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Randomized particle distribution in a mixed matrix membrane would reduce the effectiveness of particle immobilized in its matrix. This study aims to distribute the particle near the membrane surface with magnetic field assistance. Specifically, investigating the influence of varied magnetic patterns (rod, chain, and circular) on zinc ferrite distribution in the membrane on the phenol adsorption with the standing time was fixed at 30 s with 12 wt% zinc ferrite. The findings revealed that the magnetic induce membrane possesses the highest phenol adsorption, especially by membrane fabricated by magnets in a circular pattern (MB). MB membrane displayed phenol adsorption capacity of 415 mg/g with water permeation of 30.4 L/m2.h. The high phenol adsorption was contributed to high zinc ferrite particle migrated towards the membrane surface, and EDX analysis revealed 1.23 wt% Fe element in its thin layer region. These findings indicate that the magnets arranged in a circular pattern can effectively migrate and distribute the zinc ferrite across the membrane. Hence, a suitable magnetic pattern was vital when applying magnetic induce casting. [Display omitted] • The magnet in magnetic induced casting was arranged to circular, chain, and rod. • Circular pattern (MB) has the highest phenol adsorption capacity at 415 mg/g. • MB and MC (chain) membrane driven by external diffusion with film thickness Δr o of 5.22 and 16.94 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casein is an important protein in the raw milk and many approaches have been established to separate casein to make cheese. This study mainly deals with the analysis of casein protein (19 kDa, pI 4.6) transport characteristics through ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. Polysulfone (PS) based polymer membranes are used and modified with polyethylene imine (PEI), polydiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (PDDA) and polyacrylic acid (PAA). The fabricated membranes are characterized by contact angle and Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The UF process was conducted with a dead-end filtration unit and the volumetric flux and transmission values are recorded and that varies with pressure and pH. The experimental results are explained using the concentration polarization and irreversible thermodynamics model. The characteristics of the transport of casein are determined from the values of the parameters such as the solute concentration near the surface of the membrane [Cm], the solute permeability [Pm], mass transfer coefficient [k], and the reflection coefficient [σ]. From the results, it is concluded that the casein transport through the UF membrane was controlled by convection with decrease in casein rejection. Although, this model predicts the transmission behavior as a function of flux and supports the experimental results for both membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, one of the most imortant environmental problems is the treatment of industrial wastewaters containing heavy metal ions and salts. In this research, thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes were developed through incorporation of modified titanate nanotube (TNT) and halloysite nanotube (HNT) into the polyamide (PA) active layer to improve the performance of the NF membranes. At first, the internal surface of the nanotubes was coated with different polymers to lessen the inner diameter of the nanotubes. Then, the inner surface coated nanotubes were magnetized through placing Fe 3 O 4 on their outer surface. In case of magnetized nanotubes, the fabrication of the membranes was done in the absence and in the presence of the external magnetic field, which made the nanotubes to align in a regular pattern across the PA layer, smoothing the membranes' surface and lowering the contact angle. It is expected that the magnetized nanotubes can make suitable arrangement in the structure of thin layer in the presence of the magnetic field and show better performance. The nanotubes act as the channels for water transport and in case of inner coated nanotubes, reject more ions through the steric hindrance. The pure water permeation of the membranes, modified with polystyrene inner coated TNT and HNT increased by 71.23% and 80.27%, respectively compared to the pristine TFC membrane without any significant changes in the rejection of Na+ and Cu2+; a suitable trade-off between the permeation and the ion rejection. In addition, the membranes modified by magnetized polyaniline inner coated TNT and HNT showed 36.24% and 75.62% more water permeation compared to the pristine TFC membranes while the rejections of Na+ and Cu2+ have not been changed remarkably. The results of this research showed that inner coating and magnetization of the nanotubes can be considered as a novel method to enhance the efficiency