As a cost-effective and sustainable technique, the hybrid forward osmosis (FO)-membrane distillation (MD) system has been conceptually demonstrated for the non-thermal concentration of skim milk and the regeneration of draw solution (DS). The FO unit was employed to concentrate skim milk, achieving up to a 2.91-fold based on total soluble solids (TSS) within 24 h. Meanwhile, the MD unit was used for the regeneration of the diluted DS from the FO process, restoring its high osmotic pressure. Enzymatic cleaning containing 0.1 % trypsin and 0.1 % lactase proved to be the most efficient cleaning method to restore water flux. The diluted DS from FO could be reconcentrated to its original level using MD process. The analysis of membrane fouling revealed that proteins and polysaccharides were the primary constituents of the fouling layer during the concentration of skim milk. The degree of membrane fouling was affected by the driving force and hydrodynamic conditions. Furthermore, the hybrid FO-MD system showed superior performance, with energy consumption nearly 50 % lower than that of traditional evaporator. Overall, this work provides a scientific and engineering foundation for the potential application of the FO-MD process in the non-thermal concentration of skim milk and the recovery of DS.
Through the illustrative application of biogas treatment, this paper investigates the impact of concentration polarization on the separation performance of emerging inorganic membranes in membrane gas separation processes. The results show that polarization may significantly reduce the biogas purification rate, although its effects on methane recovery remain moderate. Contrary to previous assumptions, the impact of polarization does not monotonously increase with increasing permeance to CO2 and selectivity. Material selectivity is shown to not significantly influence the polarization intensity, and the CO2 permeance at which peak polarization conditions occur is not constant but varies depending on the operating and geometric conditions considered. The impact of polarization impact intensifies with increasing fiber diameter and operating pressure, preventing taking full advantage of the exceptional permeances of inorganic membranes, and therefore, constitutes a major obstacle to their use as an alternative to conventional polymeric fibers.
To address the constraint of polyether block amide (PEBA) membrane in separating CO2 from N2, this study focused on developing PEBA/CNC-EGME mixed matrix membranes featuring an interconnected network. Crystal nano cellulose (CNC) bio-based fillers were employed as fixed fillers in these membranes, while ethylene glycol monophenyl ether (EGME) served as a semi-mobile agent. Various membranes were prepared by adding different ratios of CNC solution to PEBA and PEBA-EGME solutions. The structure and separation performance of these membranes were then examined using various techniques. It was observed that the membranes containing higher ratios of CNC exhibited superior performance compared to the Robeson upper bound line. This can be attributed to an adequate amount of CNC fillers, which enabled the establishment of an interconnected structure across the membrane width. As a result, these membranes were able to overcome the trade-off limitation and achieve higher performance. Among the fabricated membranes, the P1CNC1 membrane demonstrated the top performance, with a CO2/N2 selectivity of 113 and CO2 permeability of 100.75 Barrer. In the membranes where EGME is combined with CNC, the presence of EGME molecules as semi-mobile agents alongside CNC fillers successfully addressed the dissociation of the CO2 transport mechanism at low CNC ratios. This behavior allowed the establishment of interconnected networks even at low CNC ratios, enabling all membranes containing CNC and EGME to surpass the Robeson upper bound line. Notably, the P3CNC1EGME membrane exhibited the highest CO2 permeability (111 Barrer), and the P1CNC1EGME membrane demonstrated the highest CO2/N2 selectivity (121.9), which were 30 % and 166 % higher than those of the pure membrane, respectively.