Brine Purification Research Articles

A new perspective on vessels usage in the Yangshao culture: Were amphorae brine purification devices?

A new perspective on vessels usage in the Yangshao culture: Were amphorae brine purification devices?

Polyzwitterionic hydrogel using waste biomass as solar absorbent for efficient evaporation in high salinity brine

Solar-driven interfacial vapor generation (SVG) is a promising strategy for brine purification. However, the effective combination of functional evaporator backbones and solar absorbers for SVG enhancement remains challenging in high-salinity brines (≥10 wt%). Herein, a biomass-based polyzwitterionic hydrogel (PZH) was developed to improve the SVG performances in 10 wt% brine. Zwitterions with specific anti-polyelectrolyte effects served as backbones for accelerating H2O transportation, with fewer salt deposits and macropore channels. The biomass of straw prepared at a pyrolysis temperature at 600 ℃ was the most effective solar absorber. The synthesis of So600-PZH-8mm yielded the optimal solar evaporator with a low evaporation enthalpy of 877.79 J·g−1, a remarkable solar-to-vapor energy efficiency of 87.1 %, and a high evaporation rate of 3.57 kg·m−2·h−1 under 1 sun irradiation and a relative humidity of 30 %. Multi-cycle evaporation tests further verified the high quality of the steam water, high salt resistance, reliability, and durability of So600-PZH-8mm in practical applications. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations of the binding energies of charged groups and ions verified the anti-polyelectrolyte effect and swelling behavior of the PZHs. Overall, this study demonstrated the effectiveness of waste biomass as solar absorber for high-efficiency solar adsorption and water activation, which opens a new perspective to inspire the up-conversion of waste biomass in more valuable and meaningful ways.

Versatile GO/ANFs Aerogel for Highly Efficient Solar-Powered Water Purification in Wide Environments.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is a very promising choice for producing clean water. Despite the considerable investigation of pure NaCl brine purification, solar-driven complex water purification, such as real-world seawater desalination as well as domestic and industrial wastewater treatment, has rarely been investigated, mainly due to its compositions being much more complicated than NaCl brine. Herein, we developed a graphene oxide/aramid nanofiber (GO/ANFs) aerogel by a freeze-drying process. The GO/ANFs aerogel combined opened porous microchannels, superhydrophilicity, anti-oil-fouling capacity, enhanced broad-spectrum light absorption (more than 92%), and good solar/heat management. These integrated properties enabled the GO/ANFs aerogel to be an advanced solar interfacial evaporator for efficient freshwater production with the characteristics of localized heat conversion, quick water transport, and salt crystallization inhibition, and the rate of steam production rate was as high as 2.25 kg m-2 h-1 upon exposure to 1 solar irradiation. Importantly, the high-water-vapor generation rate was maintained even under complicated conditions, including real-world seawater, dye water, emulsions, and corrosive liquid environments. Considering its promising adaptability to a wide range of environments, this work hopes to inspire the development of brine desalination, wastewater purification, clean water production, and solar energy utilization.

УСКОРЕНИЕ ПРОЦЕССА ФЛОКУЛЯЦИИ ПРИ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕ ЭЛЕКТРОЛИЗНОГО РАСТВОРА

The paper considers the reconstruction of one of the devices of the technological line for brine purification at Sayanskkhimplast JSC. The device is designed to produce a hydrolyzed flocculant used to precipitate insoluble particles in brine during soda-caustic purification

Improving capacitive deionization performance by using O2 plasma modified carbon black

