Award Abstract # 0332217
Transport of Solutes and Macromolecules through Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration Membranes

NSF Org: CBET
Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Initial Amendment Date: July 16, 2003
Latest Amendment Date: June 18, 2009
Award Number: 0332217
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Paul L. Bishop
CBET
 Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
ENG
 Directorate for Engineering
Start Date: September 1, 2003
End Date: August 31, 2010 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $0.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $473,100.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2003 = $176,517.00
FY 2004 = $146,149.00

FY 2005 = $150,434.00
History of Investigator:
  • Benito Marinas (Principal Investigator)
    marinas@uiuc.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
506 S WRIGHT ST
URBANA
IL  US  61801-3620
(217)333-2187
Sponsor Congressional District: 13
Primary Place of Performance: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
506 S WRIGHT ST
URBANA
IL  US  61801-3620
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
13
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): Y8CWNJRCNN91
Parent UEI: V2PHZ2CSCH63
NSF Program(s): EnvE-Environmental Engineering
Primary Program Source: app-0103 
app-0104 

app-0105 
Program Reference Code(s): 9187, EGCH
Program Element Code(s): 144000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.041

ABSTRACT

0332217 Marinas The primary objective of this research is to elucidate the mechanisms by which water contaminants, ranging from small neutral molecules to large macromolecules, permeate through reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. Selected solutes and macromolecules are arsenious acid, atrazine (216 Daltons), Rhodamine WT (480 Daltons), and three coliphages (fr, MS2, T4) ranging in size from 19 to 80 nm. This list resulted from a compromise among several criteria including the selection of water contaminants of current interest and surrogates used to assess the performance of RO/NF membranes, small solutes and macromolecules known to be poorly-rejected by some by RO/NF membranes, and compounds quantifiable in multi-solute samples with relatively simple interference-free analytical techniques. The scope of work of the project is designed to develop a fundamental understanding for the mechanisms responsible for the permeation of water and various types of solutes through RO and NF membranes including elucidating the role of the concentration polarization phenomenon in the overall transport of target solutes and macromolecules. In order to accomplish this goal, permeation experiments will be performed to characterize the contribution to overall solute/macromolecule permeation by sorption/diffusion/desorption through the membrane polymer matrix and advection through membrane nanopores, as well as the effect of concentration polarization on both types of permeation. Experimental variables under consideration include hydraulic pressure, background and target solute concentration, temperature, and pH. Then, the size distribution of nanopores in the active layers of RO and NF membranes will be characterized by a combination of atomic force and scanning electron microscopy, and gas adsorption/desorption techniques. It is anticipated that characterizing the pore size distribution of RO/NF membranes will require integrating the results obtained with these three methods. The final task of the study will be the development of a mechanistic model to represent the permeation of water, solutes and macromolecules through RO and NF membranes.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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B. Mi, B.J. Mariñas, D.G. Cahill "RBS Characterization of Arsenic (III) Partitioning from Aqueous Phase into the Active Layer of Thin-Film Composite NF/RO Membranes" Environmental Science and Technology , v.41 , 2007 , p.3290
B. Mi, D.G. Cahill, B.J. Mariñas "Physico-chemical integrity of nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membranes during characterization by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry" Journal of Membrane Science , v.291 , 2007 , p.77
B. Mi, O. Coronell, B.J. Mariñas, F. Watanabe, D.G. Cahill, I. Petrov "Physico-chemical characterization of NF/RO membrane active layers by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry" Journal of Membrane Science , v.282 , 2006 , p.71
Coronell, O; Gonzalez, MI; Marinas, BJ; Cahill, DG "Ionization Behavior, Stoichiometry of Association, and Accessibility of Functional Groups in the Active Layers of Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration Membranes" ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY , v.44 , 2010 , p.6808 View record at Web of Science 10.1021/es100891
Coronell, O.; Mariñas, B.J.; Zhang, X.; Cahill, D. "Quantification of functional groups and modeling of their ionization behavior in FT30 reverse osmosis membrane" Environ. Sci. Technol. , v.42 , 2008 , p.5260

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