Hydrogen production via the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction plays a central role in modern energy systems, where maximizing the conversion of carbon monoxide (CO) into hydrogen (H₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) is essential for process efficiency. This study develops a detailed Aspen HYSYS process model to simulate the WGS reaction in an equilibrium reactor, emphasizing process intensification through a recycle loop. The baseline configuration achieves 80.07% CO conversion at 469.6 °C, whereas introducing a recycle stream elevates conversion to 99.90% at a significantly lower reactor temperature of −91.91 °C. This enhancement is accompanied by an increase in hydrogen production from 44.05 kmol/h to 55.01 kmol/h. The recycle stream rich in CO₂ at low temperature functions as an in situ cooling mechanism, shifting the exothermic equilibrium toward greater H₂ formation in accordance with Le Chatelier’s principle. This behavior also increases the thermodynamic equilibrium constant, reinforcing the conversion improvement. Kinetic evaluation relies on Gibbs free energy minimization to determine equilibrium compositions, while thermodynamic analysis underscores the dominant influence of temperature on reaction performance. The findings are consistent with trends reported in the literature and carry meaningful industrial implications. By achieving near-complete CO conversion without additional catalysts or membrane technologies, the recycle strategy reduces reliance on downstream purification units such as PSA and enhances overall energy efficiency through process intensification. Copyright © 2026 by Authors, Published by Universitas Diponegoro and BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

The dynamic behavior of oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) is crucial to its various applications. Previous studies have confirmed that water molecules adsorbed on the GO surface can regulate the dynamic evolution of oxygen-containing functional groups, mainly involving two core reactions: (i) the conversion of epoxy groups to dangling oxygen groups and (ii) hydroxyl migration. However, the influence of widely existing ions in aqueous solutions on the behavior of these oxidizing groups remains elusive. This study employs density functional theory (DFT) to elucidate the distinct roles of several cations (Li+, Na+ and K+) and anions (Cl- and SO42-) in regulating these fundamental reactions of the oxidizing groups. Our results reveal that these reactions are mechanistically controlled by the coupled effects of the GO-ion interaction energy increment and GO internal energy increment during the reaction. Specifically, in the model system of this study, cations facilitate epoxy conversion by enhancing GO-ion interaction energy in the reaction process, while anions hinder this conversion by elevating GO internal energy increment relative to that of pristine GO. In addition, Na+, K+ and SO42- promote hydroxyl migration by reducing GO internal energy increment compared with pristine GO during the reaction, whereas Li+ exhibits minimal impact and Cl- suppresses migration due to weakened GO-ion interaction in the reaction. This work provides new atomic-level insights into the ion-specific regulation of surface functional group evolution, offering significant potential for advanced membrane technologies and surface functionalization applications.

The inherent intermittency of energy sources such as solar and wind power hinders the transition to renewable energy, necessitating advanced energy storage solutions. Enhancing energy density is crucial for lowering system costs and enabling large-scale deployment. Redox flow batteries (RFBs) demonstrate significant potential for grid-scale energy storage due to their scalable capacity, high safety, and long cycle life. However, the relatively low energy density of conventional RFBs has hindered their widespread adoption. This review summarizes recent research progress in high-energy-density flow batteries, focusing on key parameters and strategies for enhancing the energy density of aqueous RFBs (ARFBs). Three core strategies are discussed in detail: broadening the cell voltage window, constructing multi-electron transfer systems, and developing high-concentration electrolytes. To overcome the practical challenges (e.g., species crossover, material degradation) associated with implementing these high-energy-density strategies, this review also highlights the critical role of advanced membrane technology as a key enabling component. Finally, the review outlines prospects and challenges for high-energy-density flow batteries, emphasizing the need for further research on material stability, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Through continued innovation and optimization, high-energy-density flow batteries are expected to become a mainstream technology for grid storage, providing robust support for the efficient utilization of renewable energy.

The increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2 has intensified the urgent need for efficient and sustainable carbon capture technologies. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a highly promising class of porous crystalline materials for CO2 adsorption and separation owing to their structural tunability, high surface area, and precisely designable pore environments. This review summarizes recent advances in COF-based CO2 capture systems, covering pristine COFs, functionalized frameworks, composite materials, and membrane-based architectures. In pristine COFs, CO2 adsorption is mainly governed by micropore confinement and physisorption within well-defined channels, where surface area and pore size distribution play key roles. Functionalized COFs introduce additional active sites, including amine groups, heteroatoms, ionic functionalities, and alkali metal centers, which significantly enhance CO2 affinity through stronger electrostatic and acid-base interactions, often leading to mixed physisorption-chemisorption behavior. Composite COFs and mixed-matrix membranes further improve performance through synergistic effects, interfacial engineering, and enhanced mass transport. Despite these advantages, challenges remain in achieving an optimal balance between capacity, selectivity, and regenerability under realistic conditions such as humidity, low CO2 partial pressure, and multicomponent gas streams. Issues related to scalable synthesis, structural stability, and processability also limit practical applications. Overall, this review highlights key structure-property relationships and outlines future directions, including humid-stable COFs, direct air capture, computational design strategies, and advanced membrane technologies, for next-generation CO2 capture materials.

