Loading…

Photothermally-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) pretreatment for fouling alleviation of membrane distillation of surface water: Performance and mechanism

[Display omitted] •Photothermally-activated PMS pre-treatment was applied for MD fouling alleviation.•NOM in the surface water can be effectively removed after PMS pre-treatment.•Stable permeance (PMS (2 mM)) vs 50 % reduction (control) of flux were obtained.••OH and SO4•− radicals generated by PMS...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Separation and purification technology 2023-03, Vol.309, p.123043, Article 123043
Main Authors: Ji, Bingxuan, Bilal Asif, Muhammad, Zhang, Zhenghua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:[Display omitted] •Photothermally-activated PMS pre-treatment was applied for MD fouling alleviation.•NOM in the surface water can be effectively removed after PMS pre-treatment.•Stable permeance (PMS (2 mM)) vs 50 % reduction (control) of flux were obtained.••OH and SO4•− radicals generated by PMS contributed to the NOM removal.•The MD membrane properties could be kept conserved by the PMS pre-treatment step. Membrane distillation (MD) has demonstrated its efficacy for seawater desalination, which prompted researchers to investigate its performance for the treatment of surface water containing natural organic matter (NOM). However, membrane fouling remains a significant technological constraint in the acceptability and implementation of MD modules. Herein, for the first time, a photothermally-activated PMS pre-treatment process is coupled to a direct contact (DC)-MD module for effective membrane fouling control. Photothermally-activated PMS (2 mM) pre-treatment achieved 69 % of UV254 removal and 30.9 % of dissolved organic carbon removal and allowed stable operation of the DCMD without any reduction in water permeance vs 50 % reduction obtained without the pretreatment step. The analysis of NOM fractions after pre-treatment using Parallel Factor Analysis and molecular weight distribution indicated changes in NOM composition, which facilitated membrane fouling control. The photothermally-activated PMS pre-treatment seems to alleviate membrane fouling by limiting the foulant-membrane interaction, which was observed to result in the formation of the fouling layer containing aromatic proteins, microbial byproducts-like substances, and inorganic (e.g., calcium) foulants. Finally, characterization of the used MD membranes revealed that the MD membrane properties could be kept unchanged by the photothermally-activated PMS pre-treatment step, thereby making the integrated DCMD system sustainable and attractive for widespread applications.
ISSN:1383-5866
1873-3794
DOI:10.1016/j.seppur.2022.123043