• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 2023

Membrane separation is widely used for several applications such as water treatment, membrane reactors and climate change. Cross-linked organic-inorganic hybrid polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) / Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was adopted for the preparation of optimized hollow membrane (HFM) for membrane distillation or other low pressure separators for mechanical properties and permeability under varying pretreatment schemes. HFMs were prepared on semi-pilot membrane fabrication system. Novel adopted post-treatment schemes involved soaking in glycerol, magnesium sulphate (MgSO₄), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and isopropanol for different durations. All fibers were characterized for morphology using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), surface roughness using atomic force microscope (AFM), elemental composition by examining Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), water contact angle (CA°) and porosity. The performance of the fibers was evaluated for pure water permeation flux (PWF). Post-treatment with MgSO₄ gave the highest both tensile modulus and flux. Assessment of properties and performance revealed comparable results with other organic-inorganic separators, HF or flat. In spite of few reported data on post treatment using MgSO₄ in presence of TEOS, this proves the potential of low cost treatment without negative impact on other membrane properties. The flux is also comparable with hypochlorite which manifests substantial precaution requirements in actual industrial use.The relatively high values of flux/bar for sample treated with TEOS, post treated with MgSO₄ and hypochlorite are 88 and 82 LMH/bar respectively.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2022

To verify the fate and transport of engineered nanoparticles (ENP), it is essential to understand its interactions with organic matter. Previous research has shown that dissolved organic matter (DOM) can increase particle stability through steric repulsion. However, the majority of the research has been focused on model organic matter such as humic or fulvic acids, lacking the understanding of organic matter found in field conditions. In the current study, organic matter was sampled from wastewater treatment plants to verify the stability of engineered nanoparticles (ENP) under field conditions. To understand how different types of organic matter may affect the fate of ENP, wastewater was sampled and separated based on their size; as small organic particular matter (SOPM) and large organic particular matter (LOPM), and dissolved organic matter (DOM). Each size fraction of organic matter was tested to verify their effects on nano-zinc oxide (nZnO) and nano-titanium oxide (nTiO₂) stability. For DOM, critical coagulation concentration (CCC) experiments were conducted, while sorption experiments were conducted for organic particulates. Results showed that under field conditions, the surface charge of the particles did not influence the stability. On the contrary, surface charge of the particles influenced the amount of sorption onto particulate forms of organic matter. Results of the current research show how the size of organic matter influences the fate and transport of different ENPs under field conditions.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.163-173
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• 2023

The presence of high amounts of organic and inorganic contaminants in textile wastewater is a major environmental concern. Therefore, the treatment of textile wastewater is an urgent issue to save the aquatic environment. The disposal of large quantities of untreated textile wastewater into inland water bodies can cause serious water pollution. In this study, synthetic dye wastewater samples were prepared using orange dye in the laboratory. The synthetic samples were then treated by a batch adsorption process using the prepared activated carbon (AC) from date pits. The wastewater parameters studied were the pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), electrical conductivity (EC) and salinity. The activated adsorption process showed that the maximum removal efficiencies of electric conductivity (EC), salinity, TDS and TSS were 65%, 92%, 89% and 90%, respectively. The removal efficiencies were proportional to the increase in contact time (30-120 min) and AC adsorbent dose (1, 3 and 5 g/L). The adsorption profile indicates that 5 g/L of adsorbent delivers better results for TDS, EC, TSS and salinity at contact time of 120 min. The adsorption characteristics are better suited to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model than to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were well suited for describing the adsorption or contact behavior of EC and TSS within the studied system.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2024

1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecytriethoxysilane (C₁₆H₁₉F₁₇O₃Si) be successfully applied to the hydrophobic modification of Al₂O₃ tubular ceramic membrane. Taking the concentration of modification solution, modification time, and modification temperature as factors, orthogonal experiments were designed to study the hydrophobicity of the composite membranes. The experiments showed that the modification time had the greatest impact on the experimental results, followed by the modification temperature, and the modification solution concentration had the smallest impact. Concentration of the modified solution 0.012 mol·L^-1, modification temperature 30 ℃ and modification time 24 h were considered optimal hydrophobic modification conditions. And the pure water flux reached 274.80 kg·m^-2·h^-1 at 0.1MPa before hydrophobic modification, whereas the modified membrane completely blocked liquid water permeation at pressures less than 0.1MPa. Air gap membrane distillation experiments were conducted for NaCl (2wt%) solution, and the maximum flux reached 4.20 kg·m^-2·h^-1, while the retention rate remained above 99.8%. Given the scarcity of freshwater resources in coastal areas, the article proposed a system for seawater desalination using air conditioning waste heat, and conducted preliminary research on its freshwater production performance using Aspen Plus. Finally, the proposed system achieved a freshwater production capacity of 0.61 kg·m^-2·h^-1.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.207-212
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• 2019

