Membrane fouling reduction through electrochemically regulating flocs aggregation in an electro-coagulation membrane reactor

Coupling coagulation and applied electric field is an efficient method to regulate cake layer porosity and hydrophilicity for alleviating ultrafiltration membrane (UF) fouling. However, the Al/Fe flocs aggregation behavior are induced from electric field and determine the cake layer structure, which has not been studied comparatively yet. Herein, the anti-fouling performance in an efficient electro-coagulation membrane reactor (ECMR, in which UF membrane modules are placed between electrodes) was investigated with Al/Fe anode and various electrochemical parameters from the viewpoint of regulating flocs aggregation. Both the cake layers formed from Al and Fe flocs under an electric field were more porous and hydrophilic in comparison with that formed without electric fields, resulting in an enhanced water flux under higher electric field strength. Comparing with Fe flocs, Al flocs had a faster growth rate and larger size, facilitating membrane pore block resistant, which was more pronounced in a higher current density. Furthermore, the cake layer formed from Al flocs was more porous than that formed from Fe flocs. Therefore, the anti-fouling performance of ECMR with Al anode was superior to that of ECMR with Fe anode. When the electric field strength increased from 0 to 10?V/cm, the normalized specific flux was improved from 71.2% to 89.4% for ECMR (Al) and from 48.1% to 70.1% for ECMR (Fe) at 30?min.     

Core activated sludge communities are influenced little by immigration: Case study of a membrane bioreactor plant

Microbial immigrants arriving with influent wastewater may influence activated sludge (AS) ecosystems. However, the extent to which immigration impacts AS communities is still debated. To explore the intensity of immigration impact, we used sequencing technology to track the raw wastewater and AS communities from a membrane bioreactor plant over a 12-month period. We first distinguished core populations from peripheral ones in both raw wastewater and AS based on their occurrence frequency and abundance. The results showed that core OTUs (≥ 80% occurrence frequency) made up a large fraction (> 90%) of total sequences, while peripheral OTUs composed the majority of all detected OTUs but merely occupied a few sequences. A significant difference in core communities between the influent and AS was found, as well as between the compositions of core and peripheral populations. Additionally, the persistent functional bacteria of AS, although not numerically dominant, accounted for 96.24% of the total sequences related to nutrient turnover, suggesting the presence of a small number of longstanding and core functional bacteria in the AS ecosystem. Importantly, 64% of the 5188 OTUs in AS, which accounted for 91.51% of the sequences, exhibited positive growth rates, which suggested that their apparent abundances were due to growth within the plant, not from immigration. Taken together, these results demonstrated that the impact of influent populations on core AS communities was limited. Overall, this work provides quantitative insights into the impact of immigration, which is expected to advance our understanding of the AS community assembly.     

含盐废水电渗析膜分离处理工艺研究

在水资源日益紧张、含盐废水排放量日益增多的大趋势下,寻求经济有效的含盐废水处理技术已成为重要的研究课题。以厦门某食品企业水产品加工腌泡环节含盐废水为研究对象。含盐废水经氨水沉淀、离子交换树脂软化处理,废水中钙镁离子被有效脱除,出水钙镁质量浓度已经降为10．4mg·L-1,达到软水水质标准。软化后的废水经4‰聚丙烯酰胺（PAM）絮凝并通过活性炭吸附,污染密度指数值（SDI）降低至0．41,完全达到膜分离装置进水水质的要求。预处理液再经电渗析膜进一步浓缩分离后,氯化钠质量浓度可由7351mg·L-1提升到78156mg·L-1,对盐分浓缩了10倍以上,达到废水和盐分的处理回收利用。本处理工艺流程简洁,药耗少、能耗低,比较适合小规模含盐废水的综合处理。     

Optimization of mixture ratio of electrolyte for reducing activation resistance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell

The purpose of this study is to find an optimal mixture ratio of the platinum-loaded carbon catalyst and the electrolyte in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell for reducing the activation resistance, which influences the electrochemical surface area, activation polarization, and maximum power density of the MEA. First, mixture ratios of 10, 20, 40, and 60 wt% platinum-loaded carbon catalysts and electrolyte were examined. The results indicated that the fuel cell performance improved for mixing weight ratios of 1.0:2.0 in 10 wt% Pt/C, 1.0:1.8 in 20 wt% Pt/C, 1.0:1.1 in 40 wt% Pt/C, and 1.0:0.5 in 60 wt% Pt/C. Next, we evaluated the activation resistances of the MEA from the AC impedance characteristics using the optimal mixing weight ratio of the platinum-loaded carbon catalyst and the electrolyte. It was found that the activation resistances of the anode and cathode decrease with an increase in the weight ratio of platinum-loaded carbon in the catalyst layer.     

Effect of protein on PVDF ultrafiltration membrane fouling behavior under different pH conditions: interface adhesion force and XDLVO theory analysis

To further determine the fouling behavior of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on different hydrophilic PVDF ultrafiltration (UF) membranes over a range of pH values, self-made atomic force microscopy (AFM) colloidal probes were used to detect the adhesion forces of membrane–BSA and BSA–BSA, respectively. Results showed that the membrane–BSA adhesion interaction was stronger than the BSA–BSA adhesion interaction, and the adhesion force between BSA–BSA-fouled PVDF/PVA membranes was similar to that between BSA–BSA-fouled PVDF/PVP membranes, which indicated that the fouling was mainly caused by the adhesion interaction between membrane and BSA. At the same pH condition, the PVDF/PVA membrane–BSA adhesion force was smaller than that of PVDF/ PVP membrane–BSA, which illustrated that the more hydrophilic the membrane was, the better antifouling ability it had. The extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (XDLVO) theory predicts that the polar or Lewis acid–base (AB) interaction played a dominant role in the interfacial free energy of membrane–BSA and BSA–BSA that can be affected by pH. For the same membrane, the pH values of a BSA solution can have a significant impact on the process of membrane fouling by changing the AB component of free energy.

