蛋白质对PVDF超滤膜污染行为的界面微观作用力解析

采用原子力显微镜,结合自制微颗粒探针,对膜-污染物及污染物-污染物间微观作用力进行了检测分析,考察了不同p H条件下牛血清蛋白(BSA)在不同界面特性PVDF超滤膜上的膜污染行为.结果表明,在膜过滤初期,通量剧烈衰减主要由BSA和膜之间黏附力作用导致,在膜过滤后期,BSA与BSA之间的黏聚作用则是影响后期膜污染行为的主要因素;PA膜-BSA和PP膜-BSA之间的黏附作用力均大于BSA-BSA之间的黏聚作用力,说明在整个膜过滤过程中,BSA与PVDF超滤膜之间的黏附作用对膜污染起主导作用;相同p H条件下,PA膜-BSA之间的微观作用小于PP膜-BSA之间的相互作用力,说明亲水性较强的PA膜具有较强的抗污染性;而PA膜和PP膜过滤后期BSA-BSA之间黏聚力相差不大,也进一步说明膜过滤过程中膜-污染物之间的微观作用力是影响膜污染行为的主要因素.     

Comparative studies on fouling of homogeneous anion exchange membranes by different structured organics in electrodialysis

Five negatively charged organic compounds with different structures, sodium methane sulfonate (MS), sodium benzene sulfonate (BS), sodium 6-hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonate (NSS), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), were used to examine the fouling of an anion exchange membrane (AEM) in electrodialysis (ED), to explore the effect of molecular characteristics on the fouling behavior on the AEM and changes in the surface and electrochemical properties of the AEM. Results indicated that the fouling degree of the AEM by the different organics followed the order: SDBS?>?SDS?>?NSS?>?BS?>?MS. SDBS and SDS formed a dense fouling layer on the surface of the AEM, which was the main factor in the much more severe membrane fouling, and completely restricted the transmembrane ion migration. The other three organics caused fouling of the AEM by adsorption on the surface and /or accumulation in the interlayer of the AEM, and exhibited almost no influence on the transmembrane ion migration. It was also concluded that the organics with benzene rings caused more severe fouling of the AEM due to the stronger affinity interaction and steric effect between the organics and the AEM compared with organics with aliphatic chains.     

Application of a hybrid gravity-driven membrane filtration and dissolved ozone flotation (MDOF) process for wastewater reclamation and membrane fouling mitigation

This study proposed a novel membrane filtration and dissolved ozone flotation integrated(MDOF) process and tested it at pilot scale. Membrane filtration in the MDOF process was operated in gravity-driven mode, and required no backwashing, flushing, or chemical cleaning. Because ozone was added in the MDOF process, ozonation, coagulation, and membrane filtration could occur in a single reactor. Moreover, in situ ozonation occurred in the MDOF process, which differs from the conventional pre-ozonation membrane filtration process. Significant enhancement of turbidity removal was further achieved through the addition of membrane filtration. Membrane fouling was mitigated in the MDOF process compared to the MDAF process. In situ ozonation in the MDOF process decreased the fluorescence intensity and transformed the high MW dissolved organics into small MW compounds. For the fouling layer, the extracellular polymeric substance(EPS) contents and cake layer morphology were analyzed. The results indicated that the contents of EPS decreased. Furthermore, a thinner and more loosely structured cake layer formed in the MDOF process. Because coagulation and ozonation occurred simultaneously in a single reactor, the generation of hydroxyl radicals was enhanced through the catalytic effect of Al-based coagulants on ozone decomposition, which further alleviated membrane fouling in the MDOF process.     

