Application of Micro–Nano Bubbles to Improve the Performance of Reverse-Osmosis Membrane against the Gypsum Scaling
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 1
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of air micro–nanobubbles (AMNBs) on calcium sulfate dehydrate (gypsum) scaling over a reverse-osmosis (RO) membrane in a lab-scale plate-and-frame module processing brackish water. Membrane performance for the treatment of a synthetic solution sample with high gypsum scaling potential was evaluated by measuring permeate flux and salt rejection and high-resolution scanning of fouled membrane surface in the presence and absence of AMNBs. The results show that AMNBs significantly reduce gypsum scaling on the membrane surface due to enhanced dispersion effect in flow and decrease the effect of concentration polarization (), especially in central areas and the outlet of the channel flow. In the absence of AMNBs, after 20 h of scaling, the membrane permeate flux and salt rejection reduced to 70% and 96.4%, respectively. However, the presence of AMNBs in the solution improved these values notably in the same conditions (flux-83% and rejection-98%). The results indicate that the application of AMNBs is able to play an effective role in the control of gypsum scaling and improvement of membrane performance in the RO desalination process.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data that support the findings of this study are available in the manuscript.
Acknowledgments
All authors have not received any funding or other support for this study.
References
Agarwal, A., W. J. Ng, and Y. Liu. 2011. “Principle and applications of microbubble and nanobubble technology for water treatment.” Chemosphere 84 (9): 1175–1180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.05.054.
Al-Amoudi, A. S. 2010. “Factors affecting natural organic matter (NOM) and scaling fouling in NF membranes: A review.” Desalination 259 (1–3): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2010.04.003.
Almulla, A., M. P. EidCôté, P. Côté, and J. Coburn. 2003. “Developments in high recovery brackish water desalination plants as part of the solution to water quantity problems.” Desalination 153 (1–3): 237–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0011-9164(02)01142-6.
Alsarayreh, A. A., M. A. Al-Obaidi, A. M. Al-Hroub, R. Patel, and I. M. Mujtaba. 2020. “Evaluation and minimisation of energy consumption in a medium-scale reverse osmosis brackish water desalination plant.” J. Cleaner Prod. 248 (Mar): 119220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119220.
Anis, S. F., R. Hashaikeh, and N. Hilal. 2019. “Reverse osmosis pretreatment technologies and future trends: A comprehensive review.” Desalination 452 (Feb): 159–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2018.11.006.
Arefi, A., S. F. Saghravani, and R. Mozaffari Naeeni. 2016. “Mechanical behavior of concrete, made with micro-nano air bubbles.” Struct. Infrastruct. Eng. 49 (1): 139–147. https://doi.org/10.7508/CEIJ.2016.01.010.
Arias, M. F. C., L. V. i Bru, D. P. Rico, and P. V. Galvañ. 2011. “Kinetic behaviour of sodium and boron in brackish water membranes.” J. Membr. Sci. 368 (1–2): 86–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2010.11.019.
Avlonitis, S. A., K. Kouroumbas, and N. Vlachakis. 2003. “Energy consumption and membrane replacement cost for seawater RO desalination plants.” Desalination 157 (1–3): 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0011-9164(03)00395-3.
Bretsznajder, S. 1971. Prediction of transport and other physical properties of fluids. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press.
Bui, T. T., D. C. Nguyen, and M. Han. 2019. “Average size and zeta potential of nanobubbles in different reagent solutions.” J. Nanopart. Res. 21 (8): 173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-019-4618-y.
Choi, J., S. J. Im, and A. Jang. 2019. “Application of a volume retarded osmosis–low pressure membrane hybrid process for treatment of acid whey.” Chemosphere 219 (Mar): 261–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.12.055.
Dayarathne, H. N. P., J. Choi, and A. Jang. 2017. “Enhancement of cleaning-in-place (CIP) of a reverse osmosis desalination process with air micro-nano bubbles.” Desalination 422 (Nov): 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2017.08.002.
Dayarathne, H. N. P., S. Jeong, and A. Jang. 2019. “Chemical-free scale inhibition method for seawater reverse osmosis membrane process: Air micro-nano bubbles.” Desalination 461 (Jul): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.03.008.
Dow (Filmtec corporation). 2020. Water & process solutions, Filmtec™ reverse osmosis membranes, Technical manual. Minneapolis: Filmtec Corporation.
Dow (Filmtec corporation). 2021. Water solutions, Filmtec™ reverse osmosis, Membranes technical manual. Minneapolis: Filmtec Corporation.
