Recycling of waste attapulgite to prepare ceramic membranes for efficient oil-in-water emulsion separation

Large-scale application of ceramic membranes is restricted by high cost resulting from raw materials and sintering process. In this study, low-cost ceramic membranes were prepared with waste attapulgite (WAT) and α-Al₂O₃ as starting materials and used for oily wastewater treatment. The optimal membrane sintered at 1100 °C possessed excellent properties, with open porosity of 41.6%, flexural strength of 37.2 MPa and average pore size of 0.40 μm. The membrane also displayed outstanding permeability and chemical stability. The hydrophilicity and underwater oleophobicity were enhanced after surface modification. When used for oil-in-water emulsion filtration, the permeate flux reached 236.8 L m^?2 h^?2 bar^-1 under a low transmembrane pressure of 0.2 bar and the oil rejection exceeded 99%. Membrane cleaning with a simple ultrasonic treatment could easily achieve flux recovery. This study proposed a feasible strategy for both solid waste utilization and oily wastewater treatment.     

State-of-the-art developments in fabricating ceramic membranes with low energy consumption

Ceramic membranes are especially beneficial for treating industrial wastewater due to their satisfactory bending strength, high chemical resistance, and excellent thermal stability. However, the high fabrication cost has restricted their wide applications. Usually, sintering-energy consumption accounts for most of the costs of ceramic membranes, thus increasing the fabrication costs and limiting their application prospects. In this review, we discuss strategies to decrease energy consumption and give meaningful prospects for future work. Easily sintered materials, low sintering temperature, cold sintering process, no sintering process, rapid sintering process, and decrease sintering methods (i.e., co-sintering process and optimized membrane structure) are the main methods treated in this work. This review will provide an important reference for ceramic membranes regarding low energy consumption in the ceramic field.     

High value-added applications of coal fly ash in the form of porous materials: A review

Coal fly ash (CFA) is a solid waste generated by coal-fired power plants, and its massive accumulation problem needs to be solved urgently. There are many ways of resource utilization of CFA, but the applications of high added value are rare. Preparation of porous materials is an effective way to realize its high value-added applications. In this paper, porous materials are divided into ceramic membranes, thermal insulation materials and adsorption materials according to application fields. The research progress of porous materials prepared from CFA and used for filtration, thermal insulation and adsorption is reviewed. Ceramic membranes can filter different types of wastewater from different industries at different levels. Thermal insulation materials, with relatively low added value though, are easier to achieve large-scale production. Zeolites, geopolymers and various composite materials are crackerjack adsorbents, which can effectively purify wastewater and exhaust gas. After summary, comparison and discussion, it is concluded that ceramic membrane is the most ideal and feasible material to realize high value-added application of CFA among the three porous materials. Finally, the existing problems and future prospects of the three porous materials are stated.     

Bottlenecks and recent improvement strategies of ceramic membranes in membrane distillation applications: A review

Ceramic membranes have received more attention currently from researchers in membrane distillation (MD) applications due to their outstanding properties. However, despite their superior mechanical, thermochemical stability, and resistance to harsh operating conditions, several bottlenecks still limit their applications in MD. Although there are several published articles on ceramic membranes in MD, the uniqueness of this review lies in the fact that it discusses the critical bottlenecks that significantly affect the performance of ceramic membranes in long-term operation and limit their scale-up to commercial MD applications. Furthermore, recent advances, strategies, and techniques to mitigate these limitations have also been discussed. A discussion on high ceramic membrane fabrication costs and mitigation strategies using alternative low-cost ceramic materials to erstwhile conventional ceramic materials has been presented. In addition, the inherent problems of the brittleness and wetting/fouling of ceramic membranes and recent advances in strengthening ceramic membranes and fouling/wetting control via the development of superhydrophobic and omniphobic ceramic surfaces in MD have been addressed. Consequently, technical bottlenecks that still exist despite recent development in ceramic membranes for MD applications have been highlighted and future research direction in developing robust ceramic membranes in MD applications has been elaborated.     

多孔分离膜材料改性研究进展

膜是膜技术的核心.在对废水进行膜分离过程中,对膜材料的性能往往存在着几个截然不同的要求,既要求有高的水通量,又要求有高的选择性,且具备良好的抗污染性能.因此开发具有某些需要的性能的膜分离材料是解决水污染治理中膜分离技术应用问题的关键.本文综述了当前国内外膜分离材料改性研究的主要方法和研究进展,提出通过共混合金的方法对膜材料进行改性是提高膜材料分离性能的捷径.     