of TFN membranes for wastewaters treatment. [Display omitted] • Performance of TFN NF membranes was improved through embedding magnetic internally-coated nanotubes. • The nanotubes in the PA layer of TFN membranes act as the channels for water transfer. • The internal coating of the nanotube controls the passage of the ions and improved the rejection. • The magnetization of the nanotube enhanced their distribution in PA layer that lessens the thickness of the layer. • The incorporation of modified nanotubes can dominate the trade off between permeation and ion rejection of TFN membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high concentrations of heavy metal ions in industrial effluents are one of the most challenging wastewaters to deal with. In this study and in order to change the inner diameter of the halloysite nanotubes (HNT), their internal surface was coated by different polymers (polydopamine, polyaniline and polystyrene) and then, the modified nanotubes were incorporated in the polyamide thin film NF membrane for the treatment of metal ions solutions. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) studies indicated that the internal coating was successful. Furthermore, the neat and modified nanofiltration (NF) membranes were characterized in terms of morphology, contact angle, water flux and metal ion rejection. The modified membranes displayed lower contact angle values (29.4% reduction) that can be linked to the hydrophilic groups in the structure of the coated polymers and the smoother surface of the thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane. In addition, the permeation fluxes of the modified membranes were improved significantly (33.4% improvement) without any major reduction in their ion rejection; that shows HNTs act as the channels to transfer water through the membrane structure while the coating of the inner surface of HNT reduces the size of the channel and makes more repulsion and steric hindrance for the ion to pass through the nanotubes. Among the fabricated membranes, the NF membrane with 0.05 wt% polystyrene-coated HNT showed the lowest contact angle (55.30o) and the highest water permeation flux (27.51 L m-2 hr-1), compared to the neat TFC membrane (15.26 L m-2 hr-1) and the NF membrane with 0.05 wt% unmodified HNT (20.62 L m-2 hr-1). [Display omitted] • The internal surface of HNTs was coated with different polymers through a novel polymerization method. • Polydopamine, polyaniline and polystyrene were used as the polymer for coating. • The modified HNTs were used to improve the performance of TFN NF membrane. • HNTs act as the channels to transfer water through the membrane structure. • The permeations of the TFN membranes with modified HNTs were improved significantly without any reduction in the rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-glucans are soluble fibers found in cereal compounds, including barley, oats etc., as an active component. They are used as a dietary fiber to treat cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These polysaccharides are important because they can provide many therapeutic benefits related to their biological activity in human like inhibiting tumour growth, anti-inflammatory action, etc. All these activities were usually attached to their molecular weight, structure and degree of branching. The present manuscript reviews the background of β-glucan, its characterization techniques, the possible ways to extract β-glucan and mainly focuses on membrane-based purification techniques. The β-glucan separation methods using polymeric membranes, their operational characteristics, purification methods which may yield pure or crude β-glucan and structural analysis methods were also discussed. Future direction in research and development related to β-glucan recovery from cereal were also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method, Thermally Modified Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation (T-NIPS) has been developed to fabricate translucent hollow fiber (THF) photocatalytic membrane for membrane's photodegradation efficiency enhancement. The process involves two-step temperature treatment that attacks crystalline property of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Graphitic carbon nitride in a modified morphological structure (hollow nanofiber) was used as photocatalyst to investigate the effect of translucency on membrane's photodegradation efficiency. UV-Vis analysis coupled with FTIR highlighted different crystalline phase appearance and membrane's translucency. The membranes showed high translucency, ranging from 60.0% to 93.9%, with THF-PVDF/PVP-GCN (2.0) exhibiting the highest. The filtration experiment showed that membrane with GCN photocatalyst had high PWF (1200 L/m2h) and rejection (90%) OPW compared to neat THF-PVDFs. In suspended mode, GCN demonstrated an impressive photodegradation