Pub Date : 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119920
Rui Gao , Hui Shi , Zhiwei Qiu , Ruobin Dai , Xubiao Luo , Zhiwei Wang
With the rapid retirement of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), efficiently and environmentally friendly recovering Co2+ and Li+ from LIBs acidic leachates is crucial for meeting the demand for strategic metals. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes, featuring the potential of selective separation of ions, has shown remarkable promise in LIBs acidic leachate recycling. In this work, PDA@PEI surface deposition was employed to endow commercial NF membranes with surface charge and pore size regulation. The modified membrane exhibited a Co2+/Li+ separation factor (SF) of 70.8 in LIBs acidic leachates—far exceeding the intrinsic performance of conventional negatively charged NF membranes (SF = 11.5). DSPM-DE modeling demonstrated that membrane modification intensifies Donnan exclusion by enriching surface positive charge, while simultaneous pore-size reduction reinforces steric screening, synergistically enhancing Co2+/Li+ selectivity. Notably, the modified membrane achieved permeate quality comparable to that of a conventional two-stage NF process under single-stage operation and reduced energy consumption by 13% at a low operating pressure of 10 bar. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the feasibility of efficient Co2+/Li+ separation from spent LIBs leachates and highlight its potential to enhance both the resource-recovery efficiency and environmental sustainability of lithium-ion battery recycling.
{"title":"Surface charge and pore size regulation for nanofiltration membrane enables enhanced Co/Li separation performance","authors":"Rui Gao , Hui Shi , Zhiwei Qiu , Ruobin Dai , Xubiao Luo , Zhiwei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119920","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119920","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the rapid retirement of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), efficiently and environmentally friendly recovering Co<sup>2+</sup> and Li<sup>+</sup> from LIBs acidic leachates is crucial for meeting the demand for strategic metals. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes, featuring the potential of selective separation of ions, has shown remarkable promise in LIBs acidic leachate recycling. In this work, PDA@PEI surface deposition was employed to endow commercial NF membranes with surface charge and pore size regulation. The modified membrane exhibited a Co<sup>2+</sup>/Li<sup>+</sup> separation factor (SF) of 70.8 in LIBs acidic leachates—far exceeding the intrinsic performance of conventional negatively charged NF membranes (SF = 11.5). DSPM-DE modeling demonstrated that membrane modification intensifies Donnan exclusion by enriching surface positive charge, while simultaneous pore-size reduction reinforces steric screening, synergistically enhancing Co<sup>2+</sup>/Li<sup>+</sup> selectivity. Notably, the modified membrane achieved permeate quality comparable to that of a conventional two-stage NF process under single-stage operation and reduced energy consumption by 13% at a low operating pressure of 10 bar. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the feasibility of efficient Co<sup>2+</sup>/Li<sup>+</sup> separation from spent LIBs leachates and highlight its potential to enhance both the resource-recovery efficiency and environmental sustainability of lithium-ion battery recycling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119920"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119918
Anni Xiao , Caiyun Jia , Xiaoxia Fang , Pujun Wang , Qi Zhuo , LuYao Wang , Yixin Li , Hao Li , Zhipeng Yu , Haijun Zhang
The removal of Ca2+ is an essential step in the treatment of high salinity mine water, and the endogenous Ca2+ and large amounts of SO42− ions therein endow seed induced calcium sulfate crystallization with a significant advantage as a pre-softening step in water treatment, but the influence of solution composition on calcium sulfate crystallization behaviors remains largely unexplored. In this work, it is demonstrated that seed induced calcium sulfate crystallization can reduce Ca2+ concentration from 900 mg/L to the theoretical saturation solubility of gypsum (476 mg/L). The addition of seed crystal significantly improves Ca2+ removal rate and efficiency by providing adequate growth sites. The increase of solution temperature, Na+ concentration and Mg2+ concentration decreases the saturation index of gypsum, thereby reducing Ca2+ removal efficiency. Specifically, a lower HCO3− concentration suppresses Ca2+ removal rate and efficiency, whereas a higher concentration at 800 mg/L alleviates the inhibitory effect owing to the coprecipitation of CaCO3. Coexistence of multiple ions exhibits a synergistic enhancement in Ca2+ removal at low concentrations, but restrains the removal at high concentrations compared to individual ions. In situ liquid cell microscope observation showed that seed induced crystallization occurred through the formation of multiple regular jagged protrusions along the (010) plane of gypsum seed crystal via a classical ion addition growth pathway. Altogether, this work provides a novel comprehensive understanding of solution mediated calcium sulfate crystallization behaviors concerning high salinity mine water softening and offers broader implications for the global sulfur cycle and sustainable water resource management.
