Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design

Herein, we systematically investigated the influence of membrane structural properties on limiting flux behavior and selectivity loss during gypsum scaling in osmotically driven membrane processes. We selected two typical osmotic membranes, thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide (PA) membrane and integ...

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Main Authors: Fei, Jingyuan, Mai, Weiting, Cheng, Pak Shing, Shi, Jeffrey, Liu, Zongwen, She, Qianhong
Other Authors: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2021
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154219
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1542192021-12-16T05:04:31Z Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design Fei, Jingyuan Mai, Weiting Cheng, Pak Shing Shi, Jeffrey Liu, Zongwen She, Qianhong School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Singapore Membrane Technology Centre Engineering::Civil engineering Pressure-Retarded Osmosis Gypsum Scaling Herein, we systematically investigated the influence of membrane structural properties on limiting flux behavior and selectivity loss during gypsum scaling in osmotically driven membrane processes. We selected two typical osmotic membranes, thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide (PA) membrane and integrally asymmetric cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane with different structures, for gypsum scaling tests in active-layer-facing-draw-solution orientation (an operating mode preferred for pressure-retarded osmosis). Compared to the CTA membrane, the TFC membrane suffered severer internal scaling and achieved a lower limiting flux primarily due to its greater structural parameter that induced severer internal concentration polarization (ICP)-enhanced scaling. The limiting flux is inversely proportional to the membrane structural parameter. For the first time we observed that the TFC membrane suffered a drastic loss of integrity and selectivity after gypsum scaling in PRO. We confirmed that the thin PA layer of TFC membrane is more prone to being damaged by the growth of gypsum crystals inside the confined and unstirred support layer, whereas the integrally asymmetric membrane with a thicker active layer could better maintain its integrity. While TFC membrane is the mainstream for PRO in osmotic power harvesting, our study suggests that the integrally asymmetric membrane may be more suitable under severe scaling conditions. Nanyang Technological University This research was supported by the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies Early Career Researcher Funding Scheme at The University of Sydney, Australia. Q.S. is also grateful to the support of the Start-up Grant (SUG) from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. 2021-12-16T05:04:31Z 2021-12-16T05:04:31Z 2020 Journal Article Fei, J., Mai, W., Cheng, P. S., Shi, J., Liu, Z. & She, Q. (2020). Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design. Desalination, 492, 114644-. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2020.114644 0011-9164 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154219 10.1016/j.desal.2020.114644 2-s2.0-85089014192 492 114644 en Desalination © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Engineering::Civil engineering
Pressure-Retarded Osmosis
Gypsum Scaling
spellingShingle Engineering::Civil engineering
Pressure-Retarded Osmosis
Gypsum Scaling
Fei, Jingyuan
Mai, Weiting
Cheng, Pak Shing
Shi, Jeffrey
Liu, Zongwen
She, Qianhong
Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design
description Herein, we systematically investigated the influence of membrane structural properties on limiting flux behavior and selectivity loss during gypsum scaling in osmotically driven membrane processes. We selected two typical osmotic membranes, thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide (PA) membrane and integrally asymmetric cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane with different structures, for gypsum scaling tests in active-layer-facing-draw-solution orientation (an operating mode preferred for pressure-retarded osmosis). Compared to the CTA membrane, the TFC membrane suffered severer internal scaling and achieved a lower limiting flux primarily due to its greater structural parameter that induced severer internal concentration polarization (ICP)-enhanced scaling. The limiting flux is inversely proportional to the membrane structural parameter. For the first time we observed that the TFC membrane suffered a drastic loss of integrity and selectivity after gypsum scaling in PRO. We confirmed that the thin PA layer of TFC membrane is more prone to being damaged by the growth of gypsum crystals inside the confined and unstirred support layer, whereas the integrally asymmetric membrane with a thicker active layer could better maintain its integrity. While TFC membrane is the mainstream for PRO in osmotic power harvesting, our study suggests that the integrally asymmetric membrane may be more suitable under severe scaling conditions.
author2 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
author_facet School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Fei, Jingyuan
Mai, Weiting
Cheng, Pak Shing
Shi, Jeffrey
Liu, Zongwen
She, Qianhong
format Article
author Fei, Jingyuan
Mai, Weiting
Cheng, Pak Shing
Shi, Jeffrey
Liu, Zongwen
She, Qianhong
author_sort Fei, Jingyuan
title Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design
title_short Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design
title_full Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design
title_fullStr Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design
title_full_unstemmed Membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design
title_sort membrane structure-dependent limiting flux behavior and membrane selectivity loss during gypsum scaling : implications for pressure-retarded osmosis operation and membrane design
publishDate 2021
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154219
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