efficiency of 99.98%. When immobilized in opaque PVDF membrane, the photodegradation has decreased substantially to 49.40%. However, when immobilized in a translucent PVDF membrane, the photodegradation efficiency of HN-GCN significantly improved compared to the opaque PVDF membrane, reaching 95%. Translucent membrane was subjected to five cycle regeneration test and showed 90% recovery even after the fifth cycle. The 10% reduction in the recovery was investigated using FESEM analysis revealed that there is a cake layer formation on the membrane surface. Therefore, this study proved that translucency of membrane has significant effect on immobilized photocatalyst's photocatalytic efficiency. [Display omitted] • Novel T-NIPS method to produce THFM is developed. • HN-GCN successfully immobilized in THFM. • HN-GCN immobilized THFM showed increased degradation efficiency of OPW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study involves the preparation of a double-skinned thin film composite (TFC) and thin film nanocomposite (TFN) hollow fiber (HF) membrane for forward osmosis (FO) applications. The porous substrate consisted of a Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) / Polycarbonate (PC) blend HF membrane. Interfacial polymerization (IP) was then applied to coat a polyamide (PA) layer on the lumen surface and the porous substrate's outer surface. In addition, the impact of the outer PA active layer and the addition of nanoparticles to the outer selective layer on the FO flux and internal concentration polarization (ICP) were studied. By adding the second active layer to the substrate, water flux, reverse salt flux and ICP decreased. Also, the decline of water flux decreased over time due to the fouling agent. To compensate for the decrease in water flux in the double-skinned membrane, graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles with 0.05% and 0.1%wt were added to the outer active layer. Addition of 0.1%wt graphene oxide nanoparticle to the outer active layer can help to improve water flux about 78% without spoiling the reverse salt flux. Moreover, the performance of double-skinned membranes against osmotic dilution process for oily wastewater treatment was investigated. The findings of this study demonstrated that the novel double-skinned TFN HF membrane exhibited high FO performance with low ICP and fouling. [Display omitted] • Inclusion of a second active layer without reducing the reverse salt flux and fouling. • To improve fouling resistance of membrane, GO was added to second active layer. • By adding GO to outer active layer, reverse salt flux and fouling was reduced. • The Hermia model showed intermediate blocking in neat membrane. • The predominant fouling in double-skin membranes is cake formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of microplastics in aquatic environment is regarded as a serious threat to ecosystem especially to aquatic environment. Microplastic pollution associated problems including their bioaccumulation and ecological risks have become a major concern of the public and scientific community. The removal of microplastics from their discharge points is an effective way to mitigate the adverse effects of microplastic pollution, hence has been the central of the research in this realm. Presently, most of the commonly used water or wastewater treatment technologies are capable of removing microplastic to certain extent, although they are not intentionally installed for this reason. Nevertheless, recognizing the adverse effects posed by microplastic pollution, more efforts are still desired to enhance the current microplastic removal technologies. With their structural multifunctionalities and flexibility, nanomaterials have been increasingly used for water and wastewater treatment to improve the treatment efficiency. Particularly, the unique features of nanomaterials have been harnessed in synthesizing high performance adsorbent and photocatalyst for microplastic removal from aqueous environment. This review looks into the potentials of nanomaterials in offering constructive solutions to resolve the bottlenecks and enhance the efficiencies of the existing materials used for microplastic removal. The current efforts and research direction of which studies can dedicate to improve microplastic removal from water environment with the augmentation of nanomaterial-enabled strategies are discussed. The progresses made to date have witnessed the benefits of harnessing the structural and dimensional advantages of nanomaterials to enhance the efficiency of existing microplastic treatment processes to achieve a more sustainable microplastic cleanup. [Display omitted] • The potentials of nanomaterials for microplastic remediation are reviewed. • Various nanomaterial-enabled removal techniques are discussed. • Nanomaterials overcome the limitations of bulk materials in microplastic