Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation (2023)

Hardikar, M., Felix, V., Presson, L. K., Rabe, A. B., Ikner, L. A., Hickenbottom, K. L. (2023). Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation. Journal of Membrane Science, 676, [121544]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121544

Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation. / Hardikar, Mukta; Felix, Varinia; Presson, Luke K. et al.
In: Journal of Membrane Science, Vol. 676, 121544, 15.06.2023.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Hardikar, M, Felix, V, Presson, LK, Rabe, AB, Ikner, LA, Hickenbottom, KL 2023, 'Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation', Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 676, 121544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121544

Hardikar M, Felix V, Presson LK, Rabe AB, Ikner LA, Hickenbottom KL et al. Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation. Journal of Membrane Science. 2023 Jun 15;676:121544. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121544

Hardikar, Mukta ; Felix, Varinia ; Presson, Luke K. et al. / Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation. In: Journal of Membrane Science. 2023 ; Vol. 676.

@article{0145cdff20ca4317b0efd8e8b96be7cf,

title = "Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation",

abstract = "Membrane distillation (MD) is a desalination technology with promising applications in treating brines generated by reverse osmosis. Theoretically, MD can achieve 100% rejection of non-volatile contaminants such as organic and inorganic solutes and pathogens because only the vapor phase permeates through the membrane. However, polymeric membranes are subject to a wide distribution of pore sizes that may result in pore flow or liquid flux through even a new membrane resulting in poor contaminant rejection. In pilot-scale MD systems, a larger membrane area increases the hydraulic pressure in the flow channel and the transmembrane hydraulic pressure difference, thus increasing the probability of pore flow of non-volatile contaminants through the membrane and providing enhanced resolution of contaminant detection. This work reports membrane rejection of organic and inorganic non-volatile solutes in a pilot-scale air-gap MD (AGMD) element and quantifies, for the first time, transport of non-volatile solutes through the membrane because of pore flow. Pathogen rejection in the pilot-scale MD system was also measured using enteric virus surrogates MS2 and PhiX174 as tracers. Organic and inorganic solutes and both viruses were detected in the distillate, suggesting the presence of pore flow. No difference between organic and inorganic solute rejection was observed, and both decreased (from 2.5-log10 to 1.5-log10) with an increase in air-gap vacuum (from 50 to 500 mbar). At 50 mbar and low evaporator inlet temperature (40 °C), virus rejection (2.4 -log10) was higher than organic and inorganic solute rejection (1.7-log10).",

keywords = "Contaminant/pathogen rejection, Distillate quality, Membrane distillation, Pore flow, Water reuse",

author = "Mukta Hardikar and Varinia Felix and Presson, {Luke K.} and Rabe, {Andrew B.} and Ikner, {Luisa A.} and Hickenbottom, {Kerri L.} and Andrea Achilli",

note = "Funding Information: This research was funded by the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Award ER19-5242 and by the US Bureau of Reclamation , agreement no. R18AC00115 . The authors also acknowledge Aquastill for donating the bench-scale MD membranes. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2023",

month = jun,

day = "15",

doi = "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121544",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "676",

journal = "Jornal of Membrane Science",

issn = "0376-7388",

publisher = "Elsevier",

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T1 - Pore flow and solute rejection in pilot-scale air-gap membrane distillation

AU - Hardikar, Mukta

AU - Felix, Varinia

AU - Presson, Luke K.

AU - Rabe, Andrew B.

AU - Ikner, Luisa A.

AU - Hickenbottom, Kerri L.

AU - Achilli, Andrea

N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded by the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Award ER19-5242 and by the US Bureau of Reclamation , agreement no. R18AC00115 . The authors also acknowledge Aquastill for donating the bench-scale MD membranes. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2023/6/15

Y1 - 2023/6/15

N2 - Membrane distillation (MD) is a desalination technology with promising applications in treating brines generated by reverse osmosis. Theoretically, MD can achieve 100% rejection of non-volatile contaminants such as organic and inorganic solutes and pathogens because only the vapor phase permeates through the membrane. However, polymeric membranes are subject to a wide distribution of pore sizes that may result in pore flow or liquid flux through even a new membrane resulting in poor contaminant rejection. In pilot-scale MD systems, a larger membrane area increases the hydraulic pressure in the flow channel and the transmembrane hydraulic pressure difference, thus increasing the probability of pore flow of non-volatile contaminants through the membrane and providing enhanced resolution of contaminant detection. This work reports membrane rejection of organic and inorganic non-volatile solutes in a pilot-scale air-gap MD (AGMD) element and quantifies, for the first time, transport of non-volatile solutes through the membrane because of pore flow. Pathogen rejection in the pilot-scale MD system was also measured using enteric virus surrogates MS2 and PhiX174 as tracers. Organic and inorganic solutes and both viruses were detected in the distillate, suggesting the presence of pore flow. No difference between organic and inorganic solute rejection was observed, and both decreased (from 2.5-log10 to 1.5-log10) with an increase in air-gap vacuum (from 50 to 500 mbar). At 50 mbar and low evaporator inlet temperature (40 °C), virus rejection (2.4 -log10) was higher than organic and inorganic solute rejection (1.7-log10).

AB - Membrane distillation (MD) is a desalination technology with promising applications in treating brines generated by reverse osmosis. Theoretically, MD can achieve 100% rejection of non-volatile contaminants such as organic and inorganic solutes and pathogens because only the vapor phase permeates through the membrane. However, polymeric membranes are subject to a wide distribution of pore sizes that may result in pore flow or liquid flux through even a new membrane resulting in poor contaminant rejection. In pilot-scale MD systems, a larger membrane area increases the hydraulic pressure in the flow channel and the transmembrane hydraulic pressure difference, thus increasing the probability of pore flow of non-volatile contaminants through the membrane and providing enhanced resolution of contaminant detection. This work reports membrane rejection of organic and inorganic non-volatile solutes in a pilot-scale air-gap MD (AGMD) element and quantifies, for the first time, transport of non-volatile solutes through the membrane because of pore flow. Pathogen rejection in the pilot-scale MD system was also measured using enteric virus surrogates MS2 and PhiX174 as tracers. Organic and inorganic solutes and both viruses were detected in the distillate, suggesting the presence of pore flow. No difference between organic and inorganic solute rejection was observed, and both decreased (from 2.5-log10 to 1.5-log10) with an increase in air-gap vacuum (from 50 to 500 mbar). At 50 mbar and low evaporator inlet temperature (40 °C), virus rejection (2.4 -log10) was higher than organic and inorganic solute rejection (1.7-log10).

KW - Contaminant/pathogen rejection

KW - Distillate quality

KW - Membrane distillation

KW - Pore flow

KW - Water reuse

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U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121544

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SN - 0376-7388

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JO - Jornal of Membrane Science

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