Submit to Membranes Review for Membranes Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 18886

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vivek Vasagar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

PPG Industries, 4325 Rosanna Drive, Allison Park, PA 15101, USA
Interests: membranes; gas seapration; coatings; corrosion; flame retardants; polymer composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Mohammad K. Hassan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Interests: nanocomposite membranes; membrane-based separation; oil/water separation, carbon dioxide removal, wastewater treatment; desalination; elastomeric and mixed matrix membranes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Majeda Khraisheh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
Interests: Ionic liquids; natural gas hydrates; membrane distillation; carbon dioxide removal and conversion; wastewater treatment; adsorption; desalination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is intended to focus on the advances in the fundamental research carried out in the field of membrane science, especially focused on ensuring a sustainable future. With the growing demand in needs associated with the increasing population, there is a need for development that meets the current needs without compromising the needs of future generations in meeting their own needs, which is essential. Membranes play an important role in providing sustainable resources without deleterious impact on the environment, such as water treatment and energy production, to name a few. This Special Issue will be focused on making organic/ inorganic membrane technologies a sustainable solution by tailoring the design and fabrication aspects of membranes in conjunction with a separation process, pure water generation and alternate energy applications.

Dr. Vivek Vasagar
Dr. Mohammad K. Hassan
Prof. Majeda Khraisheh
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 2700 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 separation
surface modification
membrane coating
membrane distillation
flow battery
fuel cells
proton exchange membranes
desalination

Published Papers (9 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

15 pages, 565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lithium Separation from Geothermal Brine to Develop Critical Energy Resources Using High-Pressure Nanofiltration Technology: Characterization and Optimization

by Sutijan Sutijan, Stevanus Adi Darma, Christopher Mario Hananto, Vincent Sutresno Hadi Sujoto, Ferian Anggara, Siti Nurul Aisyiyah Jenie, Widi Astuti, Fika Rofiek Mufakhir, Shinta Virdian, Andhika Putera Utama and Himawan Tri Bayu Murti Petrus

Membranes 2023, 13(1), 86; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes13010086 - 9 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2097

Abstract

There is a shift from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles (EVs), with the primary goal of reducing CO₂ emissions from road transport. Battery technology is at the heart of this transition as it is vital to hybrid and fully electric vehicles’ performance, affordability, and reliability. However, it is not abundant in nature. Lithium has many uses, one of which is heat transfer applications; synthesized as an alloying agent for batteries, glass, and ceramics, it therefore has a high demand on the global market. Lithium can be attained by extraction from other natural resources in igneous rocks, in the waters of mineral springs, and geothermal brine. During the research, geothermal brine was used because, from the technological point of view, geothermal brine contains higher lithium content than other resources such as seawater. The nanofiltration separation process was operated using various solutions of pH 5, 7, and 10 at high pressures. The varying pressures are 11, 13, and 15 bar. The nanofiltration method was used as the separation process. High pressure of inert nitrogen gas was used to supply the driving force to separate lithium from other ions and elements in the sample. The research results supported the selected parameters where higher pressure and pH provided more significant lithium recovery but were limited by concentration polarization. The optimal operating conditions for lithium recovery in this research were obtained at a pH of 10 under a pressure of 15 bar, with the highest lithium recovery reaching more than 75%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2689 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Correlation of Overall Mass Transfer Coefficient of Water Transport in a Hollow-Fiber Membrane Module via an Artificial Neural Network Approach

by Xuan Linh Nguyen, Ngoc Van Trinh, Younghyeon Kim and Sangseok Yu

Membranes 2023, 13(1), 8; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes13010008 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1531

