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Water
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Membrane-Based Processes and Applications for Water Reclamation
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Membrane-Based Processes and Applications for Water Reclamation

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 26960

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Spyridon Ntougias

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Vas. Sofias 12, Xanthi 67100, Greece
Interests: membrane bioreactors; activated sludge microbiota; biofouling; fouling prevention; environmental microbiology
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Paraschos Melidis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Vas. Sofias 12, Xanthi 67100, Greece
Interests: optimisation and control of aerobic and anaerobic biological processes; membrane reactor technologies; fouling control; wastewater reuse
Assist. Prof. Dr. Simos Malamis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Politechniou St, Zografou Campus, Athens, 15780 Greece
Interests: membrane bioreactors; anaerobic wastewater treatment; wastewater reuse; advanced biological nutrient removal; resource recovery from sewage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, large efforts have been made to treat municipal and industrial wastewater as well as to reclaim water from non-convetional resources through the implementation of membrane technology. Thus, this Special Issue focuses on presenting recent developments in membrane-based processes and applications with a special emphasis on water reclamation and resource recovery. Topics of interest include, but not limited to, the following:

  • Membrane bioreactors and fouling;
  • Emerging fouling mitigation techniques;
  • Anaerobic membrane bioreactors;
  • Osmotic membrane bioreactors;
  • Nutrients’ recovery and membrane reactors;
  • Water reclamation from non-convetional resources;
  • Desalination of brakisk and seawater;
  • Attached growth processes integrating membranes;
  • Biofilm formation;
  • Membrane nanotechnology;
  • Membrane porous materials and functionality;
  • Membrane technology and disinfection;
  • Salinity gradient energy;
  • Fate and removal of micropollutants by membrane processes;
  • Membrane permeability and transport phenomena;
  • Membranes and cleaning processes;
  • Membrane separation processes;
  • Biosolids retention and effluent quality;
  • MBR operation control.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spyridon Ntougias
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Paraschos Melidis
Assist. Prof. Dr. Simos Malamis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Membrane fouling
  • Wastewater reuse
  • Water reclamation
  • Membrane structure and functionality
  • Desalination
  • Energy and nutrient recovery.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2438 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Oxidative Phosphorylation Uncoupler Para-Nitrophenol on the Activated Sludge Community Structure and Performance of a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor
by Ioannis Stavrakakis, Nikolaos Remmas, Paraschos Melidis and Spyridon Ntougias
Water 2021, 13(22), 3222; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223222 - 13 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1812
Abstract
In this work, the metabolic uncoupler para-nitrophenol (pNP) was applied to suppress excess sludge production and to investigate its effects on the system’s performance and activated sludge community structure. The COD removal efficiency decreased from 99.0% to 89.5% prior to and after [...] Read more.
In this work, the metabolic uncoupler para-nitrophenol (pNP) was applied to suppress excess sludge production and to investigate its effects on the system’s performance and activated sludge community structure. The COD removal efficiency decreased from 99.0% to 89.5% prior to and after pNP addition, respectively. Application of pNP transiently reduced NH4+-N, NO3−-N and NO2−-N removal efficiencies, suggesting partial inhibition of both nitrifying and denitrifying activity. However, no changes in the relative abundance of the nitrifying bacteria occurred. Phosphorus removal efficiency was sharply reduced after pNP addition, as the consequence of hydrolysis of stored cell reserves. Tetrasphaera, a key polyphosphate accumulating organism, was also affected by the addition of pNP, a fact that highly influenced system’s ability to remove phosphorus. A drastic drop in Soluble Microbial Products (SMP) and Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) was also detected shortly after the introduction of the uncoupler. On the other hand, MBR’s physicochemical parameters were restored to initial values a week after the addition of pNP. Moreover, remarkable changes in beta-diversity were noted after pNP addition. An increase of Bacteroidetes, Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes over Actinobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria was also observed after pNP addition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Based Processes and Applications for Water Reclamation)
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18 pages, 4964 KiB  
Article
Towards a Sustainable Water Supply: Humic Acid Removal Employing Coagulation and Tangential Cross Flow Microfiltration
by Mohammed Wali Hakami, Abdullah Alkhudhiri, Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof and Nidal Hilal
Water 2019, 11(10), 2093; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11102093 - 8 Oct 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 8655
Abstract
Synthetic solutions assimilating irrigated groundwater containing varying concentrations of humic acid (10 mg/L), saline (10–35 g/L) and metal agents (5–10 mg/L), were processed through a ceramic microfiltration membrane (Sterilox Ltd., 0.5 μm). This was done with enrichment schemes using polymeric coagulants (PDADMAC) applied [...] Read more.
Synthetic solutions assimilating irrigated groundwater containing varying concentrations of humic acid (10 mg/L), saline (10–35 g/L) and metal agents (5–10 mg/L), were processed through a ceramic microfiltration membrane (Sterilox Ltd., 0.5 μm). This was done with enrichment schemes using polymeric coagulants (PDADMAC) applied to enhance the removal of the above-mentioned pollutants. The study was conducted with the scope of investigating the feasibility of sequential and hybrid coagulation and microfiltration as a method of choice for drinking water treatment. Membrane microfiltration is easily scalable into various arrangements, allowing versatility in operation and enrichment schemes, with a relatively lower cost which other treatment practices do not allow. The highest humic acid removal, 91.11% was achieved with hybrid coagulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Based Processes and Applications for Water Reclamation)
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30 pages, 4185 KiB  
Article
Computational Thermodynamic Analysis of the Interaction between Coagulants and Monosaccharides as a Tool to Quantify the Fouling Potential Reduction in the Biofilm Membrane Bioreactor
by Olga Kulesha and Harsha Ratnaweera
Water 2019, 11(6), 1275; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061275 - 18 Jun 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2693
Abstract
The membrane bioreactor (MBR) and the biofilm membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) are among key solutions to water scarcity; however, membrane fouling is the major bottleneck for any expansion of these technologies. Prepolymerized aluminum coagulants tend to exhibit the greatest extent of fouling alleviation, with [...] Read more.
The membrane bioreactor (MBR) and the biofilm membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) are among key solutions to water scarcity; however, membrane fouling is the major bottleneck for any expansion of these technologies. Prepolymerized aluminum coagulants tend to exhibit the greatest extent of fouling alleviation, with the reduction of soluble microbial products (SMPs) being among the governing mechanisms, which, nevertheless, has been poorly understood. This current study demonstrates that the investigation of the chemical coordination of monosaccharides, which are the major foulants in MBR and BF-MBR, to the main hydrolysis species of the prepolymerized aluminum coagulant, is among the key approaches to the comprehension of the fouling mitigation mechanisms in BF-MBR. Quantum chemical and thermodynamic calculations, together with the multivariate chemometric analysis, allowed the team to determine the principal mechanisms of the SMPs removal, understand the thermodynamic patterns of fouling mitigation, develop the model for the prediction of the fouling mitigation based on the thermodynamic stability of the inorganic-organic complexes, and classify these complexes into thermodynamically stable and less stable species. The results of the study are practically significant for the development of plant surveillance and automated process control with regard to MBR and BF-MBR systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Based Processes and Applications for Water Reclamation)
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42 pages, 6005 KiB  
Article
Strategy for Flux Enhancement in Biofilm Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor Applying Prepolymerized and Non-Prepolymerized Inorganic Coagulants
by Olga Kulesha, Zakhar Maletskyi, Knut Kvaal and Harsha Ratnaweera
Water 2019, 11(3), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11030446 - 2 Mar 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4182
Abstract
Considering new legislative and economic restrictions caused by the water crisis, this work focuses on a more efficient wastewater treatment process, which combines biological treatment in a moving bed biofilm system with a membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) and coagulation, particularly addressing fouling alleviation in [...] Read more.
Considering new legislative and economic restrictions caused by the water crisis, this work focuses on a more efficient wastewater treatment process, which combines biological treatment in a moving bed biofilm system with a membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) and coagulation, particularly addressing fouling alleviation in the separation stage. The study justifies the positive impact of coagulant dosing in BF-MBR regarding membrane flux and fouling rate. Statistical techniques connect the results of coagulation and membrane separation experiments with properties of mixed liquor, obtained after biotreatment in the representative pilot plant and characteristics of prepolymerized and non-prepolymerized inorganic coagulants. Research results substantiate the need for a pH-controlled coagulation of mixed liquor in BF-MBR depending on coagulant type, which influences charge, hydrophobicity and size of flocs and organic content of the system. It is suggested, that the adsorption/charge neutralization mechanism dominates in flux enhancement in BF-MBR, giving the best results in the case of prepolymerized aluminium coagulants. Together with high quality of permeate, the application of prepolymerized aluminium chloride of medium basicity entails a tenfold increase in filtration time of the membrane separation cycle and increases net membrane flux by 30–56%. The results of the study are practically significant for the development of an automated control system for BF-MBR, optimizing treatment rates together with membrane separation efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Based Processes and Applications for Water Reclamation)
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Review