remediation. • The challenges and way forward are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harmful effects arisen from the discharge of saline wastewater have become more evident in recent years and therefore drawn much public concerns. Saline wastewater, including produced water, tannery wastewater, textile wastewater and aquaculture wastewater, contains various organic pollutants and inorganic dissolved ions. These saline wastewaters can be treated, not only to meet the discharge standard but also to offer the opportunities for water reuse and nutrient recovery. Membrane technology is a promising technology that offers attractive solutions for effective saline wastewater treatment and resource recovery. With the tremendous development made in this realm, this review is set to provide a frame of state-of-the-art approaches for saline wastewater treatment based on membrane technology and stimulate ideas to enhance the treatment efficiency and sustainability in these related works. The unique features, strengths and limitations of pressure-driven, osmotically-driven, thermally-driven and electrically-driven membrane processes in treating saline wastewater and resource recovery are discussed. This review aims to consolidate the literature related to membrane technology as a versatile tool for saline wastewater treatment, as well as to identify the current research gaps and areas of improvement related to this field. • Various membrane-based separation processes for saline wastewater treatment and resource recovery are discussed. • Pressure-driven membrane processes are reliable and effective for saline wastewater treatment and recovery. • Forward osmosis, membrane distillation and electrodialysis are feasible alternatives. • Integrations among membrane processes or with conventional treatment processes provide more holistic solutions. • The current research gaps and the future directions are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local delivery of antibiotics utilising bone cement is a well-known approach for controlling postoperative infections related to implant. 1, 5 and 10 wt.% of clindamycin (Cli) was embedded into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)–based bone cement for inhibiting postsurgical infection. Clindamycin antibiotic drug was homogeneously embedded into the matrix of PMMA-based cement. The results revealed that the fabricated PMMA-based cement loaded with Cli presented a high compressive strength (~120 MPa). The PMMA-based cement loaded with low Cli presented better cytocompatibility compared with its counterpart loaded with high Cli owing to the better cell attachment on the surface of the cement with a lower release of Cli. The embedding of Cli into the cement improved its antibacterial performance, as implied by the considerably improved inhibition zone with amplifying Cli concentration. Taken together, PMMA-based cement loaded with 1–5 wt% Cli might be a promising antimicrobial bone cement to be employed in orthopaedic surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, hybrid nanocomposites rice husk derived graphene (GRHA) and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) were prepared for hydrogen adsorption. The main contribution of this study is the simplification of the synthesized GRHA/ZIF-8 hybrid nanocomposites. Besides that, the use of synthesized graphene from rice husk (RH) could help in overcoming environmental issue since disposal of RH is rather challenging. GRHA was obtained through calcining rice husk ash (RHA) at 900 °C for 2 h in a muffle furnace at atmospheric condition while the nanocomposite of GRHA/ZIF-8 was produced in free solvent condition using deionized water at room temperature for only 1 h. The N 2 adsorption-desorption indicated a type I isotherm. Interestingly, it was found that the BET specific surface area (BET SSA) of GRHA/ZIF-8 showed enhancement up to 3 times higher as compared to pristine GRHA with the addition of 0.2 g of GRHA. From the experimental data, the adsorption of H 2 by nanocomposite GRHA/ZIF-8 obeyed the pseudo-second order kinetic model and intraparticle diffusion model with R2 value up to 0.9890 and 0.8087 respectively at 12 bar. Moreover, the GRHA/ZIF-8 possessed highest hydrogen adsorption of 31.84 mmol/g at 12 bar. These impressive results are justified by the combination of ZIF-8's microporosity and GRHA's mesoporosity. • Rice husk derived graphene (GRHA) incorporated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8shows an enhanced hydrogen adsorption. • GRHA incorporated ZIF-8 (GRHA/ZIF-8) has a higher specific surface area as compared to pristine GRHA and ZIF-8. • KOH able to form porosity and increase the surface area of rice husk during the activation process. • Hydrogen adsorption capacity increases with time and specific surface area of the adsorbent. • The hydrogen adsorption at room temperature obey