Novel Approach to Landfill Wastewater Treatment Fouling Mitigation: Air Gap Membrane Distillation with Tin Sulfide-Coated PTFE Membrane
- Publisher:
- MDPI AG
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Membranes, 2023, 13, (483)
- Issue Date:
- 2023-04-29
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This study addressed the fouling issue in membrane distillation (M.D.) technology, a
promising method for water purification and wastewater reclamation. To enhance the anti-fouling
properties of the M.D. membrane, a tin sulfide (TS) coating onto polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was
proposed and evaluated with air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) using landfill leachate
wastewater at high recovery rates (80% and 90%). The presence of TS on the membrane surface was
confirmed using various techniques, such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM),
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS),
contact angle measurement, and porosity analysis. The results indicated the TS-PTFE membrane
exhibited better anti-fouling properties than the pristine PTFE membrane, and its fouling factors
(FFs) were 10.4–13.1% compared to 14.4–16.5% for the PTFE membrane. The fouling was attributed
to pore blockage and cake formation of carbonous and nitrogenous compounds. The study also
found that physical cleaning with deionized (DI) water effectively restored the water flux, with more
than 97% recovered for the TS-PTFE membrane. Additionally, the TS-PTFE membrane showed better
water flux and product quality at 55 °C and excellent stability in maintaining the contact angle
over time compared to the PTFE membrane.
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