Previous research on capacitive deionization (CDI) mainly focuses on electrode active materials, while the research on conductive additive and their modification for improving CDI performance are rarely reported. In this work, we mainly investigate the effect and mechanism of oxygen (O2) plasma-modified carbon black (PCB) to enhance CDI performance. The CB treated with O2 plasma at 100 W for 10 min (CB-100 W-10 min) was assembled with activated carbon (AC) to form a CB-100 W-10 min/AC electrode with excellent desalination performance (32.54 mg g−1), 6.9 times that of the original CB/AC electrode (OCB/AC, 4.91 mg g−1). The roles of the specific surface area, hydrophilicity, electrical conductivity, and specific capacitance of CB in enhancing the performance of CDI were explored, and the interaction mechanism between H2O molecules and CB was investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The advantages of PCB are mainly attributed to the synergy of the following aspects: (i) The excellent three-dimensional network structure acts as a “bridge” between activated carbon and increases the contact sites for allowing more PCB and AC to participate in the electrosorption process; (ii) Shorter electron transmission paths and more electron transmission channels between PCB and AC promote the electrosorption rate; (iii) High surface roughness and oxygen-containing functional groups of PCB boost hydrophilicity and dispersibility. Interestingly, we found that PCB possesses universal applicability in the enhancement of deionization performance of various active materials for purification of brine, heavy metals and radionuclides. This work unprecedentedly applies plasma technology to the modification of conductive additive, providing new ideas for material modification and improvement of CDI technology.

Optimization of NaOH–Na2CO3 brine purification method: From laboratory experiments to industrial application

The NaOH–Na2CO3 brine purification method is an efficient method to prevent the scaling caused by scale-forming ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, and CO32–) in evaporation systems. Because of high CO32− residual concentration and large reagent consumption during brine purification, the thermodynamics of the deposition reaction of Ca2+ and Mg2+ was calculated using thermodynamic calculation software. The results show that the removal efficiencies of Ca2+ and Mg2+ can be improved by increasing the pH value. The experimental results show that the brine pH increased from 10.6 to 11.6 when the alkali solution and raw brine were added simultaneously, increasing the removal efficiency of Ca2+ and Mg2+. The residual total concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+, CO32– concentration at the optimal dosage of 1.30 g/L Na2CO3 and 0.25 g/L NaOH is 13.9 mg/L and 135.0 mg/L, respectively. The deposition reaction efficiency of Na2CO3 and Ca2+ is improved, and the Na2CO3 consumption is reduced by increasing the NaOH dosage. Moreover, the HCO3– in raw brine can be transformed into CO32–, increasing the CO32– production and rate of CaCO3 deposition reaction. In the industrial production, the average removal efficiency of Ca2+ and Mg2+ is 98.5% and 99.6%, respectively; the residual CO32– concentration is reduced from 231.2 mg/L to 117.3 mg/L. The experiments and economic feasibility analysis results show that the optimized NaOH–Na2CO3 brine purification method not only effectively controls the concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the refined brine, but also reduces the residual CO32– concentration and reagent consumption, thus effectively preventing the scaling of evaporation system.

Recovery of NaCl and Na2SO4 from high salinity brine by purification and evaporation

High salinity brine is the main resource for NaCl and Na2SO4. An industrial production test and application for Na2CO3-NaOH brine purification methods were carried out and operated for different periods. The total concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ was reduced from 513.49 mg/L to 12.01 mg/L at the optimal doses of NaOH = 0.25 g/L and Na2CO3 = 1.3 g/L. This extended the production periods from 60 to 70 days to 90–100 days during the industrial application. In addition, the degree of CO32− accumulation in the circulating feed brine was decreased, and the deposition of CaCO3 was inhibited. Narrow NaCl and Na2SO4 crystals with good anti-caking properties were prepared from high salinity brine by regulating the evaporation temperature and pressure in a multi-effect evaporation system. Moreover, the crystal growth direction of NaCl and Na2SO4 was observed by optical microscopy at different supersaturation degrees. The long-term, low-energy operation of brine purification and evaporative crystallization industrial production were realized, which are of great significance to the treatment of salinity wastewater in the chemical industry and metallurgy fields.

The prevention of scaling by decreasing the concentration of scale-forming ions in the vacuum evaporation salt-making process

