Surface Modification of PVDF and PTFE Hollow Fiber Membranes for Enhanced Nitrogen Removal in a Membrane-Aerated Biofilm Reactor

Surface Modification of PVDF and PTFE Hollow Fiber Membranes for Enhanced Nitrogen Removal in a Membrane-Aerated Biofilm Reactor

Microporous membranes such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) often exhibit suboptimal hydrophilicity and microbial adhesion, which impede effective nitrogen removal in membrane-aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs), particularly during initial operational phases. To add...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water (Basel) Vol. 16; no. 12; p. 1747
Main Authors: Zai, Wenfeng, Chen, Yangman, Qin, Qingdong, Li, Xiangkun, Liu, Dezhao
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-06-2024
Subjects:
Acids
Acrylic acid
Ammonia
Bacteria
Biocompatibility
Biofilms
Contact angle
Fourier transforms
membrane-aerated biofilm reactor
Membranes
Microorganisms
Nitrates
Nitrogen
nitrogen removal
Plasma
plasma modification
Polymerization
Polyvinylidene fluoride
PTFE
Purification
PVDF
Sewage
Sludge
Wastewater
China
Germany
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Summary:Microporous membranes such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) often exhibit suboptimal hydrophilicity and microbial adhesion, which impede effective nitrogen removal in membrane-aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs), particularly during initial operational phases. To address this issue, the present study introduced acrylic acid (AA) following plasma treatment (P) to enhance membrane performance, thereby engineering a novel composite material optimized for MABR applications. Four MABRs—Reactor with pristine PVDF membrane (R-PVDF), Reactor with composite PVDF membrane (R-PVDF-P-AA), Reactor with pristine PTFE membrane (R-PTFE), and Reactor with composite PTFE membrane (R-PTFE-P-AA)—were evaluated. The modified membranes displayed enhanced roughness and hydrophilicity, which improved biocompatibility and variably increased the oxygen transfer efficiency. Notably, the R-PVDF-P-AA configuration showed a significant enhancement in the removal rates of NH4+-N and total nitrogen (TN), achieving 78.5% and 61.3%, respectively, which was markedly higher than those observed with the original membranes. In contrast, the modified R-PTFE-P-AA exhibited lower removal efficiencies, with NH4+-N and TN reductions of approximately 60.0% and 49.5%. Detailed microbial community analysis revealed that the R-PVDF-P-AA membrane supported robust commensalism between ammonia-oxidizing and denitrifying bacteria, underpinning the improved performance. These findings highlight the critical role of surface chemistry and microbial ecology in optimizing the function of MABRs.
ISSN:2073-4441
2073-4441
DOI:10.3390/w16121747