• Membrane Journal
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2013

The effect of humic acid (HA), and the roles of microfiltration (MF), PES (polyethersulfone) beads adsorption, and photo-oxidation were investigated in hybrid process of ceramic MF and PES beads loaded with titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) photocatalyst for advanced drinking water treatment. Those were compared and studied in viewpoints of membrane fouling resistance ($R_f$), permeate flux (J), and total permeate volume ($V_T$). Because membrane fouling increased dramatically as decreasing HA, $R_f$ increased and J decreased, and finally $V_T$ was the highest at 2 mg/L HA. In the experiment to investigate the roles of photo-oxidation and adsorption at humic acid 4 mg/L and 6 mg/L. In both conditions, $R_f$ was the lowest and $V_T$ was the highest in MF + $TiO_2$ + UV process. The average treatment efficiencies of turbidity and dissolved organic matters were the highest in MF + $TiO_2$ + UV process, too.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.441-449
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• 2012

Effect of humic acid (HA) with periodic nitrogen back-flushing was investigated in hybrid process of alumina microfiltration and photocatalyst for drinking water treatment. It was compared and investigated with the previous results of microfiltration water back-flushing or ultrafiltration nitrogen back-flushing in viewpoints of membrane fouling resistance ($R_f$), permeate flux (J), and total permeate volume ($V_T$). As results, the trends of membrane fouling were different depending on nitrogen or water back-flushing, and depending on ultrafiltration or microfiltration made with the same material. Also, the nitrogen back-flushing using microfiltration was more effective membrane fouling inhibition than ultrafiltration, and the nitrogen back-flushing was more effective than water back-flushing using the same microfiltration membrane. Turbidity treatment efficiencies were almost constant independent of HA concentration, but HA treatment efficiency was the maximum at HA 10 mg/L. From this results, it was shown that the treated water HA quality increased as increasing HA concentration, but HA could be removed the most effectively by photocatalyst beads adsorption and photo-oxidation at HA 10 mg/L.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.203-211
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• 2009

In this study, we used the hybrid module that was composed of granular activated carbons (GAC) packing between module inside and outside of tubular ceramic microfiltration membrane for advanced drinking water treatment. Instead of natural organic matters (NOM) and fine inorganic particles in natural water source, modified solution was prepared with humic acid and kaolin. $N_2$-back-flushing of 10 sec was performed per every period of 10 min to minimize membrane fouling and to improve permeate flux (J). As a result, resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$) decreased and J increased as concentration of humic acid changed from 10 mg/L to 2 mg/L step by step, and finally the highest total permeate volume ($V_T$) could be obtained at 2 mg/L. Then, treatment efficiencies of turbidity and $UV_{254}$ absorbance were excellent above 99.36% and 97.19%, respectively, but that of $UV_{254}$ absorbance for only microfiltration without GAC at 10 mg/L of humic acid was decreased a little as 90.84%.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.216-223
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• 2012

The effect of water back-flushing period (FT) was investigated in hybrid process of carbon fiber microfiltration membrane and photocatalyst for advanced drinking water treatment in this study, and compared with the previous study using alumina ultrafiltration membrane. The FT was changed in the range of 2~10 min with fixed 10 sec of BT. Then, the FT effects on resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$), permeate flux (J) and total permeate volume ($V_T$) were observed during total filtration time of 180 min. As decreasing FT, $R_f$ decreased and J increased, which was same with the previous result using alumina ultrafiltration membrane. The treatment efficiency of turbidity was high beyond 99.2%, and the effect of FT was not shown on treatment efficiency of turbidity, which was different with the previous result. The treatment efficiency of organic matters was the lowest value of 65.6% at NBF, and it increased as decreasing FT, which was different with the previous result, too. The reason was that the membrane fouling phenomena could show a different mechanism depending on ceramic membrane materials.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2008

The Gongji stream water of Chuncheon city was filtrated by 2 kinds of tubular alumina ceramic MF membranes with periodic $N_2$-back-flushing. $N_2$-back-flushing time (BT) was changed in $0{\sim}50$ sec at fixed filtration time (FT), or back-flushing period, of 4 min for NCMT-5231 membrane ($0.05\;{\mu}m$). Then, FT was changed in $0{\sim}32$ min at fixed BT of 40 sec for NCMT-7231 $0.1{\mu}m)$). In the viewpoints of total permeate volume ($V_T$), dimensionless permeate flux ($J/J_0$) and resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$), the optimal $N_2$-BT was 50 sec, which was the longest BT, at 4 min FT for NCMT-5231. It means the longest BT was the most effective to minimize the membrane fouling, and we could acquire the most $V_T$. But the optimal FT for NCMT-7231 was 16 min in the viewpoint of $V_T$, and was 8 min in the viewpoints of $J/J_0$ and $R_f$ at fixed BT of 40 sec. The rejection rates were excellent as $80.6{\sim}96.6\;%$ for turbidity, $35.2{\sim}58.4%$ for $NH_3$-N, $16.3{\sim}45.2%$ for T-P and $16.3{\sim}45.2%$ for $COD_{Mn}$. However, the rejection rate of T-N was very low as $2.7{\sim}13.4%$ and it of TDS below 6.1%.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.297-316
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• 2010

