Chemical Cleaning Techniques for Fouled RO Membranes: Enhancing Fouling Removal and Assessing Microbial Composition.

Membrane fouling, a major challenge in desalination, is addressed in this study by investigating three different chemical cleaning protocols (A, B, and C) targeting fouled reverse osmosis (RO) membranes and microbial community composition. Cleaning protocols A and B involve different chemical treatments selected based on preliminary tests and literature review, while protocol C follows the manufacturer's standard recommendation. Membrane morphology, foulant composition, and microbial community variability in fouled, virgin, and cleaned membranes are studied.

Nanomaterial grafted polymorphous activated carbon cloth surface for antibacterial, capacitive deionization and oil spill cleaning applications.

This work reports the development of multifunctional or polymorphous surfaces using zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods, silica (SiO), and fluoropolymer functionalization in a sequential process. Firstly, zinc oxide nanorods were grown on activated carbon cloth (ACC) using a simple low-temperature synthesis process. ZnO nanorods-coated ACC substrate was applied to investigate the antimicrobial properties, and the results showed inhibition of 50% for Escherichia coli (E.

Sustainable gliadin - Metal oxide composites for efficient inactivation of Escherichia coli and remediation of cobalt (II) from water.

Bio-based materials facilitate greener approach to engineering novel materials with multifunctional properties for various applications including water treatment. In this study, we extracted gliadin from wheat gluten using alcoholic solvent. The aggregation limitations of gliadin protein were overcome by functionalisation with metal oxides (MOs) TiO, AgFeO and AgFe-TiO prepared by chemical precipitations.

Development of portable sensor for the detection of bacteria: effect of gold nanoparticle size, effective surface area, and interparticle spacing upon sensing interface.

In this study, systematic development of a portable sensor for the rapid detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Exiguobacterium aurantiacum (E. aurantiacum) was reported.

pH Controlled Nanostructure and Optical Properties of ZnO and Al-Doped ZnO Nanorod Arrays Grown by Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Method.

The low-temperature microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was used to successfully grow pure and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanorod (NR) arrays on glass substrates. The combined effects of doping and pH on the structural properties, surface chemistry, and optical properties of all samples were investigated. Thermodynamic-based simulations of the growth solution were performed and a growth mechanism, that considers the effects of both the pH and Al-doping, is proposed, and discussed.

Some Distinct Attributes of ZnO Nanorods Arrays: Effects of Varying Hydrothermal Growth Time.

This study investigates the growth time effect on the structural, morphological, optical, and photoelectrochemical characteristics of highly oriented ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNRAs). The nanorod arrays were grown on ITO substrates using the unified sol-gel spin coating and hydrothermal techniques. ZnO nanoparticles (ZNPs) were synthesized using the sol-gel spin coating method.

Autopsy of Used Reverse Osmosis Membranes from the Largest Seawater Desalination Plant in Oman.

The Barka desalination plant, commissioned in 2018, is the largest desalination plant in Oman. It has a capacity of 281 MLD with a reverse osmosis (RO) first-pass recovery rate of 46%. As part of the standard operator practice, a membrane autopsy was conducted to determine the cause of reductions in membrane performance.

Anticorrosion Coated Stainless Steel as Durable Support for C-N-TiO Photo Catalyst Layer.

The development of durable photocatalytic supports resistant in harsh environment has become challenging in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) focusing on water and wastewater remediation. In this study, stainless steel (SS), SS/Ti (N,O) and SS/Cr-N/Cr (N,O) anticorrosion layers on SS meshes were dip-coated with sol gel synthesised C-N-TiO photo catalysts pyrolysed at 350 °C for 105 min, using a heating rate of 50 °C/min under N gas. The supported C-N-TiO films were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy.

Sn Doping: A Strategy for Tuning of FeO Nanoparticles Magnetization Dipping Temperature/Amplitude, Irreversibility, and Curie Point.

Doped magnetite (SnFeO) nanoparticles (NPs) (12-50 nm) with different amount of Sn ions (x) were synthesized using co-precipitation method. Sn doping reduces the anticipated oxidation of FeO NPs to maghemite (γ-FeO), making them attractive in several magnetic applications. Detailed characterizations during heating-cooling cycles revealed the possibility of tuning the unusual observed magnetization dipping temperature/amplitude, irreversibility, and Curie point of these NPs.

ZnO nanorod-chitosan composite coatings with enhanced antifouling properties.

The current study describes the fabrication of chitosan‑zinc oxide nanorods composite (CHT/ZnO) on fiberglass panels (support substrate). ZnO nanorods (NRs) with size ranging from 20 to 100 nm and some microrods with an approximate size of 0.5-1 μm were grown on fiberglass panels.

Removal of heavy metal ions by capacitive deionization: Effect of surface modification on ions adsorption.

Activated carbon cloth (ACC) coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as electrodes in flow-by capacitive deionization (CDI) system. Aqueous solution of individual Pb and Cd ions and mixed Pb and Cd ions were used as test contaminant in CDI system to study the effect of surface modification upon ions removal efficiency. Due to the aggregated structure of ZnO NPs on ACC surface, the modified ACC electrodes develop the additional surface area as well as dielectric barrier therefore resulting in higher specific capacitance.

Influence of Atomic Hydrogen, Band Bending, and Defects in the Top Few Nanometers of Hydrothermally Prepared Zinc Oxide Nanorods.

We report on the surface, sub-surface (top few nanometers) and bulk properties of hydrothermally grown zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) prior to and after hydrogen treatment. Upon treating with atomic hydrogen (H*), upward and downward band bending is observed depending on the availability of molecular HO within the structure of the NRs. In the absence of HO, the H* treatment demonstrated a cleaning effect of the nanorods, leading to a 0.

Self-organization of gold nanoparticles on silanated surfaces.

The self-organization of monolayer gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized glass substrate is reported. The orientation of APTES molecules on glass substrates plays an important role in the interaction between AuNPs and APTES molecules on the glass substrates. Different orientations of APTES affect the self-organization of AuNps on APTES-functionalized glass substrates.

Highly efficient ZnO/Au Schottky barrier dye-sensitized solar cells: Role of gold nanoparticles on the charge-transfer process.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods decorated with gold (Au) nanoparticles have been synthesized and used to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The picosecond-resolved, time-correlated single-photon-count (TCSPC) spectroscopy technique was used to explore the charge-transfer mechanism in the ZnO/Au-nanocomposite DSSC. Due to the formation of the Schottky barrier at the ZnO/Au interface and the higher optical absorptions of the ZnO/Au photoelectrodes arising from the surface plasmon absorption of the Au nanoparticles, enhanced power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.