{"title":"Seed induced calcium sulfate crystallization for high salinity mine water softening: Influence of solution composition on crystallization behaviors","authors":"Anni Xiao , Caiyun Jia , Xiaoxia Fang , Pujun Wang , Qi Zhuo , LuYao Wang , Yixin Li , Hao Li , Zhipeng Yu , Haijun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The removal of Ca<sup>2+</sup> is an essential step in the treatment of high salinity mine water, and the endogenous Ca<sup>2+</sup> and large amounts of SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> ions therein endow seed induced calcium sulfate crystallization with a significant advantage as a pre-softening step in water treatment, but the influence of solution composition on calcium sulfate crystallization behaviors remains largely unexplored. In this work, it is demonstrated that seed induced calcium sulfate crystallization can reduce Ca<sup>2+</sup> concentration from 900 mg/L to the theoretical saturation solubility of gypsum (476 mg/L). The addition of seed crystal significantly improves Ca<sup>2+</sup> removal rate and efficiency by providing adequate growth sites. The increase of solution temperature, Na<sup>+</sup> concentration and Mg<sup>2+</sup> concentration decreases the saturation index of gypsum, thereby reducing Ca<sup>2+</sup> removal efficiency. Specifically, a lower HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> concentration suppresses Ca<sup>2+</sup> removal rate and efficiency, whereas a higher concentration at 800 mg/L alleviates the inhibitory effect owing to the coprecipitation of CaCO<sub>3</sub>. Coexistence of multiple ions exhibits a synergistic enhancement in Ca<sup>2+</sup> removal at low concentrations, but restrains the removal at high concentrations compared to individual ions. In situ liquid cell microscope observation showed that seed induced crystallization occurred through the formation of multiple regular jagged protrusions along the (010) plane of gypsum seed crystal via a classical ion addition growth pathway. Altogether, this work provides a novel comprehensive understanding of solution mediated calcium sulfate crystallization behaviors concerning high salinity mine water softening and offers broader implications for the global sulfur cycle and sustainable water resource management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119918"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119900
Muhammad Irtaza Sajjad Haider , Guijian Liu , Balal Yousaf , Muhammad Arif , Kiran Aziz , Bisma Sattar , Muhammad Zeeshan Gulzar , Hameer Chand , Ruijia Liu
The persistence of micropollutants in aquatic environments poses serious risks to ecosystems and public health. Levofloxacin (LVFX), a widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is frequently detected in industrial wastewater and resists removal by conventional treatment methods. In this study, a photo-assisted advanced oxidation process (AOPs) was developed using acid-modified bamboo biochar for efficient removal of LVFX. Here, we modified bamboo biochar with various acids (H3PO4, H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3) to improve LVFX removal from industrial effluents. Effects of critical parameters, including pH, contact time, temperature, adsorbent dosage, co-existing ions, and LVFX concentrations, were systematically evaluated. The results revealed that H2SO4-ABC material exhibited the highest removal rate of LVFX (100%) at an initial concentration of LVFX 5 mg/L within 360 min. Notably, photodegradation further enhanced removal efficiency (100%) within 120 min, indicating strong photocatalytic activity of material. Under visible light irradiation, H2SO4-ABC facilitates efficient degradation of LVFX through a synergistic mechanism involving photocatalytically generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and secondary adsorption of persistent intermediates. Kinetic modeling indicated that the removal process conformed to Elovich model (R2 = 0.9833), whereas equilibrium data aligned with Sips isotherm (R2 = 0.9927), indicating hybrid mechanisms involving both physisorption and chemisorption. Physicochemical characterization revealed that H2SO4-ABC material has increased surface area, pore volume, and oxygen-functional groups. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. Achieved a low removal cost of $0.74 per gram of LVFX and retained over 85% efficiency after five reuse cycles, confirming its sustainability and scalability for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.
