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An integrated membrane distillation, photocatalysis and polyelectrolyte-enhanced ultrafiltration process for arsenic remediation at point-of-use

Santoro, Sergio ; Timpano, Paola ; Avci, Ahmet Halil LU ; Argurio, Pietro ; Chidichimo, Francesco ; De Biase, Michele ; Straface, Salvatore and Curcio, Efrem (2021) In Desalination 520.
Abstract

Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a result of natural and/or anthropogenic activities, causing undesirable detrimental effects on the environment and the human health. Herein, an integrated process based on Membrane Distillation (MD), photocatalysis and Polymer-enhanced Ultrafiltration (PEUF) was developed for an effective remediation of arsenic (As). This approach, whose effectiveness was demonstrated by experimental tests on artificial solution mimicking As-contaminated water in the area of Sila Massif (Italy), ensured a near total water recovery and a rational management of residual contaminants. MD allowed to produce high-quality freshwater from contaminated feedwater containing As in the range of 0.059-5 mg·L-1,... (More)

Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a result of natural and/or anthropogenic activities, causing undesirable detrimental effects on the environment and the human health. Herein, an integrated process based on Membrane Distillation (MD), photocatalysis and Polymer-enhanced Ultrafiltration (PEUF) was developed for an effective remediation of arsenic (As). This approach, whose effectiveness was demonstrated by experimental tests on artificial solution mimicking As-contaminated water in the area of Sila Massif (Italy), ensured a near total water recovery and a rational management of residual contaminants. MD allowed to produce high-quality freshwater from contaminated feedwater containing As in the range of 0.059-5 mg·L-1, without deterioration of the transmembrane flux up to a recovery factor of 98.8%. Furthermore, a photocatalytic step was applied on MD retentate to convert arsenite As (III) into arsenate As(V), the latter subsequently removed by PEUF with efficiency of 98.2%. Speciation analysis demonstrated the necessity to reduce the feed pH to 5.6 in order to avoid the risk of scaling in MD stage, whereas Na2CO3 softening at pH 9 before the photocatalytic stage ensured both the reactive precipitation of Ca and Mg ions and the depletion of bicarbonate ions.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Arsenic remediation, Membrane distillation, Photocatalysis, Polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration, Zero liquid discharge
in
Desalination
volume
520
article number
115378
pages
10 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85116092416
ISSN
0011-9164
DOI
10.1016/j.desal.2021.115378
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
id
40c0c0f5-3c3f-4027-8dbf-f2d581ed84ba
date added to LUP
2022-05-13 10:45:04
date last changed
2022-05-13 11:21:28
@article{40c0c0f5-3c3f-4027-8dbf-f2d581ed84ba,
  abstract     = {{<p>Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a result of natural and/or anthropogenic activities, causing undesirable detrimental effects on the environment and the human health. Herein, an integrated process based on Membrane Distillation (MD), photocatalysis and Polymer-enhanced Ultrafiltration (PEUF) was developed for an effective remediation of arsenic (As). This approach, whose effectiveness was demonstrated by experimental tests on artificial solution mimicking As-contaminated water in the area of Sila Massif (Italy), ensured a near total water recovery and a rational management of residual contaminants. MD allowed to produce high-quality freshwater from contaminated feedwater containing As in the range of 0.059-5 mg·L<sup>-1</sup>, without deterioration of the transmembrane flux up to a recovery factor of 98.8%. Furthermore, a photocatalytic step was applied on MD retentate to convert arsenite As (III) into arsenate As(V), the latter subsequently removed by PEUF with efficiency of 98.2%. Speciation analysis demonstrated the necessity to reduce the feed pH to 5.6 in order to avoid the risk of scaling in MD stage, whereas Na<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> softening at pH 9 before the photocatalytic stage ensured both the reactive precipitation of Ca and Mg ions and the depletion of bicarbonate ions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Santoro, Sergio and Timpano, Paola and Avci, Ahmet Halil and Argurio, Pietro and Chidichimo, Francesco and De Biase, Michele and Straface, Salvatore and Curcio, Efrem}},
  issn         = {{0011-9164}},
  keywords     = {{Arsenic remediation; Membrane distillation; Photocatalysis; Polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration; Zero liquid discharge}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Desalination}},
  title        = {{An integrated membrane distillation, photocatalysis and polyelectrolyte-enhanced ultrafiltration process for arsenic remediation at point-of-use}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2021.115378}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.desal.2021.115378}},
  volume       = {{520}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}