Fenton cleaning strategy for ceramic membrane fouling in wastewater treatment

Membrane fouling is an obstacle impeding the wide applications of ceramic membranes and organics are responsible for most of the membrane fouling issues in wastewater treatment. In this study, Fenton cleaning strategy was firstly proposed to clean ceramic membrane fouling in wastewater treatment. Fe~(2+)efficiently catalyzed fouling cleaning with H_2O_2(1.5%) to recover the filterability of ceramic membrane. The maximum ΔTMP recovery(over 99%) was achieved at an optimal Fe~(2+)dosage of 124 mg/L after 6 hr of immersion cleaning. The total residual membrane fouling resistance decreased gradually from this optimum value as the Fe~(2+)dosage increased above 124 mg/L. The residual hydraulically reversible fouling resistance accounted for most of the membrane fouling and was basically removed(≤3.0 × 10~9 m~(-1)) when Fe~(2+)dosages higher than 124 mg/L were used. The foulants responsible for the formation of a residual hydraulically reversible fouling layer(DOC(dissolved organic carbon), proteins, polysaccharides, EEM(fluorescence excitationemission matrix spectra), SS(suspended solids), and VSS(volatile suspended solids)) were gradually removed as the Fe~(2+)dosage increased. These residual organic foulants were degraded from biopolymers(10–200 kDa) to low molecular weight substances(0.1–1 kDa),and the particle size of these residual foulants decreased significantly as a result. The strong oxidation power of hydrogen peroxide/hydroxy radicals towards organic foulants was enhanced by Fe~(2+). Fe~(2+)played a significant role in the removal of hydraulically reversible fouling and irreversible fouling from the ceramic membrane. However, Fe~(2+)(≥ 124 mg/L) increased the likelihood of forming secondary iron-organics aggregates.     

Characterization of dissolved organic matter and membrane fouling in coagulation-ultrafiltration process treating micro-polluted surface water

Coagulation–ultrafiltration(C–UF) is widely used for surface water treatment. With the removal of pollutants, the characteristics of organic matter change and affect the final treatment efficiency and the development of membrane fouling. In this study, we built a dynamic C–UF set-up to carry out the treatment of micro-polluted surface water, to investigate the characteristics of dissolved organic matter from different units. The influences of poly aluminum chloride and poly dimethyldiallylammonium chloride(PDMDAAC) on removal efficiency and membrane fouling were also investigated. Results showed that the dosage of PDMDAAC evidently increased the UV254 and dissolved organic carbon removal efficiencies,and thereby alleviated membrane fouling in the C–UF process. Most hydrophobic bases(HoB)and hydrophobic neutral fractions could be removed by coagulation. Similarly, UF was good at removing HoB compared to hydrophilic substances(HiS) and hydrophobic acid(HoA)fractions. HiS and HoA fractions with low molecule weight accumulated on the surface of the membrane, causing the increase of transmembrane pressure(TMP). Membrane fouling was mainly caused by a removable cake layer, and mechanical cleaning was an efficient way to decrease the TMP.     

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.     

Simultaneously recovering electricity and water from wastewater by osmotic microbial fuel cells: Performance and membrane fouling

Since the concept of the osmotic microbial fuel cell (OsMFC) was introduced in 2011, it has attracted growing interests for its potential applications in wastewater treatment and energy recovery. However, forward osmosis (FO) membrane fouling resulting in a severe water flux decline remains a main obstacle. Until now, the fouling mechanisms of FO membrane especially the development of biofouling layer in the OsMFC are not yet clear. Here, the fouling behavior of FO membrane in OsMFCs was systematically investigated. The results indicated that a thick fouling layer including biofouling and inorganic fouling was existed on the FO membrane surface. Compared to the inorganic fouling, the biofouling played a more important role in the development of the fouling layer. Further analyses by the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) implied that the growth of biofouling layer on the FO membrane surface in the OsMFC could be divided into three stages. Initially, microorganisms associated with ß-D-glucopyranose polysaccharides were deposited on the FO membrane surface. After that, the microorganisms grew into a biofilm caused a quick decrease of water flux. Subsequently, some of microorganisms were dead due to lack of nutrient source, in the meantime, polysaccharide and proteins in the biofouling layer were decomposed as nutrient source, thus leading to a slow development of the biofouling layer. Moreover, the microorganisms played a significant role in the formation and development of the biofouling layer, and further studies are needed to mitigate the deposition of microorganisms on FO membrane surfaces in OsMFCs.