pseudo-second order model and intraparticle diffusion model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing ZIF-8 into the PES-cSMM membranes played a pivotal role in the development of proton-conducting pathways and an effective methanol barrier. We employed dry-wet phase inversion techniques to fabricate PES-cSMM, finding that a 3 wt% cSMM content yielded optimal results. The resulting PES-cSMM exhibits impressive performance, with a 38% higher selectivity and a 95% greater methanol barrier compared to Nafion® 117. The imidazole-N-H linker in the terminal PES-cSMM/ZIF-8 promotes proton transport through a hydrogen bond chain, while the hydrophobic backbone acts as an effective methanol filter. As a result, PES-cSMM/ZIF-8 boasts a 13-fold higher water uptake than Nafion® 117 and achieves a 99% improvement in methanol sieving performance, a highly promising breakthrough for DMFC systems. Proton conductivity for the PES-cSMM/ZIF-8 immersion membrane reaches 19.5 × 10-3 Scm-1, comparable to Nafion® 117, which is 20.4 × 10-3 Scm-1. The structural flexibility of ZIF-8 within PES-cSMM facilitates efficient proton conduction, while the ZIF-8 cage acts as a robust methanol barrier. Computational analysis revealed covalent bonding within the PES-cSMM system. We characterized the chemical interactions in PES-cSMM/ZIF-8 using topology analysis, specifically the Atom in Molecules/Non-covalent analysis (AIM/NCI) technique. [Display omitted] • PES-cSMM made via dry-wet phase inversion; ZIF-8 added in-situ by growth immersion technique. • PES-cSMM/ZIF-8 shows promise in reducing methanol crossover, with good selectivity, stability, and proton conductivity for DMFC. • Proton transport occurs through non-covalent interactions with exposed sulfonic acid groups on the cSMMs within the membrane. • Computational findings suggest ZIF-8 interacts with methanol mainly via van der Waals forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Increasing MPD and TMC concentrations enhance water vapor flux and membrane H 2 O/N 2 selectivity. • Increasing interfacial polymerization time controls the selectivity decline rate at high pressures. • Disregarding very low concentration of water vapor, it shows a great plasticizing impact on the gas permeance. • H 2 O-induced plasticization impact on nitrogen permeance is more intense than on water vapor. • Both the Henry and Langmuir models control the water adsorption while only the Henry controls N 2. Separation of moisture from gaseous mixtures, such as natural gas, humid air in food and goods storage warehouses or in sports halls and so on is of great importance. In this article, the separation of water from a wet gas stream is carried out by a TFC membrane made by interfacial polymerization on the sublayer of porous polyetherimide hollow fibers. Then the key-parameters affecting membrane efficiency is studied. The outcomes show that increasing the concentration of MPD has a substantial effect on enhancing the membrane water vapor flux. Moreover, it is disclose that increasing the concentration of TMC has the greatest effect on reducing nitrogen gas permeability and increasing the selectivity. Our findings reveals that disregarding the very low concentration of water vapor in the feed, shows a great impact on the permeance of each component compared to the pure state. Also, based on the modelling, it is obvious that for nitrogen gas in the entire pressure range, the adsorption mechanism is almost completely controlled by the Henry model, while the Langmuir adsorption mechanism is controlling for water vapor at low pressures, although at high pressures, the Henry mechanism has absolute superiority. Surprisingly, the H 2 O-induced plasticization impact on nitrogen permeance is more intense than on water vapor permeance. According to the modeling outputs, it is revealed that because D N2 is one to two order of magnitude lower than D H2O , water vapor permeance is much higher than that of nitrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airgap membrane distillation (AGMD) is an efficient configuration employed widely for the solar membrane distillation desalination process. In the present work, 1-D Knudsen and molecular transport (KMT) model has been developed to investigate the performance of the flat sheet PVDF membrane. A new solution algorithm for the co-current and counter-current flow regime has been designed to solve the heat and mass transfer equations iteratively for a single-stage AGMD module. The feed temperature, feed flow rate, airgap size, salinity, membrane porosity and module length were varied and compared with experimental results. The increase in feed temperature from 40 °C to 80 °C resulted in 10.38 times increase in flux for co-current flow and 11.05 times for counter-current flow. The maximum permeate flux at 80 °C was 8.668 kg/m2h and 8.871 kg/m2h for the co-current and counter-current