Membrane technologies offer an energy-efficient alternative to conventional distillation for hydrocarbon fractionation, but they suffer from a trade-off between fast liquid transport and high molecular selectivity. We report a scalable approach to fabricate polymer membranes with stable interconnected pathways by locking in their intrinsic microporosity. This locking strategy reduces polymer swelling and preserves the subnanometer pore structure in hydrocarbon liquids, resulting in 10-fold higher permeance for synthetic crude oil compared with current state-of-the-art membranes. When applied to Arabian Extra Light crude oil, these membranes achieved excellent size- and class-based separation, removing 99.8% of hydrocarbons containing >15 carbon atoms and 93% of sulfur-containing components. These scalable membranes underpin processes providing rapid and selective hydrocarbon separation, enabling a more sustainable pathway toward crude oil refining.

Surface wettability regulation effect ofceramic membrane on bovine milk casein-whey protein separation.

Intensified, integrated, and continuous bioprocessing are key trends in current biologics biomanufacturing. They model more efficient and economical production in upstream and downstream processes. Continuous or single-pass (SP) tangential flow filtration (TFF) and particularly diafiltration (buffer exchange) are key applications needed in downstream processing. This work presents a novel flat sheet membrane cassette for TFF diafiltration with optional simultaneous ultrafiltration (concentration). It enables effective buffer exchange of feed streams in a single-pass, without dilution and with reduced shear stress to the valuable product. Contaminants such as salts, media components, or any small molecules smaller than the respective membrane cut-off are continuously removed while the needed buffer volume is comparable to conventional diafiltration processes with recirculation. The flat-sheet membrane cassette design resembles classic TFF cassettes and can therefore be scaled up and down and handled analogously. In addition, the design allows for a closed configuration, suitable for aseptic or bioburden-controlled conditions. To introduce the buffer, only one additional external connection port is required. This allows continuous diafiltration without significant increase in operator or process control complexity. This work presents ultrafiltration and diafiltration application data using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein and real antibodies processed with an automated lab-scale process system for reproducible data collection. The process performance was evaluated based on buffer exchange efficiency, transmembrane pressure (TMP) and permeate flux rates under varying process parameters, namely feed protein concentration, feed flow rate and diafiltration volumes. Buffer consumptions similar to conventional recirculation diafiltration have been observed with even reduced buffer consumptions at diafiltration volumes below 3. Buffer exchange values ranged over a broad range depending on the process parameters while relevant settings achieved a ~97 to >99% buffer exchange at, for example, 3, 5 or 7 diafiltration volumes at relatively low TMP between 50 and 350 mbar using both BSA and mAb. Typical permeability values and feed flow rates ranged from 10 to 60 L/(m2h) and 1 to 7 L/(m2h), respectively, using BSA and mAb protein concentrations from ~3 to 80 g/L and were significantly depending on the set process parameters. The data demonstrates how this new SPTFF concept can contribute to intensified and continuous biomanufacturing.

Block copolymers exhibit unique phase separation and structural transitions, making them highly relevant in industrial applications. This review provides a critical analysis of block copolymer systems, focusing on the thermodynamics of micro- and macro-phase separation and their ability to self-assemble into diverse morphologies. Grounded in the Flory-Huggins model, key factors such as segregation strength, solvent selectivity, molecular architecture (e.g. polydispersity and grafting sites), shear forces, and temperature are examined for their impact on phase behaviour in neat systems and in solution. Viscoelastic properties, particularly the storage (G') and loss (G") moduli, are analysed as dynamic indicators of phase transitions, enabling the identification of temperature ranges for phase separation and system dynamics across various morphologies. The influence of external stimuli such as shear and thermal fields is also discussed, with attention to their role in directing morphology across micellar, cubic, hexagonal, and lamellar phases. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge in the field, summarizing key advances and emerging applications. Special attention is given to potential developments in areas such as nanolithography, drug delivery, membrane technology, energy storage, photonics and catalysis. In doing so, the paper highlights emerging research directions and the role of thermodynamic and structural control in designing functional materials. By offering new perspectives on phase behaviour and self-assembly mechanisms, this work aims to guide the development of next-generation polymeric systems for emerging technologies.