{"title":"Synergistic photo-assisted AOPs using acid-modified biochar: Enhanced micropollutant levofloxacin degradation in industrial wastewater","authors":"Muhammad Irtaza Sajjad Haider , Guijian Liu , Balal Yousaf , Muhammad Arif , Kiran Aziz , Bisma Sattar , Muhammad Zeeshan Gulzar , Hameer Chand , Ruijia Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119900","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119900","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The persistence of micropollutants in aquatic environments poses serious risks to ecosystems and public health. Levofloxacin (LVFX), a widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is frequently detected in industrial wastewater and resists removal by conventional treatment methods. In this study, a photo-assisted advanced oxidation process (AOPs) was developed using acid-modified bamboo biochar for efficient removal of LVFX. Here, we modified bamboo biochar with various acids (H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>, HCl, and HNO<sub>3</sub>) to improve LVFX removal from industrial effluents. Effects of critical parameters, including pH, contact time, temperature, adsorbent dosage, co-existing ions, and LVFX concentrations, were systematically evaluated. The results revealed that H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-ABC material exhibited the highest removal rate of LVFX (100%) at an initial concentration of LVFX 5 mg/L within 360 min. Notably, photodegradation further enhanced removal efficiency (100%) within 120 min, indicating strong photocatalytic activity of material. Under visible light irradiation, H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-ABC facilitates efficient degradation of LVFX through a synergistic mechanism involving photocatalytically generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and secondary adsorption of persistent intermediates. Kinetic modeling indicated that the removal process conformed to Elovich model (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9833), whereas equilibrium data aligned with Sips isotherm (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9927), indicating hybrid mechanisms involving both physisorption and chemisorption. Physicochemical characterization revealed that H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-ABC material has increased surface area, pore volume, and oxygen-functional groups. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. Achieved a low removal cost of $0.74 per gram of LVFX and retained over 85% efficiency after five reuse cycles, confirming its sustainability and scalability for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119900"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119910
Aotian Li , Chenghui Li , Zhaodi Zheng , Lijing Zhu , Zhanghui Wang , Dongmei Xie
Nanoporous membranes with molecular/ionic-level sieving exhibit promising prospects in chemical separation, energy storage and catalysis. However, achieving a desirable balance between high permeability, selectivity, and long-term fouling resistance remains a key challenge in the development of nanoporous membrane. This work reports a novel cellulose nanofiber (CNF) membrane by electrostatic self-assembly. The unique structure of balanced rigidity/flexibility and hydrophilicity possessed by CNF endows the membrane with high porosity, defect-free network and superhydrophilicity, enhancing the transport of water molecules along with high selectivity. As such, the resultant CNF membrane displays exceptional pure water permeability, reaching 306.0 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, and achieved a rejection rate of 96.5% for Congo Red (CR). In the case of the CR/NaCl mixture, the permeance of the CNF membrane soars to 130.5 L m−2 h−2 bar−1, 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than the current polymeric membranes, nano-based membranes and commercial nanofiltration membranes. The selectivity of CR/NaCl is elevated to 30.6 under the synergy of steric hindrance and Donnan exclusion effect. Its enduring separation stability under different pressures supports the rigidity of the self-assembled filtration layer. Moreover, the CNF membrane demonstrates excellent antifouling capability and cleaning recovery ability. This work provides an advanced nanocellulose nanoporous membrane, contributing to the sustainable and high-performance advancement of membrane materials.
分子/离子级筛分纳米孔膜在化学分离、储能和催化等方面具有广阔的应用前景。然而，在高渗透性、选择性和长期抗污染之间取得理想的平衡仍然是纳米孔膜发展的关键挑战。本文报道了一种新型的静电自组装纤维素纳米纤维（CNF）膜。CNF所具有的刚性/柔韧性平衡和亲水性的独特结构，使其具有高孔隙率、无缺陷网络和超亲水性，增强了水分子的运输，并具有高选择性。因此，合成的CNF膜表现出优异的纯水渗透性，达到306.0 L m−2 h−1 bar−1，对刚果红（CR）的截除率达到96.5%。在CR/NaCl混合物的情况下，CNF膜的渗透率飙升至130.5 L m−2 h−2 bar−1，比目前的聚合物膜、纳米基膜和商用纳滤膜高1 - 2个数量级。在位阻和Donnan排斥效应的共同作用下，CR/NaCl的选择性提高到30.6。它在不同压力下的持久分离稳定性支持了自组装过滤层的刚性。此外，CNF膜具有良好的防污性能和清洁恢复能力。这项工作提供了一种先进的纳米纤维素纳米多孔膜，为膜材料的可持续和高性能发展做出了贡献。