Fabrication of low cost,green silica based ceramic hollow fibre membrane prepared from waste rice husk for water filtration application

In order to develop low cost ceramic membranes and effectively utilize abundantly and dumped waste agriculture, fabrication of green silica based ceramic hollow fibre membranes from waste rice husk was evaluated. Rice husk was converted into amorphous and crystalline silica based rice husk ash (ARHA and CRHA) by burning process at 600?°C and 1000?°C, respectively. The properties of silica based rice husk ashes were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), BET analysis, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and x-ray fluorescence (XRF). Effect of silica content and sintering temperature towards membrane fabrication were investigated and characterized in term of morphological properties, mechanical strength, surface roughness, pore size distribution, porosity and pure water flux (PWF). The ceramic hollow fibre membrane (CHFM) prepared at 37.5?wt% CRHA content and sintered at 1200?°C achieved a good mechanical strength (71.2?MPa) and excellent porosity (50.2%). As a result, high PWF with value ~ 300?L/m² h and stable at 20?min was obtained. Due to the excellent pure water flux, the prepared ceramic membrane from waste rice husk hold promise for water treatment application.     

Fabrications and applications of low cost ceramic membrane from kaolin: A comprehensive review

The application of low cost ceramic membrane from kaolin has attracted much interest due to its excellent mechanical stability, chemical and thermal resistivity and most importantly, because it is cost effective, in some cases, compared to polymeric membranes. The advantage of kaolin based ceramic membrane is its thermal properties that allow sintering at much lower temperature than alumina. Although many studies have been made on the application of kaolin based ceramic membranes, detailed discussions were scarcely made and the information on the fabrication of ceramic membrane from kaolin is very limited. This article is aimed to make a comprehensive review on ceramic membrane from kaolin for its fabrication methods and applications. An attempt is also made to show the future direction of the R and D on the kaolin based ceramic membrane.     

Construction strategies of self-cleaning ceramic composite membranes for water treatment

Ceramic membranes have received much popularity due to their high mechanical strength, satisfactory acid/alkali resistance, and long-term stability. However, ceramic membranes are also inevitably fouled by contaminates during the membrane separation process. Therefore, construction strategies of anti-fouling ceramic membranes are a main topic in current research. In this work, we review a better anti-fouling ceramic membrane, which is named “self-cleaning” membrane and membrane process. Date to now, there are four main strategies to construct self-cleaning ceramic membranes: 1) porous piezoelectric ceramic membranes; 2) photo-catalytic ceramic membrane; 3) electrochemical ceramic membranes and 4) self-cleaning ceramic membrane surface. Self-cleaning ceramic membranes can in-situ remove and decompose the pollutants on the membrane surface and recover the water permeance that exhibits a great potential to treat industrial wastewater without backwashing or other methods. The detailed membrane fabrication period, mechanism and important case studies are reported in this review. Self-cleaning ceramic membrane is expected to be next-generation anti-fouling ceramic membrane material for continuous water treatment. It is a first review work that systematically concluded all the strategies for self-cleaning ceramic membranes that can be an important reference in ceramic or membrane fields.     

A review of nanoparticle-enhanced membrane distillation membranes: membrane synthesis and applications in water treatment

Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermally driven process that uses low-grade energy to operate and has been extensively explored as an alternative cost-effective and efficient water treatment process compared to conventional membrane processes. MD membranes are synthesized from hydrophobic polymers, e.g. polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or polypropylene (PP), using various methods including phase inversion and electrospinning techniques. Recent literature on MD membranes clearly shows their important role in surface water/wastewater treatment and seawater desalination. Modification of MD membranes with nanoscale materials significantly improves their performance, preventing wetting and fouling. This review presents a critical assessment of the progress on the use of nanomaterials for the modification of MD membranes. The techniques commonly used to synthesize MD membranes, the modifications that have been adopted for the incorporation of nanomaterials onto membranes, and the unique properties these nanomaterials impart on the membranes are discussed. The use of modified membranes in different MD configurations and their application in groundwater, surface water, wastewater, brackish water and seawater treatment is reviewed. Finally, cost implications, commercial viability, environmental sustainability, and future prospects of MD are also discussed to elucidate promising approaches for a future and successful implementation of MD at an industrial scale. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Performance control of dead-end tubular membranes fabricated with a modified phase inversion casting method

A modified phase inversion casting method is employed for the formation of dead-end tubular membrane shape in a single step. Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95-δ (CGO)-Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3-δ (BSCF) composites are applied as the membrane material. Performance of the membrane is optimised by adjusting the processing conditions in the fabrication process. Long finger-like channels, which were found to promote oxygen permeation flux without decrease of the membrane mechanical strength, were obtained in the dead-end tubes by adjusting the ceramic loadings of the casting slurries. Slurries with lower viscosity provided reduced resistance for the channel growth during the phase inversion in water. The performance of the dual-phase membranes with varied CGO:BSCF ratios were compared. The membranes containing more BSCF show higher oxygen permeation fluxes with helium as sweep gas. It was also verified that CGO content played an important role in enhancing the mechanical strength of the CGO-BSCF membranes.     

