(Polyphenyl Sulfone - Polyether Sulfone) Blending to Performance Flat Sheet Membrane to Remove Some Heavy and Radioactive Elements from Phosphogypsum Waste

In this research, the traditional version of the phase inversion method was used to fabricate a flat sheet of a blended membrane. The method was involved using a polymer that blends polyether sulfone (PES) varied proportions (0,3,4 and 5 wt.%), and polyphenyl sulfone (PPSU) was 20wt%. It was found that with the addition of PES, the membrane properties increased, the best properties were with 4%wt. The ratio was chosen PES 4wt% to study the effect of time, temperature, and pressure on the rejection of heavy and radioactive elements. The increase in the porosity was with the addition of 4% PES. The rejection of heavy and radioactive elements for thUF membrane increases with increasing of the operating pressure and time. While by increasing the temperature, the rejection of heavy and radioactive elements for thUF membrane decreased. The rejection of K, Th, and Pb are higher than other elements, the order of the rejection is K˃Th˃Pb˃U˃Cd˃Zn˃Cu>Ni.

Numerical Modelling Assisted Design of a Compact Ultrafiltration (UF) Flat Sheet Membrane Module

The increasing adoption of ultra-low pressure (ULP) membrane systems for drinking water treatment in small rural communities is currently hindered by a limited number of studies on module design. Detailed knowledge on both intrinsic membrane transport properties and fluid hydrodynamics within the module is essential in understanding ULP performance prediction, mass transfer analysis for scaling-up between lab-scale and industrial scale research. In comparison to hollow fiber membranes, flat sheet membranes present certain advantages such as simple manufacture, sheet replacement for cleaning, moderate packing density and low to moderate energy usage. In the present case study, a numerical model using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of a novel custom flat sheet membrane module has been designed in 3D to predict fluid flow conditions. The permeate flux through the membrane decreased with an increase in spacer curviness from 2.81 L/m2h for no (0%) curviness to 2.73 L/m2h for full (100%) curviness. A parametric analysis on configuration variables was carried out to determine the optimum design variables and no significant influence of spacer inflow or outflow thickness on the fluid flow were observed. The numerical model provides the necessary information on the role of geometrical and operating parameters for fabricating a module prototype where access to technical expertise is limited.