{"title":"A cellulose nanofiber assembled nanoporous membrane with exceptional dye desalination","authors":"Aotian Li , Chenghui Li , Zhaodi Zheng , Lijing Zhu , Zhanghui Wang , Dongmei Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119910","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119910","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nanoporous membranes with molecular/ionic-level sieving exhibit promising prospects in chemical separation, energy storage and catalysis. However, achieving a desirable balance between high permeability, selectivity, and long-term fouling resistance remains a key challenge in the development of nanoporous membrane. This work reports a novel cellulose nanofiber (CNF) membrane by electrostatic self-assembly. The unique structure of balanced rigidity/flexibility and hydrophilicity possessed by CNF endows the membrane with high porosity, defect-free network and superhydrophilicity, enhancing the transport of water molecules along with high selectivity. As such, the resultant CNF membrane displays exceptional pure water permeability, reaching 306.0 L m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup> bar<sup>−1</sup>, and achieved a rejection rate of 96.5% for Congo Red (CR). In the case of the CR/NaCl mixture, the permeance of the CNF membrane soars to 130.5 L m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−2</sup> bar<sup>−1</sup>, 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than the current polymeric membranes, nano-based membranes and commercial nanofiltration membranes. The selectivity of CR/NaCl is elevated to 30.6 under the synergy of steric hindrance and Donnan exclusion effect. Its enduring separation stability under different pressures supports the rigidity of the self-assembled filtration layer. Moreover, the CNF membrane demonstrates excellent antifouling capability and cleaning recovery ability. This work provides an advanced nanocellulose nanoporous membrane, contributing to the sustainable and high-performance advancement of membrane materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119910"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119914
Huazhen Rong , Jiashun Mao , Yue Ma, Xiaohui Yan, Min Luo, Handan Wen, Tao Liu, Yihui Yuan, Ning Wang
Uranium-contaminated water streams associated with nuclear fuel cycle operations represent an emerging challenge in water purification, combining radiological risk with the opportunity for resource recovery. Developing sustainable uranium removal technologies that operate under mild conditions while minimizing chemical inputs remains a critical task, particularly for integration into advanced water treatment systems. Herein, we report a donor-acceptor covalent organic framework (DANT-TFPT) featuring an in-framework coupled H2O2 production and consumption (IFC-HPC) architecture for photocatalytic uranium removal. By co-localizing oxygen reduction reaction catalytic sites and uranyl-binding pockets within a single scaffold, photogenerated H2O2 is produced and consumed in-situ, minimizing diffusion losses and nonproductive decomposition. Together with strong donor-acceptor coupling and abundant N/O-rich coordination domains, the DANT-TFPT exhibits a high H2O2 evolution rate under ambient air to achieve an exceptional U(VI) uptake capacity of 745.7 mg g−1 with a fast removal rate of 67.8 mg g−1 h−1 without sacrificial reagents in uranium-contaminated wastewater. This study demonstrates a chemical-efficient and environmentally benign strategy for the removal and recovery of uranium from contaminated waters, highlighting the potential of integrated photocatalytic-sorptive materials for emerging contaminant control and resource recovery in water purification and desalination-related treatment processes.
与核燃料循环操作有关的受铀污染的水流是水净化方面的新挑战，将放射性风险与资源回收的机会结合起来。开发在温和条件下运行的可持续除铀技术，同时最大限度地减少化学投入，仍然是一项关键任务，特别是将其集成到先进的水处理系统中。在此，我们报道了一个供-受体共价有机框架（DANT-TFPT），其具有框架内耦合H2O2产生和消耗（IFC-HPC）结构，用于光催化除铀。通过在单个支架内共定位氧还原反应催化位点和铀酰结合袋，光生成的H2O2在现场产生和消耗，最大限度地减少了扩散损失和非生产分解。该材料具有强的供体-受体偶联性和丰富的富N/ o配位结构域，在环境空气中具有较高的H2O2析出率，在不使用牺牲试剂的情况下，对铀污染废水的U（VI）吸收率达到745.7 mg g - 1，去除率达到67.8 mg g - 1 h - 1。这项研究展示了一种化学高效和环境友好的策略，用于从受污染的水中去除和回收铀，突出了综合光催化吸附材料在水净化和脱盐相关处理过程中对新出现的污染物控制和资源回收的潜力。
