Yi-Ning Wang

Organic fouling of thin-film composite polyamide and cellulose triacetate forward osmosis membranes by oppositely charged macromolecules

Fouling of cellulose triacetate (CTA) and thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes by organic macromolecules were studied using oppositely charged lysozyme (LYS) and alginate (ALG) as model foulants. Flux performance and foulant deposition on membranes were systematically investigated for a submerged membrane system. When an initial flux of 25 L/m(2)h was applied, both flux reduction and foulant mass deposition were severe for feed water containing the mixture of LYS and ALG (e.g., 50% LYS and 50% ALG at a total foulant concentration of 100 mg/L). In comparison, fouling was much milder for feed water containing either LYS or ALG alone. Compared to the CTA FO membrane, the TFC FO membrane showed greater fouling propensity under mild FO fouling conditions due to its much rougher surface. Nevertheless, under severe FO fouling conditions, fouling was dominated by foulant-deposited-foulant interaction and membrane surface properties played a less important role. Furthermore, when the feed water contained both LYS and ALG in sufficient amount, the deposited cake layer foulant composition (i.e., the LYS/ALG mass ratio) was not strongly affected by membrane types (CTA versus TFC) nor testing modes (pressure-driven NF mode versus osmosis-driven FO mode). In contrast, solution chemistry such as pH and calcium concentration had remarkable effect on the cake layer composition due to their effects on foulant-foulant interaction.

Microscopic characterization of FO/PRO membranes--a comparative study of CLSM, TEM and SEM.

Osmotically driven membrane processes (including forward osmosis (FO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO)) have received increasing attention in recent decades. The performance of an FO/PRO membrane is significantly limited by internal concentration polarization, which is a strong function of the membrane support layer pore structure. The objective of the current study was to develop microscopic characterization methods for quantitative/semiquantitative analysis of membrane pore structure (both pore diameter and porosity distribution across membrane thickness). The use of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for noninvasive characterization of the internal pore structure of FO/PRO membranes is reported for the first time. By performing optical sectioning, information on pore diameter, porosity depth profile and pore connectivity can be obtained. The CLSM porosity results are further compared to those obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and reasonably good agreement was observed. A comparison of these characterization methods reveals their complementary nature, and a combination of these techniques may allow a more comprehensive understanding of membrane structure. The current study also provided a comprehensive insight into the pore structure of commercially available FO/PRO membranes.

Analyzing the Evolution of Membrane Fouling via a Novel Method Based on 3D Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging

The development of novel tools for studying the fouling behavior during membrane processes is critical. This work explored optical coherence tomography (OCT) to quantitatively interpret the formation of a cake layer during a membrane process; the quantitative analysis was based on a novel image processing method that was able to precisely resolve the 3D structure of the cake layer on a micrometer scale. Fouling experiments were carried out with foulants having different physicochemical characteristics (silica nanoparticles and bentonite particles). The cake layers formed at a series of times were digitalized using the OCT-based characterization. The specific deposit (cake volume/membrane surface area) and surface coverage were evaluated as a function of time, which for the first time provided direct experimental evidence for the transition of various fouling mechanisms. Axial stripes were observed in the grayscale plots showing the deposit distribution in the scanned area; this interesting observation was in agreement with the instability analysis that correlated the polarized particle groups with the small disturbances in the boundary layer. This work confirms that the OCT-based characterization is able to provide deep insights into membrane fouling processes and offers a powerful tool for exploring membrane processes with enhanced performance.

Enhancing boron rejection in FO using alkaline draw solutions

This study provides a novel method to enhance boron removal in a forward osmosis (FO) process. It utilizes the reverse solute diffusion (RSD) of ions from alkaline draw solutions (DSs) and the concentration polarization of the hydroxyl ions to create a highly alkaline environment near the membrane active surface. The results show that boron rejection can be significantly enhanced by increasing the pH of NaCl DS to 12.5 in the active-layer-facing-feed-solution (AL-FS) orientation. The effect of RSD enhanced boron rejection was further promoted in the presence of concentration polarization (e.g., in the active-layer-facing-draw-solution (AL-DS) orientation). The current study opens a new dimension for controlling contaminant removal by FO using tailored DS chemistry, where the RSD-induced localized water chemistry change is taken advantage in contrast to the conventional method of chemical dosing to the bulk feed water.