Abstract

Water transport in a hollow-fiber membrane depends on mass convection around the tube, mass convection inside the tube, and water diffusion through the membrane tube. The performance of water transport is then explained by the overall mass transfer coefficient in hollow-fiber membranes. This study presents the prediction of overall mass transfer coefficients of water transport in a hollow-fiber membrane module by an artificial neural network (ANN) that is used for a humidifier of a vehicular fuel cell system. The input variables of ANN are collected from water transport experiments of the hollow-fiber membrane module that is composed of inlet flow rates, inlet relative humidity, system pressures, and operating temperatures. The experimental mass transfer coefficients are the targets of the training model, which are determined via the effectiveness analysis. When unknown data are applied to the ANN model, the correlation of the overall mass transfer coefficient predicts precise results with R = 0.99 (correlation coefficient). The ANN model shows good prediction capability of water transport in membrane humidifiers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

31 pages, 3666 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design Parameters of a Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and a Case Study of Its Applicability to Low-Grade Waste Energy

by Bitaw Nigatu Tewodros, Dae Ryook Yang and Kiho Park

Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1279; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12121279 - 17 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2299

Abstract

In the design of membrane distillation systems, the effect of different heat transfer coefficient models on the transmembrane flux seems to have been overlooked thus far. Interestingly, the range of discrepancy in the results of the transmembrane flux is wide, especially in the laminar flow region, where MD is often operated. This can be inferred by studying the design and parameters of the direct contact membrane distillation system. In this study, the physical and physiochemical properties that affect the design of MD are comprehensively reviewed, and based on the reviewed parameters, an MD design algorithm is developed. In addition, a cost analysis of the designed MD process for low-grade-energy fluids is conducted. As a result, a total unit product cost of USD 1.59/m³, 2.69/m³, and 15.36/m³ are obtained for the feed velocities of 0.25, 1 and 2.5 m/s, respectively. Among the design parameters, the membrane thickness and velocity are found to be the most influential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2547 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Formation of Organic Fouling during Membrane Desalination: The Effect of Divalent Cations and the Use of an Online Visual Monitoring Method

by Yaal Lester, Amit Hazut and Assaf Spanier

Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12121177 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1307

Abstract

Reverse osmosis (RO) is the most popular technology for brackish, seawater and wastewater desalination. An important drawback of RO is membrane fouling, which reduces filtration effectiveness and increase the cost of produced water. This study addresses two important topics of membrane fouling: (i) the impact of different divalent ions on the formation of organic fouling and (ii) online monitoring and prediction of fouling formation. In the absence of divalent ions, dissolved organic matter had little effect on fouling formation, even at 3.5 mgC/L, in the upper range of groundwater concentration. Calcium, strontium and iron enhanced (organic) fouling formation, whereas barium had negligible effect. However, while iron affected fouling throughout the entire tested range (0–0.5 mg/L), calcium and strontium enhanced organic fouling only at high concentrations: more than 140 mg/L and 10 mg/L for calcium and strontium, respectively. An online system was developed for monitoring the formation of organic fouling, consisting of (i) an ex-situ RO cell with a transparent cover, (ii) a video camera continually monitoring the surface of the membrane and (iii) an algorithm which automatically identified changes in the color of the membrane caused by fouling, using a specially designed membrane spacer with colored reference dots. Changes in the color of the membrane surface were normalized to the reference colors, to eliminate all non-fouling related interference. The system was used to record and analyze changes in membrane color during numerous filtration tests. The data was successfully correlated to changes in specific flux (and subsequently to fouling formation rate) and can be applied to monitor and predict the formation of membrane fouling during desalination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 6545 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical and Experimental Study of the Effect of Plasma Characteristics on the Mechanical Properties of Ihram Cotton Fabric

by Ahmed Rida Galaly and Nagia Dawood

Membranes 2022, 12(9), 879; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12090879 - 12 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1284

Abstract

Theoretical and experimental investigations of the radial distribution function of the electron temperature (RDFT), for the abnormal glow region in a low-density plasma fluid and weakly ionized argon gas, are provided. The final proved equation of RDFT agrees with the experimental data for different low pressures ranging from 0.2 to 1.2 torr, confirming that the electron temperatures decrease with an increasing product of radial distance (R) and gas pressures (P). A comparison of the two configurations:

