Abstract
The growing environmental contamination from industrial dyes calls for more efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. This study presents a sustainble approach by developing polysulfone-based hybrid membranes, modified with natural zeolite which is a low-cost, eco-friendly material, at varying concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, and 3 wt%) using the phase inversion process. The use of zeolite as both a porogen and a hydrophilic agent is a key innovation that significantly enhances membrane performance. The membranes were characterized using SEM, TGA, and contact angle measurements, and their pure water permeability was tested. The membrane with 3 wt% zeolite achieved an outstanding pure water flux (PWF) of 151.5 L m-2 h-1 at 4 bar, marking a 30-fold improvement over unmodified polysulfone membranes. Performance tests with methylene blue (MB) and orange G dyes revealed that the optimized membrane (PSf/Z 3%) exhibited a flux recovery ratio (FRR%) of 86.31% and a 99.6% rejection rate for MB. This study not only demonstrates a substantial advancement in filtration performance but also highlights the environmental and cost benefits of using natural zeolite. By offering a scalable, efficient, and sustainable solution for dye removal, this research provides a practical approach to mitigating industrial pollution and reducing treatment costs.
Key Words
antifouling; nano-particles; polysulfone membrane; separation; water treatment
Address
Yasmina Afir: Laboratoire de Synthèse Macromoléculaire et Thioorganique Macromoléculaire, Faculté de Chimie, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, USTHB, B.P 32 El-Alia, Algiers, Algeria
Nabila Cherifi: Centre de Recherche Scientifique et Technique en Analyses Physico-chimiques (CRAPC), Zone Industrielle, BP 384 Bou-Ismail, Tipaza, Algeria/ Unité de Recherche en Analyses Physico-Chimiques des Milieux Fluides et Sols –(URAPC-MFS/ CRAPC), 11 Chemin Doudou Mokhtar, Ben Aknoun – Alger, Algeria
Adel Ouradi: Laboratoire de Synthèse Macromoléculaire et Thioorganique Macromoléculaire, Faculté de Chimie, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, USTHB, B.P 32 El-Alia, Algiers, Algeria/ Laboratoire Chimie Physique Moléculaire et Macromoléculaire, Université Saad Dahlab Blida1, Route de Soumaa, BP 270, Blida, 09000, Algeria
Fatima Boukraa: Faculté de Chimie, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, USTHB, B.P 32 El-Alia, Algiers, Algeria
Abstract
The utilization of waste sugarcane bagasse in order to reduce landfill residue and CO2 emission is very crucial. In this research, we present a low-cost and easily accessible approach to fabricating cellulose aerogel from waste sugarcane bagasse using a NaOH/Urea/H2O gelation solution with different amounts of urea as cross-linking agent. The resulting cellulose aerogels were carbonized and activated to produce activated cellulose carbon aerogel (SB-ACCA). Among the samples, the material with a cellulose:urea ratio of 1:1, designated as SB-ACCA-1.0, exhibited outstanding properties, including the highest BET surface area of 642.3 m2 g-1 together with a high specific capacitance of 96.5 F g-1. These properties both contribute to its significant salt adsorption capacity of 19.49 mg g-1 at 1.2 V, which could be further enhanced to 23.91 mg g-1 at 1.4 V. These results reveal a viable pathway for utilizing waste sugarcane bagasse and numerous types of agricultural wastes to develop cellulose carbon aerogel electrodes for capacitive deionization in the desalination of salt water, as well as other advanced materials for different environmental applications.