A review on strategies for the removal and degradation of microplastics from aquatic environments: Pros, cons, policies perspectives, and life cycle and economic assessment.

Membrane technologies for ultrapure water production in the semiconductor industry: Recent developments and prospects

Advancements in polysulfone membrane technology for efficient H2S and CO2 separation from CH4: A comprehensive review

Microplastics have recently emerged as a widespread contaminant in wastewater, posing severe risks to the environment and human health due to their potential bioaccumulation and toxicity. Conventional wastewater treatment processes are generally inadequate for the complete removal of microplastics due to their modest scale. Interest has been garnered from academia and industry regarding their separation from wastewater. This review covers recent advances in the application of membrane processes for the removal of microplastics from wastewater. The principles of membrane separation, removal efficiency, and operational challenges are critically evaluated, along with the potential of the hybrid membrane systems. In the next section, the fouling mechanism induced by microplastics and their interaction with foulants, as well as cleaning and anti-fouling strategies, are discussed. Finally, future perspectives focus on the current unresolved research gaps, including the integration of digital monitoring and artificial intelligence-assisted optimization of membrane technology for microplastic removal. By consolidating current knowledge and identifying pathways for innovation, this review underscores the pivotal role of membranes in mitigating plastic pollution and advancing sustainable wastewater management.

Recent advances in membrane technologies for disinfection by-product control: Hybrid systems, challenges, and future perspectives

This study evaluated the feasibility of recovering and concentrating lactose from ultrafiltration (UF) permeate of sweet whey using nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) under industrial conditions. The objective was to adapt existing whey protein recovery systems to valorize the lactose fraction. UF permeates from different batches were concentrated by NF at 16-25bar, with 16bar combined with diafiltration showing the best performance for lactose concentration. The NF concentrate was further concentrated by RO, increasing lactose content and reducing mineral levels. Spray drying produced a powder containing 94.10% lactose, with low moisture (0.98%), low water activity (0.258), and moderate hygroscopicity (5.20%). FTIR and physicochemical analyses confirmed lactose purity, and the overall process yield reached 87.68%. The integration of NF, RO, and drying proved technically efficient for lactose valorization and demonstrated that membrane systems traditionally used for protein recovery can be adapted for industrial lactose production, contributing to the added value of whey. A complete mass balance and environmental assessment would further strengthen the evaluation of its economic and environmental performance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This research demonstrates the feasibility of converting cheese whey, a commonly discarded dairy byproduct, into high-purity lactose using industrial membrane technologies. The proposed process achieved good yield and operational efficiency by adapting existing systems already used in the dairy industry. This approach supports the valorization of whey, reducing environmental impact while generating a high-value ingredient. The recovered lactose has wide applicability, including use in the food industry, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and potential bioenergy applications. Overall, the study contributes to improving sustainability and value generation within the dairy production chain.

Targeted capture of active aluminum species by yttrium-doped zirconia membrane for synergistic antifouling in nutrient-enriched algal systems.

Hydrogen energy, as an important green energy source, is a crucial guarantee for achieving carbon neutrality and peak carbon emission. The anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis cell combines the advantages of alkaline electrolysis cell and proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell and can employ non-precious metal catalysts combined with renewable energy, which is expected to break through the bottleneck of high production cost of green hydrogen. AEM water electrolysis combines the advantages of alkaline and proton exchange membrane water electrolysis for hydrogen production. It has the characteristics of high electrolysis efficiency, fast response rates, and low cost, and its considered one of the most promising renewable green energy hydrogen production technologies at present. AEM is a key component that provides OH- ion conduction and blocks gas crossover, which directly affects the performance and service life of the AEM electrolysis water system. However, current AEMs face issues of low ion conductivity and poor stability. This review introduces the role of AEM in electrolytic cells, the performance requirements and evaluation parameters that high-performance AEM should meet, and focuses on the transport mechanism and influencing factors of OH- in AEM. Furthermore, this review provides an overview of the structural composition of AEM, as well as common cationic groups and polymer backbone types. The degradation mechanism of various cationic groups and the characteristics of polymer main chains were elaborated, with a focus on the strategies for designing the stability of cationic functional groups, the methods for modifying and preparing polymer main chains, and the performance of AEMs. Finally, the future challenges and potential research directions of AEM membranes are discussed. It is suggested that high-performance AEMs meeting practical application needs should be developed through strategies such as crosslinking, block copolymerization, side chain grafting, and composite membrane technology, based on the design of alkali-resistant and stable AEM membranes. These insights provide reference and guidance for the further development of AEMs.

