Microporous membranes fabricated from hydrophobic polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) have been widely used for membrane distillation (MD). However, hydrophobic MD membranes are prone to wetting by low surface tension substances, thereby limiting their use in treating challenging industrial wastewaters, such as shale gas produced water. In this study, we present a facile and scalabl...

Treatment and reuse of oil and gas (O&G) production wastewater in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner is critical for sustainable industrial development and for meeting stringent regulations. High salinity, free and emulsified hydrocarbons, silts and clays released from producing formations, and process additives common in O&G drilling wastewater render many conventional treatment...

Anaerobic–aerobic systems have been remarkably employed in industrial and municipal wastewater treatment for many years. While previously most treatment of wastewaters have been carried out in conventional anaerobic–aerobic treatment plants, in recent years, high rate anaerobic–aerobic bioreactors have been increasingly employed for wastewaters with high chemical oxygen demand (COD). This paper...

Aquatic bryophytes are frequently used as biomonitors for trace metals in aquatic ecosystems. Nevertheless, their special characteristics also allow using them as biosorbents to clean industrial wastewaters. As biosorption is a low cost and effective method for treating metal-bearing wastewaters, understanding the process kinetics is relevant for design purposes. In this study, the ability of t...

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can be used to treat wastewater and produce hydrogen gas, but low cost cathode catalysts are needed to make this approach economical. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and stainless steel (SS) were evaluated as alternative cathode catalysts to platinum (Pt) in terms of treatment efficiency and energy recovery using actual wastewaters. Two different types of wastewa...

Batch sorption experiments using a starch-based sorbent were carried out for the removal of heavy metals present in industrial water discharges. The influence of contact time, mass of sorbent and pollutant load was investigated. Pollutant removal was dependent on the mass of sorbent and contact time, but independent of the contaminant load. The process was uniform, rapid and efficient. Sorption...