Reverse Osmosis Membrane Engineering: Multidirectional Analysis Using Bibliometric, Machine Learning, Data, and Text Mining Approaches.

Membrane engineering is a complex field involving the development of the most suitable membrane process for specific purposes and dealing with the design and operation of membrane technologies. This study analyzed 1424 articles on reverse osmosis (RO) membrane engineering from the Scopus database to provide guidance for future studies. The results show that since the first article was published in 1964, the domain has gained popularity, especially since 2009.

Development of Novel Electrospun Fibers Based on Cyclic Olefin Polymer.

For the first time, a systematic study to investigate the electrospinnability of cyclic olefin polymer (COP) was performed. Different solvents and mixtures were tested together with different electrospinning parameters and post-treatment types to prepare bead-free fibers without defects. These were successfully obtained using a chloroform/chlorobenzene (40/60 wt.

Applications of electrically conductive membranes in water treatment via membrane distillation: Joule heating, membrane fouling/scaling/wetting mitigation and monitoring.

Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermally driven separation process that is driven by phase change. The core of this technology is the hydrophobic microporous membrane that prevents mass transfer of the liquid while allowing the vapor phase to pass through the membrane's pores. Currently, MD is challenged by its high energy consumption and membrane degradation due to fouling, scaling and wetting.

A complementary approach of response surface methodology and an artificial neural network for the optimization and prediction of low salinity reverse osmosis performance.

The treatment of saline water sources by reverse osmosis (RO) is being utilized increasingly to address water shortages around the world. The application of RO is energy-intensive; therefore, plant and process optimization are crucial. The desalination of low salinity water sources with total dissolved solids (TDS) of <5000 mg/L is less energy intensive than the desalination of highly saline seawater and brackish water.

Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of fullerene-based nanofluids.

Owing to their outstanding characteristics, carbon based nanofluids (CbNFs) have been applied to various advanced heat transfer and cooling technologies. It was claimed that these CbNFs can considerably improve the properties of the base working fluids. Among all the thermal characteristics, the thermal conductivity (λ) is regarded as the primary parameter to be considered for the application of nanofluids (NFs).

High-Flux Thin Film Composite PIM-1 Membranes for Butanol Recovery: Experimental Study and Process Simulations.

Thin film composite (TFC) membranes of the prototypical polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) have been prepared by dip-coating on a highly porous electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous support. Prior to coating, the support was impregnated in a non-solvent to avoid the penetration of PIM-1 inside the PVDF network. Different non-solvents were considered and the results were compared with those of the dry support.

Electrospun Nanostructured Membrane Engineering Using Reverse Osmosis Recycled Modules: Membrane Distillation Application.

As a consequence of the increase in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants, the number of discarded RO modules for 2020 was estimated to be 14.8 million annually. Currently, these discarded modules are disposed of in nearby landfills generating high volumes of waste.

Mixed Matrix Polytetrafluoroethylene/Polysulfone Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes for Water Desalination by Membrane Distillation.

The electrospinning technique was used successfully to fabricate nanofibers of polysulfone (PSF) in which polytetrafuoroethylene nanoparticles (PTFE NPs) were embedded. The size of the PTFE NPs is only 1.7 to 3.

Structural, Mechanical, and Transport Properties of Electron Beam-Irradiated Chitosan Membranes at Different Doses.

Chitosan powder irradiated by electron beam at different doses, up to 250 kGy, was used to prepare membranes for drug release applications. The irradiation effect on the molecular weight of powder chitosan, the characteristics of the prepared membranes, and their transport of sulfamerazine sodium salt (SULF) were investigated. The effect of the addition of glutaraldehyde (GLA) as a crosslinking agent in the chitosan solution used for the preparation of the membranes was also studied.

Interlaced CNT Electrodes for Bacterial Fouling Reduction of Microfiltration Membranes.

Interlaced carbon nanotube electrodes (ICE) were prepared by vacuum filtering a well-dispersed carbon nanotube-Nafion solution through a laser-cut acrylic stencil onto a commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration (MF) membrane. Dead-end filtration was carried out using 10 and 10 CFU mL Pseudomonas fluorescens to study the effects of the electrochemically active ICE on bacterial density and morphology, as well as to evaluate the bacterial fouling trend and backwash (BW) efficacy, respectively. Finally, a simplified COMSOL model of the ICE electric field was used to help elucidate the antifouling mechanism in solution.

Evaluation of the surface free energy of plant surfaces: toward standardizing the procedure.