{"title":"Coupled in-situ H2O2 generation and utilization over donor-acceptor covalent organic frameworks for rapid photocatalytic U(VI) removal","authors":"Huazhen Rong , Jiashun Mao , Yue Ma, Xiaohui Yan, Min Luo, Handan Wen, Tao Liu, Yihui Yuan, Ning Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119914","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119914","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Uranium-contaminated water streams associated with nuclear fuel cycle operations represent an emerging challenge in water purification, combining radiological risk with the opportunity for resource recovery. Developing sustainable uranium removal technologies that operate under mild conditions while minimizing chemical inputs remains a critical task, particularly for integration into advanced water treatment systems. Herein, we report a donor-acceptor covalent organic framework (DANT-TFPT) featuring an in-framework coupled H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production and consumption (IFC-HPC) architecture for photocatalytic uranium removal. By co-localizing oxygen reduction reaction catalytic sites and uranyl-binding pockets within a single scaffold, photogenerated H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> is produced and consumed in-situ, minimizing diffusion losses and nonproductive decomposition. Together with strong donor-acceptor coupling and abundant N/O-rich coordination domains, the DANT-TFPT exhibits a high H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> evolution rate under ambient air to achieve an exceptional U(VI) uptake capacity of 745.7 mg g<sup>−1</sup> with a fast removal rate of 67.8 mg g<sup>−1</sup> h<sup>−1</sup> without sacrificial reagents in uranium-contaminated wastewater. This study demonstrates a chemical-efficient and environmentally benign strategy for the removal and recovery of uranium from contaminated waters, highlighting the potential of integrated photocatalytic-sorptive materials for emerging contaminant control and resource recovery in water purification and desalination-related treatment processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119914"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119919
Tiantian Xu , Longji Li , Xiaojia Li , Liang Feng , Siyu Chen , Yang Xu , Yan Li , Zhiqing Luo , Zhirui Chen , Hongyi Li , Rui Wang , Feiyun Sun
Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising desalination technology, yet its performance is constrained by temperature polarization. This study introduced a novel Joule-heating carbon nanotube (CNT)-modified polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane for direct contact MD, uniquely addressing polarization through integrated electrothermal activation. The membrane was optimized via systematic fabrication (PVP/CNT mass ratio 0.5:1, CNT loading 1.04 mg·cm−2, PDMS 2 wt%), achieving low sheet resistance (15.2 Ω/sq) and efficient surface heating (132.7 °C at 20 V). Unlike conventional MD, applied voltage significantly enhanced flux (from 1.08 to 2.26 kg·m−2·h−1) while maintaining high salt rejection (>99.9%), with a 200% flux improvement and 63% reduction in specific energy consumption at 25 V. Crucially, this work combined experimental optimization with numerical simulation to reveal the critical trade-off between temperature and concentration polarization under electrothermal conditions, identifying an optimal flow rate (1 mL·min−1) that maximized flux (4.25 kg·m−2·h−1) and evaporation efficiency. Long-term testing with real seawater confirmed structural stability and consistent performance. This study established electrothermal MD as a viable, energy-efficient strategy for desalination, providing key insights into material design and process optimization for scalable applications.
{"title":"A synergistic strategy to overcome temperature and concentration polarization in a joule-heating CNT/PTFE membrane distillation: From membrane preparation to process mathematic simulation","authors":"Tiantian Xu , Longji Li , Xiaojia Li , Liang Feng , Siyu Chen , Yang Xu , Yan Li , Zhiqing Luo , Zhirui Chen , Hongyi Li , Rui Wang , Feiyun Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119919","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119919","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising desalination technology, yet its performance is constrained by temperature polarization. This study introduced a novel Joule-heating carbon nanotube (CNT)-modified polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane for direct contact MD, uniquely addressing polarization through integrated electrothermal activation. The membrane was optimized via systematic fabrication (PVP/CNT mass ratio 0.5:1, CNT loading 1.04 mg·cm<sup>−2</sup>, PDMS 2 wt%), achieving low sheet resistance (15.2 Ω/sq) and efficient surface heating (132.7 °C at 20 V). Unlike conventional MD, applied voltage significantly enhanced flux (from 1.08 to 2.26 kg·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>) while maintaining high salt rejection (>99.9%), with a 200% flux improvement and 63% reduction in specific energy consumption at 25 V. Crucially, this work combined experimental optimization with numerical simulation to reveal the critical trade-off between temperature and concentration polarization under electrothermal conditions, identifying an optimal flow rate (1 mL·min<sup>−1</sup>) that maximized flux (4.25 kg·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>) and evaporation efficiency. Long-term testing with real seawater confirmed structural stability and consistent performance. This study established electrothermal MD as a viable, energy-efficient strategy for desalination, providing key insights into material design and process optimization for scalable applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119919"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-25DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119915
