Energy reduction of a submerged membrane bioreactor using a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hollow-fiber membrane

The fiber length and packing density of the PTFE membrane element were increased. The MBR was stably operated under an SAD^m of 0.13 m³·m^-2·hr^-1. Specific energy consumption was estimated to be less than 0.4 kWh·m^-3. In this study, we modified a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hollow-fiber membrane element used for submerged membrane bioreactors (MBRs) to reduce the energy consumption during MBR processes. The high mechanical strength of the PTFE membrane made it possible to increase the effective length of the membrane fiber from 2 to 3 m. In addition, the packing density was increased by 20% by optimizing the membrane element configuration. These modifications improve the efficiency of membrane cleaning associated with aeration. The target of specific energy consumption was less than 0.4 kWh·m^-3 in this study. The continuous operation of a pilot MBR treating real municipal wastewater revealed that the MBR utilizing the modified membrane element can be stably operated under a specific air demand per membrane surface area (SAD_m) of 0.13 m³·m^-2·hr^-1 when the daily-averaged membrane fluxes for the constant flow rate and flow rate fluctuating modes of operation were set to 0.6 and 0.5 m³·m^-2·d^-1, respectively. The specific energy consumption under these operating conditions was estimated to be less than 0.37 kWh·m^-3. These results strongly suggest that operating an MBR equipped with the modified membrane element with a specific energy consumption of less than 0.4 kWh·m^-3 is highly possible.     

Aging of PVDF and PES ultrafiltration membranes by sodium hypochlorite: Effect of solution pH

Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) is a commonly applied cleaning agent for ultrafiltration membranes in water and wastewater treatment. Long-term exposure to NaClO might change the properties and performance of polymeric membranes, and ultimately shorten membrane lifespan. Active species in NaClO solution vary with solution pH, and the aging effects can change depending on the membrane material. In this study, the aging of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyethersulfone (PES) membranes by NaClO at pH 3–11 was investigated by examining variations in chemical composition, surface charge, surface morphology, mechanical strength, permeability, and retention ability. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), which was blended in both membranes, was oxidized and dislodged due to NaClO aging at all investigated pH values, but the oxidation products and dislodgement ratio of PVP varied with solution pH. For the PVDF membrane, NaClO aging at pH 3–11 caused a moderate increase in permeability and decreased retention due to the oxidation and release of PVP. The tensile strength decreased only at pH 11 because of the defluorination of PVDF molecules. For the PES membrane, NaClO aging at all investigated pH resulted in chain scission of PES molecules, which was favored at pH 7 and 9, potentially due to the formation of free radicals. Therefore, a decrease in tensile strength and retention ability, as well as an increase in permeability, occurred in the PES membrane for NaClO aging at pH 3–11. Overall, the results can provide a basis for selecting chemical cleaning conditions for PVDF and PES membranes.     

What have we known so far about microplastics in drinking water treatment? A timely review

• 23 available research articles on MPs in drinking water treatment are reviewed. • The effects of treatment conditions and MP properties on MP removal are discussed. • DWTPs with more steps generally are more effective in removing MPs. • Smaller MPs (e.g.,<10 μm) are more challenging in drinking water treatment. Microplastics (MPs) have been widely detected in drinking water sources and tap water, raising the concern of the effectiveness of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in protecting the public from exposure to MPs through drinking water. We collected and analyzed the available research articles up to August 2021 on MPs in drinking water treatment (DWT), including laboratory- and full-scale studies. This article summarizes the major MP compositions (materials, sizes, shapes, and concentrations) in drinking water sources, and critically reviews the removal efficiency and impacts of MPs in various drinking water treatment processes. The discussed drinking water treatment processes include coagulation-flocculation (CF), membrane filtration, sand filtration, and granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Current DWT processes that are purposed for particle removal are generally effective in reducing MPs in water. Various influential factors to MP removal are discussed, such as coagulant type and dose, MP material, shape and size, and water quality. It is anticipated that better MP removal can be achieved by optimizing the treatment conditions. Moreover, the article framed the major challenges and future research directions on MPs and nanoplastics (NPs) in DWT.     

Techno-economic characteristics of wastewater treatment plants retrofitted from the conventional activated sludge process to the membrane bioreactor process