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Characterization of electrode fouling during electrochemical oxidation of phenolic pollutant

• Electrode fouling is characterized by non-destructive characterization. • Electrode fouling is highly dependent on electrochemical process. • Active chlorine can prevent the formation of polymeric fouling film. Electrode fouling is a problem that commonly occurs during electro-oxidation water purification. This study focused on identifying the fouling behavior of Pt electrode associated with the formation of polymeric layer during electro-oxidation of phenol. The in situ electrochemical measurements and non-destructive observation of the electrode morphology were reported. The results demonstrated that the electrode fouling was highly dependent on thermodynamic process of electrode that was controlled by anode potential. At anode potential lower than 1.0 V vs SHE, the direct electro-oxidation caused the electrode fouling by the formation of polymeric film. The fouling layer decreased the electrochemically active surface area from 8.38 cm² to 1.57 cm², indicated by the formation of polymeric film with thickness of 2.3 mm, increase in mass growing at a rate of 3.26 μg/cm²/min. The degree to which the anode was fouled was independent of anion in the electrolyte. In comparison, at anode potential higher than 2.7 V vs SHE, the anions (e.g., chloride) could exert a major influence to the behavior of electrode fouling. The presence of chloride was shown to mitigate the fouling of electrode significantly through preventing the formation of polymeric film by active chlorine (e.g., Cl• and Cl₂) produced from anodic oxidation of chloride. Since chloride is the most abundant anionic species existing in both natural and engineered water system, this study not only offers a deep insight into the mechanism of electrode fouling, but also suggests strategies for anti-fouling in the presence of chloride in electro-oxidation process.     

丝状菌膨胀对无纺布生物反应器处理效果及膜污染特征的影响

研究了丝状菌膨胀状态和正常污泥状态下无纺布生物反应器的污泥絮体形态、出水水质对比,膜通量变化,膜阻力分析和胞外聚合物(EPS)含量分析.结果表明,膨胀污泥的平均粒径为448.6μm,正常污泥的平均粒径为234.8μm;丝状菌膨胀状态下的平均COD去除率、NH+4-N去除率、出水浊度分别为90.1%、93.1%、1.33 NTU,较之正常污泥状态下的91.4%、97.0%、0.99 NTU,丝状菌膨胀对COD去除几乎没有影响,对NH+4-N去除有一定的抑制,对出水浊度略有影响;膨胀污泥状态和正常污泥状态下的平均膜通量衰减速率分别为3.29 L·(m2·h2)-1、4.87 L·(m2·h2)-1,膨胀状态下的膜污染较轻,膨胀状态下的膜污染以可逆污染为主,正常状态下以不可逆污染为主,优先发生可逆污染可以减少不可逆污染的发生,从而减缓膜通量的下降;正常污泥和膨胀污泥混合液中溶解性微生物产物(SMP)含量分别为21.369 mg·L-1、10.182 mg·L-1,蛋白质/多糖(P/C)分别为0.370、0.497,SMP的总量与膜污染阻力有关系,P/C与可逆污染所占的比例有关系,混合液污泥的松散附着性EPS与膜污染的关系同SMP相似;EPS含量较高的污泥更易于在膜表面累积,并且累积于膜表面的EPS主要是蛋白质,混合液污泥EPS总量、膜面污泥EPS以及它们的P/C都与膜表面可逆污染存在正相关性.     

浸没式膜-生物反应器膜污染物中胞外聚合物的提取与分析

研究了胞外聚合物对膜生物反应器中膜污染物的贡献和影响,通过对膜表面的EDX分析,发现膜污染物以有机污染物为主;采用碱液离心提取法提取反应器污泥和膜污染物中的EPS,发现二者的EPS主要由相对分子量在12000以上的大分子物质组成,而且这些大分子物质基本上都是难降解的;以TOC表征EPS总量,并对其中多糖、蛋白质、DNA等组分进行测定,发现膜污染物中的EPS浓度是反应器污泥中的4倍左右,多糖类物质是首要的膜污染物,蛋白质对膜污染也起着重要的作用;反应器内DNA含量要高于膜污染物中,可证实DNA不是主要的膜污染物;通过电泳分析发现,二者大片段区间内的DNA的分子量几乎相同.