Scientists Find 43% of Antifouling Membranes Are Being Used Spent on Wastewater Treatment by Wastewater Facilities

A new study undertook a high-level examination of membrane filtering systems to evaluate the cost, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions related to desalination and wastewater treatment.

The researchers discovered that municipal wastewater facilities may spend 43% more on antifouling membranes for wastewater treatment and up to three times more on antifouling membranes for desalination while maintaining their baseline operating expenses.

Investing in new water filtration membranes

(Photo : VALENTINE CHAPUIS/AFP via Getty Images)

High-performance water filtration systems, which are required to minimize water shortages, can also cut costs and energy usage, according to a new Northwestern University-led study, as per ScienceDaily.

As aging infrastructure and climate change put a strain on water supplies, many towns and academics are looking at technologies like desalination and wastewater treatment that can boost water availability from unconventional water sources like brackish water.

Investing in antifouling membranes ahead of time might assist reduce the expenses of these generally pricey treatment systems.

Water shortage is making technologies like desalination more crucial than ever, according to Northwestern's Jennifer Dunn, who conducted the research.

However, engineering performance and cost are always compromised.

A filtering system may operate admirably, but if the cost is prohibitively expensive, consumers will not accept the technology.

The findings were published in the journal ACS ES&T Engineering on August 15.

It is the first internationally co-authored study published by the United States-Israel Collaborative Water-Energy Research Center (CoWERC), a global consortium of research institutions, water utilities, and private companies that investigates new solutions to critical challenges at the energy-water nexus.

Dunn is an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering and the head of Northwestern's Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience.

The paper's co-first authors are Dunn's laboratory colleagues Sabyasachi Das and Margaret O'Connell.

A membrane serves as a physical barrier between drinking water and pollutants in membrane filtration systems. Pumps force water through the membrane, which contains micro-, nano-, and even smaller holes.

When impurities build on the membrane's surface, they plug the pores and cause fouling.

When a membrane fouls, more pressures are required to push water through.

However, fouling accumulates to the point that the membrane must be cleaned or perhaps replaced entirely.

The energy and expenditures involved with higher water pressure, cleaning, and replacement can raise the running costs of a treatment plant.

Antifouling membranes, on the other hand, contain particular surface chemistries that prevent pollutants from collecting.

This results in fewer cleanings and a longer overall lifespan for the membrane.

The researchers discovered that prolonging the membrane's longevity was the most important element in lowering operating expenditures in their investigation.

According to Dunn, the whole desalination process centers on this membrane.

Anything we can do to extend the life of the membrane or minimize cleaning expenses would assist to lower the cost of clean water.

Dunn believed that this study will assist legislators, decision-makers, and water treatment plant operators understand that the expense of employing more expensive, higher-performing membranes can be tolerated by water treatment facilities.

This is especially true for desalination facilities, with 65% currently employing membrane-based filtering methods.

Also Read: Ambitious Goals for Water Purification System the Size of a Ketchup Packet [VIDEO]

Anti-fouling filters

Leaching from anti-fouling coatings used to prevent the accumulation of microorganisms, algae, or plants (known as biofouling) on ship hulls can harm marine ecosystems and contribute to water pollution, as per EMSA.

Biocides (chemical chemicals or microbes) that are hazardous to the marine environment may be present in anti-fouling paints.

Trityltin was used in one of the most successful anti-fouling paints produced in the 1960s (TBT).

However, it quickly became evident that the application of TBT coatings had detrimental repercussions for the whole marine ecology, including a negative influence on numerous non-target animals such as oysters and whelks.

However, scientific evidence suggests that cybutryne has the potential to harm non-target creatures, such as corals and other non-target organisms on which other species feed.

Once liberated from painted surfaces, it also remains in the environment (sea- and freshwater sediments).

This negative environmental impact spurred an early request in 2017 by the EU Member States and the European Commission to add cybutryne to the AFS Convention and prohibit its usage in ships' anti-fouling systems globally.

As a result of this effort, modifications to the AFS Convention adding cybutryne restrictions have been enacted.

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