Non-aqueous solvents (NASs) are generally known to be barely miscible, and reactive with polar compounds, such as water. However, water can interact with some NASs, which can be used as a new means for water recovery from saline water. This study explored the fate of water and salt in NAS, when saline water is mixed with NAS. Three amine solvents were selected as NAS. They had the same molecular formula, but were differentiated by their molecular structures, as follows: 1) NAS 'A' having the hydrophilic group ($NH_2$) at the end of the straight carbon chain, 2) NAS 'B' with symmetrical structure and having the hydrophilic group (NH) at the middle of the straight carbon chain, 3) NAS 'C' having the hydrophilic group ($NH_2$) at the end of the straight carbon chain but possessing a hydrophobic ethyl branch in the middle of the structure. In batch experiments, 0.5 M NaCl water was blended with NASs, and then water and salt content in the NAS were individually measured. Water absorption efficiencies by NAS 'B' and 'C' were 3.8 and 10.7%, respectively. However, salt rejection efficiency was 98.9% and 58.2%, respectively. NAS 'A' exhibited a higher water absorption efficiency of 35.6%, despite a worse salt rejection efficiency of 24.7%. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation showed the different interactions of water and salts with each NAS. NAS 'A' formed lattice structured clusters, with the hydrophilic group located outside, and captured a large numbers of water molecules, together with salt ions, inside the cluster pockets. NAS 'B' formed a planar-shaped cluster, where only some water molecules, but no salt ions, migrated to the NAS cluster. NAS 'C', with an ethyl group branch, formed a cluster shaped similarly to that of 'B'; however, the boundary surface of the cluster looked higher than that of 'C', due to the branch structure in solvent. The MD simulation was helpful for understanding the experimental results for water absorption and salt rejection, by demonstrating the various interactions between water molecules and the salts, with the different NAS types.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.422-428
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of trunk stability exercise on knee function, balance and gait in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. The subjects of this study were recruited from individuals diagnosed with degenerative arthritis who had undergone total knee arthroplasty. Overall, 24 patients were randomly divided into a control groups and an experimental groups (12 each). The trunk stability exercise was conducted for 4 weeks with three exercises developed in a previous study. The measurement tools used were knee function measurements based on the Lysholm knee score, balance ability measured using a test of TUG and OLS, and a walking ability test measured using a 10MWT. Pre and post test results were within groups were compared using the paired t-test, whole differences between groups were compared using the independent t-test. The experimental group showed significantly enhanced results relative to the control group (p<0.05). Based on these results, trunk stability exercise in parallel with knee joint therapy effectively improves the recovery of patients with total knee arthroplasty.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.129-140
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• 2023

The appropriate injection of H₂O₂ is essential to produce hydroxyl radicals (OH·) by mixing H₂O₂ quickly and exposing the resulting H₂O₂ solution to UV irradiation. This study focused on evaluating mixing device of H₂O₂ as a design factor of UV/H₂O₂ AOP pilot plant using a surface water. The experimental investigation involved both experimental and model-based analyses to evaluate the mixing effect of different devices available for the H₂O₂ injection of a tubular hollow pipe, elliptical type of inline mixer, and nozzle-type injection mixer. Computational fluid dynamics analysis was employed to model and simulate the mixing devices. The results showed that the elliptical type of inline mixer showed the highest uniformity of 95%, followed by the nozzle mixer with 83%, and the hollow pipe with only 18%, after passing through each mixing device. These results indicated that the elliptical type of inline mixer was the most effective in mixing H₂O₂ in a bulk. Regarding the pressure drops between the inlet and outlet of pipe, the elliptical-type inline mixer exhibited the highest pressure drop of 15.8 kPa, which was unfavorable for operation. On the other hand, the nozzle mixer and hollow pipe showed similar pressure drops of 0.4 kPa and 0.3 kPa, respectively. Experimental study showed that the elliptical type of inline and nozzle-type injection mixers worked well for low concentration (less than 5mg/L) of H₂O₂ injection within 10% of the input value, indicating that both mixers were appropriate for required H₂O₂ concentration and mixing intensity of UV/ H₂O₂ AOP process. Additionally, the elliptical-type inline mixer proved to be more stable than the nozzle-type injection mixer when dealing with highly concentrated pollutants entering the UV/H₂O₂ AOP process. It is recommended to use a suitable mixing device to meet the desired range of H₂O₂ concentration in AOP process.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.365-378
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• 2015

