FIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Special Issue: Professor Marek Bryjak, A Remarkable Person, Educator, Mentor, and A Dear Friend703898ENNalan KabayEge University, Faculty of Engineering, Chemical Engineering Department, 35100 Izmir, Turkey0000-0001-8516-6752Joanna WolskaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, PolandWojciech KujawskiNicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Faculty of Chemistry, ul. Gagarina 7, 87-100 Torun, PolandJournal Article20230331https://www.msrjournal.com/article_703898_eb4ea29c0e7cf677359989a97dad0a28.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Properties of Flat Ceramic Membranes and Their Application for Municipal Digestate Liquid Fraction Purification25499710.22079/jmsr.2022.556692.1549ENAgnieszka UrbanowskaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Department of Environment Protection Engineering, Wroclaw, Poland0000-0003-0087-8211Małgorzata Kabsch-KorbutowiczWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Department of Environment Protection Engineering, Wroclaw, Poland0000-0003-0087-8211Journal Article20220628Due to the increasing water scarcity in agriculture, digestate is not only considered as an alternative fertilizer, but also as a potential water source. Unfortunately, it requires treatment to such an extent that the contaminants from the fermented biomass do not return to the environment. The aim of this study was to extend the characteristics of the flat ceramic membranes provided by manufacturers and to evaluate their applicability to the treatment of the municipal digestate liquid fraction. The digestate liquid fraction from a biogas plant processing municipal waste organic fraction located in the Lower Silesia province (Poland) was tested. A Sterlitech laboratory plant operating in the dead-end mode at a TMP of 0.1 - 0.4 MPa was used to carry out the pressure membrane filtration process. The tested digestate was subjected to 72 h of sedimentation before testing. Six micro- and ultrafiltration flat ceramic membranes from Tami Industries were used in the experiments. The membranes used in this study were hydrophilic (a wetting angle of less than 59.6°) and the average pore radius ranged from 0.035 to 0.29 µm, depending on the membrane type. The performed experiments confirmed the applicability of the tested membranes for municipal digestate purification, although a deterioration in permeate quality was observed as the pore size of the membranes increased. The best separation was observed for the 1 kDa membrane, the average pore diameter of which was 35.53 nm.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_254997_36e62062f388092a4945ffa406cec739.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Reclamation of Reverse Osmosis Permeate and Concentrate of Geothermal Water Using Novel Chelating Resins by Hybrid Method Coupling Adsorption and Ultrafiltration25510710.22079/jmsr.2022.559432.1554ENEzgi ÇermikliEge University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Chemical Engineering, Izmir, TurkeyEge University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Division of Environmental Sciences, Izmir, TurkeyFatma ŞenEge University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Chemical Engineering, Izmir, TurkeyEge University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Division of Material Science and Engineering, Izmir, TurkeyJoanna WolskaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymeric and Carbon Materials, Wroclaw, PolandPiotr CyganowskiWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymeric and Carbon Materials, Wroclaw, PolandYakubu AbdullahiJarmaEge University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Chemical Engineering, Izmir, TurkeyEsra AltıokEge University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Chemical Engineering, Izmir, TurkeyMüşerref ArdaEge University, Science Faculty, Department of Chemistry, Izmir, TurkeyMarek BryjakWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymeric and Carbon Materials, Wroclaw, PolandNalan KabayEge University, Science Faculty, Department of Chemistry, Izmir, Turkey0000-0001-8516-6752Journal Article20220731Management of the concentrated brine with high ion concentrations after reverse osmosis (RO) filtration of geothermal water is a serious environmental problem. In addition to the concentrated brine, the RO permeate of geothermal water is also problematic in terms of boron concentration as it is usually above the permissible limit value stated by WHO for drinking and irrigation water. In our present work, the RO process was integrated with hybrid method combining adsorption with ultrafiltration to remove boron from the geothermal water RO permeate (GW-ROP) while boron and arsenic removals from the geothermal re-injection water RO concentrate (GRIW-ROC). In this sense, novel chelating resins such as novel N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) based resins (1JW and 2JW) along with boron selective core-shell based chelating resin (2PTN) were employed. According to the data obtained, the 2JW resin achieved 81.7% and 95.8% of boron removals from GW-ROP and GRIW-ROC solutions, respectively. The 2JW resin achieved a good success in the removal of boron compared with commercial Dowex XUS 43594.00 resin. In case of arsenic removal from GRIW-ROC, the 2JW resin showed a better performance than Dowex XUS 43594.00 resin at the same resin concentration. Boron removals from the GW-ROP were 72.0% with 1JW resin and 65.8% with 2PTN resin by achieving the permissible boron level set for drinking water. On the other hand, 2PTN resin could not reduce the boron concentration in the GRIW-ROC below the permissible values.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_255107_68abbd7290459d6931c689e4d4f5c68a.