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Using loose nanofiltration membrane for lake water treatment: A pilot study

• A pilot study was conducted for drinking water treatment using loose NF membranes. • The membranes had very high rejection of NOM and medium rejection of Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺. • Organic fouling was dominant and contribution of inorganic fouling was substantial. • Both organic and inorganic fouling had spatial non-uniformity on membrane surface. • Applying EDTA at basic conditions was effective in removing membrane fouling. Nanofiltration (NF) using loose membranes has a high application potential for advanced treatment of drinking water by selectively removing contaminants from the water, while membrane fouling remains one of the biggest problems of the process. This paper reported a seven-month pilot study of using a loose NF membrane to treat a sand filtration effluent which had a relatively high turbidity (~0.4 NTU) and high concentrations of organic matter (up to 5 mg/L as TOC), hardness and sulfate. Results showed that the membrane demonstrated a high rejection of TOC (by>90%) and a moderately high rejection of two pesticides (54%–82%) while a moderate rejection of both calcium and magnesium (~45%) and a low rejection of total dissolved solids (~27%). The membrane elements suffered from severe membrane fouling, with the membrane permeance decreased by 70% after 85 days operation. The membrane fouling was dominated by organic fouling, while biological fouling was moderate. Inorganic fouling was mainly caused by deposition of aluminum-bearing substances. Though inorganic foulants were minor contents on membrane, their contribution to overall membrane fouling was substantial. Membrane fouling was not uniform on membrane. While contents of organic and inorganic foulants were the highest at the inlet and outlet region, respectively, the severity of membrane fouling increased from the inlet to the outlet region of membrane element with a difference higher than 30%. While alkaline cleaning was not effective in removing the membrane foulants, the use of ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA) at alkaline conditions could effectively restore the membrane permeance.     

土壤中游离重金属离子的测定--唐南膜平衡法

对比了最近几十年来国内外土壤溶液中游离重金属离子浓度的测定方法,在此基础上建立了一种新的测量方法———唐南膜平衡法(DMT)。研究表明,该实验方法可以在不影响反应体系平衡的基础上同时测定多金属元素,而且彼此之间不会发生干扰。     

Aggravation of membrane fouling and methane leakage by a three-phase separator in an external anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor

The existence of three-phase separator did not affect COD removal in the EAnCMBR. The existence of three-phase separator aggravated methane leakage of EAnCMBR. The existence of three-phase separator aggravated membrane fouling rate of EAnCMBR. Start-up of EAnCMBR equipped three-phase separator was slightly delayed. The three-phase separator is a critical component of high-rate anaerobic bioreactors due to its significant contribution in separation of biomass, wastewater, and biogas. However, its role in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor is still not clear. In this study, the distinction between an external anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (EAnCMBR) unequipped (R1) and equipped (R2) with a three-phase separator was investigated in terms of treatment performance, membrane fouling, extracellular polymers of sludge, and microbial community structure. The results indicate that the COD removal efficiencies of R1 and R2 were 98.2%±0.4% and 98.1%±0.4%, respectively, but the start-up period of R2 was slightly delayed. Moreover, the membrane fouling rate of R2 (0.4 kPa/d) was higher than that of R1 (0.2 kPa/d). Interestingly, the methane leakage from R2 (0.1 L/d) was 20 times higher than that from R1 (0.005 L/d). The results demonstrate that the three-phase separator aggravated the membrane fouling rate and methane leakage in the EAnCMBR. Therefore, this study provides a novel perspective on the effects of a three-phase separator in an EAnCMBR.     

薄膜结构在动风荷载下的安全性能分析

从理论和实践两方面对薄膜结构在风荷载下的安全性能进行了研究。根据随机过程理论 ,用计算机模拟生成具有空间相关性的风场。发展建立了膜结构几何非线性动力响应问题的有限元公式 ,并以此为基础对一具体的膜结构进行了动力时程响应分析。通过观察膜结构在不同风速下的位移时程曲线 ,笔者发现 :当外界风速小于一定的临界风速时 ,结构的位移响应会逐渐趋于稳态 ,结构的振动逐渐趋于稳定 ,这时结构是安全的 ;当外界风速超过或接近临界风速时 ,结构的振幅会逐渐增大 ,膜结构将可能发生驰振损坏。进而提出了通过增大膜内预应力或提高膜曲面的曲率来防止膜结构风振破坏的方法 ,并指出了在设计和施工中为保证膜结构的风振安全应当采取的措施。     

污泥陶粒流离球填料的应用研究

填料是流离生化技术处理污水的关键材料。文中模拟试验污水处理过程,测试污泥流离球填料的挂膜情况和污染物去除能力。确定运行适应性参数DO水平为4～5mg/L,水力停留时间4h,反应温度22℃,反应pH值7～9时,实施处理配制污水试验的结果表明,净化后污水CODcr和NH3-N去除效果良好,污水净化后符合国家"污水综合排放标准"二级标准的要求,污泥陶粒流离球填料应用于污水处理可行。