and TEM. Several bands have emerged in the FTIR spectra of GO-PDA attributed to the amine groups of PDA confirming the high functionalization degree of GO NPs. Raman spectra and XRD patterns showed different crystalline structures and defects and higher interlayer spacing of GO-PDA. The change in elemental compositions was confirmed by XPS and CHNSO elemental analysis and showed an emerging N 1s core-level in the GO-PDA survey spectra corresponding to the amine groups of PDA. GO-PDA NPs showed better dispersibility in polar and nonpolar solvents expanding their potential utilization for different purposes. Furthermore, GO and GO-PDA-coated membranes were prepared via pressure-assisted self-assembly technique (PAS) using low concentrations of NPs (1 wt. %). Contact angle measurements showed excellent hydrophilic properties of GO-PDA with an average contact angle of (27.8°). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment)
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24 pages, 4300 KiB  
Article
Removal of Dyes Using Graphene Oxide (GO) Mixed Matrix Membranes
by Rana J. Kadhim, Faris H. Al-Ani, Muayad Al-shaeli, Qusay F. Alsalhy and Alberto Figoli
Membranes 2020, 10(12), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10120366 - 25 Nov 2020
Cited by 104 | Viewed by 6470
Abstract
The application of membrane technology to remove pollutant dyes in industrial wastewater is a significant development today. The modification of membranes to improve their properties has been shown to improve the permeation flux and removal efficiency of the membrane. Therefore, in this work, [...] Read more.
The application of membrane technology to remove pollutant dyes in industrial wastewater is a significant development today. The modification of membranes to improve their properties has been shown to improve the permeation flux and removal efficiency of the membrane. Therefore, in this work, graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO-NPs) were used to modify the polyethersulfone (PES) membrane and prepare mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). This research is dedicated to using two types of very toxic dyes (Acid Black and Rose Bengal) to study the effect of GO on PES performance. The performance and antifouling properties of the new modified membrane were studied using the following: FTIR, SEM, AFM, water permeation flux, dye removal and fouling, and by investigating the influence of GO-NPs on the structure. After adding 0.5 wt% of GO, the contact angle was the lowest (39.21°) and the permeable flux of the membrane was the highest. The performance of the ultrafiltration (UF) membrane displayed a rejection rate higher than 99% for both dyes. The membranes showed the highest antifouling property at a GO concentration of 0.5 wt%. The long-term operation of the membrane fabricated from 0.5 wt% GO using two dyes improved greatly over 26 d from 14 d for the control membrane, therefore higher flux can be preserved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Novel Composite Membranes in Water/Wastewater Treatment)
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