A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis
This study covers the modification, (bio)fouling characterization, use, and cleaning of commercial heterogeneous anion exchange membranes (AEMs) to evaluate their feasibility for reverse electrodialysis (RED) applications. A surface modification with poly (acrylic) acid resulted in an improved monov...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/7/697 |
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| author | Gonçalo Tiago Maria Beatriz Cristóvão Ana Paula Marques Rosa Huertas Ivan Merino-Garcia Vanessa Jorge Pereira João Goulão Crespo Svetlozar Velizarov |
| author_facet | Gonçalo Tiago Maria Beatriz Cristóvão Ana Paula Marques Rosa Huertas Ivan Merino-Garcia Vanessa Jorge Pereira João Goulão Crespo Svetlozar Velizarov |
| author_sort | Gonçalo Tiago |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study covers the modification, (bio)fouling characterization, use, and cleaning of commercial heterogeneous anion exchange membranes (AEMs) to evaluate their feasibility for reverse electrodialysis (RED) applications. A surface modification with poly (acrylic) acid resulted in an improved monovalent perm-selectivity (decreased sulfate membrane transport rate). Moreover, we evaluated the (bio)fouling potential of the membrane using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS), and <i>Aeromonas</i> <i>hydrophila</i> as model organic foulants and a biofoulant, respectively. A detailed characterization of the AEMs (water contact angle, ion exchange capacity (IEC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra) was carried out, verifying that the presence of such foulants reduces IEC and the maximum current obtained by CV. However, only SDS and SDBS affected the contact angle values. Cleaning of the biofouled membranes using a sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution allows for (partially) recovering their initial properties. Furthermore, this work includes a fouling characterization using real surface and sea water matrixes, confirming the presence of several types of fouling microorganisms in natural streams. A lower adhesion of microorganisms (measured in terms of total bacteria counts) was observed for the modified membranes compared to the unmodified ones. Finally, we propose a cleaning strategy to mitigate biofouling in AEMs that could be easily applied in RED systems for an enhanced long-term process performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:24:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f0161f281ec4466880bcd53017606ef2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:24:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-f0161f281ec4466880bcd53017606ef22023-11-30T21:26:13ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752022-07-0112769710.3390/membranes12070697A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse ElectrodialysisGonçalo Tiago0Maria Beatriz Cristóvão1Ana Paula Marques2Rosa Huertas3Ivan Merino-Garcia4Vanessa Jorge Pereira5João Goulão Crespo6Svetlozar Velizarov7LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalLAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalIBET-Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, PortugalLAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalDepartamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros, s/n, 39005 Santander, SpainIBET-Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, PortugalLAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalLAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalThis study covers the modification, (bio)fouling characterization, use, and cleaning of commercial heterogeneous anion exchange membranes (AEMs) to evaluate their feasibility for reverse electrodialysis (RED) applications. A surface modification with poly (acrylic) acid resulted in an improved monovalent perm-selectivity (decreased sulfate membrane transport rate). Moreover, we evaluated the (bio)fouling potential of the membrane using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS), and <i>Aeromonas</i> <i>hydrophila</i> as model organic foulants and a biofoulant, respectively. A detailed characterization of the AEMs (water contact angle, ion exchange capacity (IEC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra) was carried out, verifying that the presence of such foulants reduces IEC and the maximum current obtained by CV. However, only SDS and SDBS affected the contact angle values. Cleaning of the biofouled membranes using a sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution allows for (partially) recovering their initial properties. Furthermore, this work includes a fouling characterization using real surface and sea water matrixes, confirming the presence of several types of fouling microorganisms in natural streams. A lower adhesion of microorganisms (measured in terms of total bacteria counts) was observed for the modified membranes compared to the unmodified ones. Finally, we propose a cleaning strategy to mitigate biofouling in AEMs that could be easily applied in RED systems for an enhanced long-term process performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/7/697anion exchange membranesreverse electrodialysisbiofoulingmembrane cleaning |
| spellingShingle | Gonçalo Tiago Maria Beatriz Cristóvão Ana Paula Marques Rosa Huertas Ivan Merino-Garcia Vanessa Jorge Pereira João Goulão Crespo Svetlozar Velizarov A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis Membranes anion exchange membranes reverse electrodialysis biofouling membrane cleaning |
| title | A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis |
| title_full | A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis |
| title_fullStr | A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis |
| title_short | A Study on Biofouling and Cleaning of Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis |
| title_sort | study on biofouling and cleaning of anion exchange membranes for reverse electrodialysis |
| topic | anion exchange membranes reverse electrodialysis biofouling membrane cleaning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/7/697 |
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