Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry
Mixtures of silica nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and natural organic matter (NOM) are ubiquitous in natural aquatic environments and pose risks to organisms. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes can effectively remove SiO<sub>2</sub> NP–NOM mixtures. However, the correspondin...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/4/449 |
| _version_ | 1797604422794084352 |
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| author | Yuqi Sun Runze Zhang Chunyi Sun Zhipeng Liu Jian Zhang Shuang Liang Xia Wang |
| author_facet | Yuqi Sun Runze Zhang Chunyi Sun Zhipeng Liu Jian Zhang Shuang Liang Xia Wang |
| author_sort | Yuqi Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mixtures of silica nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and natural organic matter (NOM) are ubiquitous in natural aquatic environments and pose risks to organisms. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes can effectively remove SiO<sub>2</sub> NP–NOM mixtures. However, the corresponding membrane fouling mechanisms, particularly under different solution conditions, have not yet been studied. In this work, the effect of solution chemistry on polyethersulfone (PES) UF membrane fouling caused by a SiO<sub>2</sub> NP–NOM mixture was investigated at different pH levels, ionic strengths, and calcium concentrations. The corresponding membrane fouling mechanisms, i.e., Lifshitz–van der Waals (LW), electrostatic (EL), and acid–base (AB) interactions, were quantitatively evaluated using the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (xDLVO) theory. It was found that the extent of membrane fouling increased with decreasing pH, increasing ionic strength, and increasing calcium concentration. The attractive AB interaction between the clean/fouled membrane and foulant was the major fouling mechanism in both the initial adhesion and later cohesion stages, while the attractive LW and repulsive EL interactions were less important. The change of fouling potential with solution chemistry was negatively correlated with the calculated interaction energy, indicating that the UF membrane fouling behavior under different solution conditions can be effectively explained and predicted using the xDLVO theory. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:46:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea8c1a1d7d51415cbbfa38438ae54162 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:46:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea8c1a1d7d51415cbbfa38438ae541622023-11-17T20:23:46ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752023-04-0113444910.3390/membranes13040449Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution ChemistryYuqi Sun0Runze Zhang1Chunyi Sun2Zhipeng Liu3Jian Zhang4Shuang Liang5Xia Wang6Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaMixtures of silica nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and natural organic matter (NOM) are ubiquitous in natural aquatic environments and pose risks to organisms. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes can effectively remove SiO<sub>2</sub> NP–NOM mixtures. However, the corresponding membrane fouling mechanisms, particularly under different solution conditions, have not yet been studied. In this work, the effect of solution chemistry on polyethersulfone (PES) UF membrane fouling caused by a SiO<sub>2</sub> NP–NOM mixture was investigated at different pH levels, ionic strengths, and calcium concentrations. The corresponding membrane fouling mechanisms, i.e., Lifshitz–van der Waals (LW), electrostatic (EL), and acid–base (AB) interactions, were quantitatively evaluated using the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (xDLVO) theory. It was found that the extent of membrane fouling increased with decreasing pH, increasing ionic strength, and increasing calcium concentration. The attractive AB interaction between the clean/fouled membrane and foulant was the major fouling mechanism in both the initial adhesion and later cohesion stages, while the attractive LW and repulsive EL interactions were less important. The change of fouling potential with solution chemistry was negatively correlated with the calculated interaction energy, indicating that the UF membrane fouling behavior under different solution conditions can be effectively explained and predicted using the xDLVO theory.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/4/449ultrafiltrationmembrane foulingsilica nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs)natural organic matter (NOM)interfacial interactionxDLVO theory |
| spellingShingle | Yuqi Sun Runze Zhang Chunyi Sun Zhipeng Liu Jian Zhang Shuang Liang Xia Wang Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry Membranes ultrafiltration membrane fouling silica nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) natural organic matter (NOM) interfacial interaction xDLVO theory |
| title | Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry |
| title_full | Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry |
| title_fullStr | Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry |
| title_short | Quantitative Assessment of Interfacial Interactions Governing Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling by the Mixture of Silica Nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) and Natural Organic Matter (NOM): Effects of Solution Chemistry |
| title_sort | quantitative assessment of interfacial interactions governing ultrafiltration membrane fouling by the mixture of silica nanoparticles sio sub 2 sub nps and natural organic matter nom effects of solution chemistry |
| topic | ultrafiltration membrane fouling silica nanoparticles (SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs) natural organic matter (NOM) interfacial interaction xDLVO theory |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/4/449 |
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