Herein, the preparation of anion exchange membrane (AEM) from brominated poly(2,6-dimethyl 1,6-phenylene oxide) BPPO and dimethylaniline (DMA) by phase-inversion process is reported. Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) are prepared by varying the DMA contents. Prepared AEMs show high thermal stability, water uptake (WR) around 202% to 226%, dimensional change ratios of 1.5% to 2.6% and ion exchange capacities (IECs) of 0.34 mmol/g to 0.82 mmol/g with contact angle of $59.18^{\circ}$ to $65.15^{\circ}$. These membranes are porous in nature as confirmed by SEM observation. The porous property of membranes are important as it could reduce the resistance of transportation of ions across the membranes. They have been used in diffusion dialysis (DD) process for recovery of hydrochloric acid (HCl) from the mixture of HCl and ferrous chloride ($FeCl_2$). Presence of $-N+(CH_3)_2C_6H_5Br^-$ as a functional group in membrane matrix facilitates its applications in DD process. The dialysis coefficients of hydrochloric acid ($U_H$) of the membranes are in range of 0.0016 m/h to 0.14 m/h and the separation factors (S) are in range of 2.09 to 7.32 in the $HCl/FeCl_2$ system at room temperature. The porous membrane structure and presence of amine functional group are responsible for the mechanism of diffusion dialysis (DD).

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2020

A single-stage deammonification with a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) that simultaneous nitritation, anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox), and denitrification (SNAD) occur in one reactor has been widely applied for sidestream of wastewater treatment plant. For the stable and well-balanced SNAD, a feeding strategy of influent wastewater is one of the most important operating factors in the single-stage deammonification SBR. In this study, single-stage deammonification SBR (working volume 30L) was operated to treat a high-strength ammonium wastewater (1200 mg NH₄⁺-N/L) with different feeding strategies (single feeding and nine-step feeding) under the condition without COD. Each cycle of the step feeding involved 6 sub-cycles consisted of aerobic and anoxic periods for partial nitritation (PN) and anammox, respectively. Contrary to unstable performance in the single feeding, the step feeding showed better deammonification performance (0.565 kg-N/m³/day). Under the condition with COD, however, the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) decreased to 0.403 kg-N/m³/day when the Nine-step feeding strategies had an additional denitrification period before sub-cycles for PN and anammox. The NRR was recovered to 0.518 kg-N/m³/day by introducing an enhanced multiple-step feeding strategy. The strategy had 50 cycles consisted of feed, denitrification, PN, and anammox, instead of repeated sub-cycles for PN and anammox. The multiple-step feeding strategy without sub-cycle showed the most stable and excellent deammonification performance: high nitrogen removal efficiency (98.6%), COD removal rate (0.131 kg-COD/m³/day), and COD removal efficiency (78.8%). This seemed to be caused by that the elimination of the sub-cycles might reduce COD oxidation during aerobic condition but increase the COD utilization for denitrification period. In addition, among various sensor values, the ORP pattern appeared to be applicable to monitor and control each reaction step for deammonification in the multiple-step feeding strategy without sub-cycle. Further study to optimize the number of multiple-step feeding is still needed but these results show that the multiple-step feeding strategy can contribute to a well-balanced SNAD for deammonification when treating high-strength ammonium wastewater with COD in the single-stage deammonification SBR.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.201-208
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• 2022

Emulsion Liquid Membrane (ELM) is a prominent technique for the separation of heavy metal ions from wastewater due to the fast extraction and is a single-stage operation of stripping-extraction. The selection of the components (Surfactant and Carrier) of ELM is a very significant step for its preparation. In the ELM technique, the primary water- in-oil (W/O) emulsion is emulsified in water to produce water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion. The water in oil emulsion was prepared by mixing the membrane phase and internal phase. To prepare the membrane phase, the extractant D2EHPA (di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid) was used as a mobile carrier, Span-80 as a surfactant, and Paraffin as a diluent. Moreover, the internal (receiving) phase was prepared by dissolving sulphuric acid in water. Di-(2- ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid such as surfactant concentration, carrier concentration, sulphuric acid concentration in the receiving (internal) phase, agitation time (emulsion phase and feed phase), the volume ratio of the membrane phase to the receiving phase, the volume ratio of the external feed phase to the primary water-in-oil emulsion and pH of feed were studied on the percentage extraction of metal ions at 20℃. The results show that it is possible to remove 78% for As(V), 98% for Cd(II), and 99% for Pb(II). Emulsion Liquid Membrane (ELM) is a well-known technique for separating heavy metal ions from wastewater due to the fast extraction and is a single-stage operation of stripping-extraction. The selection of ELM components (Surfactant and Carrier) is a very significant step in its preparation. In the ELM technique, the primary water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion is emulsified to produce water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion. The water in the oil emulsion was prepared by mixing the membrane and internal phases. The extractant D2EHPA (di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid) was used as a mobile carrier, Span-80 as a surfactant, and Paraffin as a diluent. Moreover, the internal (receiving) phase was prepared by dissolving sulphuric acid in water. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid such as surfactant concentration, carrier concentration, sulphuric acid concentration in the receiving (internal) phase, agitation time (emulsion phase and feed phase), the volume ratio of the membrane phase to the receiving phase, the volume ratio of the external feed phase to the primary water-in-oil emulsion and pH of feed were studied on the percentage extraction of metal ions at 20℃. The results show that it is possible to remove 78% for As(V), 98% for Cd(II), and 99% for Pb(II).