Emerging marine environmental pollution and ecosystem disturbance in ship hull cleaning for biofouling removal.

Numerous marine sessile organisms adhere to ship hulls and increase the sailing resistance. Antibiofouling paints are employed to maintain the ship performance. However, the chemicals employed for antifouling purposes are becoming increasingly diverse, lacking clear toxicological information.

Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of a Cation Exchange Membrane Using Graphene Oxide/Polyethersulfone Composite Nanofibers.

Ion exchange membranes, especially cation exchange membranes (CEMs), are an important component in membrane-based energy generation and storage because of their ability to transport cations via the electrochemical potential gradient while preventing electron transport. However, developing a CEM with low areal resistance, high permselectivity, and stability remains difficult. In this study, electrospun graphene oxide/polyethersulfone (GO/PES) composite nanofibers were prepared with varying concentrations of GO.

Graphene Oxide-Based Membranes Intercalated with an Aromatic Crosslinker for Low-Pressure Nanofiltration.

Graphene oxide (GO), a carbonaceous 2D nanomaterial, has received significant interest as a next-generation membrane building block. To fabricate high-performance membranes, an effective strategy involves stacking GO nanosheets in laminated structures, thereby creating unique nanochannel galleries. One outstanding merit of laminar GO membranes is that their permselectivity is readily tunable by tailoring the size of the nanochannels.

Preparation of adsorptive polyethyleneimine/polyvinyl chloride electrospun nanofiber membrane: Characterization and application.

Landfilling and burning plastic waste, especially waste polyvinyl chloride (PVC), can produce highly toxic and carcinogenic by-products that threaten the ecosystem and human health. However, there is still a lack of proper methods for waste PVC recycling. Therefore, developing feasible ways for waste PVC recovery is urgently needed.

Recent Application of Nanomaterials to Overcome Technological Challenges of Microbial Electrolysis Cells.

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have attracted significant interest as sustainable green hydrogen production devices because they utilize the environmentally friendly biocatalytic oxidation of organic wastes and electrochemical proton reduction with the support of relatively lower external power compared to that used by water electrolysis. However, the commercialization of MEC technology has stagnated owing to several critical technological challenges. Recently, many attempts have been made to utilize nanomaterials in MECs owing to the unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials originating from their extremely small size (at least <100 nm in one dimension).

Enhancing the Dye-Rejection Efficiencies and Stability of Graphene Oxide-Based Nanofiltration Membranes via Divalent Cation Intercalation and Mild Reduction.

Laminar graphene oxide (GO) membranes have demonstrated great potential as next-generation water-treatment membranes because of their outstanding performance and physicochemical properties. However, solute rejection and stability deterioration in aqueous solutions, which are caused by enlarged nanochannels due to hydration and swelling, are regarded as serious issues in the use of GO membranes. In this study, we attempt to use the crosslinking of divalent cations to improve resistance against swelling in partially reduced GO membranes.

Scalability of microbial electrochemical technologies: Applications and challenges.

During wastewater treatment, microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) are a promising means for in situ energy harvesting and resource recovery. The primary constraint for such systems is scaling them up from the laboratory to practical applications. Currently, most research (∼90%) has been limited to benchtop models because of bioelectrochemical, economic, and engineering design limitations.

Recent Progress in One- and Two-Dimensional Nanomaterial-Based Electro-Responsive Membranes: Versatile and Smart Applications from Fouling Mitigation to Tuning Mass Transport.

Membrane technologies are playing an ever-important role in the field of water treatment since water reuse and desalination were put in place as alternative water resources to alleviate the global water crisis. Recently, membranes are becoming more versatile and powerful with upgraded electroconductive capabilities, owing to the development of novel materials (e.g.

MXene Materials for Designing Advanced Separation Membranes.

MXenes are emerging rapidly as a new family of multifunctional nanomaterials with prospective applications rivaling that of graphenes. Herein, a timely account of the design and performance evaluation of MXene-based membranes is provided. First, the preparation and physicochemical characteristics of MXenes are outlined, with a focus on exfoliation, dispersion stability, and processability, which are crucial factors for membrane fabrication.

Evaluation of hydrogen production and internal resistance in forward osmosis membrane integrated microbial electrolysis cells.

In order to enhance hydrogen production by facilitated proton transport through a forward osmosis (FO) membrane, the FO membrane was integrated into microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). An improved hydrogen production rate was obtained in the FO-MEC (12.5±1.

Effect of initial salt concentrations on cell performance and distribution of internal resistance in microbial desalination cells.

Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) are modified microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that concurrently produce electricity and desalinate seawater, but adding a desalination compartment and an ion-exchange membrane may increase the internal resistance (Ri), which can limit the cell performance. However, the effects of a desalination chamber and initial NaCl concentrations on the internal resistances and the cell performances (i.e.

Polydopamine coating effects on ultrafiltration membrane to enhance power density and mitigate biofouling of ultrafiltration microbial fuel cells (UF-MFCs).

Membrane resistance is due to the low accessibility of liquid electrolytes onto the membrane surface; resultant membrane biofouling lowers the power generation capacity of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In this study, in order to reduce membrane resistance caused by migrative ion transport resistance and membrane biofouling, a polydopamine (PD) coating was adopted for the modification of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane surfaces in UF membrane integrated MFCs (UF-MFCs). After a PD coating was applied to a UF membrane, the contact angle measured on the support layer of a UF membrane decreased and the membrane surface charge became negative.