processes, respectively. Optimizing the feed temperature, flow rate, and membrane length using RSM suggests 80 °C, 1.528 LPM and 10 m as the optimum operating condition. An AGMD module of size 0.8 m width and 10 m length under the optimum operating condition exhibited a freshwater yield of 8.73 kg/h by consuming 24.98 kWh/m3 of specific energy, and the water production cost would be around $2.25/m3. • A 1-D theoretical model is developed for AGMD and solved iteratively • The model is validated using the results obtained from the lab scale experimental setup • The feed water temperature, flow rate and membrane length are the key parameters that affects its performance • RSM is used for the optimization of the process to minimize the water production cost [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbicides such as atrazine and humus substances such as fulvic acid are widely used in agricultural sector. They can be traced in surface and groundwater around the agriculture field at concentrations beyond the approved limit due to their mobility and persistence. Bismuth-based photocatalysts activated by visible light are potential materials for removing various organic pollutants from water bodies. These photocatalysts can also be suitable candidates for developing a hybrid membrane with anti-fouling properties. In this study, Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles were synthesized via the hydrothermal method and integrated into the cellulose acetate (CA), polyetherimide (PEI), polysulfone (PSF) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymers via physical blending approach. The hybrid membranes were then characterized by FTIR, XPS and FESEM to confirm the chemical bonding, chemical composition and surface morphology of Bi 2 WO 6. Thus, the pure water flux of CA (35.6 L m−2 h−1), PEI (46.56 L m−2 h−1), PSF (6.84 L m−2 h−1), and PVDF (68.47 L m−2 h−1) hybrid membranes has significantly enhanced than the pristine CA, PEI, PSF and PVDF membranes. The significant rejection of atrazine-fulvic acid was observed with hybrid membranes in the order of CA (84.1%) > PVDF (72.7%) > PEI (47.8%) > PSF (37.2%), and these membranes have shown an excellent flux recovery ratio than pristine membranes. Further, electrochemical quantification studies were performed to analyze the removal efficiency of atrazine-fulvic acid from water. In this present work, GO-modified SPE was employed for electrochemical sensing studies. The resultant CA hybrid membrane achieved removal efficiency of 84.08% for atrazine. It was observed that the Bi 2 WO 6 established strong bonding with CA, and PVDF membranes, thus showing a significant removal efficiency and FRR than other hybrid and pristine membranes. [Display omitted] • Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. • Hybrid Bi 2 WO 6 incorporated membranes were fabricated using CA, PSF, PEI and PVDF polymers. • The better binding energy of Bi 2 WO 6 was noted with various hybrid membranes via. XPS analysis. • CA, PVDF hybrid membranes showed better rejection towards Atrazine-fulvic acid solution. • Validate the rejection results observed from UV spectroscopy with electrochemical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermal stable SPEEK membrane was fabricated with halloysite nanoclay and functionalized GO nanocomposites. • The silane and sulfonic acid group in the nanocomposite SPEEK membrane increased IEC and low methanol permeability. • The nanoclay and fGO membranes have shown significant proton conductivity and power density than pristine SPEEK membrane. Membrane-based fuel cells, particularly methanol-based fuel cells, are thriving areas with high efficiency, less material consumption, and low emission of pollutants. But commercial membranes have less thermal withstanding ability and high cost, so alternative polymeric membranes have been developed with desired properties to overcome this issue. The SPEEK membrane was fabricated with halloysite nanoclay and functionalized graphene oxide (f-GO) nanocomposites at various concentrations via dry phase inversion. The sulfonic acid group in the SPEEK and silane functionalization of GO enhanced the Ion exchange capacity from 0.22 to 0.35 meq/g which enhances the proton conductivity. Furthermore, the thermal stability and hydrophilicity of the pristine SPEEK membrane were reformed with addition of halloysite nanoclay and f-GO in SPEEK membrane. The presence of nanocomposite on the surface of the SPEEK membranes was confirmed via scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. The 3 wt% halloysite nanoclay and 2 wt% of f-GO composite membrane was hold the 0.47 mS cm−1 of proton conductivity and 72.2 mW cm−2 of power density, whereas pristine SPEEK membrane was 0.31 mS cm−1 and 28 mW cm−2, respectively. The 3 wt% halloysite incorporated SPEEK membrane and 1.5 wt% f-GO incorporated SPEEK membrane was shown better proton