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Micellar-Enhanced Ultrafiltration for the Removal of Anionic Nutrients from Aqueous Solutions69981210.22079/jmsr.2022.557700.1552ENKatarzyna Majewska-NowakFaculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland0000-0002-2802-0682Justyna GórnaDepartment of Water and Sewage, Municipal Services of Ladek Zdroj, ul. Fabryczna 7a, 57-540 Ladek Zdroj, PolandJournal Article20220713The performance of micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) in removing nutrients from aqueous solutions was evaluated. The process was performed with the use of polyethersulfone (PES) and regenerated cellulose (RC) membranes that varied in terms of molecular weight cut-off values (4÷50 kDa). Nitrate and phosphate solutions containing 28 mg N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>/dm<sup>3</sup> and/or 15 mg P-PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3-</sup>/dm<sup>3</sup> were used in the tests. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was chosen as a surfactant to create cationic micelles in the tested solutions. The concentration of CTAB surfactant amounted to 2 and 3CMC (CMC - critical micelle concentration). The results of the study showed that the composition of the solution, membrane material, and membrane molecular weight cut-off influenced the efficiency of the process. The removal of nitrate and phosphate from single-component solutions was approximately 74÷93% and 15÷55%, respectively. The simultaneous removal of nutrients using MEUF revealed a deterioration in phosphate ion rejection - even by 50% when compared to the separation efficiency for single-component solutions. The worsening in nitrate rejection was seen to be insignificant. The adverse effect of nitrate ions on the phosphate ion removal was due to the greater affinity of the nitrate ions than phosphate ions towards CTAB micelles. Secondary contamination of the permeate by CTAB was also observed. The percentage of CTAB passing from the feed to the permeate ranged from 12.9 to 36.2%. The PES and RC membrane vulnerability to fouling varied to a great extent – the relative flux fluctuated from 0.16 to 0.95.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_699812_dbc4374ea7c53dba0ceb5e7054cf1af7.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Integrated, Molecularly Imprinted Polymeric Membranes for the Concentration of BPA in a Capacitive Deionization Process70309610.22079/jmsr.2023.561163.1559ENJoanna WolskaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, PolandAnna SiekierkaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, PolandKatarzyna Smolińska-KempistyWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland0000-0002-7894-8198Journal Article20220830Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) toward bisphenol A (BPA) in the shape of microspheres with an average sphere size of 40 µm were obtained by a two-step process of membrane emulsification and then suspension polymerization. The prepared materials were used for the removal of BPA from the real and model aqueous solutions. The synthesized microspheres were then integrated into thin solid membranes made of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The imprinted merged membranes were used in the capacitive deionization process to concentrate the amount of bisphenol A in aqueous solutions. The 30-minute process allowed a bisphenol A concentration of 63.7%. Three sorption/desorption cycles were performed. The total sorption capacity of BPA reached more than 80 mg/g. In all of these cases, a concentration of bisphenol A was achieved of more than 60%. The tests were also repeated after three months. The efficiency of the membranes decreased to ~ 18% of the concentration in one batch.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_703096_9a858f13632e5218556f3a9a11a671fa.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Membrane Separation Processes in the Treatment of Municipal Wastewater70381310.22079/jmsr.2023.1990721.1591ENKatarzyna Smolinska-KempistyWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wyb. Wyspińskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland0000-0002-7894-8198Joanna WolskaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wyb. Wyspińskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandAgnieszka UrbanowskaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Chair in Water and Wastewater Treatment Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland0000-0003-0087-8211Barbara DachWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wyb. Wyspińskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandDaria PodstawczykWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wyb. Wyspińskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandAnna BastrzykWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wyb. Wyspińskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandKrystian CzubaWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Department of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wyb. Wyspińskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandWroclaw University of Science and Technology, Chair in Water and Wastewater Treatment Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandJournal Article20230301The municipal wastewater from a medium-sized town in the Lower Silesia Province of Poland was treated by several methods. They included filtration through ceramic, 300 kDa or 50 kDa, polymer membranes, 5 or 30 kDa, sedimentation, and nanofiltration membranes with a cut-off 200 Da (NF90), 400 Da (NF270), and 300-500 Da (NFW). The character of all streams at each stage of the treatment process was determined by detecting the chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and phosphorus. Concentration of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium ions was also detected after the purification process. The best treatment parameters were achieved in the case of using a combination of ultrafiltration on 50 kDa ceramic membrane and nanofiltration on NF 90 polymeric membrane. It was a determined reduction in total nitrogen by a factor of 3, phosphorus by a factor of 9, and a decrease in sodium from 101.47 mg/L to 21.58 mg/L in the final permeate.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_703813_2695622efa31594fd95315d8180cda80.