• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.534-541
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• 2003

Membrane processes are now frequently considered for application in drinking water treatment. The biggest impediment for applying membrane processes is fouling that comes from mass flux (such as particle and organic matter) to the membrane surface and its pores due to convection flow through the membrane. Natural organic matter (NOM) has been reported as the most detrimental foulant. Some research also indicated that particles were often the dominant cause of fouling. Therefore, both NOM and particle fouling need to be examined to better understand fouling in ultrafiltration. Two waters from natural sources, Lake Austin water and Missouri River water, were selected. Both waters are relatively hard waters but has significantly different particle concentrations, which will elucidate effects of particles on membrane fouling. Precipitative softening is traditionally designed to remove hardness ions in hard waters but it can also remove particles and organic matter. Therefore, the integrated water treatment with softening and ultrafiltration is proposed as a promising option for hard waters. The three levels of softening were used to represent different degrees of pretreatment to ultrafiltration in terms of organic matter (i.e., NOM fouling) and precipitates (i.e., particle fouling by further precipitation). Results showed that natural particles in Missouri River water was detrimental foulants of ultrafiltration. As the levels of softening were increased, NOM and particle removal was increased, and thus fouling was decreased. Direct images of the surface of the membranes by scanning electron microscopy allowed observation of the different properties of particles caught in fibril networks of natural organic matter.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.220-229
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• 2000

Deionized water and wastewater flux were discussed using module set 1-7 composed of ultrafiltration hollow fiber type modules and reverse osmosis spiral wound type modules. The separation characteristics of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes were discussed with the variation of applied pressure and temperature. Turbidity and SS were removed effectively from ultrafiltration mem¬brane, and removal efficiency of COD, T-N, and TDS using reverse osmosis membrane was very efficient. Permeate flux increased linearly with the increase of applied pressures and temperature. It was shown that ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes were suitable Lo the advanced treatment and reuse of oil refinery process effluent.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.429-436
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• 2005

A coagulation/ultrafiltration membrane hybrid system was operated to treat river water with capacity of $0.06m^3/d$. The impact on membrane fouling by flux and linear velocity was investigated. It is known that pressure increase is proportional to flux increase. However, pressure increase was much faster than theoretical value in the pilot plant test. So it was suggested that flux was on important factor in ultrafiltration of continuous operation. Membrane fouling was decreased when linear velocity was increased. This phenomenon was found more obviously without coagulation. With the combination of coagulation and sedimentation, membrane fouling was not reduced conspicuously. Big particles formed during coagulation and sedimentation were destroyed by feed and circulation pumping, which resulted in little effect on membrane fouling reduction. The degree of destruction was similar at various linear velocities. In this study, the hollow fiber membrane was used and the system was operated in pressure type module. In case of the system used in this study, membrane fouling has been affected lightly by linear velocity variation when coagulation pretreatment was applied.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2018

Maillard reaction products like melanoidins present in industrial fermentation wastewaters are complex compounds with various functional properties. In this work, novel ultrafiltration (UF) mixed matrix membrane (MMM) composed of polysulfone (PSF) and nanocomposites was prepared through a phase inversion process for the recovery of melanoidins. Nanocomposites were prepared with acid functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the reinforcing filler for chitosan-thermoplastic starch blend. Higher nanocomposites content in the PSF matrix reduced the membrane permeability and melanoidins retention indicating tighter membrane with surface defects. The membrane surface defects could be sealed with dilute polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution. The best performing membrane (1% nanocomposites in 18% PSF membrane sealed with 0.25% PVA coating) resulted in uniform melanoidins retention of 98% and permeability of 3.6 L/m2 h bar over a period of 8h. This demonstrates a low fouling PSF membrane for high melanoidins recovery.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2014

Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination has gained wide and increasing acceptance around the world as a straightforward undertaking to alleviate the alarming water crisis. An enhanced monitoring of the quality of the water feeding in seawater RO (SWRO) plant through the application of an effective pretreatment option is one of the keys to the success of RO technology in desalination plants. Over the past 10 years, advances in ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technologies in application for water and wastewater treatment have prompted an impetus for using membrane pretreatment in seawater desalination plants. By integrating SWRO plant with UF pretreatment, the rate of membrane fouling can be significantly reduced and thus extend the life of RO membrane. With the growing importance and significant advances attained in UF pretreatment, this review presents an overview of UF pretreatment in SWRO plants. The advantages offered by UF as an alternative of pretreatment option are compared to the existing conventionally used technologies. The current progress made in the integration of SWRO with UF pretreatment is also highlighted. Finally, the recent advances pursued in UF technology is reviewed in order to provide an insight and hence path the way for the future development of this technology.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.377-401
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• 2016