• Retrofitting from CAS to MBR increased effluent quality and environmental benefits. • Retrofitting from CAS to MBR increased energy consumption but not operating cost. • Retrofitting from CAS to MBR increased the net profit and cost efficiency. • The advantage of MBR is related to the adopted effluent standard. • The techno-economy of MBR improves with stricter effluent standards. While a growing number of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are being retrofitted from the conventional activated sludge (CAS) process to the membrane bioreactor (MBR) process, the debate on the techno-economy of MBR vs. CAS has continued and calls for a thorough assessment based on techno-economic valuation. In this study, we analyzed the operating data of 20 large-scale WWTPs (capacity≥10000 m³/d) and compared their techno-economy before and after the retrofitting from CAS to MBR. Through cost-benefit analysis, we evaluated the net profit by subtracting the operating cost from the environmental benefit (estimated by the shadow price of pollutant removal and water reclamation). After the retrofitting, the removal rate of pollutants increased (e.g., from 89.0% to 93.3% on average for NH₃-N), the average energy consumption increased from 0.40 to 0.57 kWh/m³, but the operating cost did not increase significantly. The average marginal environmental benefit increased remarkably (from 0.47 to 0.66 CNY/g for NH₃-N removal), leading to an increase in the average net profit from 19.4 to 24.4 CNY/m³. We further scored the technical efficiencies via data envelopment analysis based on non-radial directional distance functions. After the retrofitting, the relative cost efficiency increased from 0.70 to 0.73 (the theoretical maximum is 1), while the relative energy efficiency did not change significantly. The techno-economy is closely related to the effluent standard adopted, particularly when truncating the extra benefit of pollutant removal beyond the standard in economic modeling. The modeling results suggested that MBR is more profitable than CAS given stricter effluent standards.     

Recent advances in antimony removal using carbon-based nanomaterials: A review

• The synthesis and physicochemical properties of various CNMs are reviewed. • Sb removal using carbon-based nano-adsorbents and membranes are summarized. • Details on adsorption behavior and mechanisms of Sb uptake by CNMs are discussed. • Challenges and future prospects for rational design of advanced CNMs are provided. Recently, special attention has been deserved to environmental risks of antimony (Sb) element that is of highly physiologic toxicity to human. Conventional coagulation and ion exchange methods for Sb removal are faced with challenges of low efficiency, high cost and secondary pollution. Adsorption based on carbon nanomaterials (CNMs; e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide and their derivatives) may provide effective alternative because the CNMs have high surface area, rich surface chemistry and high stability. In particular, good conductivity makes it possible to create linkage between adsorption and electrochemistry, thereby the synergistic interaction will be expected for enhanced Sb removal. This review article summarizes the state of art on Sb removal using CNMs with the form of nano-adsorbents and/or filtration membranes. In details, procedures of synthesis and functionalization of different forms of CNMs were reviewed. Next, adsorption behavior and the underlying mechanisms toward Sb removal using various CNMs were presented as resulting from a retrospective analysis of literatures. Last, we prospect the needs for mass production and regeneration of CNMs adsorbents using more affordable precursors and objective assessment of environmental impacts in future studies.     

减压塔规整填料腐蚀现状与防护

介绍了减压塔规整填料腐蚀的现状,阐述了介质温度、流速、腐蚀介质种类和填料尺寸等因素对规整填料腐蚀的影响,提出了改变工艺、加注缓蚀剂、改变材质和加强腐蚀检测等防护措施。     

超声波强化膜分离及清洗的研究进展

综述了超声波强化膜分离与膜清洗的机理,国内外超声波强化膜分离与清洗的研究现状以及影响该技术运用的问题所在。现有的研究成果表明:通过低功率超声波辐射处理污染膜可以减缓运行过程中的浓差极化及膜污染,而如何优化操作参数、如何减小超声波对膜体损害是近期的研究重点。     

膜生物反应器处理苎麻脱胶废水的研究

利用膜生物反应器对苎麻生物脱胶废水进行试验研究,通过对废水中的COD、NH3-N、SS及色度进行检测发现,出水水质达到国家综合排放标准,并可回用。因此,此法处理麻生物脱胶废水可行,为苎麻生物脱胶废水的处理提供一种新的处理方法。     

基于Bayesian网络的常减压装置设备故障概率分析

为分析影响常减压蒸馏装置平稳运行的设备失效模式及故障部件,基于1 151条设备故障数据,采用Bayesian网络分析方法,分别对离心泵、压缩机、电动机构建基于Bayesian网络的设备故障概率分析模型,分析故障部件、失效模式、故障后果之间的定量概率关系。研究结果表明：离心泵、压缩机、电动机停运的关键致因部件分别为轴承箱密封故障、活塞环故障、轴承故障,同时得到导致设备停运的故障部件敏感度排序。研究结果有助于提高设备故障风险防范及检维修工作效率,同时可为备件优化方案提供思路。     

超声波－蒸汽蒸馏萃取技术富集沉积物样品中的氯代农药和多氯联苯

为方便快速分离沉积物中含氯农药和多氯联苯，将超声波技术和蒸汽蒸馏萃取技术相结合，萃取沉积物中的微量含氯农药和多氯联苯，所得萃取物不需进一步的净化和浓缩，可直接用于色谱分析．实验表明，在进行蒸汽蒸馏萃取之前，使用辅助的超声波技术可将大部分待测物的回收率提高２０％－３０％，较好地解决了由于沉积物的吸附作用而导致的蒸汽蒸馏萃取回收率偏低的缺陷．该法使沉积物样品中的氯代农药和多氯联苯的蒸汽蒸馏萃取富集成为可能．