conductivity, which act as a prominent membrane for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The noxious side effects of pesticides on human health and environment have prompted the search of effective and reliable treatment techniques for pesticide removal. The removal of pesticides can be accomplished through physical, chemical and biologicals. Physical approaches such as filtration and adsorption are prevailing pesticide removal strategies on account of their effectiveness and ease of operation. Membrane-based filtration technology has been recognized as a promising water and wastewater treatment approach that can be used for a wide range of organic micropollutants including pesticides. Nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO) and forward osmosis (FO) have been increasingly explored for pesticide removal from aquatic environment owing to their versatility and high treatment efficiencies. This review looks into the remedial strategies of pesticides from aqueous environment using membrane-based processes. The potentials and applications of three prevailing membrane processes, namely NF, RO and FO for the treatment of pesticide-containing wastewater are discussed in terms of the development of advanced membranes, separation mechanisms and system design. The challenges in regards to the practical implementation of membrane-based processes for pesticide remediation are identified. The corresponding research directions and way forward are highlighted. An in depth understanding of the pesticide nature, water chemistry and the pesticide-membrane interactions is the key to achieving high pesticide removal efficiency. The integration of membrane technology and conventional removal technologies represents a new dimension and the future direction for the treatment of wastewater containing recalcitrant pesticides. [Display omitted] • The potentials of membrane technology for pesticides removal are reviewed • The rejection is governed by pesticide nature, water chemistry and membrane properties • NF, RO and FO are the key membrane processes for pesticide removal • Integrated membrane processes offer the most efficient pesticide removal [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive overview of various modifications carried out on polymeric membranes for biomedical applications has been presented in this review paper. In particular, different methods of carrying out these modifications have been discussed. The uniqueness of the review lies in the sense that it discusses the surface modification techniques traversing the timeline from traditionally well-established technologies to emerging new techniques, thus giving an intuitive understanding of the evolution of surface modification techniques over time. A critical comparison of the advantages and pitfalls of commonly used traditional and emerging surface modification techniques have been discussed. The paper also highlights the tuning of specific properties of polymeric membranes that are critical for their increased applications in the biomedical industry specifically in drug delivery, along with current challenges faced and where the future potential of research in the field of surface modification of membranes. • The polymer surface modification methods reviewed. • Compared the surface modification techniques in membrane separation to underlay the current research going in developing new techniques. • The developed materials in combination of surface modification with high potential as tissue replacements, biosensors and antibacterial materials applications. • The tailor made membrane modifications for application in drug delivery and other biomedical applications discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuning the ratio of sp2/sp3 is crucial factor for obtaining high aspect ratio of graphene oxide. In this work, we reported a comprehensive study on synthesis of GO with different sp2/sp3 ratios at different oxidation reaction temperatures. The physicochemical properties of the as-prepared GO were characterized by Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), Raman spectroscopy, Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), hydrophilicity test and zeta potential. Interestingly, GO-35 showed the smallest contact angle with carbon-to-oxygen (O/C) ratio 0.469. ATR-IR reveals the different intensity of hydroxyl (−OH), carbonyl (−C O), epoxy (C–O–C), as well as carboxyl (−COOH) moieties in the GO samples, and their intermolecular interactions significantly affected the interlayer spacing between consecutive identical planes of carbon atoms which examined using XRD. XPS confirmed that the basal species such as –OH is abundantly available in the GO-35 and unavailable in GO-50. Our results demonstrate that the properties of GO can be tuned using different oxidation reaction temperatures, which significantly influences types of oxygen-functional