Membrane fouling is one of the major operational concerns of membrane processes which results in loss of productivity. This paper investigates the ultrafiltration (UF) results of synthetic oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion using flat sheets of polysulfone (PSf) membrane synthesized with four different compositions. The aim is to identify the mechanisms responsible for the observed permeate flux reduction with time for different PSf membranes. The experiments were carried out at four transmembrane pressures i.e., 68.9 kPa, 103.4 kPa, 137.9 kPa and 172.4 kPa. Three initial oil concentrations i.e., 75 $mgL^{-1}$, 100 $mgL^{-1}$ and 200 $mgL^{-1}$ were considered. The resistance-in-series (RIS) model was applied to interpret the data and on that basis, the individual resistances were evaluated. The significances of these resistances were studied in relation to parameters, namely, transmembrane pressure and initial oil concentration. The total resistance to permeate flow is found to increase with increase in both transmembrane pressure and initial oil concentration while for higher oil concentration, resistance due to concentration polarization is found to be the prevailing resistance. The applicability of the constant pressure filtration models to the experimental data was also tested to explain the blocking process. The study shows that intermediate pore blocking is the dominant mechanism at the initial period of UF while in the later period, the fouling process is found to approach cake filtration like mechanism. However, the duration of pore blocking mechanism is different for different membranes depending on their morphological and permeation properties.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.293-310
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• 2017

An ultrasonic assisting vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) system was designed to promote the heat and mass transfer in membrane distillation (MD) process. Both the effects of operating conditions and ultrasonic parameters to permeation flux in this process were investigated; the heat and mass transfer mechanism was also being discussed in this paper. The results showed that the performance of VMD process was improved significantly by ultrasonic assisting. The permeation flux was boosted at a certain feed solution temperature, pressure at permeate side and feed solution velocity whether or not to PP and PTFE. The results also indicated that ultrasonic power and frequency also was the key factor affecting the mass and transfer efficiencies. The feed side transfer coefficient ($K_f$), corresponding to ultrasonic power ($K_f=4.406-0.026{\times}P+7.824{\times}10^{-5}{\times}P^2$) and ultrasonic frequency ($K_f=0.941+0.598{\times}f-0.012{\times}f^2+6.283{\times}10^{-5}f^3$), was obtained and employed in the modeling of ultrasonic assisting VMD process. The modeling results showed that the calculated value of $K_f$ aligned with experimental results well. Both variations of temperature polarization coefficient (TPC) and concentration polarization coefficient (CPC) were studied based on the obtained data. The results showed that both TPC and CPC were improved obviously by the ultrasonic parameters.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.148-156
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• 1998

Diffusion dialysis is a membrane process driven by concentration difference using ion-exchange membranes and has been employed for many years for the acid recovery from acidic waste generated in steel, metal-refining and dectro-plating industries. Theoretically acid flux increases in propomon to the acid concentration difference. At acid concentrations higher than 3 N HCl, however, the acid flux had not increased linearly with the concentration difference. In this paper the effects of acid concentrations on diffusion dialysis for hydrochloric acid recovery and the acid transport mechanism in an anion exchange membrane were studied by membrane sorption tests and diffusion clialysis cell tests. The experimental results showed that the molecular diffusion was a major transport mechanism in a low acid concentration range and the proton leakage through an anion exchange membrane played an important role at higher acid concentrations. Also osmotic water transport and membrane dehydration retarded the transport of protons and caused the permeate flux to decrease.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.36-42
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• 1999

Permeation behavior of the semiconductor rinsing wastewater contammg Si particles was examined by ultrafiltration using the polyolefin tubular membrane. Flux decline with time was due to the growth of Si cake deposited on the membrane surface and the pore plugging by Si particles. Cake filtration from the cross flow application is compared to the combination of pore blocking and cake filtration from the dead-end application. The cake resistance is 3.16 x $10^{12}$ -4.34 X $\times$$10^{12}$ $m^{-1}$ for the cross flow and 6.6 x $\times$$10^{12}$ -12.19 X $\times$$10^{12}$ $\times$$m^{-1}$for the dead-end flow, respectively. At the initial stage of operation, permeation flux of cross flow type was 1.7 time higher than that of the dead end flow type. Permeation flux of cross flow was about 42 e 1m2 hr and the rejection rate of Si particles was about 96 %. The average particle size of Si particle in the permeate was 20 nm.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 2004

Ultrafiltration membranes based on anion charged poly(bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone pyromellite) imide derivatives (ACPI) were prepared by the phase inversion method. The polymers have good solubility in aprotic polar solvents. The composition of casting solution and the casting conditions played an important role in determining the permeation characteristics of membrane because the membrane structure could be controlled by the preparation conditions. The extent of fouling-repression was observed by the relative ratio of permeate flux ($J_t$)/pure water flux ($J_0$) and the membrane filtration index (MFI). The characteristics were measured by aqueous solution of bovine serum albumin (BSA) over a pH range of 2.5-9.0. The ACPI membrane having a hydrophilic property was less fouled than the membrane prepared from the original polyimide. With increasing the ion exchange capacity of ACPI membrane, th $\varepsilon$ relative ratio of flux was higher while the membrane filtration index was lower as compared with the original polyimide membrane. From the further away from isoelectric point of bovin serum albumin, the permeation was higher as well as the formation of fouling was more diminish. ACPI membranes having various their properties could be obtained. Further, it was proved that their permeation properties could be determined from the preparation conditions, various operating conditions, and dim $\varepsilon$ rent ion exchange capacity of anion charged polyimide derivatives.