• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.399-405
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• 2017

The zeta potential, called an electrokinetic potential, refers to the potential difference caused by electrodynamic phenomenon, which is a value obtained by quantifying the surface charge property. The zeta potential has been actively studied for membrane fouling, confirmation of modification and substituent confirmation through surface charge analysis. The methods of measurement for zeta potential were developed on the basis of electrophoresis, electrosmosis and streaming potential. Among them, it was known that the streaming potential method was suitable for the flat sheet membrane. So, in this study, aminated poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) membranes were prepared by introducing ammonium groups and the streaming potentials of the prepared membranes were measured by using an electrokinetic potential analyzer (SurPASS) and the results were analyzed.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.237-249
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• 2015

In this study we investigate a laboratory scale vacuum membrane distillation system to produce pure water from model oil in water emulsion. Experimental determination of liquid entry pressure (LEP) of a commercial Durapore$^{TM}$ GVPH flat sheet membrane using model emulsions in various oil concentrations has been carried out. Two different methods of liquid entry pressure determination - a frequently used, so-called static and a novel dynamic method - have been investigated. In case of static method, LEP value was found to be 2.3 bar. No significant effect of oil content on LEP was detected up to 3200 ppm. In contrast, LEP values determined with dynamic method showed strong dependence on the oil concentration of the feed and decreased from 2.0 bar to a spontaneous wetting at 0.2 bar in the range 0-250 ppm, respectively. Vacuum membrane distillation tests were also performed. The separation performance is evaluated in terms of flux behavior, total organic carbon removal and droplet size distribution of the feed and final retentate. No significant effect of oil content on the flux was found ($5.05{\pm}0.31kgm^{-2}h^{-1}$) up to 250 ppm, where a spontaneous wetting occurred. High separation performance was achieved along with the increasing oil concentration between 93.4-97.0%.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1746-1754
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• 2016

Recently, spherical beads entrapping quorum quenching (QQ) bacteria have been reported as effective moving QQ-media for biofouling control in MBRs for wastewater treatment owing to their combined effects of biological (i.e., quorum quenching) and physical washing. Taking into account both the mass transfer of signal molecules through the QQ-medium and collision efficiencies of the QQ-medium against the filtration membranes in a bioreactor, a cylindrical medium (QQ-cylinder) was developed as a new shape of moving QQ-medium. The QQ-cylinders were compared with previous QQ-beads in terms of the QQ activity and the physical washing effect under identical loading volumes of each medium in batch tests. It was found that the QQ activity of a QQ-medium was highly dependent on its specific surface area, regardless of the shape of the medium. In contrast, the physical washing effect of a QQ-medium was greatly affected by its geometric structure. The enhanced anti-biofouling property of the QQ-cylinders relative to QQ-beads was confirmed in a continuous laboratory-scale MBR with a flat-sheet membrane module.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2014

Polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were modified by various physico-chemical modification methods to enhance the surface hydrophilicity for application as a separation membrane to separate and collect water vapor from the flue gas. Homogeneous PES flat-sheet membranes were prepared and modified by acid treatment, blending and plasma treatment for hydrophilic surface modification. The surface characteristics of the modified PES membranes were evaluated by ATR-FTIR, XPS, SEM and contact angle measurements. No significant change in hydrophilicity was observed for the PES membranes modified by acid treatment with sulfuric acid or blending with various compositions of poloxamer as an amphiphilic PEO-PPO-PEO tri-block copolymer. On the other hand, Ar plasma treatment led to a significant increase in the hydrophilicity of the surface, depending on the plasma treatment time. As a result, the PES membrane could be the most efficiently surface-treated by applying the plasma treatment for enhancing their surface hydrophilicity.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.377-388
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• 2011

Flat sheet microfiltration membranes were prepared with polysulfone (PSF), polyethersulfone (PES), and polyphenylsulfone (PPS) by an immersion precipitation phase inversion method. In this method, dimethyl formamide (DMF) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were used as a solvent and a wetting polymer additive, respectively. 2-butoxyethanol (BE) was used as a nonsolvent additive catalyst to form pore. The morphology of membranes was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and micropermporometer. The permeability of the membranes was evaluated with the flux of pure water. When the BE was added, the pore size of membranes became larger than blank membranes. The changes in the morphology of membrane due to the BE addition depend on polymer structure. All membranes have similar mean pore size and porosity. The mean pore sizes of PSF, PES, and PPS membranes were 0.282, 0.330 $0.308{\mu}m$, respectively. The porosities of PSF, PES and PPS membranes were 68.5, 66.1, 66.4%, respectively. However, the PPS membrane showed higher pore density on surface and narrower pore size distribution than PSF or PES membrane does. As a result, the pure water flux of PPS membrane ($357L/m^2\;hr$) was higher than that of PSF ($196L/m^2\;hr$) or PES membrane ($214L/m^2\;hr$).