Yuanyuan Yu , Qingxiang Guo , Wenjie Hao , Buhui Zhou , Minyuan Han , Haoquan Zhang , Jingmei Yao , Le Han
The rapid growth of the food-processing industry has resulted in the discharge of large volumes of high-acidity, high-ammonia organic wastewater, whose complex composition and heavy pollutant load make traditional chemical-biological treatments energy-intensive and inefficient in resource recovery. To promote low-carbon and resource-oriented utilization of food-industry wastewater, this study proposes and develops an integrated multi-membrane coupled system combining diffusion dialysis (DD), electrodialysis (ED), and reverse osmosis (RO) for the multi-target separation and cyclic recovery of acids, ammonium salts, and water. Using citrus pectin wastewater as a representative example of high-acid, high-ammonia effluent, the system performance was evaluated under real and complex wastewater conditions. In the ED stage, the enrichment factors of H+ and NH4+ exceeded 8.0 and 3.6, respectively. The concentrated ammonium solution contained more than 5.00% nitrogen, meeting the requirement for liquid fertilizer production. The unit treatment cost was only 3.53 $/m3, representing a 69.85% reduction compared with conventional chemical-biological processes, while the carbon emission decreased by 1.01 kg CO2/m3 (a reduction of 18.30%). Resource recovery offset 64.52% of the operational cost and effectively reduced energy-related carbon emissions. Overall, the DD-ED-RO multi-membrane coupled system achieved efficient and closed-loop recovery of acids, salts, and water from high-acidity, high‑nitrogen food-industry wastewater, combining high recovery efficiency, low carbon footprint, and strong engineering feasibility. This study provides a feasible technological pathway for the resource recovery of food-industry and other high-salinity wastewaters, demonstrating the potential of membrane technologies to enable low-carbon transformation and circular resource utilization in industrial wastewater management.
食品加工业的快速发展导致了大量高酸性、高氨有机废水的排放，其成分复杂、污染物负荷大，使得传统的化学-生物处理方法耗能大、资源回收效率低。为促进食品工业废水的低碳资源化利用，本研究提出并开发了扩散透析（DD）、电渗析（ED）和反渗透（RO）相结合的集成多膜耦合系统，用于酸、铵盐和水的多目标分离和循环回收。以柑橘果胶废水为代表的高酸高氨废水，在真实复杂的废水条件下对该系统的性能进行了评价。在ED阶段，H+和NH4+的富集因子分别超过8.0和3.6。浓铵溶液含氮量大于5.00%，满足液肥生产的要求。单位处理成本仅为3.53美元/m3，与传统化学-生物工艺相比减少了69.85%，碳排放量减少了1.01 kg CO2/m3（减少18.30%）。资源回收抵消了64.52%的运营成本，有效地减少了与能源相关的碳排放。综上所述，DD-ED-RO多膜耦合系统实现了高酸性、高氮食品工业废水中酸、盐、水的高效闭环回收，兼具回收效率高、碳足迹低、工程可行性强等特点。本研究为食品工业等高盐度废水资源化利用提供了可行的技术途径，展示了膜技术在工业废水管理中实现低碳转化和资源循环利用的潜力。
{"title":"Closed-loop hybrid membrane system toward low-carbon resource recovery: Case study for food industry wastewater","authors":"Yuanyuan Yu , Qingxiang Guo , Wenjie Hao , Buhui Zhou , Minyuan Han , Haoquan Zhang , Jingmei Yao , Le Han","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119915","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119915","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid growth of the food-processing industry has resulted in the discharge of large volumes of high-acidity, high-ammonia organic wastewater, whose complex composition and heavy pollutant load make traditional chemical-biological treatments energy-intensive and inefficient in resource recovery. To promote low-carbon and resource-oriented utilization of food-industry wastewater, this study proposes and develops an integrated multi-membrane coupled system combining diffusion dialysis (DD), electrodialysis (ED), and reverse osmosis (RO) for the multi-target separation and cyclic recovery of acids, ammonium salts, and water. Using citrus pectin wastewater as a representative example of high-acid, high-ammonia effluent, the system performance was evaluated under real and complex wastewater conditions. In the ED stage, the enrichment factors of H<sup>+</sup> and NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> exceeded 8.0 and 3.6, respectively. The concentrated ammonium solution contained more than 5.00% nitrogen, meeting the requirement for liquid fertilizer production. The unit treatment cost was only 3.53 $/m<sup>3</sup>, representing a 69.85% reduction compared with conventional chemical-biological processes, while the carbon emission decreased by 1.01 kg CO<sub>2</sub>/m<sup>3</sup> (a reduction of 18.30%). Resource recovery offset 64.52% of the operational cost and effectively reduced energy-related carbon emissions. Overall, the DD-ED-RO multi-membrane coupled system achieved efficient and closed-loop recovery of acids, salts, and water from high-acidity, high‑nitrogen food-industry wastewater, combining high recovery efficiency, low carbon footprint, and strong engineering feasibility. This study provides a feasible technological pathway for the resource recovery of food-industry and other high-salinity wastewaters, demonstrating the potential of membrane technologies to enable low-carbon transformation and circular resource utilization in industrial wastewater management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119915"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119907