Address
Ngan Tuan Nguyen: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science – Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam/ Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM), Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam/ NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Van Vien Nguyen and Thai Hoang Nguyen: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science – Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam/ Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM), Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam/
Thanh Tung Nguyen and Hoang Long Ngo: NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
My Linh Nguyen: Department of Environmental Engineering Technology, Faculty for High Quality Training, HCMC University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Abstract
This study optimized the manufacturing process of a membrane derived from polystyrene waste for application in a membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment by adjusting parameters including resin-to-solvent ratio, coagulation time, and membrane thickness. The research results showed that polystyrene plastic demonstrated compatibility with N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone solvent at a resin-to-solvent (m/V) ratio of 4:25. The ideal coagulation time was found to be 20 min and a thickness of 350 µm. The MBR tank employed a frame of flat sheet membranes made from polystyrene waste with consistent performance throughout the entire operation. On average, it achieved an 80% removal efficiency for COD, 94% for ammonium, and 8% for phosphate and turbidity of 1.5 NTU. These obtained results confirmed that membranes made from plastic waste could be effectively used in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system for domestic wastewater treatment. Therefore, recycling polystyrene waste as a primary resource for membrane production is a viable concept for both technical and environmental purposes, promoting sustainable growth in the context of a circular economy.
Address
Anh Thi Kim Tran, Nhung Thi Tuyet Hoang and My Linh Nguyen: Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education, 01 Vo Van Ngan, Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
Abstract
The fluid flow in a small cylindrical nanotube such as occurring in the filtration membrane is essentially non-continuum, not predictable from the classical hydrodynamic flow theory. However, it has important practical applications in ultra filtration. It is shown that three factors i.e. the viscosity and density effect, the non-continuum effect and the wall slippage effect control this flow. The present paper shows that all these three effects heavily depend on the fluid-tube wall interaction, the former two effects strongly impede the flow and become more significant with the reduction of the diameter of the nanotube or with the increase of the interaction strength between the fluid and the nanotube wall, while the wall slippage effect speeds up the flow and it is more significant with the reduction of the diameter of the nanotube, with the increase of the power loss on the nanotube, or with the reduction of the interaction strength between the fluid and the nanotube wall. There is the competition between the former two effects and the wall slippage effect, determined by the power loss (POW) on the nanotube driving the flow. If POW is small enough, the viscosity and density effect and the non-continuum effect are dominant, and the mass flow rate through the nanotube is normally much lower than the classical flow theory calculation. If POW is sufficiently great, the wall slippage effect is dominant and the mass flow rate through the nanotube is much higher than the classical flow theory calculation. There are the values of POW which make the former two effects nearly equal to the wall slippage effect.
Key Words
filtration membrane; manotube; mass flow; non continuum; viscosity; wall slippage
Address
Mian Wang: School of Electronic Engineering, Changzhou College of Information Technology, Changzhou, 213164, Jiangsu Province, China
Yongbin Zhang: College of Mechanical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, Jiangsu Province, China
Abstract
This study presents the development of a real-time prediction model for trihalomethanes (THMs) using deep learning and sensor-based data from a drinking water treatment plant. As chlorine remains the most widely used disinfectant due to its cost-effectiveness, the formation of carcinogenic THMs has become a critical concern, especially with multi-point chlorine injection strategies. Traditional THMs prediction models have faced limitations due to the complex nature of organic matter and the lack of real-time data availability. In this study, a deep learning model utilizing artificial neural networks (ANNs) was trained on 171 data points comprising real-time flow and water quality variables. Model performance was evaluated using mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and R2 metrics under different activation functions including rectified linear unit (ReLU), hyperbolic tangent (tanh), and exponential linear unit (ELU). The ReLU-based model achieved the best performance with an R2 of 0.76, indicating reliable prediction without clear over- or underestimation tendencies. Variants of the model with reduced input variables and adjusted output ranges were also tested for model improvement. These modifications showed reduced error variability and enhanced model stability, albeit with slightly reduced R2 values (approximately 0.72). This approach demonstrates the potential of real-time artificial intelligence (AI)-driven THMs forecasting to support optimized chlorine dosing and regulatory compliance in drinking water treatment facilities. Unlike previous studies focused solely on accuracy, this research emphasizes practical applicability using sensor-acquirable parameters, providing a scalable and real-time decision-support tool for THMs management.
Key Words
activation function; artificial intelligence; real time chlorine injection control; THMs prediction; water quality sensor
Address
Yunseok Choi and Doo-il Kim: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dankook University, 152, Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16890, Republic of Korea