R > L and L > R,

for the axial distance (L), from the tip of the single probe to the cathode electrode, and the cathode electrode radius (R), shows that, in both cases, the generated plasma temperatures decrease, and densities increase. The RDFT accurately depicts a dramatic decrease for L < R by 60% compared with the values for L > R. This indicates that, when L < R, the rate of plasma loss by diffusion is reduced. Under this investigation, the mechanical characteristics of treated and pre-treated Ihram Cotton Fabric Samples were compared under the Influence of the different two configurations of Plasma Cell discharge:

R > L > R

. These characteristics included resiliency, strain hardening, tensile strength, elongation percentage, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, toughness, and fracture (breaking) point. Furthermore, the mechanism parameters of plasma interaction with textile membrane will be discussed, such as: process mechanism, interaction, and gas type. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 5240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Membrane Fouling Prediction Based on Tent-SSA-BP

by Guobi Ling, Zhiwen Wang, Yaoke Shi, Jieying Wang, Yanrong Lu and Long Li

Membranes 2022, 12(7), 691; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12070691 - 4 Jul 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1902

Abstract

In view of the difficulty in obtaining the membrane bioreactor (MBR) membrane flux in real time, considering the disadvantage of the back propagation (BP) network in predicting MBR membrane flux, such as the local minimum value and poor generalization ability of the model, this article introduces tent chaotic mapping in the standard sparrow search algorithm (SSA), which improves the uniformity of population distribution and the searching ability of the algorithm (used to optimize the key parameters of the BP network). The tent sparrow search algorithm back propagation network (Tent-SSA-BP) membrane fouling prediction model is established to achieve accurate prediction of membrane flux; compared to the BP, genetic algorithm back propagation network (GA-BP), particle swarm optimization back propagation network (PSO-BP), sparrow search algorithm extreme learning machine(SSA-ELM), sparrow search algorithm back propagation network (SSA-BP), and Tent particle swarm optimization back propagation network (Tent–PSO-BP) models, it has unique advantages. Compared with the BP model before improvement, the improved soft sensing model reduces MAPE by 96.76%, RMSE by 99.78% and MAE by 95.61%. The prediction accuracy of the algorithm proposed in this article reaches 97.4%, which is much higher than the 48.52% of BP. It is also higher than other prediction models, and the prediction accuracy has been greatly improved, which has some engineering reference value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4809 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Palladium Membrane with High Density of Large-Angle Grain Boundaries to Promote Hydrogen Diffusivity

by Efi Hadjixenophontos, Masoud Mahmoudizadeh, Michael Rubin, Dirk Ullmer, Fatemeh Razmjooei, Alexander C. Hanf, Jan Brien, Roland Dittmeyer and Asif Ansar

Membranes 2022, 12(6), 617; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12060617 - 14 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1787

Abstract

A higher density of large-angle grain boundaries in palladium membranes promotes hydrogen diffusion whereas small-angle grain boundaries suppress it. In this paper, the microstructure formation in 10 µm thick palladium membranes is tuned to achieve a submicronic grain size above 100 nm with a high density of large-angle grain boundaries. Moreover, changes in the grain boundaries’ structure is investigated after exposure to hydrogen at 300 and 500 °C. To attain large-angle grain boundaries in Pd, the coating was performed on yttria-stabilized zirconia/porous Crofer 22 APU substrates (intended for use later in an ultracompact membrane reactor). Two techniques of plasma sprayings were used: suspension plasma spraying using liquid nano-sized powder suspension and vacuum plasma spraying using microsized powder as feedstock. By controlling the process parameters in these two techniques, membranes with a comparable density of large-angle grain boundaries could be developed despite the differences in the fabrication methods and feedstocks. Analyses showed that a randomly oriented submicronic structure could be attained with a very similar grain sizes between 100 and 500 nm which could enhance hydrogen permeation. Exposure to hydrogen for 72 h at high temperatures revealed that the samples maintained their large-angle grain boundaries despite the increase in average grain size to around 536 and 720 nm for vacuum plasma spraying and suspension plasma spraying, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 8158 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Treatment of Highly Saline Brine in a Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) Pilot Unit Using Polyethylene Membranes

by Haneen Abdelrazeq, Majeda Khraisheh and Mohammad K. Hassan

Membranes 2022, 12(4), 424; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12040424 - 14 Apr 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2558

