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Enhanced cross-flow filtration with flat-sheet ceramic membranes by titanium-based coagulation for membrane fouling control

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Abstract

Application of ceramic membrane (CM) with outstanding characteristics, such as high flux and chemical-resistance, is inevitably restricted by membrane fouling. Coagulation was an economical and effective technology for membrane fouling control. This study investigated the filtration performance of ceramic membrane enhanced by the emerging titanium-based coagulant (polytitanium chloride, PTC). Particular attention was paid to the simulation of ceramic membrane fouling using four widely used mathematical models. Results show that filtration of the PTC-coagulated effluent using flat-sheet ceramic membrane achieved the removal of organic matter up to 78.0%. Permeate flux of ceramic membrane filtration reached 600 L/(m2 · h), which was 10-fold higher than that observed with conventional polyaluminum chloride (PAC) case. For PTC, fouling of the ceramic membrane was attributed to the formation of cake layer, whereas for PAC, standard filtration/intermediate filtration (blocking of membrane pores) was also a key fouling mechanism. To sum up, cross-flow filtration with flat-sheet ceramic membranes could be significantly enhanced by titanium-based coagulation to produce both high-quality filtrate and high-permeation flux.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51978311), Taishan Scholars Young Experts Program (China) (No. tsqn202103080), and Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, China (No. ZR2019BEE044).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, China

    Xiaoman Liu, Yanxia Zhao, Weiying Xu, Tao Yan & Wen Song

  2. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan, 250353, China

    Chang Tian

  3. School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, China

    Dehua Dong

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China

    Kaimin Shih

Authors
  1. Xiaoman Liu
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  2. Chang Tian
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  3. Yanxia Zhao
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  4. Weiying Xu
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  5. Dehua Dong
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  6. Kaimin Shih
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  7. Tao Yan
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  8. Wen Song
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yanxia Zhao.

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Highlights

• Ceramic membrane filtration showed high performance for surface water treatment.

• PTC pre-coagulation could enhance ceramic membrane filtration performance.

• Ceramic membrane fouling was investigated by four varied mathematical models.

• PTC pre-coagulation was high-effective for ceramic membrane fouling control.

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Liu, X., Tian, C., Zhao, Y. et al. Enhanced cross-flow filtration with flat-sheet ceramic membranes by titanium-based coagulation for membrane fouling control. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 16, 110 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-022-1531-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-022-1531-x

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