Development of an Electrochemical Ceramic Membrane Filtration System for Efficient Contaminant Removal from Waters

Abstract

Inability to remove low-molecular-weight anthropogenic contaminants is a critical issue in low-pressure membrane filtration processes for water treatment. In this work, a novel electrochemical ceramic membrane filtration (ECMF) system using TiO@SnO-Sb anode was developed for removing persistent p-chloroaniline (PCA). Results showed that the ECMF system achieved efficient removal of PCA from contaminated waters. At a charging voltage of 3 V, the PCA removal rate of TiO@SnO-Sb ECMF system under flow-through mode was 2.4 times that of flow-by mode. The energy consumption for 50% of PCA removal for TiO@SnO-Sb ECMF at 3 V under flow-through mode was 0.38 Wh/L, much lower than that of flow-by operation (1.5 Wh/L), which was attributed to the improved utilization of the surface adsorbed HO· and dissociated HO· driven by the enhanced mass transfer of PCA toward the anode surface. Benefiting from the increased production of reactive oxygen species such as O, HO, and HO· arising from excitation of anatase TiO, TiO@SnO-Sb ECMF exhibited a superior electrocatalytic activity to the SnO-Sb ECMF system. The degradation pathways of PCA initiated by OH· attack were further proposed, with the biodegradable short-chain carboxylic acids (mainly formic, acetic, and oxalic acids) identified as the dominant oxidized products. These results highlight the potential of the ECMF system for cost-effective water purification.

Cleaning Methods for Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes Affected by Organic Fouling

“…An electric field is usually applied crosswise to the membrane employing electrodes on both sides of the membrane. The electric field can also be applied between the membrane and other electrode, or in the case of a ceramic membrane, it may serve as an electrode itself [40,57]. Membrane flux is directly proportional to the applied electrical field strength [38,40,58].…”

Membrane Fouling Phenomena in Microfluidic Systems: From Technical Challenges to Scientific Opportunities

“…solution processing [48,[102][103][104][105]. Using a microfluidic approach, Bacchin et al showed how a small change in surface properties of a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has drastic consequences on pore blocking and particle adsorption [59].…”

Outlining the Roles of Membrane-Foulant and Foulant-Foulant Interactions in Organic Fouling During Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration: A Mini-Review

“…The spatial effects could be regulated by changing the pore morphology (Xiao et al, 2014a;Fan et al, 2018), surface roughness (Hashino et al, 2011;Feng et al, 2017), and surface topography of the membrane (e.g., prism/pyramid/embossing-patterned membranes Won et al, 2016 and hierarchically textured membranes Zhao et al, 2018). In addition, electrocatalytic membranes have been developed to produce reactive species (such as hydroxyl radicals) on the membrane surface in situ, thus breaking the membrane-foulant interactions (Yang Y. et al, 2011;Yang et al, 2012;Zheng et al, 2018).…”