Zhonghua Li , Jinzhong Liu , Yuandong Jia , Wu Xiao , Xiangcun Li , Xuemei Wu , Tiantian Li , Gaohong He , Xiaobin Jiang
The trade-off between permeability and selectivity remains a major challenge in developing nanofiltration membranes for the treatment of antibiotic-contaminated wastewater. Herein, we present an acetic acid activation method to reconstruct the morphology and pore size of polyamide membranes. The acetic acid induces swelling of the polyamide network and dissolves oligomers, thereby generating additional free volume, and creating new interconnections within the polymer matrix. This process simultaneously reduces the thickness of the selective layer from 81.6 nm to 40.8 nm while maintaining its structural integrity. Molecular simulations reveal a strong affinity between acetic acid and polyamide chains, which drives polymer swelling and increases free volume. Following treatment with dilute acetic acid, the water permeance of the polyamide membrane increased from 15.9 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 to 21.5 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1. This work outlines a potential approach to fabricating high-flux nanofiltration membranes, enabling efficient antibiotics separation and sustainable wastewater purification.
{"title":"Acetic acid reconstructed polyamide nanofiltration membrane for cephalexin solution separation","authors":"Zhonghua Li , Jinzhong Liu , Yuandong Jia , Wu Xiao , Xiangcun Li , Xuemei Wu , Tiantian Li , Gaohong He , Xiaobin Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The trade-off between permeability and selectivity remains a major challenge in developing nanofiltration membranes for the treatment of antibiotic-contaminated wastewater. Herein, we present an acetic acid activation method to reconstruct the morphology and pore size of polyamide membranes. The acetic acid induces swelling of the polyamide network and dissolves oligomers, thereby generating additional free volume, and creating new interconnections within the polymer matrix. This process simultaneously reduces the thickness of the selective layer from 81.6 nm to 40.8 nm while maintaining its structural integrity. Molecular simulations reveal a strong affinity between acetic acid and polyamide chains, which drives polymer swelling and increases free volume. Following treatment with dilute acetic acid, the water permeance of the polyamide membrane increased from 15.9 L·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>·bar<sup>−1</sup> to 21.5 L·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>·bar<sup>−1</sup>. This work outlines a potential approach to fabricating high-flux nanofiltration membranes, enabling efficient antibiotics separation and sustainable wastewater purification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119907"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ceramic membranes have emerged as promising candidates for desalination owing to their superior thermal and chemical stability. Among various fabrication techniques, the sol–gel method offers unique advantages in tailoring pore structure, surface charge, and wettability, thereby enabling high selectivity and strong resistance to fouling. This review summarizes recent progress in sol–gel-derived ceramic membranes, with particular emphasis on microstructural engineering, strategies for stability enhancement, and surface property modification. Key challenges are also discussed, including the hydrothermal instability of amorphous phases, the limited scalability of sol–gel processing, and the high energy requirements of sintering. Future perspectives highlight the urgent need to address the high cost associated with defect control and the limited reproducibility of membrane materials in the sol–gel fabrication of ceramic membranes. Efforts should focus on developing low-energy-consumption and high-efficiency production technologies for ceramic membranes, as well as integrating simulation and modeling strategies to guide the design of multifunctional membrane materials and enable predictive optimization of ceramic membrane performance. These advances will establish a flexible and efficient technological pathway for translating sol–gel-derived ceramic membranes from laboratory-scale research to industrial applications in seawater desalination, thereby playing a crucial role in promoting sustainable water treatment and resource recovery.