A reliable supply of lithium is required to meet the increased demand for batteries over the coming decades. In this work, we demonstrated the potential to effectively extract lithium from brines by coupling solar-powered evaporation, adsorption, and membrane technologies together. We first synthesized a three-dimensional adsorptive evaporator by coating a lithium manganese oxide material onto a cotton stick using an easily scalable, one-step method. An osmotic membrane was then installed at the root of the evaporator to enhance the lithium to magnesium selectivity, prevent scaling caused by divalent cations, and thus further increase the water evaporation flux. The operation of the dual membrane-adsorption evaporator is entirely driven by osmosis and capillary force, demanding no extra energy input. The integration of the osmotic membrane was found to increase the lithium to magnesium selectivity over 10-fold to higher than 40. The dual process also produced high lithium to calcium selectivity and proved to sustain long-term stability by self-managing its internal osmotic pressure. Last, a test was done in three simulated brine solutions with varied brine chemistry and the evaporation rate stayed high and consistent throughout the long-term test. This illustrates that this technology can be used in varied brine solutions throughout the world providing efficient lithium capture and separation from competing divalent cations.

Eggshell membranes (ESM) are proteinaceous biobarriers critical to avian embryonic development and microbial exclusion. Despite their importance, quantitative assessments of ESM pore dimensions remain limited. This study aimed to determine the effective pore size of chicken ESM and to validate methodological approaches for its estimation. Two orthogonal strategies were employed to evaluate ESM pore architecture. First, pressure-driven pure-water permeation was performed within a low transmembrane pressure range (0.01-0.05MPa). The resulting flux-pressure data were analyzed using the Guéout-Bjerrum-Manegold relation to approximate average pore dimensions. Second, size-selective filtration experiments were conducted using colloidal silica and polystyrene latex particles ranging from 14 to 204nm. Rejection rates were plotted against particle size and interpreted through the Ferry-Renkin model to derive effective pore estimates. Comparison of the two methods demonstrated strong consistency, supporting their mutual applicability. While numerical outcomes suggested pore dimensions on the order of ~ 100-200nm, the emphasis of this work lies in validating complementary approaches. Together, these techniques provide a robust framework for probing semipermeable biological barriers and open avenues for applying ESM, an abundant biowaste, in bioinspired membrane technologies and biosafety studies.

Despite recent advances in membrane technology for sustainable water treatment, fouling remains a key challenge to long-term performance, as it leads to surface deposits and concentration polarization. To address this issue, this study evaluates the effectiveness of cleaning-in-place (CIP) in controlling fouling and scaling in a seawater reverse osmosis system at Sumber Segara Primadaya Co. Ltd. Evaluation parameters include pressure drop, flux recovery ratio, salt rejection recovery, and membrane characterization before and after cleaning. The CIP process showed positive results, as indicated by the recovery of differential pressure (∆P) to its initial condition. The membrane flow rate also returned to its original value of 103–104 m³/h under the same operating pressure of 3.6 bar. Membrane productivity, which had declined by 19%, was successfully restored, with recovery improving from 38% to 40%. In addition, salt rejection increased from 98.8% back to approximately 99.03%, representing a 2% improvement toward the initial value of 99.1%. These findings demonstrate that CIP is an effective method for restoring membrane performance and extending operational lifespan.

The formation of bromate ions in drinking water poses a major public health concern due to their proven carcinogenicity. It is primarily linked to oxidation processes, particularly ozonation, in the presence of bromide ions and naturally occurring organic matter. Compliance with the 10 µg/L limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) thus represents a significant challenge for water treatment systems. The formation of bromate depends heavily on the water’s physicochemical characteristics, notably bromide concentration and pH, while ozone dosage and temperature play a secondary role. This review offers a structured analysis linking bromide sources, formation mechanisms, health risks, and control strategies. The technologies studied include activated carbon adsorption, biofiltration, ion exchange resins, electrochemical processes, and membrane technologies. Their performance varies significantly depending on the water matrix and operating conditions, with notable discrepancies between results obtained at the laboratory scale and those observed at the industrial scale. The results show that effective bromate control relies on an integrated approach combining the prevention of its formation with its removal downstream. They also emphasize that bromate reduction must not lead to an increase in other brominated byproducts, which may be more toxic, requiring comprehensive process optimization based on both technological and health criteria.