To study the effect of titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) nanoparticles on membrane performance and structure and to explore possible improvement of using mixed solvents in the casting solution, composite polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration membranes were prepared via immersion precipitation method using a mixture of two solvents triethyl phosphate (TEP) and dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and addition of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. Properties of the neat and composite membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle and membrane porosity measurements. The neat and composite membranes were further investigated in terms of BSA rejection and flux decline in cross flow filtration experiments. Following hydrophilicity improvement of the PVDF membrane by addition of 0.25 wt.% $TiO_2$, (from $70.53^{\circ}$ to $60.5^{\circ}$) degree of flux decline due to irreversible fouling resistance of the composite membrane reduced significantly and the flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 96.85% was obtained. The results showed that using mixed solvents (DMAc/TEP) with lower content of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles (0.25 wt.%) affected the sedimentation rate of nanoparticles and consequently the distribution of nanoparticles in the casting solution and membrane formation which influenced the properties of the ultimate composite membranes.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2006

We treated lake water by ceramic ultrafiltration membranes and found the optimal backflushing period and trans-membrane pressure (TMP) of periodic water-backflushing system. The optimal filtration time interval at fixed BT = 3 sec was 30 for A002 membrane in all viewpoints of $J/J_0,\;R_f$, and $V_T$, and we could acquire the highest $V_T$ value in the membranes used here. However, the highest $V_T$ was acquired at FT = 60 sec for M9, and at FT = 90 sec for C005 membrane. Then the lower TMP reduced the membrane fouling during filtration of lake water, and could maintain the higher permeate flux compared with the initial flux. However, the largest value $V_T$ could be obtained at the highest TMP condition for M9 membrane at fixed FT = 60 sec and BT = 3 sec. The quality of treated water in our UF ceramic system was Turbidity = $0.20{\sim}4.88NTU$, $COD_{Mn} = 0.00{\sim}2.58 mg/L$, $TDS = l8{\sim}71 mg/L$, and $NH_3-N = 0.004{\sim}1.689 mg/L$.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.253-271
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• 2010

A theoretical study for the flux enhancement by pulsation of transmembrane pressure is presented for osmotic pressure controlled ultrafiltration under laminar flow regime. The transient velocity profile is solved analytically using Green's function method. Time dependent convective diffusive equation is solved to quantify the membrane surface concentration and the permeate flux, numerically. The effects of the amplitude and frequency of pulsation on flux, surface concentration and observed retention are studied.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.203-212
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• 1996

The operating parameters influencing on limiting flux was investigated in the ultrafiltration of PVA, and a new model, which is based on the Amiar model using the concept of heat transfer coefficient, was devised to overcome the limitation of gel-layer model. Using polysulfone plate-unit membrane (MWCO=20,000) and hollow-fiber membrane (MWCO= 30,000), ultrafiltration characteristics of PVA was examined with the variation of operating parameters such as cross flow velocity, transmembrane pressure, temperature, and PVA concentration. According to experimental results, the ultrafiltration of PVA through polysulfone membrane is mainly controlled by well-known phenomena of concentration polarization caused by gel-layer formation. On the contrary, in hollow fiber membrane was observed upward limiting flux which can not be explained by gel-layer model. New model was applied to predict the upward limiting flux behavior with partial satisfaction. The application of new model including viscosity correction factor, however, revealed that PVA ultrafiltration is closely related to the viscosity of permeating fluid.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1997.06a
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• pp.175-181
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• 1997

This paper describes the commercial application of custom ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in the resolution of two aqueous-based problems: the recovery and recycling of laundry wash water and the fmal polishing of sodium hydroxide sterilization solution in the dairy and brewing industries. Both applications are currently in the pilot Stage and employ custom-made UF membranes developed by Liumar Technologies Corporation of Ottawa, Canada.