{"title":"Ceramic membranes for desalination: Design and fabrication strategies based on the sol-gel method","authors":"Weida Shi, Jing Wang, Xianfu Chen, Kaiyun Fu, Minghui Qiu, Yiqun Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119905","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119905","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ceramic membranes have emerged as promising candidates for desalination owing to their superior thermal and chemical stability. Among various fabrication techniques, the sol–gel method offers unique advantages in tailoring pore structure, surface charge, and wettability, thereby enabling high selectivity and strong resistance to fouling. This review summarizes recent progress in sol–gel-derived ceramic membranes, with particular emphasis on microstructural engineering, strategies for stability enhancement, and surface property modification. Key challenges are also discussed, including the hydrothermal instability of amorphous phases, the limited scalability of sol–gel processing, and the high energy requirements of sintering. Future perspectives highlight the urgent need to address the high cost associated with defect control and the limited reproducibility of membrane materials in the sol–gel fabrication of ceramic membranes. Efforts should focus on developing low-energy-consumption and high-efficiency production technologies for ceramic membranes, as well as integrating simulation and modeling strategies to guide the design of multifunctional membrane materials and enable predictive optimization of ceramic membrane performance. These advances will establish a flexible and efficient technological pathway for translating sol–gel-derived ceramic membranes from laboratory-scale research to industrial applications in seawater desalination, thereby playing a crucial role in promoting sustainable water treatment and resource recovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"624 ","pages":"Article 119905"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119906
Qilin Liu , Binbin Tao , Chunhong Zhang , Shuang Wang , Ya Liu , Yan Lei , Xingtao Xu , Xingyi Huang
The construction of cost-effective and high-performance carbon materials is of great significance for the development of energy-efficient CO2 capture agent and capacitive deionization (CDI) technology. As a low-cost, sustainable and abundant biomass waste material, it is a promising candidate material for the preparation of CO2 capturer and CDI carbon electrodes. In this work, using waste corrugated paperboard as raw material, a porous carbon film with a hierarchically pore structure and binder-free was successfully prepared by thermal carbonization and KOH activation. Due to the lack of an effective spontaneous hole-making mechanism of the carbonized paperboard (carbonized PB), it has a low specific surface area (SSA, 8.38 m2/g), CO2 capture capacity (0.77 mmol/g), specific capacitance (3.32 F/g) and NaCl adsorption (3.37 mg/g). The subsequent KOH activation (activated PB) treatment not only provides abundant active sites (SSA of 1055.46 m2/g, CO2 capture capacity of 2.89 mmol/g), but also shortens the diffusion path of ions (specific capacitance of 256.75 F/g at 10 mV/s). In 500 mg/L NaCl solution, the salt adsorption capacity and rate were as high as 30.24 mg/g and 6.05 mg/g min, respectively. Activated PB show excellent cycle stability and high charge efficiency in long-term charge-discharge tests, and show good application prospects for the treatment of actual brackish water. Its excellent mechanical integrity ensures long-term operational stability in complex water treatment environments, providing reliable assurance for engineering applications. Meanwhile, compared with similar materials reported in the existing literature, the material shows significant competitive advantages in terms of comprehensive performance.
{"title":"Waste corrugated paperboard derived binder-free carbon for improved brackish water desalination performance via capacitive deionization","authors":"Qilin Liu , Binbin Tao , Chunhong Zhang , Shuang Wang , Ya Liu , Yan Lei , Xingtao Xu , Xingyi Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119906","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119906","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The construction of cost-effective and high-performance carbon materials is of great significance for the development of energy-efficient CO<sub>2</sub> capture agent and capacitive deionization (CDI) technology. As a low-cost, sustainable and abundant biomass waste material, it is a promising candidate material for the preparation of CO<sub>2</sub> capturer and CDI carbon electrodes. In this work, using waste corrugated paperboard as raw material, a porous carbon film with a hierarchically pore structure and binder-free was successfully prepared by thermal carbonization and KOH activation. Due to the lack of an effective spontaneous hole-making mechanism of the carbonized paperboard (carbonized PB), it has a low specific surface area (SSA, 8.38 m<sup>2</sup>/g), CO<sub>2</sub> capture capacity (0.77 mmol/g), specific capacitance (3.32 F/g) and NaCl adsorption (3.37 mg/g). The subsequent KOH activation (activated PB) treatment not only provides abundant active sites (SSA of 1055.46 m<sup>2</sup>/g, CO<sub>2</sub> capture capacity of 2.89 mmol/g), but also shortens the diffusion path of ions (specific capacitance of 256.75 F/g at 10 mV/s). In 500 mg/L NaCl solution, the salt adsorption capacity and rate were as high as 30.24 mg/g and 6.05 mg/g min, respectively. Activated PB show excellent cycle stability and high charge efficiency in long-term charge-discharge tests, and show good application prospects for the treatment of actual brackish water. Its excellent mechanical integrity ensures long-term operational stability in complex water treatment environments, providing reliable assurance for engineering applications. Meanwhile, compared with similar materials reported in the existing literature, the material shows significant competitive advantages in terms of comprehensive performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"625 ","pages":"Article 119906"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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