Choudhury Mahbuboor Rahman, Anwar Nawrin, Jassby David, Rahaman Md Saifur
Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G1M8, Canada.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1593, United States.
Adv Colloid Interface Sci. 2019 Jul;269:370-399. doi: 10.1016/j.cis.2019.04.008. Epub 2019 Apr 27.
Fouling and wetting of membranes are significant concerns that can impede the widespread application of the membrane distillation (MD) process during high-salinity wastewater reclamation. Fouling, caused by the accumulation of undesirable materials on the membrane surface and pores, causes a decrease in permeate flux. Membrane wetting, the direct permeation of the feed solution through the membrane pores, results in reduced contaminant rejection and overall process failure. Lately, the application of MD for water recovery from various types of wastewaters has gained increased attention among researchers. In this review, we discuss fouling and wetting phenomena observed during the MD process, along with the effects of various mitigation strategies. In addition, we examine the interactions between contaminants and different types of MD membranes and the influence of different operating conditions on the occurrence of fouling and wetting. We also report on previously investigated feed pre-treatment options before MD, application of integrated MD processes, the performance of fabricated/modified MD membranes, and strategies for MD membrane maintenance during water reclamation. Energy consumption and economic aspects of MD for wastewater recovery is also discussed. Throughout the review, we engage in dialogues highlighting research needs for furthering the development of MD: the incorporation of MD in the overall wastewater treatment and recovery scheme (including selection of appropriate membrane material, suitable pre-treatment or integrated processes, and membrane maintenance strategies) and the application of MD in long-term pilot-scale studies using real wastewater.
膜污染和膜润湿是重要问题，在高盐度废水回收过程中会阻碍膜蒸馏（MD）工艺的广泛应用。膜污染是由不良物质在膜表面和孔隙中积累引起的，会导致渗透通量下降。膜润湿是指进料溶液直接透过膜孔，会导致污染物截留率降低以及整个工艺失效。最近，膜蒸馏在从各类废水中回收水方面的应用在研究人员中受到了越来越多的关注。在本综述中，我们讨论了膜蒸馏过程中观察到的污染和润湿现象，以及各种缓解策略的效果。此外，我们研究了污染物与不同类型膜蒸馏膜之间的相互作用，以及不同操作条件对污染和润湿发生的影响。我们还报告了先前研究的膜蒸馏前进料预处理方案、集成膜蒸馏工艺的应用、制备/改性膜蒸馏膜的性能，以及水回收过程中膜蒸馏膜的维护策略。还讨论了膜蒸馏用于废水回收的能耗和经济方面。在整个综述中，我们进行了对话，强调了推动膜蒸馏发展的研究需求：将膜蒸馏纳入整体废水处理和回收方案（包括选择合适的膜材料、合适的预处理或集成工艺以及膜维护策略），以及在使用实际废水的长期中试规模研究中应用膜蒸馏。
