Vacuum Membrane Distillation Research Articles

Polyvinylidene Fluoride Mixed Matrix Membranes with Ionic Liquid-Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes: Enhanced Desalination via Vacuum Membrane Distillation

Polyvinylidene Fluoride Mixed Matrix Membranes with Ionic Liquid-Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes: Enhanced Desalination via Vacuum Membrane Distillation

Numerical simulation of the helical strake vacuum membrane distillation

Numerical simulation of the helical strake vacuum membrane distillation

Performance prediction of vacuum membrane distillation system based on multi-layer perceptron neural network

Performance prediction of vacuum membrane distillation system based on multi-layer perceptron neural network

Addressing Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Aquaculture: A Vacuum Membrane Distillation Approach.

The presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in agricultural and fisheries water has raised significant environmental and health concerns. Vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) has shown promise as an effective method for removing non-volatile contaminants, such as CECs, from water. This study presents a novel application of a bench-scale VMD unit to treat water from Lagoa da Conceição, Florianópolis, Brazil, using microporous membranes (0.22 µm) under the following optimized conditions: 75 °C, a flow rate of 24 L·h-1, and a vacuum pressure of -640 mmHg. The system demonstrated remarkable performance in removing several key antimicrobials, including sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and clindamycin (500 μg·L-1), with rejection rates of 99.1%, 98%, 99.9%, and 99%, respectively, and an average flux of 7.08 L·m-2·h-1. Additionally, the VMD unit achieved a substantial 99.98% salt rejection. Ecotoxicity tests revealed low toxicity for sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin but high toxicity for clindamycin, while human risk assessment indicated moderate-to-high risks for ciprofloxacin and clindamycin. The findings highlight the potential of VMD as an effective and sustainable technology for the removal of CECs and biocompounds, enhancing water safety and reducing environmental hazards. This study offers a promising solution for addressing water contamination on a broader scale.

Optimal Design of Multieffect Vacuum Membrane Distillation Modules Based on the Combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Design of Experiments

Optimal Design of Multieffect Vacuum Membrane Distillation Modules Based on the Combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Design of Experiments

A comparative study on removal of boron via pervaporation and vacuum membrane distillation using zirconium metal–organic framework-loaded poly(lactic acid) membrane

Boron mineral is very important for the life. However, exceeding the standards of boron minerals, especially in water to be used as domestic water, causes health and environmental problems. The commercial method used to separate boron minerals from water is reverse osmosis. In recent years, promising results have been obtained with the membrane distillation (MD) method. However, another method that is as effective as this method is pervaporation (PV). The most important component that affects performance in both methods is the membranes. In this study, zirconium-based metal organic framework (MOF) material was synthesized and added to the polylactic acid (PLA) membrane and boron was removed by pervaporation and membrane distillation methods. While the selective layered asymmetric membrane was prepared for pervaporation, porous membranes were prepared for membrane distillation. The effect of MOF additive on the morphology, mechanical strength, and separation properties of the membrane was investigated. Additionally, the effects of boron concentration and temperature on the separation performance in both methods were examined. As a result, the mechanical strength of membranes with MOF added increased significantly from 2.41 to 8.20 MPa. 99.9% boron removal was achieved in both methods. While the highest flux value was calculated as 8 kg/m2h in pervaporation at 6 ppm boron concentration, it was calculated as 11.33 kg/m2h in membrane distillation.

Advancing Ceramic Membrane Technology for Sustainable Treatment of Mining Discharge: Challenges and Future Directions.

Mining discharge, namely acid mine drainage (AMD), is a significant environmental issue due to mining activities and site-specific factors. These pose challenges in choosing and executing suitable treatment procedures that are both sustainable and effective. Ceramic membranes, with their durability, long lifespan, and ease of maintenance, are increasingly used in industrial wastewater treatment due to their superior features. This review provides an overview of current remediation techniques for mining effluents, focusing on the use of ceramic membrane technology. It examines pressure-driven ceramic membrane systems like microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration, as well as the potential of vacuum membrane distillation for mine drainage treatment. Research on ceramic membranes in the mining sector is limited due to challenges such as complex effluent composition, low membrane packing density, and poor ion separation efficiency. To assess their effectiveness, this review also considers studies conducted on simulated water. Future research should focus on enhancing capital costs, developing more effective membrane configurations, modifying membrane outer layers, evaluating the long-term stability of the membrane performance, and exploring water recycling during mineral processing.

Influence of Silane Treatment on CNM/PAC/PVDF Properties and Performance for Water Desalination by VMD.

Vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) is a promising process for water desalination. However, it suffers some obstacles, such as fouling and wetting, due to the inadequate hydrophobicity of the membrane and high vacuum pressure on the permeate side. Therefore, improving surface hydrophobicity and roughness is important. In this study, the effect of 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (PFTES) on the morphology and performance of CNM/PAC/PVDF membranes at various concentrations was investigated for the first time. Membrane characteristics such as FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, contact angle, and hydrophobicity before and after modification were analyzed and tested using VMD for water desalination. The results showed that the membrane coated with 1 wt.% PFTES had a higher permeate flux and lower rejection than the membranes coated with the 2 wt.% PFTES. The 2 wt.% PFTES enhanced the contact angle to 117° and increased the salt rejection above 99.9%, with the permeate flux set to 23.2 L/m2·h and at a 35 g/L NaCl feed solution, 65 °C feed temperature, a 0.6 L/min feed flow rate, and 21 kPa (abs) vacuum pressure. This means that 2 wt.% PFTES-coated PVDF membranes exhibited slightly lower permeate flux with higher hydrophobicity, salt rejection, and stability over long-term operation. These outstanding results indicate the potential of the novel CNM/PAC/PVDF/PFTES membranes for saline water desalination. Moreover, this study presents useful guidance for the enhancement of membrane structures and physical properties in the field of saline water desalination using porous CNM/PAC/PVDF/PFTES membranes.

Influence of prolonged operation of CNM/PAC modified PVDF nanocomposite membranes in desalination via vacuum membrane distillation

Influence of prolonged operation of CNM/PAC modified PVDF nanocomposite membranes in desalination via vacuum membrane distillation

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of desalination processes in vacuum membrane distillation

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of desalination processes in vacuum membrane distillation

Innovative PVDF@PFTES mixed matrix membranes for improved desalination via vacuum membrane distillation

Innovative PVDF@PFTES mixed matrix membranes for improved desalination via vacuum membrane distillation

Energetic and economic optimization of an autonomous PV/T vacuum membrane distillation unit

Energetic and economic optimization of an autonomous PV/T vacuum membrane distillation unit

Incorporation of OA-APTES-MWCNTs into PS/PVP membranes for VMD desalination: Membrane composition optimization via Box–Behnken method

Incorporation of OA-APTES-MWCNTs into PS/PVP membranes for VMD desalination: Membrane composition optimization via Box–Behnken method

A 1-D model for hollow fiber vacuum membrane distillation: Performance and design analysis

A 1-D model for hollow fiber vacuum membrane distillation: Performance and design analysis

Hydrogel‐Based Photothermal‐Catalytic Membrane for Efficient Cogeneration of Freshwater and Hydrogen in Membrane Distillation System

Abstract Photothermal‐catalytic (PTC) process is a promising way to produce freshwater and clean hydrogen by integrating solar‐driven desalination and water splitting. However, efficient solar spectrum utilization coupled with effective mass and thermal management poses key challenges in developing multifunctional PTC systems. Here, a highly stable hydrogel membrane (CdS/MX‐HM) that incorporates MXene and in‐situ generated CdS as the PTC materials into a customized vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) setup is demonstrated. The CdS/MXene composites utilize the full solar spectrum, with MXene contributing to photothermal ability and serving as a co‐catalyst to enhance photocatalytic performance, which are effectively integrated into the membrane system. These functional materials are immobilized within the hydrophilic PVA/chitosan hydrogel layer, which creates a supramolecular network that provides excellent stability and protection while offering an interface for PTC processes. Supported by the hydrophobic PTFE membrane substrate, the integrated system enables fast gas transfer to the permeate, completing the dual‐function design. Through systematic optimization of membrane structure and operational parameters, the PTC‐VMD system achieves a water flux of 1.63 kg m−2 h−¹ and a hydrogen production rate of 3099 µmol m−2 h−1 under one sun irradiation, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable solution for the water‐energy nexus challenge.

Research on heat and mass transfer characteristics of vacuum membrane distillation device for sulfuric acid solution

Research on heat and mass transfer characteristics of vacuum membrane distillation device for sulfuric acid solution

Radiofrequency-triggered surface-heated laser-induced graphene membranes for enhanced membrane distillation

A hydrophobic electroconductive LIG membrane with ∼143.7° water contact angle is prepared showing average surface temperature of ∼140 °C with 91 MHz radiofrequency heating. Vacuum membrane distillation shows ∼13.5 L m−2 h−1 flux.

The optimum location of vapor compressor in multistage vacuum membrane distillation system

The optimum location of vapor compressor in multistage vacuum membrane distillation system

Hybrid membrane process for nutrient recovery and sodium reduction in aquaculture wastewater

Hybrid membrane process for nutrient recovery and sodium reduction in aquaculture wastewater

One-step development of photothermal omniphobic membrane for vacuum membrane distillation towards sustainable water desalination using solar energy

One-step development of photothermal omniphobic membrane for vacuum membrane distillation towards sustainable water desalination using solar energy