Recycling of coal fly ash for fabrication of elongated mullite rod bonded porous SiC ceramic membrane and its application in filtration

Mullite bonded SiC ceramic membranes were synthesized by a facile solid-state reaction process, using SiC, solid waste fly ash as raw materials and MoO₃ as catalyst for growth of mullite at 1000 °C. The effect of MoO₃ catalyst on mullitization reaction and mullite morphology was investigated. Different pore formers were used to enhance the porosity and to observe its effects on the permeability parameters and filtration characteristics. At room temperature Darcian (k₁) and non-Darcian (k₂) in both water and air flow were measured and clean water flux was determined. The porous SiC ceramics with addition of 5 wt.% MoO₃ exhibited a flexural strength of 38.4 MPa at porosity 36.4 vol% and showed 92% oil removal efficiency from oily wastewater. This technique, combining low-cost materials and the co-sintering at low temperature, can serve as a cost-effective method for the production of high-performance porous SiC ceramic membrnaes for filtration application.     

陶瓷支撑的有机复合膜及其在渗透汽化中的应用(英文)

Pervaporation(PV),as an environmental friendly and energy-saving separation technology,has been received increasing attention in recent years.This article reviews the preparation and application of macroporous ceramic-supported polymer composite pervaporation membranes.The separation materials of polymer/ceramic composite membranes presented here include hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) and hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA),chitosan(CS) and polyelectrolytes.The effects of ceramic support treatment,polymer solution properties,interfacial adhesion and incorporating or blending modification on the membrane structure and PV performance are discussed.Two in-situ characterization methods developed for polymer/ceramic composite membranes are also covered in the discussion.The applications of these composite membranes in pervaporation process are summarized as well,which contain the bio-fuels recovery,gasoline desulfuration and PV coupled proc-ess using PDMS/ceramic composite membrane,and dehydration of alcohols and esters using ceramic-supported PVA or PVA-CS composite membrane.Finally,a brief conclusion remark on polymer/ceramic composite mem-branes is given and possible future research is outlined.     

纳米材料在放射性废水处理中的应用进展

放射性污染会引起生态环境问题，安全高效地处理放射性废水是我国应对环境安全的迫切需求，因此，研发高效的放射性处理技术和材料具有重要意义。近年来，纳米材料因其独特的物化性质受到广泛关注，被尝试用于放射性废水处理，并表现出良好的应用潜力。本文综述了国内外研究者利用纳米材料处理放射性废水的研究进展，总结了纳米材料作为吸附剂和膜材料对水体放射性核素的处理性能和应用情况：一方面，高比表面积的纳米材料作为新型吸附剂，经适当化学处理后具有大量活性位点和纳米孔，可高效吸附处理放射性废水；另一方面，种类丰富的纳米材料可作为制膜材料和添加剂，增加膜材料种类和制备调控维度，改善传统膜对水体放射性核素的去除效果。最后，总结了处理放射性废水的纳米材料选择依据，并讨论了纳米材料在放射性废水处理中需要引起重视的几个问题。     

光催化分离膜的制备及其在水处理中的应用

光催化分离膜将膜分离与光催化结合在同一处理单元中,可发挥膜分离作用,同时也可以利用光催化剂高效降解水中的有毒有害污染物,提高膜的抗污染性能和水处理效率。因此是水处理领域的研究热点,并显示出巨大的应用潜力。本文综述了基于二氧化钛（TiO₂）、氧化锌（ZnO）、石墨相氮化碳（g-C₃N₄）和氧化钨（WO₃）四种常用催化剂的光催化分离膜的研究概况,重点对光催化分离膜的制备方法和性能进行了总结,光催化分离膜具有良好的发展前景,制备高效、稳定的可见光响应光催化分离膜是未来的发展趋势。     

Waste recycling of coal fly ash for design of highly porous whisker-structured mullite ceramic membranes

Coal fly ash, a solid state waste massively produced from coal combustion, is considered to be highly hazardous to the environment due to its persistently toxic trace elements. High-value added waste recycling is a promising technique to address this issue. In this work, a waste-to-resource strategy is proposed for design of highly porous whisker-structured mullite ceramic membranes derived from waste coal fly ash and Al(OH)₃ as raw materials and MoO₃ as a single sintering additive. These were characterized in terms of their dynamic sintering behavior, shrinkage, bulk density, porosity, phase evolution, microstructure, pore size distribution, N₂ permeation flux, and mechanical strength. Addition of molybdenum trioxide effectively inhibited the sintering densification of membranes while at the same time forming a metastable low viscosity liquid at lower temperatures. This enables formation of a novel and more highly porous whisker-interlocked structure and accelerates the growth of mullite whiskers with controllable morphologies. Without degradation of mechanical properties, the open porosity increased significantly from 41.65 ± 0.13% to 58.14 ± 0.15% with increasing MoO₃ content from 0 to 20 wt.% without any pore-forming agent, while shrinkage and pore size decreased. The method proposed in this study is expected not only to give a new and facile insight for high-value added recycling of waste coal fly ash but also to fabricate low-cost high performance ceramic membranes with novel structures for further environmental applications.     

