• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.142-148
• /
• 2004

This paper presents the enhancement of oxygen transfer efficiency using vibrating intravascular lung assist device (VIVLAD) for patients having chronic respiratory problems. The flow rate was controlled by the pump and monitored by a built-in flow meter. The vibration apparatus was composed of a piezo-actuator, a function generator, and a power amplifier. Gas flow rates of up to 6 L/min through the 120-cm-long hollow fibers have been achieved by exciting a piezo-actuator. The output PVDF sensor and FRF (frequency response function) were investigated by various frequency in VIVLAD. As a result, the maximum oxygen transfer rate was found to occur with maximum amplitude and the transfer of vibration to the hollow fiber membranes. It was excited by the frequency band of 35 Hz at various distilled water flow rates, and various module types.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.101-119
• /
• 2021

The demand for clean water is virtually present in all modern human societies even as our society has developed increasingly more advanced and sophisticated technologies to improve human life. However, as global climate change begins to show more dramatic effects in many regions in the world, the demand for a cheap, effective way to treat wastewater or to remove harmful bacteria, microbes, viruses, and other solvents detrimental to human health has continued to remain present and remains as important as ever. Well-established synthetic membranes composed of polyaniline (PANI), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and others have been extensively studied to gather information regarding the characteristics and performance of the membrane, but recent studies have shown that making these synthetic membranes conductive to electrical current by doping the membrane with another material or incorporating conductive materials onto the surface of the membrane, such as allotropes of carbon, have shown to increase the performance of these membranes by allowing the adjustability of pore size, improving antifouling and making the antibacterial property better. In this review, modern electrically conductive membranes are compared to conventional membranes and their performance improvements under electric fields are discussed, as well as their potential in water filtration and wastewater treatment applications.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.109-115
• /
• 2008

To remove total dissolved solid (TDS) from wastewater, a carbon membrane system was prepared, using carbon membranes made from conductive activated carbon and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). Using 100 ppm aqueous solutions of NaCl, $Na_2SO_4,\;MgCl_2,\;MgSO_4$, the basic properties of the carbon membranes used were studied. For the treatment of the real dye wastewater supplied from Kyungin Corp., a pilot scale carbon membrane system was also prepared, which was consisted of 240 plies of carbon membranes of $20cm{\times}20cm$ (length${\times}$width). Using the real wastewater with different TDS such as 941, 2050, 2810, 3830, 4960, 6030 ppm, prepared by the dilution of the original wastewater with pure water, the performance of the pilot scale carbon membrane system was studied. The effect of the operational conditions was studied.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.143-155
• /
• 2013

Four membranes were used to separate Chlorella sp. from their culture medium in cross-flow microfiltration (MF) experiments: cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose nitrate (CN), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF). It was found that the hydrophilic CA and CN membranes with a pore size of 1.2 ${\mu}m$ exhibited the best performances among all the membranes in terms of permeation flux. The hydrophobicity of each membrane material was determined by measuring the angle between the water (liquid) and membrane (solid). Contact angle measurements showed that deionized (DI) water had almost adsorbed onto the surfaces of the CA and CN membranes, which gave $0.00^{\circ}$ contact angle values. The PP and PVDF membranes were more hydrophobic, giving contact angle values of $95.97^{\circ}$ and $126.63^{\circ}$, respectively. Although the pure water flux increased with increasing pore diameter (0.8 < 1.2 < 3.0 ${\mu}m$) in hydrophilic CA and CN membranes, the best performance in term of filtration rate for filtering a microalgae suspension was attained by membranes with a pore size of 1.2 ${\mu}m$. The fouled membrane pore sizes and pore blocking were inspected using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). MF with large pore diameters was more sensitive to fouling that contributed to intermediate blocking, where the size of the membrane pores is almost equivalent to that of cells.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.9-20
• /
• 2020

Membranes are used in most processes of biopharmaceutical production. It is used for pretreatment of other processes, separation of impurities in the process, virus removal, control of products concentration and buffer solution exchange. Virus filters play an important role in ensuring product efficacy and stability because viral contamination of biopharmaceuticals for humans is a sensitive issue that is directly related to serious clinical outcomes. Virus filters typically have complex multilayer structures made of various polymers such as surface-modified PVDF, PES, CRC. Depending on the manufacturer, filters have different pore structures and shapes, such as symmetric or asymmetric, and is used in the form of pleated membrane, flat sheets or hollow fibers. Virus filters are exclusively supplied by few foreign companies such as Asahi Kasei, Millipore, Pall and Sartorius. Replacing virus filters can be time consuming and expensive, including approval from regulatory agencies through validation. As localization has become important due to Japan's recent export regulations, it is necessary to increase the degree of technical independence.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.393-403
• /
• 2021

