Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation Configurations
Membrane distillation (MD) is an evolving thermal separation technique most frequently aimed at water desalination, compatible with low-grade heat sources such as waste heat from thermal engines, solar collectors, and high-concentration photovoltaic panels. This study presents a comprehensive theore...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Cristiane Raquel Sousa Mesquita Abdul Orlando Cárdenas Gómez Carolina Palma Naveira Cotta Renato Machado Cotta |
| author_facet | Cristiane Raquel Sousa Mesquita Abdul Orlando Cárdenas Gómez Carolina Palma Naveira Cotta Renato Machado Cotta |
| author_sort | Cristiane Raquel Sousa Mesquita |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Membrane distillation (MD) is an evolving thermal separation technique most frequently aimed at water desalination, compatible with low-grade heat sources such as waste heat from thermal engines, solar collectors, and high-concentration photovoltaic panels. This study presents a comprehensive theoretical–experimental evaluation of three commercial membranes of different materials (PE, PVDF, and PTFE), tested for two distinct MD modules—a Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) module and an Air Gap Membrane Distillation (AGMD) module—analyzing the impact of key operational parameters on the performance of the individual membranes in each configuration. The results showed that increasing the feed saline concentration from 7 g/L to 70 g/L led to distillate flux reductions of 12.2% in the DCMD module and 42.9% in the AGMD one, averaged over the whole set of experiments. The increase in feed temperature from 65 °C to 85 °C resulted in distillate fluxes up to 2.36 times higher in the DCMD module and 2.70 times higher in the AGMD one. The PE-made membrane demonstrated the highest distillate fluxes, while the PVDF and PTFE membranes exhibited superior performance under high-salinity conditions in the AGMD module. Membranes with high contact angles, such as PTFE with 143.4°, performed better under high salinity conditions. Variations in operational parameters, such as flow rate and temperature, markedly affect the temperature and concentration polarization effects. The analyses underscored the necessity of a careful selection of membrane type for each distillation configuration by the specific characteristics of the process and its operational conditions. In addition to experimental findings, the proposed heat and mass transfer-reduced model showed good agreement with experimental data, with deviations within ±15%, effectively capturing the influence of operational parameters. Theoretical predictions showed good agreement with experimental data, confirming the model’s validity, which can be applied to optimization methodologies to improve the membrane distillation process. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-534feef0ac414ba586c1b091275cfec6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj-art-534feef0ac414ba586c1b091275cfec62025-08-20T02:42:22ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752025-03-011539110.3390/membranes15030091Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation ConfigurationsCristiane Raquel Sousa Mesquita0Abdul Orlando Cárdenas Gómez1Carolina Palma Naveira Cotta2Renato Machado Cotta3Laboratory of Nano & Microfluidics and Microsystems-LabMEMS, Mechanical Engineering Department, POLI & COPPE/UFRJ, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 360 Av. Moniz de Aragão, CT-2–Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-594, BrazilLaboratory of Nano & Microfluidics and Microsystems-LabMEMS, Mechanical Engineering Department, POLI & COPPE/UFRJ, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 360 Av. Moniz de Aragão, CT-2–Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-594, BrazilLaboratory of Nano & Microfluidics and Microsystems-LabMEMS, Mechanical Engineering Department, POLI & COPPE/UFRJ, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 360 Av. Moniz de Aragão, CT-2–Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-594, BrazilLaboratory of Nano & Microfluidics and Microsystems-LabMEMS, Mechanical Engineering Department, POLI & COPPE/UFRJ, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 360 Av. Moniz de Aragão, CT-2–Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-594, BrazilMembrane distillation (MD) is an evolving thermal separation technique most frequently aimed at water desalination, compatible with low-grade heat sources such as waste heat from thermal engines, solar collectors, and high-concentration photovoltaic panels. This study presents a comprehensive theoretical–experimental evaluation of three commercial membranes of different materials (PE, PVDF, and PTFE), tested for two distinct MD modules—a Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) module and an Air Gap Membrane Distillation (AGMD) module—analyzing the impact of key operational parameters on the performance of the individual membranes in each configuration. The results showed that increasing the feed saline concentration from 7 g/L to 70 g/L led to distillate flux reductions of 12.2% in the DCMD module and 42.9% in the AGMD one, averaged over the whole set of experiments. The increase in feed temperature from 65 °C to 85 °C resulted in distillate fluxes up to 2.36 times higher in the DCMD module and 2.70 times higher in the AGMD one. The PE-made membrane demonstrated the highest distillate fluxes, while the PVDF and PTFE membranes exhibited superior performance under high-salinity conditions in the AGMD module. Membranes with high contact angles, such as PTFE with 143.4°, performed better under high salinity conditions. Variations in operational parameters, such as flow rate and temperature, markedly affect the temperature and concentration polarization effects. The analyses underscored the necessity of a careful selection of membrane type for each distillation configuration by the specific characteristics of the process and its operational conditions. In addition to experimental findings, the proposed heat and mass transfer-reduced model showed good agreement with experimental data, with deviations within ±15%, effectively capturing the influence of operational parameters. Theoretical predictions showed good agreement with experimental data, confirming the model’s validity, which can be applied to optimization methodologies to improve the membrane distillation process.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/3/91water desalinationair gap membrane distillationdirect contact membrane distillationheat and mass transferhydrophobic porous membrane |
| spellingShingle | Cristiane Raquel Sousa Mesquita Abdul Orlando Cárdenas Gómez Carolina Palma Naveira Cotta Renato Machado Cotta Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation Configurations Membranes water desalination air gap membrane distillation direct contact membrane distillation heat and mass transfer hydrophobic porous membrane |
| title | Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation Configurations |
| title_full | Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation Configurations |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation Configurations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation Configurations |
| title_short | Comparison of Different Polymeric Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Air Gap Membrane Distillation Configurations |
| title_sort | comparison of different polymeric membranes in direct contact membrane distillation and air gap membrane distillation configurations |
| topic | water desalination air gap membrane distillation direct contact membrane distillation heat and mass transfer hydrophobic porous membrane |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/3/91 |
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