Gao, Y., J. Z. QinWang, Z. Wang, and S. W. Østerhus. 2019. “Backpulsing technology applied in MF and UF processes for membrane fouling mitigation: A review.” J. Membr. Sci. 587 (Oct): 117136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2019.05.060.
Gwenaelle, M. P. O., J. Jung, Y. Choi, and S. Lee. 2017. “Effect of microbubbles on microfiltration pretreatment for seawater reverse osmosis membrane.” Desalination 403 (Feb): 153–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2016.06.012.
Hoang, T., G. Stevens, and S. Kentish. 2009. “The effect of inorganic electrolytes on the zeta potential of reverse osmosis membranes.” Int. J. Chem. Eng. 2 (2–3): 173–181.
Jiang, S., Y. Li, and B. P. Ladewig. 2017. “A review of reverse osmosis membrane fouling and control strategies.” Sci. Total Environ. 595 (Oct): 567–583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.235.
Jin, X., A. Jawor, S. Kim, and E. M. V. Hoek. 2009. “Effects of feed water temperature on separation performance and organic fouling of brackish water RO membranes.” Desalination 239 (1–3): 346–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2008.03.026.
Kalka, H. 2018. “Aqion: Manual (selected topics).” Accessed April 25, 2021. https://www.aqion.de/site/98.
Karimi, H., A. Rahimpour, and M. R. Shirzad Kebria. 2016. “Pesticides removal from water using modified piperazine-based nanofiltration (NF) membranes.” Desalin. Water Treat. 57 (52): 24844–24854. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2016.1156580.
Kim, S., and E. M. V. Hoek. 2005. “Modeling concentration polarization in reverse osmosis processes.” Desalination 186 (1–3): 111–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2005.05.017.
Kyzas, G. Z., G. Bomis, R. I. Kosheleva, E. K. Efthimiadou, E. P. Favvas, M. Kostoglou, and A. C. Mitropoulos. 2019. “Nanobubbles effect on heavy metal ions adsorption by activated carbon.” Chem. Eng. J. 356 (Jan): 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.09.019.
Lee, S., and C. H. Lee. 2000. “Effect of operating conditions on scale formation mechanism in nanofiltration for water softening.” Water Res. 34 (15): 3854–3866. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(00)00142-1.
Lee, T., J. Y. Choi, and Y. Cohen. 2019. “Gypsum scaling propensity in semi-batch RO (SBRO) and steady-state RO with partial recycle (SSRO-PR).” J. Membr. Sci. 588 (Oct): 117106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2019.05.030.
Li, H., L. D. HuSong, D. Song, and F. Lin. 2014. “Characteristics of micro-nano bubbles and potential application in groundwater bioremediation.” Water Environ. Res. 86 (9): 844–851. https://doi.org/10.2175/106143014X14062131177953.
Liu, Q., G. R. Xu, and R. Das. 2019. “Inorganic scaling in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination: Mechanisms, monitoring, and inhibition strategies.” Desalination 468 (Oct): 114065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.07.005.
Lyster, E., and Y. Cohen. 2007. “Numerical study of concentration polarization in a rectangular reverse osmosis membrane channel: Permeate flux variation and hydrodynamic end effects.” J. Membrane. Sci. 303 (1–2): 140–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2007.07.003.
Maugin, T. 2013. “Fate of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes during oxidation by disinfectants used in water treatment: Impact on membrane structure and performances.” Ph.D. thesis, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Div., King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Mochizuki, S., and A. Wakisaka. 2003. “Interactions of a nucleoside cytidine with metal Ions in water observed through mass spectrometry: Clustering controlled by electrostatic interaction and coordinating interaction.” J. Phys. Chem. B 107 (23): 5612–5616. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp030105z.
Mohsen Zadeh, P., S. F. Saghravani, and G. Asadollahfardi. 2019. “Mechanical and durability properties of concrete containing zeolite mixed with meta-kaolin and micro-nano bubbles of water.” Struct. Concr. 20 (2): 786–797. https://doi.org/10.1002/suco.201800030.
Mulder, M. 1996. Basic principles of membrane technology. Polarisation phenomena and membrane fouling. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer academic publishers.
Najafi, A. S., J. Drelich, A. Yeung, Z. Xu, and J. Masliyah. 2007. “A novel method of measuring electrophoretic mobility of gas bubbles.” J. Colloid Interface Sci. 308 (2): 344–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2007.01.014.
Rahardianto, A., W. Y. Shih, R. W. Lee, and Y. Cohen. 2006. “Diagnostic characterization of gypsum scale formation and control in RO membrane desalination of brackish water.” J. Membr. Sci. 279 (1–2): 655–668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2005.12.059.
