Membranes for Water Disinfection

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 24996

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18, PL-44100 Gliwice, Poland
Interests: water and wastewater treatment; membrane processes; photocatalytic membrane reactors; membrane fouling; ion exchange; mine water; geothermal water; chitosan; natural organic matter; disinfection byproduct; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Environmental Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, 41-819 Zabrze, Poland
Interests: water and wastewater treatment; membrane processes; membrane reactors; membrane fouling; micropollutants; mine; geothermal and mineral water; natural organic matter; disinfection byproduct; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The production of sanitary safe water of high quality with membrane technology is an alternative for conventional disinfection methods, as UF and MF membranes are found to be an effective barrier for pathogenic protozoa cysts, bacteria, and, partially, viruses. The application of membranes in water treatment enables the reduction of chlorine consumption during final disinfection, which is especially recommended for long water distribution systems, in which microbiological quality of water needs to be effectively maintained. Membrane filtration, especially ultrafiltration and microfiltration, can be applied to enhance and improve disinfection of water and biologically treated wastewater, as ultrafiltration, acts as a barrier for viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, but microfiltration does not remove viruses. As an example of direct application of UF/MF to wastewater treatment, including disinfection, membrane bioreactors can be mentioned. Additionally, membrane techniques are used in the removal of disinfection byproducts from water. For this purpose, high pressure-driven membrane processes, i.e., reverse osmosis and nanofiltration, are mainly applied; however, in the case of inorganic DBPs, electrodialysis or Donnan dialysis can also be considered.

The current Special Issue aims to collect the most recent advances in this field, from membrane material and membrane reactor designs to particular applications, in which the use of this technology provides clear advantages against other conventional processes.

Dr. Mariola Rajca
Prof. Dr. Michał Bodzek
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

  • Membrane processes
  • Disinfection
  • Disinfection byproduct
  • Nanomaterials
  • Membrane reactors
  • Membrane bioreactors
  • Water treatment
  • Wastewater treatment

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 1876 KiB  
Article
Ultrafiltration Process in Disinfection and Advanced Treatment of Tertiary Treated Wastewater
by Rafał Tytus Bray, Katarzyna Jankowska, Eliza Kulbat, Aneta Łuczkiewicz and Aleksandra Sokołowska
Membranes 2021, 11(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11030221 - 20 Mar 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3708
Abstract
The paper presents the results of research on the use of ultrafiltration, using membranes of 200 and 400 kDa separation, for disinfection of municipal treated wastewater. The research was conducted on a fractional technical scale using real municipal treated wastewater from two large [...] Read more.
The paper presents the results of research on the use of ultrafiltration, using membranes of 200 and 400 kDa separation, for disinfection of municipal treated wastewater. The research was conducted on a fractional technical scale using real municipal treated wastewater from two large wastewater treatment plants treating most of the wastewater over the one-million polycentric Gdańsk agglomeration (1.2 million inhabitants). UF 200 kDa and UF 400 kDa processes enabled further improvement of the physical and chemical parameters of treated wastewater. Total phosphorus (to below 0.2 mg/L–UF 200 kDa, 0.13 mg/L–UF 400 kDa) and turbid substances (to below 0.2 mg/L, both membranes) were removed in the highest degree. COD was reduced efficiently (to below 25.6 mgO2/L–UF 200 kDa, 26.8 mgO2/L–UF 400 kDa), while total nitrogen was removed to a small extent (to 7.12 mg/L–UF 200 kDa and 5.7 mg/L–UF 400 kDa. Based on the reduction of indicator bacteria; fecal coliforms including E. coli (FC) and fecal enterococci (FE) it was found that the ultrafiltration is an effective method of disinfection. Not much indicator bacterial were observed in the permeate after processes (UF 200 kDa; FC—5 CFU/L; FE—1 CFU/L and UF 400 kDa; FC—70 CFU/L; FE—10 CFU/L. However, microscopic analysis of prokaryotic cells and virus particles showed their presence after the application of both membrane types; TCN 3.0 × 102 cells/mL–UF 200 kDa, 5.0 × 103 cells/mL–UF 400 kDa, VP 1.0 × 105/mL. The presence of potentially pathogenic, highly infectious virus particles means that ultrafiltration cannot be considered a sufficient disinfection method for treated wastewater diverted for reuse or discharged from high load wastewater treatment plants to recreational areas. For full microbiological safety it would be advisable to apply an additional disinfection method (e.g., ozonation). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Water Disinfection)
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2663 KiB  
Article
Microfiltration Membranes Modified with Silver Oxide by Plasma Treatment
by Joanna Kacprzyńska-Gołacka, Anna Kowalik-Klimczak, Ewa Woskowicz, Piotr Wieciński, Monika Łożyńska, Sylwia Sowa, Wioletta Barszcz and Bernadetta Kaźmierczak
Membranes 2020, 10(6), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10060133 - 26 Jun 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2823
Abstract
Microfiltration (MF) membranes have been widely used for the separation and concentration of various components in food processing, biotechnology and wastewater treatment. The deposition of components from the feed solution and accumulation of bacteria on the surface and in the membrane matrix greatly [...] Read more.
Microfiltration (MF) membranes have been widely used for the separation and concentration of various components in food processing, biotechnology and wastewater treatment. The deposition of components from the feed solution and accumulation of bacteria on the surface and in the membrane matrix greatly reduce the effectiveness of MF. This is due to a decrease in the separation efficiency of the membrane, which contributes to a significant increase in operating costs and the cost of exploitative parts. In recent years, significant interest has arisen in the field of membrane modifications to make their surfaces resistant to the deposition of components from the feed solution and the accumulation of bacteria. The aim of this work was to develop appropriate process parameters for the plasma surface deposition of silver oxide (AgO) on MF polyamide membranes, which enables the fabrication of filtration materials with high permeability and antibacterial properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Water Disinfection)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 7025 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Graphene Addition on the Properties of Composite rGO/PAN Membranes and Their Potential Application for Water Disinfection
by Beata Fryczkowska, Alicja Machnicka, Dorota Biniaś, Czesław Ślusarczyk and Janusz Fabia
Membranes 2020, 10(4), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10040058 - 29 Mar 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3101
Abstract
The paper presents a method of obtaining composite polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN) membranes with the addition of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The membranes were obtained using phase inversion method from a homogeneous rGO dispersion in a solution of PAN dissolved in N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The [...] Read more.
The paper presents a method of obtaining composite polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN) membranes with the addition of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The membranes were obtained using phase inversion method from a homogeneous rGO dispersion in a solution of PAN dissolved in N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The impact of the amount of rGO addition to the PAN matrix on the physicochemical, structural, transport, and separation properties and on fouling resistance was studied. Composite membranes, due to the method of preparation used and the addition of rGO, are characterized by very good transport properties (~390 L/m2 h) and by a high degree of protein retention (85%). Reduced graphene oxide has biocidal properties, which, as we have shown, depend on the size of nanoparticles and the type of microorganism. rGO/PAN membranes, on the other hand, show biostatic properties against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcuc aureus) and fungi (Candida albicans). Thus, the obtained composite membranes can be potentially used in water disinfection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Water Disinfection)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

