Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry xxx (xxxx) xxx
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Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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Coupling of augmented PAN membranes by surface immobilization of
pincer ligands with an activated sludge to treat a real wastewater
S. Nazari a, A. Asadi b, *, F. Gholami a, c, M. Dolatshah a
a
Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Razi University, P.O. Box 67144-14971, Kermanshah, Iran
b
Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Gas and Petroleum, Yasouj University, Gachsaran 75918-74831, Iran
c
Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center, P.O. Box 14155‑4777, Tehran, Iran
A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T
Keywords: In the present study, industrial estate wastewater was subjected to treat with a conventional activated sludge
Ultrafiltration (CAS) bioreactor and then purified using a highly efficient surface-modified PAN ultrafiltration membrane.
Membrane fouling Response surface methodology (RSM) has been employed to analytically design, carry out, and optimize bio
Pincer
logical experiments using two independent operating variables, MLSS (6,000–14,000 mg/L) and HRT (5–15 h).
Biological wastewater treatment
Surface modification
This resulted in an effluent that was optimally stabilized before ultrafiltration due to the consequent responses of
COD removal (90 %), effluent turbidity (1 NTU), and SVI (82 mL/g). To rationally tailor the antifouling PAN UF
membranes for this intended purpose, novel hydrophilic pincer ligands were formed by covalent binding of
cyanuric chloride (CC) activated membrane surfaces with various loadings of (1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 wt%) 5-amino-1,
3, 4-thiadiazol-2-thiol (AMT). In terms of hydrophilicity, surface roughness, antifouling characteristics, and
permeate flux, the optimum membrane surface-modified with 3.0 wt% pincer ligand loading outperformed the
others, leading to a low WCA of 42.75◦ , smoother surface (Sa = 14.77 nm), FRR of 97.1 %, and PWF of 56.07 kg/
m2.h. The operated CAS followed by surface-modified Pincer/PAN membranes is therefore an appealing proposal
for generating high-quality effluent from industrial wastewaters.
Introduction decline, depending on elements including membrane material, pore size
and size distribution, solute loading, operating conditions, etc [7]. While
The removal of organic substances from wastewater is widely fouling has an immediate impact on permeate flux reduction, it can also
accomplished using the activated sludge process [1]. However, due to have a long-term effect on membrane life span decrease and irreversible
difficulties brought on by abnormal microbial activities, such as bulking fouling due to microbial activity on the membrane material [8]. Mem
and foaming occurring in the aeration tank, which make separation brane fouling must be kept to an absolute minimum in order to maintain
(settling) of the sediment from water problematic, the discharge quality a membrane process’s economic viability. For the purpose of improving
from the clarifier is subject to significant variations. This has paved the membrane cleansing efficiency for flux recovery, researchers have
way for membrane ultrafiltration to be extensively employed in the developed a variety of approaches to lower membrane fouling [9]. These
activated sludge process [2]. The rate of sludge-effluent separation is no tactics include the creation of a new membrane module design [10,11],
longer limited by the settleability of the activated sludge as a membrane the incorporation of cleaning regimes either in-situ or ex-situ [12], an
ultrafiltration unit takes the place of the clarifier, resulting in greater alteration to the feed flow pattern [13], and new membrane materials
reliability and improved effluent quality [3]. The rapid flux drop trig [14–16]. The same procedure may occasionally combine several distinct
gered by membrane fouling, however, is a significant deterrent to using strategies.
membrane ultrafiltration with the activated sludge process. The pivotal role of surface-modifying additives in the surface
As a consequence of elevated flow resistance driven by pore blocking modification of membranes employed in food, pharmaceutical, and
[4], concentration polarization [5], and cake formation [6], membrane medical applications, as well as industrial chemical processes, has been
fouling is generally defined as a decline in the permeate flux through the firmly established. Over the course of the last two decades, a substantial
membrane. Each of these fouling processes has a distinct effect on flux amount of the endeavors undertaken by scholars [17–23] has been
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [Link]@[Link] (A. Asadi).
[Link]
Received 26 July 2023; Received in revised form 30 October 2023; Accepted 15 November 2023
Available online 17 November 2023
1226-086X/© 2023 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Please cite this article as: S. Nazari et al., Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, [Link]