Ray, J. R., W. Wong, and Y. S. Jun. 2017. “Antiscaling efficacy of CaCO(3) and CaSO(4) on polyethylene glycol (PEG)- modified reverse osmosis membranes in the presence of humic acid: Interplay of membrane surface properties and water chemistry.” Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 19 (7): 5647–5657. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6CP08569E.
Senthilkumar, G., C. Rameshkumar, M. N. V. S. Nikhil, and J. N. R. Kumar. 2018. “An investigation of nanobubbles in aqueous solutions for various applications.” Appl. Nanosci. 8 (6): 1557–1567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-018-0831-8.
Shenvi, S. S., A. M. Isloor, and A. F. Ismail. 2015. “A review on RO membrane technology: Developments and challenges.” Desalination 368 (Jul): 10–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2014.12.042.
Tang, C. 2007. “Effect of flux and feedwater composition on fouling of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes by humic acid.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford Univ.
Temesgen, T., T. T. Bui, M. Han, T. I. Kim, and H. Park. 2017. “Micro and nanobubble technologies as a new horizon for water-treatment techniques: A review.” Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 246 (Aug): 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2017.06.011.
Tsuge, H. 2014. “Characteristics of microbubbles.” In Sec. 1 in Micro-and nanobubbles: Fundamentals and applications, 3–10. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Uchida, T., S. Liu, M. Enari, S. Oshita, K. Yamazaki, and K. Gohara. 2016. “Effect of NaCl on the lifetime of micro-and nanobubbles.” Nanomaterials (Basel) 6 (2): 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6020031.
Uchymiak, M., E. Lyster, J. Glater, and Y. Cohen. 2008. “Kinetics of gypsum crystal growth on a reverse osmosis membrane.” J. Membr. Sci. 314 (1–2): 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2008.01.041.
Uchymiak, M., A. Rahardianto, E. Lyster, J. Glater, and Y. Cohen. 2007. “A novel RO ex situ scale observation detector (EXSOD) for mineral scale characterization and early detection.” J. Membr. Sci. 291 (1–2): 86–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2006.12.038.
Ushikubo, F. Y., T. Furukawa, R. Nakagawa, M. Enari, Y. Makino, Y. Kawagoe, T. Shiina, and S. Oshita. 2010. “Evidence of the existence and the stability of nano-bubbles in water” Colloids Surf., A 361 (1–3): 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2010.03.005.
Venkatesan, A., and P. C. Wankat. 2017. “Produced water desalination: An exploratory study.” Desalination 404 (Feb): 328–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2016.11.013.
Yin, Z., C. Yang, C. Long, and A. Li. 2017. “Influence of surface properties of RO membrane on membrane fouling for treating textile secondary effluent.” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 24 (19): 16253–16262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9252-6.
Zhang, P., J. Hu, W. Li, and H. Qi. 2013. “Research progress of brackish water desalination by reverse osmosis.” J. Water. Resour. Prot. 5 (3): 304–309. https://doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2013.53031.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 1 • January 2022
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 30, 2021
Accepted: Jul 28, 2021
Published online: Oct 27, 2021
Published in print: Jan 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Mar 27, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Ali Rezvani, Seyed Fazlolah Saghravani, Behnaz Dahrazma, Yasser Babaee, Ashkan Sharif Nezhad, Evaluation of the Performance of Micro–Nano Bubbles to Control the Simultaneous Inorganic and Colloidal Foulings in Reverse Osmosis, Journal of Environmental Engineering, 10.1061/JOEEDU.EEENG-7648, 150, 8, (2024).
- Ali Rezvani Mahmouee, Seyed Fazlolah Saghravani, Behnaz Dahrazma, Evaluation of the Anti-Fouling Effects of Micro-Nano Bubbles on the Performance of Reverse Osmosis Membrane, Journal of Environmental Engineering, 10.1061/JOEEDU.EEENG-7072, 149, 4, (2023).
- Anastasios W. Foudas, Ramonna I. Kosheleva, Evangelos P. Favvas, Margaritis Kostoglou, Athanasios C. Mitropoulos, George Z. Kyzas, Fundamentals and applications of nanobubbles: A review, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 10.1016/j.cherd.2022.11.013, 189, (64-86), (2023).
- Inna Levitsky, Dorith Tavor, Vitaly Gitis, Micro and nanobubbles in water and wastewater treatment: A state-of-the-art review, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.102688, 47, (102688), (2022).