Carbonate ions (CO32–) play a vital role in CaCO3 scaling. The main goal of the present research was to study the inhibition of CaCO3 scaling during the vacuum evaporation salt-making process by regulating the doses of NaOH and Na2CO3 to promote the utilization efficiency and reaction activity of CO32–, and then to decrease the concentration of scale-forming ions, especially CO32–, in the refined brine obtained from purification via the NaOH-Na2CO3 method. The results demonstrate that the employed method not only achieved the improved efficiency of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ion removal, but also effectively decreased the concentration of CO32– in the refined brine. The total concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ was decreased from 486.1 to 12.3 mg/L, and the concentration of residual CO32– during the brine purification process was 128 mg/L at the optimal doses of NaOH = 0.25 g/L and Na2CO3 = 1.3 g/L. The optimal parameters of the NaOH–Na2CO3 method were used in industrial production experiments and operated for a production period. The degree of accumulation of CO32– in the circulating feed brine was decreased, and the deposition ratio of CaCO3 was inhibited effectively. Additionally, the heat-transfer efficiency of the vacuum evaporation system was improved, and the energy consumption level was decreased. Moreover, large NaCl crystals with a narrow particle size distribution were prepared, thereby improving the anticaking property of the crystals. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results demonstrate that the surfaces of calcite CaCO3 were adsorbed by many spherical Mg(OH)2 particles, and the growth rate of calcite was retarded. Furthermore, the loose structure of the scale layer is beneficial to later cleaning treatment.

Synergy of photocatalysis and photothermal effect in integrated 0D perovskite oxide/2D MXene heterostructures for simultaneous water purification and solar steam generation

Inspired by the transpiration and natural photosynthesis of plants, bifunctional properties of mixed-dimensional Ti3C2Tx (MXene)/La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (LSC) nanohetero-structures to degrade pollutants via photochemical reactions and simultaneously produce fresh water through photothermal effect were explored. Zero-dimensional (0D) LSC in the nanohybrid can absorb short-wave photons to generate active oxidative species for photocatalytic degradation, while photothermal components can convert long-wave photons into heat to evaporate water. More importantly, the hybrid hydrogels are developed by integrating MXene/LSC nanohybrids with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS), which offers excellent thermal insulation, fluent water transport and low water vaporization enthalpy to accelerate water evaporation. Benefiting from the materials selection and design, the assembled MXene/LSC hydrogels (MLH) achieve a light-to-heat conversion efficiency of 92.3 %, and acquire a superior photodegradation efficiency of 97.2 % toward the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC). The MLH evaporator also possesses a significant capacity in the purification of brine and wastewater.

Recovering water from lithium-rich brines by a fractionation process based on membrane distillation-crystallization

In recent years, lithium production has been increasing as a result of the growing market demand. Salt-lake brines are one of the main sources of raw lithium, which can be concentrated and purified by natural evaporation. This time-consuming production causes a loss of around 85–95 % of the water contained in the extracted brine. In this context, new technologies could replace the current process with the aim to improve the water management by recognizing the evaporated water as a critical resource.This study proposes a novel fractionation method, based on a membrane distillation-crystallization process, for concentrating and purifying the lithium brine while recovering fresh water. Synthetic brines containing the major components present in Li-rich brines were assessed at different temperatures, reaching a water flux higher than 3.0 kg/m2h at 50 °C. The process was continuously protracted achieving the fractionation of Na and K salts by controlling the supersaturation of the brine and crystallization. Subsequently, the observed water flux for Mg brine was 0.22 kg/m2h as a result of the water activity decline at high brine concentration (>7.0 mol/kgH2O).Moreover, thermodynamic speciation simulation supported the potentialities of this process, showing the capacity to recover around 95 % of the water contained in real brines from salt-lakes after three stages of separation.Overall, a conceptual flow-sheet of a new membrane-based fractional crystallization method was proposed for: i) the intensification of the brine concentration; ii) the recovery of water (up to 95 %); iii) the brine purification from in presence of major ions (i.e. Li, Na, K and Mg).

Use of carbon dioxide to enhance the brine purification and flocculation performance of PAM flocculants

The “CO2–NaOH” brine purification method and flocculation performance of polyacrylamide (PAM) flocculants in vacuum salt making brine purification process are reported in this paper. The scale-forming trends of the brine were assessed by the Langlier index (LSI), the Ryznar stability index (RSI) and the Larson-Skold index (LR). The thermodynamic calculation results and PAM flocculant coagulation mechanism show that removal of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions and suspended solids (SS) from brine by the “CO2–NaOH” method and PAM flocculants is feasible. The total concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions was decreased from 486.1 mg/L to 3.41 mg/L, and SS was decreased from 20 mg/L to 5 mg/L at the optimal experimental condition of CO2 flow velocity of 0.04 m3/h, injection time of 30 min, equilibrium pH of 11.5, and the dosage of the FL2949 and AN945SH PAM flocculants of 1 mg/L. LSI, RSI and LR show that the scale-forming was slowed down by brine purification. PAM flocculants were not retained in the brine as confirmed by the analysis of total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand, and the X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscopy electron dispersive spectroscopy measurements for the flocs sludge during the brine purification process, results shown that the flocs sludge is calcite CaCO3. PAM flocculants purification was applied in industrial testing and achieved deep brine purification to remove scale-forming ions and SS. Additionally, it was found that the “CO2–NaOH” brine purification method promotes the utilization of CO2.

