This critical review investigates the potential for membrane distillation to desalinate high-salinity waters using low-grade heat at water-energy nexus.

Zero liquid discharge (ZLD)—a wastewater management strategy that eliminates waste and maximizes water usage efficiency — has attracted renewed interest worldwide in recent years. Although implementation of ZLD reduces pollution augments supply, the technology is constrained by high cost intensive energy consumption. In this critical review, we discuss drivers, incentives, technologies, environmental impacts ZLD. Within framework, global applications United States emerging economies such as...

Membrane distillation (MD) has been garnering increasing attention in research and development, since it proposed as a promising technology for desalinating hypersaline brine from various industries using low-grade thermal energy. However, depending on the application context, MD faces several important technical challenges that would lead to compromised performance or even process failure. These include pore wetting, mineral scaling, membrane fouling. This review is devoted providing...

Abstract Omniphobic membranes are attractive for membrane distillation (MD) because of their superior wetting resistance. However, a design framework MD remains incomplete, due to the complexity omniphobic fabrication and lack fundamental relationship between resistance water vapor permeability. Here we present particle-free approach that enables rapid monolithic desalination. Our display excellent purification performance in desalination hypersaline feedwater containing surfactants. We...

Abstract Rational design of high-performance stable metal–organic framework (MOF) membranes is challenging, especially for the sustainable treatment hypersaline waters to address critical global environmental issues. Herein, a molecular-level intra-crystalline defect strategy combined with selective layer thinning protocol proposed fabricate robust ultrathin missing-linker UiO-66 (ML-UiO-66) membrane enable fast water permeation. Besides almost complete salt rejection, high and flux achieved...

In this study, we develop Janus membranes comprising a hydrophilic zwitterionic polymer layer and an omniphobic (all-liquid-repelling) porous substrate that simultaneously possess fouling wetting resistances. An membrane was first fabricated by attaching silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) to the fibers of quartz fiber mat, creating multilevel re-entrant structures, followed surface fluorination reduce energy. The then grafting brush via surface-initiated atom-transfer radical-polymerization (ATRP)...

Nanofiltration (NF) has the potential to achieve precise ion–ion separation at subnanometer scale, which is necessary for resource recovery and a circular water economy. Fabricating NF membranes selective ion highly desirable but represents substantial technical challenge. Dipole–dipole interaction mechanism of intermolecular attractions between polar molecules with dipole moment due uneven charge distribution, such an not been leveraged tune membrane structure selectivity. Herein, we...

We investigated the relationship between membrane surface properties and silica scaling in reverse osmosis (RO). The effects of hydrophilicity, free energy for heterogeneous nucleation, charge on were examined by comparing thin-film composite polyamide membranes grafted with a variety polymers. Results show that rate was independent both hydrophilicity nucleation. In contrast, demonstrated strong correlation extent (R2 > 0.95, p < 0.001). Positively charged significantly facilitated scaling,...

Nanostructured titania (nano-TiO2) is produced in diverse shapes, but it remains largely unknown how tuning the morphology of nano-TiO2 may alter its toxicity. Herein, we show that material plays a critical role regulating phototoxicity to bacteria. Low-dimensional nano-TiO2, including nanotubes, nanorods, and nanosheets, were synthesized hydrothermally, their effects on bacterial viability Escherichia coli Aeromonas hydrophila compared spherical nanostructures (anatase nanospheres P25)....

Previous studies on the toxicity of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have been primarily based testing individual ENMs, so little is known about interactions and combined multiple ENMs. In this study chemically stable nano-TiO2 soluble nano-ZnO was investigated individually in combination, by monitoring bacterial cell membrane integrity ATP levels a natural aqueous medium (Lake Michigan water). Both damage membranes under simulated solar irradiation (SSI), but their phototoxicity not...

Mineral scaling constrains membrane distillation (MD) and limits its application in treating hypersaline wastewater. Addressing this challenge requires enhanced fundamental understanding of the phenomenon. However, MD with different types scalants may have distinctive mechanisms consequences which not been systematically investigated literature. In work, we compared gypsum silica demonstrated that caused earlier water flux decline induced wetting was observed scaling. Microscopic imaging...

Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, trade name GenX) is a perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic (PFECA) that has been detected in watersheds around the world. Similar to other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), few processes are able break HFPO-DA's persistent carbon-fluorine bonds. This study provides both experimental computational lines of evidence for HFPO-DA mineralization during electrochemical oxidation at boron-doped diamond anode with low potential generation stable...

A novel electrocoagulation membrane reactor (ECMR) was developed, in which ultrafiltration (UF) modules are placed between electrodes to improve effluent water quality and reduce fouling. Experiments with feedwater containing clays (kaolinite) natural organic matter (humic acid) revealed that the combined effect of coagulation electric field mitigated fouling ECMR, resulting higher flux than conventional combination UF separate units (EC-UF). Higher current densities weakly acidic pH EMCR...

We investigated the relationship between silica scaling and protein fouling in reverse osmosis (RO). Flux decline caused by combined was compared with those individual or fouling. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) lysozyme (LYZ), two proteins opposite charges at typical feedwater pH, were used as model foulants. Our results demonstrate that water flux synergistically enhanced when both present feedwater. For example, after 500 min far greater BSA experiments (55 ± 6% decline) than (11 2% (9 1%...

Predictive models for micropollutant removal by membrane separation are highly desirable the design and selection of appropriate membranes. While machine learning (ML) have been applied such purposes, their reliability might be compromised data leakage due to inappropriate splitting. More importantly, whether ML can truly understand mechanisms has not revealed. In this study, we evaluate capability XGBoost model predict efficiencies reverse osmosis nanofiltration Our results demonstrate that...

Mineral scaling is a major constraint that limits the performance of membrane distillation (MD) for hypersaline wastewater treatment. Although use antiscalants common industrial practice to mitigate mineral scaling, effectiveness and underlying mechanisms in inhibiting different types have not been systematically investigated. Herein, we perform comparative investigation elucidate efficiencies antiscalant candidates with varied functional groups mitigating gypsum silica MD desalination. We...

Membrane distillation (MD) has been receiving considerable attention as a promising technology for desalinating industrial wastewaters. While hydrophobic membranes are essential the process, increasing membrane surface hydrophobicity generally leads to reduction of water vapor flux. In this study, we investigate mechanisms responsible trade-off relation in MD. We prepared with different degrees wetting resistance through coating quartz fiber series alkylsilane molecules while preserving...