Abstract

Membrane distillation (MD) is an attractive separation process for wastewater treatment and desalination. There are continuing challenges in implementing MD technologies at a large industrial scale. This work attempts to investigate the desalination performance of a pilot-scale direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system using synthetic thermal brine mimicking industrial wastewater in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). A commercial polyethylene membrane was used in all tests in the DCMD pilot unit. Long-term performance exhibited up to 95.6% salt rejection rates using highly saline feed (75,500 ppm) and 98% using moderate saline feed (25,200 ppm). The results include the characterization of the membrane surface evolution during the tests, the fouling determination, and the assessment of the energy consumption. The fouling effect of the polyethylene membrane was studied using Humic acid (HA) as the feed for the whole DCMD pilot unit. An optimum specific thermal energy consumption (STEC) reduction of 10% was achieved with a high flux recovery ratio of 95% after 100 h of DCMD pilot operation. At fixed operating conditions for feed inlet temperature of 70 °C, a distillate inlet temperature of 20 °C, with flowrates of 70 l/h for both streams, the correlations were as high as 0.919 between the pure water flux and water contact angle, and 0.963 between the pure water flux and salt rejection, respectively. The current pilot unit study provides better insight into existing thermal desalination plants with an emphasis on specific energy consumption (SEC). The results of this study may pave the way for the commercialization of such filtration technology at a larger scale in global communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 4138 KiB

Open AccessArticle

One-Step Fabrication of Novel Polyethersulfone-Based Composite Electrospun Nanofiber Membranes for Food Industry Wastewater Treatment

by Md. Nahid Pervez, Md Eman Talukder, Monira Rahman Mishu, Antonio Buonerba, Pasquale Del Gaudio, George K Stylios, Shadi W. Hasan, Yaping Zhao, Yingjie Cai, Alberto Figoli, Tiziano Zarra, Vincenzo Belgiorno, Hongchen Song and Vincenzo Naddeo

Membranes 2022, 12(4), 413; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/membranes12040413 - 11 Apr 2022

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3062

Abstract

Using an environmentally friendly approach for eliminating methylene blue from an aqueous solution, the authors developed a unique electrospun nanofiber membrane made of a combination of polyethersulfone and hydroxypropyl cellulose (PES/HPC). SEM results confirmed the formation of a uniformly sized nanofiber membrane with an ultrathin diameter of 168.5 nm (for PES/HPC) and 261.5 nm (for pristine PES), which can be correlated by observing the absorption peaks in FTIR spectra and their amorphous/crystalline phases in the XRD pattern. Additionally, TGA analysis indicated that the addition of HPC plays a role in modulating their thermal stability. Moreover, the blended nanofiber membrane exhibited better mechanical strength and good hydrophilicity (measured by the contact angle). The highest adsorption capacity was achieved at a neutral pH under room temperature (259.74 mg/g), and the pseudo-second-order model was found to be accurate. In accordance with the Langmuir fitted model and MB adsorption data, it was revealed that the adsorption process occurred in a monolayer form on the membrane surface. The adsorption capacity of the MB was affected by the presence of various concentrations of NaCl (0.1–0.5 M). The satisfactory reusability of the PES/HPC nanofiber membrane was revealed for up to five cycles. According to the mechanism given for the adsorption process, the electrostatic attraction was shown to be the most dominant in increasing the adsorption capacity. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that this unique membrane may be used for wastewater treatment operations with high efficiency and performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Advances in Membrane Science for Sustainable Future

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI