Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model Approach

Trace organic contaminants (TrOCs), including pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), present significant challenges for conventional water treatment processes and pose potential risks to environmental and human health. To address these issues, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membran...

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Main Authors: Yonghyun Shin, Tae-Mun Hwang, Sook-Hyun Nam, Eunju Kim, JeongBeen Park, Yong-Jun Choi, Homin Kye, Jae-Wuk Koo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Membranes
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/14/12/250
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author Yonghyun Shin
Tae-Mun Hwang
Sook-Hyun Nam
Eunju Kim
JeongBeen Park
Yong-Jun Choi
Homin Kye
Jae-Wuk Koo
author_facet Yonghyun Shin
Tae-Mun Hwang
Sook-Hyun Nam
Eunju Kim
JeongBeen Park
Yong-Jun Choi
Homin Kye
Jae-Wuk Koo
author_sort Yonghyun Shin
collection DOAJ
description Trace organic contaminants (TrOCs), including pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), present significant challenges for conventional water treatment processes and pose potential risks to environmental and human health. To address these issues, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technologies have gained attention. This study aims to evaluate the performance of NF and RO membranes in removing TrOCs from wastewater and develop a predictive model using the Solution Diffusion Model. Experiments were conducted using a stirred cell setup at various target concentrations, stirring speeds, and operating pressures, with acetaminophen and caffeine selected as representative pharmaceutical compounds. The results demonstrated that most of the pharmaceutical compounds were effectively removed, showing excellent performance. NF membranes exhibited high permeate flux with somewhat lower removal efficiency (average 84.17%), while RO membranes demonstrated high removal efficiency (average 99.21%), highlighting their importance in trace pharmaceutical treatment. The predictive model based on the solution diffusion model correlated well with the experimental data, suggesting its potential utility for large-scale system applications. This study confirms that NF and RO membranes are effective technologies for the removal of TrOCs from wastewater, offering a promising solution to the challenges posed by trace pharmaceutical contaminants.
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spelling doaj-art-d2d4f3c11e2541e8a447cc48560612072025-08-20T02:00:47ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752024-11-01141225010.3390/membranes14120250Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model ApproachYonghyun Shin0Tae-Mun Hwang1Sook-Hyun Nam2Eunju Kim3JeongBeen Park4Yong-Jun Choi5Homin Kye6Jae-Wuk Koo7Department of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Republic of KoreaCivil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Republic of KoreaTrace organic contaminants (TrOCs), including pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), present significant challenges for conventional water treatment processes and pose potential risks to environmental and human health. To address these issues, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technologies have gained attention. This study aims to evaluate the performance of NF and RO membranes in removing TrOCs from wastewater and develop a predictive model using the Solution Diffusion Model. Experiments were conducted using a stirred cell setup at various target concentrations, stirring speeds, and operating pressures, with acetaminophen and caffeine selected as representative pharmaceutical compounds. The results demonstrated that most of the pharmaceutical compounds were effectively removed, showing excellent performance. NF membranes exhibited high permeate flux with somewhat lower removal efficiency (average 84.17%), while RO membranes demonstrated high removal efficiency (average 99.21%), highlighting their importance in trace pharmaceutical treatment. The predictive model based on the solution diffusion model correlated well with the experimental data, suggesting its potential utility for large-scale system applications. This study confirms that NF and RO membranes are effective technologies for the removal of TrOCs from wastewater, offering a promising solution to the challenges posed by trace pharmaceutical contaminants.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/14/12/250trace organic contaminants (TrOCs)pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs)reverse osmosis (RO)nanofiltration (NF)solution diffusion model
spellingShingle Yonghyun Shin
Tae-Mun Hwang
Sook-Hyun Nam
Eunju Kim
JeongBeen Park
Yong-Jun Choi
Homin Kye
Jae-Wuk Koo
Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model Approach
Membranes
trace organic contaminants (TrOCs)
pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs)
reverse osmosis (RO)
nanofiltration (NF)
solution diffusion model
title Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model Approach
title_full Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model Approach
title_fullStr Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model Approach
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model Approach
title_short Evaluating Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Removal: A Solution Diffusion Model Approach
title_sort evaluating nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes for pharmaceutically active compounds removal a solution diffusion model approach
topic trace organic contaminants (TrOCs)
pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs)
reverse osmosis (RO)
nanofiltration (NF)
solution diffusion model
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/14/12/250
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