基于天然高分子的生物基可降解复合膜的研究进展

针对难降解废弃塑料对自然环境造成的影响,采用生物基原料制备全生物降解材料,从根源上解决塑料污染。介绍了蛋白复合膜、淀粉复合膜和多糖复合膜3种生物基降解薄膜的性能及应用方向,为推动全生物降解材料的发展提供参考。     

阴离子交换膜改性及抗污染性能研究进展

电渗析技术应用于工业废水脱盐时,废水中有机物及其它杂质组分等会造成膜污染,进而影响脱盐性能。电渗析膜污染防治对促进电渗析在工业废水处理中的应用有重要意义。相比于阳离子交换膜,阴离子交换膜更易形成有机污染,且更严重。阴离子交换膜污染主要由腐殖酸、牛血清蛋白、阴离子表面活性剂等有机物造成,污染过程主要受静电作用、亲和作用和几何因素的影响。膜改性提高阴离子交换膜的抗污染性能是电渗析膜污染防治的有效方法,目前已有许多有关膜改性提高阴离子交换膜抗污染性能的报道。膜改性方法主要有化学改性法、等离子体改性法、表面涂覆改性法、电沉积改性法、自聚合改性法及改进基膜结构法等。本工作对阴离子交换膜改性及抗污染性能的研究进展进行了综述,对不同改性方法的优缺点进行了分析和评价。这些改性方法能提高阴膜表面的负电荷密度和亲水性、降低膜表面粗糙度和基膜含水率等,因此可以改善阴离子交换膜的抗污染性能。然而,目前研究获得的改性阴离子交换膜仍存在修饰层不稳定、抗污染性能不理想和性能测试不系统等缺点,需进一步优化改性方法、改性工艺、组分修饰及性能测试等,以获得抗污染性能稳定且效果良好的改性阴离子交换膜。     

Photocatalytic and antimicrobial efficacy of PVDF/TiO2 membranes fabricated by solution blow spinning

With its ability to purify water and treat wastewater, photocatalytic membranes have become a promising solution. The membrane's unique properties allow for the separation of solid compounds and the degradation of organic materials through photocatalytic and antibacterial means. Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/titanium oxide (PVDF/TiO₂) composite remain the materials of choice for making these membranes due to their economy, effectiveness, safety, and durability. In this work a photocatalytic membrane reactor (PMR) system was developed using PVDF/TiO₂ membranes fabricated by the solution blow spinning (SBS) process. Obtaining photocatalytic membranes using this method is an efficient and ecological route that overcomes the disadvantage of separating the photocatalyst after the treatment is complete. The results of PMR system showed that the PVDF/TiO₂ membrane could effectively remove total coliforms and E. coli from polluted water. After 10 min of contaminated water circulation through the PMR system, the presence of pathogens was not detected, indicating the efficiency of the obtained membranes.     

Charged modified tight ceramic ultrafiltration membranes for treatment of cationic dye wastewater

Tight ceramic uitrafiltration membranes have been proven to exhibit good rejection performance for reactive dye wastewater at high temperatures because of their high thermal and chemical resistance.However,the application of ceramic membranes for the treatment of cationic dye wastewater is chal-lenging because of their surface charge.In this study,a ceramic membrane is modified by grafting aminosilane (KH-551) to enhance the positive charge of the membrane surface.The rejection perfor-mance of the charged modified ceramic membrane toward the methylene blue solution is significantly improved.The modification substance is bonded to the ceramic membrane surface via covalent bonding,which imparts good thermal stability.The modified ceramic membrane exhibits stable separation perfor-mance toward the methylene blue solution.Overall,this study provides valuable guidance for the adjust-ment of the ceramic membrane surface charge for treating industrial cationic dye wastewater.     

中空纤维陶瓷膜的研究进展

由陶瓷材料制备的无机膜具有良好的耐溶剂腐蚀性以及稳定性,在苛刻条件下能够表现出明显优于有机聚合物膜的性能。对陶瓷中空纤维膜的制备方法和制备过程中的相形成机理进行了讨论;从膜材料角度对其分类介绍;此外,介绍了陶瓷膜的煅烧工艺、表面改性及其应用等。