56 pages, 600 KiB  
Review
Membrane-Based Processes Used in Municipal Wastewater Treatment for Water Reuse: State-Of-The-Art and Performance Analysis
by Jiaqi Yang, Mathias Monnot, Lionel Ercolei and Philippe Moulin
Membranes 2020, 10(6), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10060131 - 25 Jun 2020
Cited by 73 | Viewed by 9516
Abstract
Wastewater reuse as a sustainable, reliable and energy recovery concept is a promising approach to alleviate worldwide water scarcity. However, the water reuse market needs to be developed with long-term efforts because only less than 4% of the total wastewater worldwide has been [...] Read more.
Wastewater reuse as a sustainable, reliable and energy recovery concept is a promising approach to alleviate worldwide water scarcity. However, the water reuse market needs to be developed with long-term efforts because only less than 4% of the total wastewater worldwide has been treated for water reuse at present. In addition, the reclaimed water should fulfill the criteria of health safety, appearance, environmental acceptance and economic feasibility based on their local water reuse guidelines. Moreover, municipal wastewater as an alternative water resource for non-potable or potable reuse, has been widely treated by various membrane-based treatment processes for reuse applications. By collecting lab-scale and pilot-scale reuse cases as much as possible, this review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the membrane-based treatment processes, mainly focused on the hydraulic filtration performance, contaminants removal capacity, reuse purpose, fouling resistance potential, resource recovery and energy consumption. The advances and limitations of different membrane-based processes alone or coupled with other possible processes such as disinfection processes and advanced oxidation processes, are also highlighted. Challenges still facing membrane-based technologies for water reuse applications, including institutional barriers, financial allocation and public perception, are stated as areas in need of further research and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Water Disinfection)
17 pages, 3033 KiB  
Review
The Role of New Inorganic Materials in Composite Membranes for Water Disinfection
by Roberto Castro-Muñoz
Membranes 2020, 10(5), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10050101 - 14 May 2020
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 5215
Abstract
Today, there is an increasing interest in improving the physicochemical properties of polymeric membranes by merging the membranes with different inorganic materials. These so-called composite membranes have been implemented in different membrane-based technologies (e.g., microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, membrane bioreactors, among others) for water [...] Read more.
Today, there is an increasing interest in improving the physicochemical properties of polymeric membranes by merging the membranes with different inorganic materials. These so-called composite membranes have been implemented in different membrane-based technologies (e.g., microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, membrane bioreactors, among others) for water treatment and disinfection. This is because such inorganic materials (such as TiO2-, ZnO-, Ag-, and Cu-based nanoparticles, carbon-based materials, to mention just a few) can improve the separation performance of membranes and also some other properties, such as antifouling, mechanical, thermal, and physical and chemical stability. Moreover, such materials display specific biological activity towards viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, showing enhanced water disinfection properties. Therefore, the aim of this review is to collect the latest advances (in the last five years) in using composite membranes and new hybrid materials for water disinfection, paying particular emphasis on relevant results and new hydride composites together with their preparation protocols. Moreover, this review addresses the main mechanism of action of different conventional and novel inorganic materials toward biologically active matter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Water Disinfection)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop