Fatty acid fouling of forward osmosis membrane: Effects of pH, calcium, membrane orientation, initial permeate flux and foulant composition

Octanoic acid (OA) was selected to represent fatty acids in effluent organic matter (EOM). The effects of feed solution (FS) properties, membrane orientation and initial permeate flux on OA fouling in forward osmosis (FO) were investigated. The undissociated OA formed a cake layer quickly and caused the water flux to decline significantly in the initial 0.5 hr at unadjusted pH 3.56; while the fully dissociated OA behaved as an anionic surfactant and promoted the water permeation at an elevated pH of 9.00. Moreover, except at the initial stage, the sudden decline of water flux (meaning the occurrence of severe membrane fouling) occurred in two conditions: 1. 0.5 mmol/L Ca^2 +, active layer facing draw solution (AL-DS) and 1.5 mol/L NaCl (DS); 2. No Ca^2 +, active layer-facing FS (AL-FS) and 4 mol/L NaCl (DS). This demonstrated that cake layer compaction or pore blocking occurred only when enough foulants were absorbed into the membrane surface, and the water permeation was high enough to compact the deposit inside the porous substrate. Furthermore, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as a co-foulant. The water flux of both co-foulants was between the fluxes obtained separately for the two foulants at pH 3.56, and larger than the two values at pH 9.00. This manifested that, at pH 3.56, BSA alleviated the effect of the cake layer caused by OA, and OA enhanced BSA fouling simultaneously; while at pH 9.00, the mutual effects of OA and BSA eased the membrane fouling.     

预处理对短流程超滤工艺不可逆膜污染影响的中试试验

以东江水为处理对象,进行直接超滤、微絮凝-超滤和絮凝/活性炭-超滤中试研究,探讨预处理对短流程超滤工艺不可逆膜污染的影响.利用扫描电镜形貌观察、三维荧光光谱(EEM)和高效排阻色谱法等手段对不可逆膜污染物进行表征分析,比较预处理对不可逆膜污染物含量和组分的影响,阐述预处理对不可逆膜污染影响的机制.结果表明,在10 L·(m~2·h)~(-1)低通量运行下,微絮凝预处理使不可逆膜污染增长速率从直接超滤的0.32 k Pa·d~(-1)下降到0.16 k Pa·d~(-1),絮凝/活性炭预处理后超滤工艺几乎零污染运行,且当絮凝/活性炭-超滤运行通量增加至17 L·(m~2·h)~(-1)时,仍没有观察到明显的不可逆膜污染增长.东江水中不可逆膜污染的主要组分是蛋白质类和富里酸等腐殖质类物质.微絮凝通过改变膜表面滤饼层的结构(厚度和密实性),提高物理清洗效率,减轻不可逆膜污染的积累;絮凝/活性炭预处理提高对不可逆膜污染物的去除效果,减轻膜污染负荷,控制不可逆膜污染.因此,采用絮凝和絮凝/活性炭预处理工艺,均可有效降低短流程超滤工艺不可逆膜污染积累.     

Identifying the major fluorescent components responsible for ultrafiltration membrane fouling in different water sources

Three-dimensional fluorescence excitation–emission matrix(EEM) coupled with parallel factor analysis(PARAFAC) was performed for a total of 18 water samples taken from three water sources(two lakes and one wastewater treatment plant(WWTP) secondary effluent),with the purpose of identifying the major ultrafiltration(UF) membrane foulants in different water sources. Three fluorescent components(C1, C2 and C3) were identified,which represented terrestrially derived humic-like substances(C1), microbially derived humic-like substances(C2), and protein-like substances(C3). The correlations between the different fluorescent components and UF membrane fouling were analyzed. It was shown that for the WWTP secondary effluent, all three components(C1, C2 and C3) made a considerable contribution to the irreversible and total fouling of the UF membrane.However, for the two lakes, only the C3 exhibited a strong correlation with membrane fouling, indicating that the protein-like substances were the major membrane foulants in the lake waters. Significant attachment of C1, C2 and C3 to the UF membrane was also confirmed by mass balance analyses for the WWTP secondary effluent; while the attachment of C1 and C2 was shown to be negligible for the two lakes. The results may provide basic formation for developing suitable fouling control strategies for sustainable UF processes.     

染整废水深度处理纳滤工艺膜污染成因分析

为调查棉针织染整废水纳滤脱盐系统膜污染的类型和成因,使用电感耦合等离子发射光谱仪、扫描电子显微镜-EDX能谱仪、傅里叶变换红外光谱仪、热重分析仪、高倍光学显微镜和X射线荧光光谱仪,从膜进水水质、膜过程污染状况和膜清洗效果等三方面进行了联合互补检测和综合分析.结果表明,棉针织染整废水脱盐过程中纳滤膜的污染类型包括无机污染、有机污染和微生物污染;干燥(105℃)的污染物成分组成中结合水所占质量分数约8.2%,有机成分所占质量分数约41.0%,无机成分所占质量分数约50.8%;在无机污染物中铁盐污染较为突出,有机污染物所包含的主要官能团为—OH、—CH和—CC,微生物污染物中包含原生动物和后生动物;短期膜污染和长期膜污染分析结果表明有机污染和微生物污染的形成需要长时间的累积效应;纳滤膜清洗试验结果表明,有机污染和微生物污染是引起膜通量下降的主要原因,两者对膜通量影响的贡献率约53.3%.     

光催化/活性炭/纳滤组合工艺处理二级出水及对膜污染的控制

污水的资源化与回用可作为城市和各类建筑的非传统水源,必须满足相关水质标准,其中有机物一直是广泛关注的重要指标.本文采用华北某市大型污水厂的二级出水,研究了二氧化钛光催化氧化(UV-TiO_2)和颗粒活性炭(GAC)技术对溶解性有机物的去除特性以及对纳滤(NF)的膜污染控制特性,构建了UV-TiO_2/GAC/NF组合工艺,评价了组合工艺的有机物去除效能和膜污染控制作用,解析了影响NF膜污染程度的有机物种类和相对分子质量分布特征.结果表明,UV-TiO_2和GAC技术均可不同程度地缓解NF膜的不可逆污染、降低膜通量衰减速率; UV-TiO_2/GAC联用的不可逆膜污染程度比单独UV-TiO_2或GAC技术分别降低了48. 7%或61. 4%.类蛋白质和类腐殖质等有机污染物是不可逆膜污染的主要组分;相对分子质量为小于3×10~3和30×10~3～100×10~3的有机物是造成纳滤膜通量下降的主要因素. UV-TiO_2/GAC/NF组合工艺的COD、DOC和UV_(254)去除率为45. 7%、74. 5%和89. 2%,出水中COD、DOC和UV_(254)等有机物指标均得到有效去除.研究成果为城市和各类建筑非传统水源的深度净化与多途径回用提供了技术支持.     

膜-生物反应器中荧光物质对膜污染的影响

采用三维荧光(EEM)技术对膜-生物反应器(MBR)运行过程中进出水、膜面溶解性污染物、溶解性微生物(SMP)和胞外聚合物(EPS)进行分析,并对各运行条件下荧光强度与膜污染速率进行比较.结果表明:各工况膜污染顺序为工况1(0.55 kPa/d)<工况3(1.37 kPa/d)<工况2(1.71 kPa/d)<工况4(3.69 kPa/d),SMP中的类蛋白质和类富里酸,以及EPS中的类蛋白质和类腐殖酸,均与各工况膜污染速率呈一致的变化趋势,而膜面溶解性污染物中的类蛋白质荧光峰则与膜污染速率没有明显的关系,说明在膜表面积累的荧光物质可能与其他有机物共同作用影响了膜污染速率.      

Performance and fouling mechanism of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) treating fermentation wastewater with high organic concentrations

In this study,direct contact membrane distillation(DCMD)was used for treating fermentation wastewater with high organic concentrations.DCMD performance characteristics including permeate flux,permeate water quality as well as membrane fouling were investigated systematically.Experimental results showed that,after 12 hr DCMD,the feed wastewater was concentrated by about a factor of 3.7 on a volumetric basis,with the permeate flux decreasing from the initial 8.7 L/m~2/hr to the final 4.3 L/m~2/hr due to membrane fouling;the protein concentration in the feed wastewater was increased by about 3.5 times and achieved a value of 6178 mg/L,which is suitable for reutilization.Although COD and TOC in permeate water increased continuously due to the transfer of volatile components from wastewater,organic rejection of over 95%was achieved in wastewater.GC–MS results suggested that the fermentation wastewater contained 128kinds of organics,in which 14 organics dominated.After 12 hr DCMD,not only volatile organics including trimethyl pyrazine,2-acetyl pyrrole,phenethyl alcohol and phenylacetic acid,but also non-volatile dibutyl phthalate was detected in permeate water due to membrane wetting.FT-IR and SEM–EDS results indicated that the deposits formed on the membrane inner surface mainly consisted of Ca,Mg,and amine,carboxylic acid and aromatic groups.The fouled membrane could be recovered,as most of the deposits could be removed using a HCl/Na OH chemical cleaning method.     

Drinking water treatment using a submerged internal-circulation membrane coagulation reactor coupled with permanganate oxidation

A submerged internal circulating membrane coagulation reactor(MCR) was used to treat surface water to produce drinking water. Polyaluminum chloride(PACl) was used as coagulant,and a hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) submerged hollow fiber microfiltration membrane was employed. The influences of trans-membrane pressure(TMP), zeta potential(ZP) of the suspended particles in raw water, and KMnO_4 dosing on water flux and the removal of turbidity and organic matter were systematically investigated. Continuous bench-scale experiments showed that the permeate quality of the MCR satisfied the requirement for a centralized water supply, according to the Standards for Drinking Water Quality of China(GB 5749-2006), as evaluated by turbidity(1 NTU) and total organic carbon(TOC)(5 mg/L)measurements. Besides water flux, the removal of turbidity, TOC and dissolved organic carbon(DOC) in the raw water also increased with increasing TMP in the range of 0.01–0.05 MPa. High ZP induced by PACl, such as 5–9 mV, led to an increase in the number of fine and total particles in the MCR, and consequently caused serious membrane fouling and high permeate turbidity.However, the removal of TOC and DOC increased with increasing ZP. A slightly positive ZP, such as 1–2 mV, corresponding to charge neutralization coagulation, was favorable for membrane fouling control. Moreover, dosing with KMnO_4 could further improve the removal of turbidity and DOC, thereby mitigating membrane fouling. The results are helpful for the application of the MCR in producing drinking water and also beneficial to the research and application of other coagulation and membrane separation hybrid processes.     

Reducing sulfates concentration in the tannery effluent by applying pollution prevention techniques and nanofiltration

The use of large quantities of sulfuric acid and other sulfur-containing chemicals causes high sulfate concentrations in the wastewater of a tannery. The aim of this work was reducing the sulfate concentration in the final wastewater from a tannery. For that, firstly a study about the main sulfate sources in a tannery was carried out and the total sulfates load in the tannery wastewater was evaluated. Two measures for sulfates reduction were studied: the recycling of unhairing wastewater to the soaking drums and the reuse of the chromium sulfate from the tanning washing wastewater after its separation by nanofiltration (NF). The first measure proposed was studied experimentally in laboratory drums of 5 L of volume. Two series of experiments with different volumes of unhairing wastewater in the soaking bath were carried out. The quality of the final leather was evaluated by means of mechanical tests. NF experiments were carried out in a laboratory pilot plant with a spiral wounded membrane element. Concerning the results, the combination of 50% unhairing wastewater and 50% of fresh water was appropriate in order to obtain leather with an acceptable quality. Besides, it drove to a diminution of approximately 10% in the addition of sulfide in the unhairing. Related to the NF experiments, 97% of the sulfates were rejected by the membrane. The separated ions could be recycled to the tanning drums. The application of the two measures (firstly the recycling of the unhairing wastewater and secondly the NF of the tanning washing wastewater) drove to a reduction of 14.82 kg SO₄⁻² t⁻¹ of raw hide.     

Fouling of nanofiltration membrane by effluent organic matter： Characterization using different organic fractions in wastewater

The UF membrane with molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) ranging from 2 kDa to 100 kDa and XAD-8 resin were employed to identify the characteristic of molecular weight (MW) distribution of wastewater effluent organic matter (EfOM) in terms of TOC and UV254, as well as the amounts of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic organic fractions in different MW ranges. Then, the nanofiltration (NF) membrane fouling experiments were carried out using the above fractionated water to investigate the effect of MW distribution and hydrophilic/hydrophobic characteristics of EfOM on the membrane flux decline using the fractionated water samples above. The experimental results have shown that 45.61% of the total organics belongs to the low MW one, among which the percentage of the hydrophilic organics with low MW (less than 2 kDa) was up to 28.07%, while that of the hydrophobic organics was 17.54%. In particular, the hydrophilic fraction was found to be the most abundant fraction in the effluents. MW distribution has a significant effect on the membrane fouling. When the MW was less than 30 kDa, the lower the MW, the larger was the specific flux decline, while in the case of MW higher than 30 kDa, the higher the MW, the larger was the specific flux decline, and the decline degree of low MW organics was larger than the high MW one. With the same MW distribution range, specific flux decline of the hydrophilic organic was considerably slower than that of the hydrophobic organic, which indicated that the hydrophobic organic fractions dominantly contribute to the flux decline.     

Fouling of nanofiltration membrane by e uent organic matter: Characterization using di erent organic fractions in wastewater

The UF membrane with molecular weight cuto (MWCO) ranging from 2 to 100 kDa and XAD-8 resin were employed to identify the characteristic of molecular weight (MW) distribution of wastewater e uent organic matter (EfOM) in terms of TOC and UV254, as well as the amounts of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic organic fractions in di erent MW ranges. Then, the nanofiltration (NF) membrane fouling experiments were carried out using the above fractionated water to investigate the e ect of MW distribution and hydrophilic/hydrophobic characteristics of EfOM on the membrane flux decline using the fractionated water samples. The experimental results have shown that 45.61% of the total organics belongs to the low MW one, among which the percentage of the hydrophilic organics with low MW (less than 2 kDa) was up to 28.07%, while that of the hydrophobic organics was 17.54%. In particular, the hydrophilic fraction was found to be the most abundant fraction in the e uents. MW distribution has a significant e ect on the membrane fouling. When the MWwas less than 30 kDa, the lower the MW, the larger was the specific flux decline, while in the case of MW higher than 30 kDa, the higher the MW, the larger was the specific flux decline, and the decline degree of low MW organics was larger than the high MW one. With the same MW distribution range, specific flux decline of the hydrophilic organic was considerably slower than that of the hydrophobic organic, which indicated that the hydrophobic organic fractions dominantly contribute to the flux decline.     

藻类有机物对纳滤膜去除萘普生效果影响研究

研究了2种藻类(鱼腥藻/小环藻)有机物(AOM)对纳滤膜去除萘普生(NPX)的影响效果.结果表明,在藻类AOM存在的情况下HL纳滤膜对NPX的去除率由63%增加至64.7%(小环藻)和72.7%(鱼腥藻);但同时造成了严重的膜污染,比通量由99.7%下降至89.6%(小环藻)和86.3%(鱼腥藻).研究发现,藻类AOM的中等分子量(1.5~5kDa)发挥了重要的作用,它们主要由疏水性有机物构成,紧密地黏附在膜表面形成滤饼层,使膜表面的疏水性增强.滤饼层的疏水性造成膜通量衰减并提高NPX去除率.研究还表明,鱼腥藻AOM在中等分子的疏水性明显比小环藻的强,造成的膜污染更严重以及更高的NPX去除效果.     

Membrane fouling controlled by coagulation/adsorption during direct sewage membrane filtration (DSMF) for organic matter concentration

Unlike the role of the membrane in a membrane bioreactor, which is designed to replace a sediment tank, direct sewage membrane filtration (DSMF), with the goal of concentrating organic matters, is proposed as a pretreatment process in a novel sewage treatment concept. The concept of membrane-based pretreatment is proposed to divide raw sewage into a concentrated part retaining most organics and a filtered part with less pollutant remaining, so that energy recovery and water reuse, respectively, could be realized by post-treatment. A pilot-scale experiment was carried out to verify the feasibility of coagulant/adsorbent addition for membrane fouling control, which has been the main issue during this DSMF process. The results showed that continuous coagulant addition successfully slowed down the increase in filtration resistance, with the resistance maintained below 1.0 × 10¹³ m^− 1 in the first 70 hr before a jump occurred. Furthermore, the adsorbent addition contributed to retarding the occurrence of the filtration resistance jump, achieving simultaneous fouling control and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration improvement. The final concentrated COD amounted to 7500 mg/L after 6 days of operation.     

新型纳滤膜在水处理与水回用中的研究进展

近年来,纳滤膜（NF）以其较高水渗透性能、良好水/盐选择性和相较于反渗透膜（RO）低工作压力等优势被广泛应用于水处理和水回用中。然而传统的商品NF的分离性能具有局限性,例如对人体有益的矿物质去除率过高、对污染物去除率偏低,而且渗透性能-选择性能的制衡等问题严重制约了NF的发展及潜在的应用。详细介绍了NF膜在水处理和水回用中的应用及NF结构优化和改性的最新进展;回顾了通过对NF膜除盐层的孔隙率、亲水性、表面官能团及表面带电性等改性方式来提高NF的渗透性、选择性、抗污染、抗菌和耐氯能力等取得的研究成果;最后展望了新型NF膜在水处理和水回用领域的发展。     

Fouling distribution in forward osmosis membrane process

Fouling behavior along the length of membrane module was systematically investigated by performing simple modeling and lab-scale experiments of forward osmosis （FO） membrane process. The flux distribution model developed in this study showed a good agreement with experimental results, validating the robustness of the model. This model demonstrated, as expected, that the permeate flux decreased along the membrane channel due to decreasing osmotic pressure differential across the FO membrane. A series of fouling experiments were conducted under the draw and feed solutions at various recoveries simulated by the model. The simulated fouling experiments revealed that higher organic （alginate） fouling and thus more flux decline were observed at the last section of a membrane channel, as foulants in feed solution became more concentrated. Furthermore, the water flux in FO process declined more severely as the recovery increased due to more foulants transported to membrane surface with elevated solute concentrations at higher recovery, which created favorable solution environments for organic adsorption. The fouling reversibility also decreased at the last section of the membrane channel, suggesting that fouling distribution on FO membrane along the module should be carefully examined to improve overall cleaning efficiency. Lastly, it was found that such fouling distribution observed with co-current flow operation became less pronounced in counter- current flow operation of FO membrane process.     

纳滤膜过滤MBR出水的污染原因与清洗方法

为研究膜-生物反应器(MBR)出水对纳滤膜的污染原因及清洗方法,使用场发射扫描电镜、傅立叶变换红外光谱仪、原子力显微镜和接触角仪对经MBR出水污染的纳滤膜表面污染层进行了检测,结果表明,纳滤膜表面污染物包括有机物和无机物,所含元素包括磷、镁等,对经过不同清洗步骤的膜表面进行的检测表明,柠檬酸清洗可以去除镁和大部分磷,这些物质主要以无机形态存在于膜面污染物中;后续NaOH清洗可以进一步去除磷,这部分磷主要来自有机酸、有机磷或蛋白质等膜面污染物.污染使膜表面粗糙度由79.5 nm增大至111.2 nm,但接触角由55.6°变为62.1°,表明亲水性变化不大;酸洗后表面粗糙度显著减小至51.9 nm,接触角变为96.0°,表明有机污染物暴露出来,膜面呈现疏水性;再经碱洗后,膜面粗糙度与亲水性均接近于新膜.这些结果说明,先酸洗后碱洗的方法可以去除绝大部分的膜面污染物,进一步推知膜污染初期主要为有机污染,之后无机物的作用使污染进一步加重.     

太湖原水中膜污染物质的确定与表征

采用混凝沉淀和浸没式微滤膜联用技术处理太湖原水,考察组合工艺中的有机物亲疏水性和分子量分布变化,并分析化学清洗水的有机物组分,以期确定造成膜污染的主要物质成分.结果表明,混凝预处理可有效去除大分子的亲水性有机物,这类有机物仅能导致可逆污染,而中等和小分子的有机物会导致不可逆污染.此外,三维荧光光谱表明与膜污染关系最密切的2个区域为:λex=230nm/λem=330~350nm (区域Ⅰ)和λex=280nm/λem=300~350nm (区域Ⅳ),其对应的胞外蛋白质类有机物和溶解性微生物产物(SMP)是造成微滤膜不可逆污染的主要物质.     

纳滤膜在水处理中的应用

纳滤与传统水处理方法相比具有独特的分离性能,处理效果好,能耗低,同时能回收有用物质,是水处理的有效方法。在饮用水净化处理、污废水排放和回用处理等领域有广泛的研究应用。文章简要介绍了纳滤膜技术的特点,综述了纳滤在饮用水净化、生活污水及垃圾渗滤液处理、工业水和农业水处理中的研究应用现状,并对纳滤技术的应用前景进行了展望。     

Effects of ion concentration and natural organic matter on arsenic(V) removal by nanofiltration under different transmembrane pressures

The removal of As(V) from synthetic water was studied using four different nanofiltration (NF) membranes (ESNA-1-K1, NF270, ESNA-1-LF, and HODRA-CORE). The influences of ion concentration, transmembrane pressure (TMP), and the presence of natural organic matter (humic acid, HA) on the arsenic removal efficiency and permeate flux were investigated. The arsenic rejection of ESNA- 1-LF was higher than those of the other membranes in all experiments (> 94%), and the HODRA-CORE membrane gave the lowest removal of arsenic (< 47%). An increase in the ion concentration in the feed solution and addition of HA decreased the arsenic rejection of the HODRA-CORE membrane. However, both increasing of the ion concentration and addition of HA made the rejection increased for the other membranes (ESNA-1-K1, NF270, and ESNA-1-LF). With increasing TMP, for all four NF membranes, increases in both arsenic rejection and permeate flux were observed. The permeate fluxes of the four NF membranes decreased to some extent after addition of HA to the solutions for operating time of 6 hr.     

A fouling suppression system in submerged membrane bioreactors using dielectrophoretic forces

A novel method was developed to suppress membrane fouling in submerged membrane bioreactors. The method is based on the dielectrophoretic (DEP) motion of particles in an inhomogeneous electrical field. Using a real sample of biomass as feed, the fouling-suppression performance using DEP with different electrical field intensities (60–160 V) and different frequencies (50–1000 Hz) was investigated. The fouling-suppression performance was found to relate closely with the intensity and frequency of the electrical field. A stronger electrical field was found to better recover the filtrate flux. This is because of a stronger DEP force acting on the biomass particles close to the membrane's surface. Above an intensity and frequency value of 130 V and 1 kHz, respectively the permeate flux was reduced due to an electrothermal effect.