Management of By-Product Created by Lye-Sodium Brine Purification Method Using Carbonization

The article presents carbonization as a method of waste management from the brine sodium-lime method. It was compared with the previously obtained results for the lye-sodium one. Within it, the fltration and washing times were contrasted for treated and non-carbonised samples. For this aim potentiometric titration analysis was used to determine the precipitation's basic components and by-product brine. Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and diffractographic analysis were used for morphology analysis what allowed to determine the tested samples' composition. It was found that despite significant differences in the time of washing and filtration, the time of these processes is shortened after the suspension has been exposed to carbon dioxide. In both cases the composition allows the waste brine to be recycled to the purifcation processes and the mixture of calcium and magnesium compounds become alternative raw material. It turned out that in both methods it is possible to utilize the suspension formed.

Technology and Application of Salty Slurry Harmlessness Reduction and Resource Utilization Treatment

Salt slurry is a special sludge produced in the process of brine purification in chlor-alkali industry. In order to eliminate the harm of salty slurry to the environment and realize its economic value, a salty slurry harmlessness, reduction and resource utilization treatment method was proposed. Through this method, salty slurry will be transformed into desulfurizer with its water content and Cl- content reduced to 15% and 0.5% respectively. This method has been applied to projects, bringing environmental and economic benefits.

Utilization of Desalination Brine for Sodium Hydroxide Production: Technologies, Engineering Principles, Recovery Limits, and Future Directions

As global desalination capacity continues its rapid growth, the impetus for reducing the adverse environmental impacts of brine discharge grows concurrently. Although modern brine outfall designs have significantly limited such impacts, they are costly. Recovering valuable components and chemical derivatives from brine has potential to resolve both environmental and economic concerns. In this article, methods for producing sodium hydroxide (“caustic”) from seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine for internal reuse, which typically involve brine purification, brine concentration, and sodium chloride electrolysis, are reviewed. Because process energy consumption drives process cost and caustic purity determines product usability in drinking water systems, reviewed technologies are benchmarked against thermodynamic minimum energy consumption and maximum (stoichiometric) NaOH production rates. After individual reviews of brine purification, concentration, and electrolysis technologies, five existing facilities ...

Sensitivity analysis for optimisation of brine purification process

A two-stage brine purification process involving an ion exchange column and a secondary filter is an important process unit in a chlor-Alkali plant. As part of the effort to increase the plant capacity, the throughput of this process has been increased, which has subsequently caused non-conformance to the production specifications unless the filter is changed more frequently. Investigations are then carried out to study the sensitivity of potential variables to be manipulated in order to optimise the process, and increase the filter life. The results obtained from plant tests show that by increasing Calcium to Magnesium ratio, and maintaining lower excess sulphate the filter life can be increased. Based on these findings, a recycle stream is introduced and better performance is obtained. Following this modification, better performance is obtained, however, due to some production issues, the target desired improvement level is not achieved.

Analysis of carbonization of brine purification sludge suspension of soda production and choosing the reactor type for process implementation

This paper discusses the production and use of magnesium compounds in the world, and Ukraine. The results are shown for a comprehensive study of the theoretical aspects of production, possibility of increasing the degree of extraction of magnesium salts, purity of products for available facilities, and prospects for the use as a raw material base of brine purification sludge of ammonium soda production by the bicarbonate method. Schematic hardware and technology diagram of processing of brine purification sludge suspension for liquid products is developed. The results of experiments are given