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Preparation and Characterization of Microfiltration membrane by Utilization Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation Technique70384210.22079/jmsr.2023.1995689.1594ENThi Diem Trang NguyenFaculty of Textile Engineering, Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech RepublicEsra AltiokFaculty of Mechatronics, Informatics and Interdisciplinary Studies, Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech RepublicAnna SiekierkaDepartment of Process Engineering and Technology of Polymeric and Carbon Materials, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandAndrea PietrelliLaboratoire Ampere CNRS UMR 5005, Département Génie Electrique et des Procédés Université de Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, FranceFatma YalcinkayaInstitute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies, and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech Republic0000-0002-5057-3718Journal Article20230307The Non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method is often performed for manufacturing flat sheet polymeric membranes. Several studies have shown how effective the NIPS approach is in creating microfiltration membranes. Because of its unique technical properties, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is frequently employed in microfiltration membranes. One issue that must be solved is improving the PVDF membrane’s performance, and the usual approach is to add a polymeric addition to the PVDF solution. The resulting PVDF membrane's porosity, hydrophilicity, and filtering ability may all be enhanced by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the PVDF solution. This study aims to examine the impact of a PVDF polymer blending ratio with PEG additive on the filtration ability of the manufactured membrane by using NIPS production. The impact of varied PEG ratios employed in the PVDF membrane polymer mixture during synthesis as well as the morphology, hydrophilicity, and permeability of the produced membrane is subsequently studied. Results indicated that increasing additives concentration enhanced the viscosity, which might prevent the microvoid formation and reduce the pore size and the membrane permeability. According to the findings, the maximum flux was obtained when the polymer ratio was 10%, and the additive was 5 wt % as 383.80 L/m<sup>2</sup>h. Although the membrane produced with this composition has a maximum contact angle of 61.6 ° compared to other membranes, it is also one of the thinnest. Because of the complicated interplay between membrane thickness, contact angle, and flux, this ratio in which the most optimum flux was attained.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_703842_f149b8a5d87d3bf9114495cf7228703c.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401Membrane-assisted Photocatalytic Degradation of Perfluorooctanoic Acid70389210.22079/jmsr.2023.1996231.1596ENInmaculada OrtizDepartamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Av. Los Castros s/n, 39005, Santander, SpainLaura RancañoDepartamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Av. Los Castros s/n, 39005, Santander, SpainMaria JRiveroDepartamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Av. Los Castros s/n, 39005, Santander, Spain0000-0002-0291-9200Ane UrtiagaDepartamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Av. Los Castros s/n, 39005, Santander, SpainJournal Article20230314The ubiquitous presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment together with their persistence urges the development of cost-effective remediation technologies to be applied to their aqueous sources thus, preventing their entrance to nature. Among all PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been identified as a substance of very high concern due to its extreme persistence, bioaccumulation, and mobility in the environment; however, conventional technologies for water remediation report low yield in PFOA degradation. Photocatalytic degradation reports outstanding characteristics in its application to the degradation of recalcitrant compounds. This alternative relies on the properties and characteristics of the semiconductor material used as a photocatalyst, a fact that has prompted a series of works related to the synthesis and viability of new catalysts in recent years. After the preliminary results obtained in our group with a new composite photocatalyst based on the combination of the more extended TiO<sub>2</sub> P25 semiconductor with reduced graphene oxide, TiO<sub>2</sub>-rGO 5%, this work provides a deeper analysis of the influence of operation conditions on the degradation kinetics and highlights the relevance of a membrane pre-concentration step, especially for the removal of aqueous matrixes with low PFOA concentration.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_703892_6236e663b9ae79a921f5a3b7193bb789.pdfFIMTEC & MPRLJournal of Membrane Science and Research2476-54069220230401The Latest Developments and Future Directions in Membrane Distillation70389710.22079/jmsr.2023.1999182.1599ENMohammad Mahdi A. ShiraziMembrane Industry Development Institute, Tehran, IranJournal Article20230329Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermal separation process that has attracted growing interest in recent years due to its advantages for water and wastewater treatment, and other applications. This “Engineering Advance” provides a concise and brief discussion of some of the most recent developments and future directions for MD for a wide range of applications. According to available data and information on MD in the open literature, the development of new membrane materials and module designs, improving energy efficiency, scaling up, coupling with other technologies, and exploring new applications are some of the key directions for the future of MD technology. This paper highlights these issues with an emphasis on the latest developments.https://www.msrjournal.com/article_703897_8b1174dd747334e36fce2f525c9dfcd2.pdf