Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization Effects
Membrane contactor technology affords great opportunities for nitrogen recovery from waste streams. This study presents a performance comparison between lab- and pilot-scale membrane contactors using landfill leachate samples. Polypropylene (PP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers in different...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/9/837 |
| _version_ | 1797484964413964288 |
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| author | Ilaria Righetto Raed A. Al-Juboori Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen Ngoc Huynh Anna Mikola |
| author_facet | Ilaria Righetto Raed A. Al-Juboori Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen Ngoc Huynh Anna Mikola |
| author_sort | Ilaria Righetto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Membrane contactor technology affords great opportunities for nitrogen recovery from waste streams. This study presents a performance comparison between lab- and pilot-scale membrane contactors using landfill leachate samples. Polypropylene (PP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers in different dimensions were compared in terms of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) recovery on a lab scale using a synthetic ammonium solution. The effect of pre-treating the leachate with tannin coagulation on nitrogen recovery was also evaluated. An ammonia transfer on the lab and pilot scale was scrutinized using landfill leachate as a feed solution. It was found that PTFE fibers performed better than PP fibers. Among PTFE fibers, the most porous one (denoted as M1) had the highest NH<sub>3</sub> flux of 19.2 g/m<sup>2</sup>.h. Tannin pre-treatment reduced fouling and increased NH<sub>3</sub>, which in turn improved nitrogen recovery. The mass transfer coefficient of the lab-scale reactor was more than double that of the pilot reactor (1.80 × 10<sup>−7</sup> m/s vs. 4.45 × 10<sup>−7</sup> m/s). This was likely attributed to the difference in reactor design. An analysis of the membrane surface showed that the landfill leachate caused a combination of inorganic and organic fouling. Cleaning with UV and 0.01 M H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> was capable of removing the fouling completely and restoring the membrane characteristics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:12:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b1941cab00384fd9b6347c9f17a595ad |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:12:59Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-b1941cab00384fd9b6347c9f17a595ad2023-11-23T17:42:12ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752022-08-0112983710.3390/membranes12090837Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization EffectsIlaria Righetto0Raed A. Al-Juboori1Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen2Ngoc Huynh3Anna Mikola4Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Torino, ItalyWater and Environmental Engineering Research Group, Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, Aalto, FI-00076 Espoo, FinlandWater and Environmental Engineering Research Group, Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, Aalto, FI-00076 Espoo, FinlandDepartment of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, Aalto, FI-00076 Espoo, FinlandWater and Environmental Engineering Research Group, Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, Aalto, FI-00076 Espoo, FinlandMembrane contactor technology affords great opportunities for nitrogen recovery from waste streams. This study presents a performance comparison between lab- and pilot-scale membrane contactors using landfill leachate samples. Polypropylene (PP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers in different dimensions were compared in terms of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) recovery on a lab scale using a synthetic ammonium solution. The effect of pre-treating the leachate with tannin coagulation on nitrogen recovery was also evaluated. An ammonia transfer on the lab and pilot scale was scrutinized using landfill leachate as a feed solution. It was found that PTFE fibers performed better than PP fibers. Among PTFE fibers, the most porous one (denoted as M1) had the highest NH<sub>3</sub> flux of 19.2 g/m<sup>2</sup>.h. Tannin pre-treatment reduced fouling and increased NH<sub>3</sub>, which in turn improved nitrogen recovery. The mass transfer coefficient of the lab-scale reactor was more than double that of the pilot reactor (1.80 × 10<sup>−7</sup> m/s vs. 4.45 × 10<sup>−7</sup> m/s). This was likely attributed to the difference in reactor design. An analysis of the membrane surface showed that the landfill leachate caused a combination of inorganic and organic fouling. Cleaning with UV and 0.01 M H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> was capable of removing the fouling completely and restoring the membrane characteristics.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/9/837nutrient recoverymembrane contactorlandfill leachateammonia transfer ratemembrane foulingtannins |
| spellingShingle | Ilaria Righetto Raed A. Al-Juboori Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen Ngoc Huynh Anna Mikola Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization Effects Membranes nutrient recovery membrane contactor landfill leachate ammonia transfer rate membrane fouling tannins |
| title | Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization Effects |
| title_full | Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization Effects |
| title_fullStr | Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization Effects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization Effects |
| title_short | Nitrogen Recovery from Landfill Leachate Using Lab- and Pilot-Scale Membrane Contactors: Research into Fouling Development and Membrane Characterization Effects |
| title_sort | nitrogen recovery from landfill leachate using lab and pilot scale membrane contactors research into fouling development and membrane characterization effects |
| topic | nutrient recovery membrane contactor landfill leachate ammonia transfer rate membrane fouling tannins |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/9/837 |
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