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27 pages, 1057 KiB  
Review
Research on Forward Osmosis Membrane Technology Still Needs Improvement in Water Recovery and Wastewater Treatment
by Li Li, Wenxin Shi and Shuili Yu
Water 2020, 12(1), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12010107 - 29 Dec 2019
Cited by 50 | Viewed by 8528
Abstract
Forward osmosis (FO) has become an evolving membrane separation technology to recover water due to its strong retention capacity, sustainable membrane fouling, etc. Although a good deal of research has been extensively investigated in the past decades, major challenges still remain as follows: [...] Read more.
Forward osmosis (FO) has become an evolving membrane separation technology to recover water due to its strong retention capacity, sustainable membrane fouling, etc. Although a good deal of research has been extensively investigated in the past decades, major challenges still remain as follows: (1) the novel FO membrane material properties, which significantly influence the fouling of the FO membranes, the intolerance reverse solute flux (RSF), the high concentration polarization (CP), and the low permeate flux; (2) novel draw solution preparation and utilization; (3) salinity build-up in the FO system; (4) the successful implementation of the FO process. This work critically reviews the last five years’ literature in development of the novel FO membrane material, structure in modification, and preparation, including comparison and analysis on the traditional and novel draw solutes coupled with their effects on FO performance; application in wastewater treatment, especially hybrid system and integrated FO system; fouling mechanism; and cleaning strategy as discussed in the literature. The current barriers of the research results in each hotspot and the areas that can be improved are also analyzed in detail. The research hotspots in the research and development of the novel membrane materials in various countries and regions have been compared in recent years, and the work of variation in pop research hotspots in the past 10 years has been analyzed and the ideas that fill the blank gaps also have been proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane-Based Processes and Applications for Water Reclamation)
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