• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.77-94
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• 2015

Ultrafiltration membranes have several advantages over conventional drinking-water treatment. However, this technology presents major limitations, such as irreversible fouling and low removal of natural organic matter. Fouling depends heavily on the raw-water quality as well as on the operating conditions of the process, including flux, permeate recovery, pre-treatment, chemical cleaning, and backwashing. Starting with the premise that the optimisation of operating variables can improve membrane performance, different experiments were conducted in a pilot plant located in Granada (Spain). Several combinations of permeate and backwashing flow rates, backwashing frequencies, and aeration flow rates were tested for low-quality water coming from Genil River with the following results: the effluent quality did not depend on the combination of operating conditions chosen; and the membrane was effective for the removal of microorganisms, turbidity and suspended solids but the yields for the removal of dissolved organic carbon were extremely low. In addition, the threshold transmembrane pressure (-0.7 bar) was reached within a few hours and it was difficult to recover due to the low efficiency of the chemical cleanings. Moreover, greater transmembrane pressure due to fouling also increased the energy consumption, and it was not possible to lower it without compromising the permeate recovery. Finally, the intensification of aeration contributed positively to lengthening the operation times but again raised energy consumption. In light of these findings, the feasibility of ultrafiltration as a single treatment is questioned for low-quality influents.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제1권4호
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• pp.297-316
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• 2010

Membrane fouling is one of the major operational concerns of membrane processes which results in loss of productivity. This paper investigates the ultrafiltration (UF) results of synthetic oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion using flat sheets of polysulfone (PSf) membrane synthesized with four different compositions. The aim is to identify the mechanisms responsible for the observed permeate flux reduction with time for different PSf membranes. The experiments were carried out at four transmembrane pressures i.e., 68.9 kPa, 103.4 kPa, 137.9 kPa and 172.4 kPa. Three initial oil concentrations i.e., 75 $mgL^{-1}$, 100 $mgL^{-1}$ and 200 $mgL^{-1}$ were considered. The resistance-in-series (RIS) model was applied to interpret the data and on that basis, the individual resistances were evaluated. The significances of these resistances were studied in relation to parameters, namely, transmembrane pressure and initial oil concentration. The total resistance to permeate flow is found to increase with increase in both transmembrane pressure and initial oil concentration while for higher oil concentration, resistance due to concentration polarization is found to be the prevailing resistance. The applicability of the constant pressure filtration models to the experimental data was also tested to explain the blocking process. The study shows that intermediate pore blocking is the dominant mechanism at the initial period of UF while in the later period, the fouling process is found to approach cake filtration like mechanism. However, the duration of pore blocking mechanism is different for different membranes depending on their morphological and permeation properties.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.394-405
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• 2023

The differentiation of pluripotent stem cells has been used to study disease mechanisms and development. We previously described a method for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into salivary gland epithelial progenitors (SGEPs). Here, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) knockout hPSCs were differentiated into SGEPs derived from CFTR knockout hESCs (CF-SGEPs) using the same protocol to investigate whether the hPSC-derived SGEPs can model the characteristics of CF. CF-a disease that affects salivary gland (SG) function-is caused by mutations of the CFTR gene. Firstly, we successfully generated CFTR knockout hPSCs with reduced CFTR protein expression using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. After 16 days of differentiation, the protein expression of CFTR decreased in SGEPs derived from CFTR knockout hESCs (CF-SGEPs). RNA-Seq revealed that multiple genes modulating SG development and function were down-regulated, and positive regulators of inflammation were up-regulated in CF-SGEPs, correlating with the salivary phenotype of CF patients. These results demonstrated that CFTR suppression disrupted the differentiation of hPSC-derived SGEPs, which modeled the SG development of CF patients. In summary, this study not only proved that the hPSC-derived SGEPs could serve as manipulable and readily accessible cell models for the study of SG developmental diseases but also opened up new avenues for the study of the CF mechanism.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권12호
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• pp.954-965
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• 2017