groups generated at different oxidation levels, thus could pave the way for various applications of graphene-based material. [Display omitted] • The ratio of sp2/sp3 in the GO structure can be tuned by oxidation temperature. • The integrity of graphene structure greatly decreases at oxidation temperature 50 °C. • Epoxy and hydroxyl species abundantly formed throughout the basal structure at optimum oxidation temperature, 35 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PW handling with conventional technologies is compared with MD highlighting constraints. • Advances in energy sourcing for MD incorporating solar energy, waste heat and microwave heating. • More insight on fouling and mitigation strategies peculiar to MD of PW. • Competitiveness of MD as an alternative for desalination of PW amidst environmental concern. • Beneficial reuse of PW for irrigation agriculture. Membrane distillation (MD) has proved worthwhile in treatment of hypersaline feeds demonstrating near complete rejection of dissolved solutes without any effect on the process conditions. This makes it potential treatment option for hypersaline oilfield produced water (PW) with salinity level far greater than that of seawater. Polymeric membranes have recently garnered more attention than their ceramic counterparts in oily wastewater treatment owing to ease of synthesis and relative cost advantage. However, lower mechanical durability and the propensity for fouling of these membranes due to presence of low surface energy organics in PW ultimately affects MD performance in its treatment. Studies elucidating the mechanism of fouling between PW feed and membranes in MD is scarcely reported in the literature. Various fouling mitigation approaches have shown promise towards the realization of MD as a viable option for PW treatment. Hybridization of MD, use of (super)hydrophobic MD membranes with feed pre-treatment using other technologies and/or membrane post-cleaning, integrated MD systems and recently omniphobic and Janus modifications of MD membranes have all been reported for treatment of PW showing more promise towards achieving ultrapure-distillate treatment. In this article, the performance of these polymeric MD membranes used in PW treatment in comparison to the other conventional treatment options as well as advances in MD as a cost-effective alternative for beneficial re-use of PW is reviewed, highlighting the areas requiring further study for this line of research. Because MD is still largely energy inefficient, several efforts to realize it as an all-round competitive technology focusing on long-term stability, brine handling capacity and potentials for cost savings with alternative and rather sustainable energy source are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Boron doped TNT immobilized on the outer layer of a dual layered PVDF hollow fiber membrane. • A finger-like structure on both outer and inner layer, sandwiching a dense interlayer. • PVDF-L2% exhibited a maximum flux of 39.62L/m2h and colour removal of 79.42%. • Membrane recovered more than 95% of performance after 4 filtration cycles, exhibiting antifouling propensity. • Long term study confirms membrane usability over 20 days. The emergence of hybrid photocatalytic membranes has provided a new direction in search of efficient technologies to separate and degrade pollutants present in wastewaters. Colour pigments originated from different sources including agricultural waste pose serious threats towards water bodies as their presence will lead to multiple environmental problems. This study investigated the potential of a photocatalytic dual layered hollow fiber membrane (DLHFM) incorporated with boron doped titania nanotubes (TNT-B) photocatalyst for the photodegradation and removal of colour pigment molecules present in aerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AT-POME). The colour removal efficiencies and separation performance of the DLHFM were evaluated through a submerged membrane photo reactor (SMPR) system driven by visible light. Polyvinylidene fluoride-based DLHFM loaded with 2% of photocatalyst (PVDF-L2%) exhibited the best membrane performance with a flux of 39.62 L/m2h and colour removal efficiency of 79.42%. The controlled distribution of photocatalysts as well as the synergistic combination of membrane filtration and photodegradation concertedly contributed to the improvement in membrane's performance. 95% of flux and colour removal efficiency were sustained after four filtration cycles. The membrane exhibited efficient performance in terms of consistent flux and colour removal efficiency after 20 days of continuous photocatalytic filtration, implying their high long-term stability. This study highlights the efficiency and potential of visible light photocatalytic membranes in treating colour laden wastewaters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]