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.178-190
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• 2012

Flat sheet membranes were prepared with polysulfone (PSF) by an immersion precipitation phase inversion method. Membranes were prepared with PSF/N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/phosphoric acid casting solution and water coagulant. By using the successive process of the vapor-induced phase inversion (VIPS) followed by the nonsolvent-induced phase inversion (NIPS), the effect of phosphoric acid addition to casting solution on morphology and permeability of membrane was studied. The mean pore size, the porosity, and the water flux of membranes were increased by the addition of small amount of phosphoric acid. Furthermore, the morphology of the prepared membranes were changed from a dense sponge-like structure to highly enhanced asymmetric structure. PSF/NMP/PVP/phosphoric acid/2-butoxyethanol (BE) casting solution were prepared and cast the successive VIPS-NIPS process with same experimental condition. Due to the addition of BE to casting solution, the mean pore size and almost 0.1 ${\mu}m$ and the water flux increased about 10 to 12 $L/cm^2{\cdot}min{\cdot}bar$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 1995

For several years lots of attempts have been made to establish the liquid membrane-based techniques for separations of gas mixtures especially containing carbon dioxide. A more effective system to separate $CO_{2}$ from flue gases, a circulatory hollow-fiber membrane absorber(HFMA) consisting of absorption and desorption modules with vacuum mode, has been considered in this study. Gas-liquid mass transfer has been modeled on a membrane module with non-wetted hollow-fibers in the laminar flow regime. The influence of an absorbent flow rate on the separation performance of the circulatory HFMA can be predicted quantitatively by obtaining the $CO_{2}$ concentration profile in a tube side. The system of $CO_{2}/N_{2}$ binary gas mixture has been studied using pure water as an(inert) absorbent. As the absorbent flow rate is increased, the permeation flux(i.e., defined as permeation rate/membrane contact area) also increases. The enhanced selectivity compared to the previous results, on the other hand, shows the decreasing behavior. It has been found obviously that the permeation flux depends on the variations of pressure in gas phase of desorption module. From an accurate comparison with the results of conventional flat sheet membrane module, the advantageous permeability of this circulatory HFMA can be clearly ascertained as expected. Our efforts to the theoretical model will provide the basic analysis on the circulatory HFMA technique for a better design and process.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.169-176
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• 2008

The concentration of fresh gel from Aloe vera L. by using ulfrafiltration (UF) process was investigated and analyzed. The two membranes (organic and ceramic) with different molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and modules (flat sheet and tubular) was used. Under optimum operation conditions, ceramic (zirconium dioxide) tubular membrane with MWCO of 50 kDa resulted in higher flux, less fouling, more turbid, higher total solid, higher polysaccharide and less aloin content. Optimum operation conditions were transmembrane pressure of 1.0 bar, feed velocity of 240 L/hr and temperature of $23^{\circ}C$. Volume concentration factor of aloe gel was 3.13 at permeate flux of $51.1\;L/m^2{\cdot}hr$ after processing time of 1.66 hr. Aloin in fresh aloe gel by UF process was effectively removed as permeate and bioactive polysaccharide content was 2.1 times higher than that of fresh aloe gel. These results allowed a very good level of concentration degree and polysaccharide content. Thus, ultrafiltration process of this study was suitable for the concentration of fresh aloe gel though the aloe concentrate showed both the viscosity decrease and partially separation of liquid layer during storage at $4^{\circ}C$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.201-207
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• 2012

In this study, we investigated permeation of single gas ($N_2$, $O_2$, $CF_4$, and $SF_6$) through flat sheet membrane composed of PDMS (poly-dimethylsiloxane) and PEBAX (polyether block amides). Gas permeation experiment was performed with various feed pressure. Permeability was estimated using permeation flux measured by continuous-flow technique. The permeability of gases except $SF_6$ in PDMS were decreased with the upstream pressure increased. $SF_6$ is much more permeable than $CF_4$, which is due to higher critical temperature of $SF_6$. The permeability decreased in the following order: $O_2$ > $N_2$ > $SF_6$ > $CF_4$. On the other hand, the permeability of gases in PEBAX followed the order: $O_2$ > $N_2$ > $CF_4$ > $SF_6$ which are opposite of the order of kinematic diameter (${\AA}$)($SF_6$ > $CF_4$ > $N_2$ > $O_2$). The $SF_6/CF_4$ pure gas selectivity in PDMS was 2.1 at 0.7 MPa.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2014

Porous flat sheet membranes for separators in Zn air batteries were prepared with polyethersulfone (PES) solutions by immersion precipitation phase inversion method. PES/polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)/N-methylpyrrolidone(NMP) mixtures were used for casting solutions and water was used for coagulant. With the separators, Zn air batteries were fabricated. The separators were characterized by means of stress-strain test, impedance test and SEM. The Zn air batteries were tested by current interrupt method (CIM) and galvanostatic discharge method. The tensile strength increased with increasing PES content in the casting solution while the ionic conductivity decreased. On the other hand, the ionic conductivity increased while the tensile strength decreased with increasing PVP content. The effect of ionic conductivity trend of the separator in the Zn air battery was confirmed through current interrupt method and galvanostatic discharge method experiments. The battery with the separator from casting solution with higher PES content showed higher IR drop and lower discharge capacity. And the battery with the separator from casting solution with higher PVP content showed lower IR drop and higher discharge capacity.