@article { author = {Guler, Enver and Nijmeijer, Kitty}, title = {Reverse Electrodialysis for Salinity Gradient Power Generation: Challenges and Future Perspectives}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {108-110}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2018.86747.1193}, abstract = {Salinity gradient energy, which is also known as Blue energy, is a renewable energy form that can be extracted from the mixing of two solutions with different salinities. About 80% of the current global electricity demand could potentially be covered by this energy source. Among several energy extraction technologies, reverse electrodialysis (RED), using anion and cation exchange membranes for ionic transport that is converted into an electrical current at the electrodes, is most promising. This study provides a brief overview of recent advances in RED technology. Furthermore, it discusses future research directions and prospects to expand the true potential of this technology for power generation. Major emphasis should be on the development of task-specifc membranes and stacks, the control of fouling and the design of new applications and hybrid processe.}, keywords = {Reverse electrodialysis,Salinity gradient energy,Future prospects,Membrane design}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_31461.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_31461_661ca60b429d11985a69f62bf3ea49bc.pdf} } @article { author = {Bolto, Brian and Xie, Zongli}, title = {Recent Developments in Fouling Minimization of Membranes Modifed with Silver Nanoparticles}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {111-120}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2018.79056.1168}, abstract = {When incorporated in membranes, Ag0 nanoparticles are effective antifouling and antibacterial agents, arising from the presence of Ag+ ions either in solution or adsorbed onto nanoparticles. A variety of organic and inorganic composite membranes involving silver show good results. Long-term prevention of biofouling by such membranes does not seem to have been satisfactorily obtained yet. Ways of counteracting silver loss from the membranes need to be sought. Recovery by the reduction of soluble silver ions to elemental silver at regular intervals may be one possible method, but this is not feasible when the silver ends up in the product water. However, the regenerating and recycling of Ag+ ions could be especially relevant in the case of organophilic pervaporation, where the aqueous phase is retained and does not pass through the membrane. There is a potential for creating a practical long-lasting antifouling system for that proces.}, keywords = {Antibacterial action,Silver nanoparticles,Organophilic pervaporation}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_31084.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_31084_4caa79e8d485e140dd55eefd24864dc1.pdf} } @article { author = {Amini, Mohammad and Rahbar-Kelishami, Ahmad and Alipour, Mohammad and Vahidi, Omid}, title = {Supported Liquid Membrane in Metal Ion Separation: An Overview}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {121-135}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2017.63968.1138}, abstract = {Using liquid membrane and, in particular, supported liquid membrane (SLM) is a novel method of separation in comparison to other methods such as adsorption, extraction and ion exchange. SLM is a combination of simultaneous extraction and disposal whose high efciency and capability is proven by many studies. So far, many researchers have utilized SLM in various scientifc felds including analytical chemistry, organic and inorganic chemistry, chemical engineering, biotechnology and bio-pharmaceutics. Dynamic transfer, high selectivity, possibility of expensive carrier usage, low energy consumption and low operational costs are part of the advantages attributed to SLM. In the present paper, previous studies and the latest achievements in designing various modules for metal ions separation by SLM are reviewed.}, keywords = {Supported liquid membrane,SLM,Metal ion,Carrier,Stripping phase,Feed phase}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_27434.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_27434_709be05c076fed9efd39096f1350ef82.pdf} } @article { author = {guilbaud, julie and wyart, yvan and Kaag, Klaas and moulin, philippe}, title = {Comparison of Seawater and Freshwater Ultrafltration on Semi-Industrial Scale: Ballast Water Treatment Application}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {136-145}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2017.68010.1147}, abstract = {Non-native aquatic species can be introduced in new areas through emptying of the ballast tanks, with a high impact on health, economy and environment. This is considered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO): (i) in 2004, the IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BMW Convention) in order to diminish the risk of introducing harmful and/or potentially invasive species through ballast water. (ii) the BWM convention entered into force on 8 September 2017 and could open a new market for ballast water treatment. The aim for industry is to operate with an acceptable fouling rate between cleaning steps. Indeed, if fouling rates are low, clean in place will be infrequent. The aim of this work is to develop a sustainable ultrafltration system designed for ballast water treatment and the frst step is to have a better understanding of membrane fouling in relation to intake water variations. The major contribution and novelty of this study is successful ballast water treatment using an ultrafltration process at industrial scale a high technological readiness level in order to show the applicability of the ultrafltration processes for the ballast water treatment. In this study operating conditions were determined for seawater and freshwater conditions.}, keywords = {Ballast water treatment,Ultrafiltration,Fresh and sea water,Industrial Scale}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_28259.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_28259_5572e6ec4dbfa91fb25a5372ce135ace.pdf} } @article { author = {Junoh, Hazlina and Jaafar, Juhana and Mohamad nor, Nor azureen and Awang, Nuha and Mohd Norddin, Muhammad Noorul Anam and Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi and Othman, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan and A Rahman, Mukhlis and Aziz, Farhana and Yusof, Norhaniza and Wan Salleh, Wan Norharyati and Naim, Rosmawati}, title = {Fabrication of Nanocomposite Membrane via Combined Electrospinning and Casting Technique for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {146-157}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2017.68712.1149}, abstract = {Emergence of nanotechnology has resulted in the introduction of the electrospinning process in fabricating and characterising the polymer electrolyte membrane from the sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) nanocomposite membrane comprised of electrospun Cloisite15A® (e-spun CL) for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). Poly (ether ether ketone) polymer is sulfonated up to 63% by sulfuric acid. SPEEK63/e-spun CL nanofbers were fabricated via electrospinning in which SPEEK63 was used as carrier polymer while the SPEEK63/e-spun CL nanocomposite membrane was obtained by the casting method. Characterizations on physical, morphological and thermal properties of SPEEK63/e-spun CL were conducted and compared to the SPEEK membrane fabricated by casting simple mixing 2.5wt.