Plant surfaces have been found to have a major chemical and physical heterogeneity and play a key protecting role against multiple stress factors. During the last decade, there is a raising interest in examining plant surface properties for the development of biomimetic materials. Contact angle measurement of different liquids is a common tool for characterizing synthetic materials, which is just beginning to be applied to plant surfaces.

Chemical and structural analysis of Eucalyptus globulus and E. camaldulensis leaf cuticles: a lipidized cell wall region.

The plant cuticle has traditionally been conceived as an independent hydrophobic layer that covers the external epidermal cell wall. Due to its complexity, the existing relationship between cuticle chemical composition and ultra-structure remains unclear to date. This study aimed to examine the link between chemical composition and structure of isolated, adaxial leaf cuticles of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E.

Wettability, polarity, and water absorption of holm oak leaves: effect of leaf side and age.

Plant trichomes play important protective functions and may have a major influence on leaf surface wettability. With the aim of gaining insight into trichome structure, composition, and function in relation to water-plant surface interactions, we analyzed the adaxial and abaxial leaf surface of holm oak (Quercus ilex) as a model. By measuring the leaf water potential 24 h after the deposition of water drops onto abaxial and adaxial surfaces, evidence for water penetration through the upper leaf side was gained in young and mature leaves.

Ultrastructure of plant leaf cuticles in relation to sample preparation as observed by transmission electron microscopy.

The leaf cuticular ultrastructure of some plant species has been examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in only few studies. Attending to the different cuticle layers and inner structure, plant cuticles have been grouped into six general morphological types. With the aim of critically examining the effect of cuticle isolation and preparation for TEM analysis on cuticular ultrastructure, adaxial leaf cuticles of blue-gum eucalypt, grey poplar, and European pear were assessed, following a membrane science approach.

Localization of polysaccharides in isolated and intact cuticles of eucalypt, poplar and pear leaves by enzyme-gold labelling.

The presence and characteristics of cuticle polysaccharides have been demonstrated by staining and spectroscopic methods, but their location in the cuticle remains unclear. Furthermore, according to the prevailing model, polysaccharides are believed to be restricted to the cuticular layer and absent in the cuticle proper. With the aim of gaining insight into cuticular ultra-structure focussing on polysaccharides, cellulose and pectins have been identified and located in the transversal sections of isolated and intact adaxial leaf cuticles of Eucalyptus globulus, Populus × canescens and Pyrus communis by means of enzyme gold-labelling (Au-cellulase, EC 3.

Estimation of the solubility parameters of model plant surfaces and agrochemicals: a valuable tool for understanding plant surface interactions.

Background: Most aerial plant parts are covered with a hydrophobic lipid-rich cuticle, which is the interface between the plant organs and the surrounding environment. Plant surfaces may have a high degree of hydrophobicity because of the combined effects of surface chemistry and roughness. The physical and chemical complexity of the plant cuticle limits the development of models that explain its internal structure and interactions with surface-applied agrochemicals.

Thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes and graphene in epoxy nanofluids and nanocomposites.

We employed an easy and direct method to measure the thermal conductivity of epoxy in the liquid (nanofluid) and solid (nanocomposite) states using both rodlike and platelet-like carbon-based nanostructures. Comparing the experimental results with the theoretical model, an anomalous enhancement was obtained with multiwall carbon nanotubes, probably due to their layered structure and lowest surface resistance. Puzzling results for functionalized graphene sheet nanocomposites suggest that phonon coupling of the vibrational modes of the graphene and of the polymeric matrix plays a dominant role on the thermal conductivities of the liquid and solid states.

Micellar enhanced ultrafiltration process for the treatment of olive mill wastewater.

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is an important environmental pollution problem, especially in the Mediterranean, which is the main olive oil production region worldwide. Environmental impact of OMW is related to its high organic load and particularly to the phytotoxic and antibacterial action of its phenolic content. In fact, polyphenols are known as powerful antioxidants with interesting nutritional and pharmaceutical properties.

New insights into the properties of pubescent surfaces: peach fruit as a model.

The surface of peach (Prunus persica 'Calrico') is covered by a dense indumentum, which may serve various protective purposes. With the aim of relating structure to function, the chemical composition, morphology, and hydrophobicity of the peach skin was assessed as a model for a pubescent plant surface. Distinct physicochemical features were observed for trichomes versus isolated cuticles.

Membranes and theoretical modeling of membrane distillation: a review.

Membrane distillation (MD) is one of the non-isothermal membrane separation processes used in various applications such desalination, environmental/waste cleanup, food, etc. It is known since 1963 and is still being developed at laboratory stage for different purposes and not fully implemented in industry. An abrupt increase in the number of papers on MD membrane engineering (i.