Use of the desalination brines in the saturation of membrane electrolysis feed

Seawater desalination by reverse osmosis (RO) invokes the necessity of brine disposal. On the other hand, the chlor-alkali industry requires saturated brine with a low content of calcium and magnesium contaminations. This paper describes a preliminary study exploring the possibility of the application of RO, nanofiltration–reverse osmosis, and nanofiltration–reverse osmosis–multieffect distillation seawater desalination brines as a sodium chloride source for membrane electrolysis. A concept has been proposed in which electrodialysis with univalent permselective membranes is used to enrich chlor-alkali lean brine with sodium chloride, and simultaneously desalinate discharge brine. The experiments with an electrodialyzer equipped with Neosepta® ACS and CMS membranes of 42 cm effective length have shown that the desired concentration of membrane electrolysis feed (above 300 g/L as NaCl) can be achieved. At the same time, the concentrations of both calcium and magnesium are decreased, the latter to a greater extent, that facilitates the successive brine purification step.

Conditions Optimization and Kinetics for the Cleaning of Ceramic Membranes Fouled by BaSO4 Crystals in Brine Purification Using a DTPA Complex Solution

We investigated the cleaning efficiency and kinetics of multichannel ceramic membranes fouled during brine purification. The foulants were first characterized by means of SEM, EDX, and XRD analyses, and we found that mainly BaSO4 crystals were deposited on the membrane surface. A cleaning solution composed of diethylenetrinitrilopentaacetic acid (DTPA), oxalic acid, and NaOH was developed to regenerate the fouled ceramic membranes. The membranes could be completely recovered with the cleaning solution. The cleaning rate increased with the concentration of DTPA (CDTPA) and temperature (T) but was not sensitive to the crossflow velocity (CFV) or transmembrane pressure (TMP). The optimized cleaning condition was CDTPA = 1.0 × 10–3 mol/L, T = 50 °C, CFV = 3.0 m/s, and TMP = 0.10 MPa. A dissolution kinetics model associated with both the concentration factor and temperature factor was developed, which fitted well the experimental results. This model was used to determine the reaction rate constants during the ...

Corrosion Control of Electrolyzer, Anolyte Tank and Dechlorination Tower Tank of a Chlor-Alkali Plant by an Innovative Method

Brine purification process of GHCL did not meet the specification of electrolyzer in the context of excesshydroxide ion (OH-). The electrolyzer, anolyte tank and dechlorination tower tank faced serious corrosion.This paper describes an innovative method adopted to meet the electrolyzer's specification of excess OH-.This method consists of an innovative HCl dosing system added to purified brine tank. After adopting thismethod corrosion of electrolyzer, anolyte tank and dechlorination tower tank has been decreased in anoticeable rate. Also some chemical dosings have been reduced.Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.ChE 24 2006 37-41

Freezing desalination of sea water in a static layer crystallizer

This work aims in developing a static layer crystallizer for freezing desalination of sea water. The experiments were performed with a simple system of H2O-NaCl and with samples of sea water from Rabat. The pilot crystallizer consists in a tube cooled bymeans of a thermostatic bath. The tube is immerged in a cylindrical double jacketed tank cooled by means of a second thermostatic bath. The brine is poured into the tank and the crystallization takes place on the external surface of the tube. The global process is divided into 4 steps: (i) crystallization of the ice layer by controlling the cooling rate in the tube (ii) draining off the concentrated brine (iii) purification of the layer by sweating and (iv) melting of the ice to recover the fresh water. A parametric study of the effect of the operating parameters has allowed us to quantify the role of the different key parameters of the crystallization step. Within the studied domain, the purity of the crystalline layer was mainly affected by the initial salinity of the brine. The growth rate of the layer, controlled by the cooling rate in the tube, had also a significant effect. Experiments performed with Rabat sea water showed that a fresh water of salinity close to the drinking water standards could be obtained in one stage within 31 h. Desalination operated in two consecutive stages (10 h þ11 h) gave salinity below the standards with a comfortable safety margin. If sufficiently severe operating conditions are applied, sweating is able to purify the interior of the ice layer and to reach the drinking water standards, provided the impurity concentration of the ice produced in the crystallization step is low enough. The mass loss induced by sweating is also high when the impurity concentration is high. These first results are promising and show the feasibility of the process which still requires to be optimized.