% Cloisite15A® and 5.0wt.% triaminopyrimidine solution (SPEEK63/2.5CL/5.0TAP). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed well electrospun Cloisite15A® with an average diameter nanofber around 187.4 nm. Moreover, feld emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed that Cloisite15A® particles at a nanometer range were uniformly distributed and 66% smaller than those in SPEEK63/2.5C/5.0TAP. Furthermore, x-ray diffraction proved that the dispersion state of Cloisite15A® fell into an intercalated phase. A very small  amount of Cloisite15A® (0.05wt.%) in SPEEK63/e-spun CL successfully enhanced the proton conductivity up to 50%, whereas, unfortunately the methanol permeability value was 27 times higher than SPEEK63/2.5CL/5.0TAP. Proton conductivity and methanol permeability of SPEEK63/e-spun CL were 24.49 x 10-3 Scm-1 and 3.74 x 10-7 cms-1, respectively. Even though this study contributed to 95% selectivity lower than SPEEK63/2.5CL/5.0TAP, electrospinning showed a promising technique to further reduce original sized Cloisite15A® particles from mixed size (μm and nm) to nanometer sized. In addition, by fne tuning, the dispersion of Cloisite15A® enhances the SPEEK63/e-spun CL performance in DMFC.}, keywords = {Electrospinning,Cloisite15A®,SPEEK,DMFC,Nanocomposite,Nanofibers}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_28916.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_28916_b7b44d390232ec00fdfebb14a1449f3a.pdf} } @article { author = {Azimi, Hoda and Tezel, Handan and Thibault, Jules}, title = {On the Effective Permeability of Mixed Matrix Membranes}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {158-166}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2017.70256.1155}, abstract = {Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) are attracting significant interest for pervaporation and gas separation applications. To better comprehend the impact of filler particles within polymer matrices, the species permeation mass transport was theoretically studied by numerical simulation using finite differences. The Fick’s second law of diffusion was solved for a three-dimensional MMM to obtain the concentration profile within the membrane and consequently the steady-state permeation flux of the species. The effective permeability of MMMs was then calculated using the steady-state permeation flux of the permeants. The effects of various structural parameters such as the filler volume fraction, particle size, shape and orientation, the ratio of permeability coefficients in the dispersed and continuous phases (Pd/Pc), membrane thickness and particle sorption isotherms were investigated. Results revealed that the effective permeability of MMMs strongly depends on the permeability ratio of the dispersed phase to the continuous phase and the volume fraction of the filler material. Moreover, the shape and size of the particles had no influence on the effective permeability of MMMs for filler volume fractions that are less than 0.4. For numerical simulations performed with different particle sorption isotherms, results showed that the effective permeability of the membrane depends on the type and parameters of the isotherm as well as the feed concentration.}, keywords = {Mixed Matrix Membrane,Finite difference numerical solution,Pervaporation model,Effective permeability}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_28984.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_28984_f52caf4ea1d5f2ed2a83870877de9465.pdf} } @article { author = {Kabay, Nalan and GULER, Enver and YAVUZ, Emre and YUKSEL, Mithat and Yuksel, Umran}, title = {Time-Dependent Desalination Tests for Small-Scale SWRO Pilot Plant Installed at Urla Bay, Turkey}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {167-173}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2018.79881.1170}, abstract = {In this work, performance data from a small-scale reverse osmosis (RO) plant based on seawater FilmTec spiral wound RO membranes for different periods of operation are presented and analyzed. A prototype RO set-up with a 2,200 L/d capacity was installed and operated at Urla Bay which was located in Izmir, Turkey. This study typically investigates RO performance in terms of permeate flux, salt and boron rejections. Thin-flm composite membrane-based RO technology was successfully used with this RO set-up, which gave an average salt rejection of more than 95%. It was found that over a period of 36 hours of continuous operation, the permeate flux decreased by approximately 4% of its initial value but salt rejection stayed nearly constant. In this study, long-term data were also compared with a full-capacity operation using two paralleled membranes and a lowered-capacity operation with a single membrane. The results show that the small-scale RO system was successfully operated to mimic typical large-scale RO plants installed for production of potable water.}, keywords = {Reverse osmosis,Seawater desalination,Spiral wound membrane,Long-term performance,Boron removal}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_30687.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_30687_6b0ed1cc8463c0279933c8e40e99393a.pdf} } @article { author = {Abdallah, Heba and Shalaby, Marwa and Saad, Mohamad and Shaban, Ahmad}, title = {Supporting Polyvinylchloride Polymeric Blend Membrane with Coated Woven Fabric}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {174-180}, year = {2018}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2018.81167.1176}, abstract = {Blend reverse osmosis membranes were fabricated using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with cellulose acetate (CA) as polymer blends. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) were used as solvents. The membrane polymer solution was cast on a coated woven fabric support material. The prepared membranes have been characterized by SEM and mechanical properties. SEM results prove that the prepared membranes are smooth and their pores are distributed throughout the entire surface and bulk body of the membrane without any visible cracks. The stress-strain mechanical test indicates an excellent mechanical behavior. The membranes performance results show that the salt rejection reached 98.4% at a concentration of 20000 ppm with high flux under pressure of up to 50 bars. Thus, in turn, the prepared membranes can be applied for sea and brackish water desalination through reverse osmosis technology. Also, the prepared membrane was compared with membranes without support and membranes with commercial suppor.}, keywords = {Blend membranes,Woven fabric support,Coating,Desalination}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_30836.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_30836_e991facb824262f5aa9bbb2fa084907d.pdf} }