Enzymes are important class of catalyst for biotransformation. Stability and reusability of enzymes during the catalysis process is a key issue. Activity of enzyme can be enhanced by its immobilization on a suitable substrate by creation of specific microenvironment. A variety of membranes has been used as substrate due to the biocompatibility and simpler method to tune hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity property of the membrane surface. In this review, polymer membranes including cellulose, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethersulfone (PES) are introduced and discussed in detail. Biodegradation of organic contaminants by immobilized enzyme is an environmental friendly process to reduce the contamination of environment in pharmaceutical company and textile industries. The controlled hydrolysis of oil can be performed in enzyme immobilized membrane bioreactor (EMBR), resulting in reducing carbon emission and reduced environmental pollution. Bioethanol and biodiesel are considered alternative fossil fuels that can be prepared in EMBR.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
• /
• v.68
• /
• pp.416-424
• /
• 2018

Oil spill and oily wastewater have now become a serious threat to the freshwater and marine environments. Porous materials with super-hydrophobicity and super-oleophilicity are good candidates for the oil adsorption and oil/water separation. Here, flexible hybrid nanofibrous membrane (FHNM) containing $SiO_2$/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microspheres was prepared by simultaneous electrospinning and electrospraying. The obtained FHNM combined the flexibility of the nanofiber mat and super-hydrophobicity of the microspheres, which could not be achieved by either only electrospinning or only electrospraying. It was found that when the weight ratio between the $SiO_2$ and PVDF reached a critical value, the $SiO_2$ nanoparticles were present on the PVDF microsphere surface, significantly improving the surface roughness and hence the contact angle of the FHNM. Compared with the pure electrospun PVDF nanofiber mat, most of the FHNMs have a higher oil adsorption capacity. The FHNM could separate the oil with water quickly under the gravity and displayed a high efficiency and good reusability for the oil/water separation. More importantly, the FHNM could not only separate the oil with the pure water but also the corrosive solution including the salt, acid and alkali solution.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.321-330
• /
• 2019

The objective of this study was to examine the recovery of the power plant cooling tower blowdown water (CTBD) by membrane distillation. The experiments were carried out using a flat plate poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane with a pore diameter of $0.22{\mu}m$ by a direct contact membrane distillation unit (DCMD). The effects of operating parameters such as transmembrane temperature difference (${\Delta}T$), circulation rate and operating time on permeate flux and membrane fouling have been investigated. The results indicated that permeate flux increased with increasing ${\Delta}T$ and circulation rate. Whereas maximum permeate flux was determined as $47.4L/m^2{\cdot}h$ at ${\Delta}T$ of $50^{\circ}C$ for all short term experiments, minimum permeate flux was determined as $7.7L/m^2{\cdot}h$ at ${\Delta}T$ of $20^{\circ}C$. While $40^{\circ}C$ was determined as the optimum ${\Delta}T$ in long term experiments. Inorganic and non-volatile substances caused fouling in the membranes.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.187-195
• /
• 2018

In this work, the morphology of polyvinylidene-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-co-HFP) membranes were systemically investigated using phase inversion technique, to target membrane contactor applications. As the presence of macrovoids degrade the mechanical integrity of the membranes and jeopardize the long-term stability of membrane contactor processes (e.g. wetting), a wide range of dope compositions and casting conditions was studied to eliminate the undesired macrovoids. The type of solvent had significant effect on the membrane morphology, and the observed morphology were correlated to the physical properties of the solvent and solvent-polymer interactions. In addition, to fabricate macrovoid-free structure, the effects of different coagulation temperatures, inclusion of additives, and addition of nonsolvents were investigated. Due to the slow crystallization rate of P(VDF-co-HFP) polymer, it was found that obtaining porous membrane without macrovoids is difficult using only nonsolvent-induced phase separation method (NIPS). However, combined other phase inversion methods such as evaporation-induced phase separation (EIPS) and vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS), the desired membrane morphology can be obtained without any macrovoids.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2016

Membrane structures can be used to create diverse lightweight structural forms using ductile membranes made of coated fabric. Using membrane structures, it is possible to construct large covered spaces relatively quickly and economically, and hence, they are being applied within various applications. The structures are light-weight, transparent, flexible in their application, economical and easy to maintain, and as such, their usage is being expanded. However, despite their prevalence, the standard for membrane material performance in terms of fire safety is still inadequate, and the development of membrane materials with excellent flame resistance performance is being demanded. This study determined flame resistance performance of architectural membranes, including PTFE, PVDF, PVF and ETFE film membranes, through flammability testing and incombustibility testing.