Mammalian genomes are well established, and highly conserved regions within odorant receptors that are unique from other G-protein coupled receptors have been identified. Numerous functional studies have focused on specific conserved amino acids motifs; however, not all conserved motifs have been sufficiently characterized. Here, we identified a highly conserved 18 amino acid sequence motif within transmembrane domain seven (CAS-TM7) which was identified by aligning odorant receptor sequences. Next, we investigated the expression pattern and distribution of this conserved amino acid motif among a broad range of odorant receptors. To examine the localization of odorant receptor proteins, we used a sequence-specific peptide antibody against CAS-TM7 which is specific to odorant receptors across species. The specificity of this peptide antibody in recognizing odorant receptors has been confirmed in a heterologous in vitro system and a rat-based in vivo system. The CAS-TM7 odorant receptors localized with distinct patterns at each region of the olfactory epithelium; septum, endoturbinate and ectoturbinate. To our great interests, we found that the CAS-TM7 odorant receptors are primarily localized to the dorsal region of the olfactory bulb, coinciding with olfactory epithelium-based patterns. Also, these odorant receptors were ectopically expressed in the various non-olfactory tissues in an evolutionary constrained manner between human and rats. This study has characterized the expression patterns of odorant receptors containing particular amino acid motif in transmembrane domain 7, and which led to an intriguing possibility that the conserved motif of odorant receptors can play critical roles in other physiological functions as well as olfaction.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물공학회 2003년도 생물공학의 동향(XIII)
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• pp.548-548
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• 2003

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 1999년도 제39회 춘계학술발표대회
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• pp.48.1-48.1
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• 1999

• 한국막학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국막학회 2000년도 춘계 총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.51-54
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• 2000

• 한국막학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국막학회 2000년도 춘계 총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.63-66
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• 2000

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.517-522
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• 2008

This study aims at an assessment of the effectiveness of taste & odor removal and transmembrane pressure changes in a pilot membrane plant(500m3/day) by adding PAC to MF process, and at providing a basis for applying it to the advanced water treatment process. The transmembrane pressure showed, in low turbidity of raw water, a tendency to decrease when PAC was injected at the Flux of 1, $1.5m^3/m^2{\cdot}d$, while it increased in high Flux($1.5m^3/m^2{\cdot}d$) in high turbidity of raw water. in addtion, it is shown that the fouling could be reduced more when PAC is injected together with appropriate amount of coagulant, than when PAC is solely injected. Taste & Odor-causing 2-MIB may not be detected in membrane filtered water, if the amount of PAC injection is increased in accordance with the increasing concentration of 2-MIB. Hence, PAC injection, as a pre-treatment process in MF membrane filtering, is supposed to be a suitable process for reducing fouling as well as for improvement effectiveness of taste & odor treatment.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.347-352
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• 1996

통시당화발효공정에 적용된 막분리 효소재순환 시스템을 이용하여 온도 및 압력 조건에 따른 효소역 가감소현상에 대해서 고찰하였다. 목질계바이오매스 를 기질로한 효소당화공정을 고려하여 사용된 효소인 cellulase와 ${\beta}$-glucosidase을 막분리 재순환 시킬 수 있는 최적의 막은 MWCO가 50,000인 한외여과 막이라 판단되었다. cellulase의 경우 한외여과막을 이용하여 연속적으로 재순환 시 켰을때, 효소역가의 감소를 확인할 수 없었다. 그러나 ${\beta}$-glucosidase는 온도와 압력이 증가할수록 초기상태를 기준으로 온도 $42^{\circ}C$, 투과압력 28.4 psig에서 최대 35%까지 감소함을 확인하였다. 이것은 온도와 압력이 중가할 수록 투과플럭스가 증가하고, 이에따른 막모률의 사(fiber) 내부표면에서 전단(shear)이 증가된 결과로 설명할 수 였다.