Collaborative Research: Novel, Energy-Efficient, Self-Cleaning Water Purification Membranes

1403670/1403742 Freeman/Emrick协作研究：新颖、节能、自清洁的净水膜这项由马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特？S聚合物科学与工程项目和德克萨斯大学奥斯汀？S化学工程系合作的研究项目专注于我们这个时代的重大挑战之一，即工业、农业和市政应用中有益的高能效净水。要将地下水或水力压裂等作业产生的受污染的水净化成适合于石油和天然气生产作业以及农业和饮用水应用的水，需要许多步骤。然而，这些净化步骤中的许多都是从去除水中的颗粒或其他污染物开始的，例如水力压裂回流水中的油滴。当使用膜过滤器从污水中去除此类颗粒污染物时，过滤器会变得肮脏和堵塞，导致性能下降和能耗增加，这是整个膜过滤行业普遍存在的问题。这项研究计划建立在马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校和德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校之前令人鼓舞的联合研究成果的基础上，该研究成果展示了如何修改膜表面，以使微粒物质(如油滴或其他颗粒)不太可能粘在膜表面并随后堵塞膜过滤器。这项基础研究计划将探索限制当前膜在操作中应用的基础科学，如城市污水净化和石油和天然气生产和勘探活动产生的水的净化。这项研究计划的长期成果将是加强对导致污染物粘在膜上并堵塞膜的基本机制的理解，以及了解通过改变膜表面使其对水中颗粒污染物的抵抗力更强的新方法。这项研究可能导致膜具有更高的性能和更长的使用寿命，并降低能耗，以净化多种水源，应用范围更广。德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的本尼·弗里曼教授和德克萨斯大学阿默斯特分校的托德·埃姆里克教授提出了一个合作项目，专注于基础研究，以制备、应用和表征聚合物涂层，以改善净水膜中的污染。该项目致力于结合两个主要领域的合成和表征活动：1)开发新型磷酰胆碱(PC)取代聚烯烃，用于涂覆净水膜(包括微滤、超滤和反渗透膜)，使用带有高密度PC基团的聚合物悬挂在聚合物主干上，以及2)制备含儿茶酚的磷酰胆碱聚合物，其结合了无污染的两性离子和表面粘连的可交联芳香衍生物。这两个领域的共同目标是实现膜性能相对于目前使用的材料的显著改进，这一目标将通过恩里克？S组的合成和弗里曼？S组的膜表征工作之间的协作互动来实现。这项拟议的研究响应了对先进耐污染膜的迫切需求，通过生产在受污染的水源(例如，油性水)存在时表现出接近纯水通量值的水通量特性的涂层膜材料。合作互动将通过频繁的学生交流和预定的电话会议来进行，以审查进展和规划生产性互动。该项目应对与净水相关的关键科学和技术挑战，认识到人口增长和淡水供应日益紧张的结合在美国和世界范围内构成了严重的社会威胁。通过合作研究，能够快速有效地测试专为膜涂层和防污染准备的新型聚合物材料，从而加速发现改进净水膜的最有效方法。抗污染能力更强的膜将使用更少的能源来净化例如水力压裂回流水、产出水和其他受损的水源。广泛的影响努力旨在使研究和更广泛的科学界受益，重点领域包括：1)领导和组织专门讨论聚合物膜和水净化的会议和研讨会；2)为少数族裔和残障人士提供研究和教育机会；以及3)推行技术转让战略，促进实验室发现向有助于美国竞争力的产品和过程转化。

1403670/1403742Freeman/EmrickCollaborative Research: Novel, Energy-Efficient, Self-Cleaning Water Purification MembranesThis collaborative research program between the University of Massachusetts at Amherst?s Polymer Science and Engineering program and The University of Texas at Austin?s Chemical Engineering Department focuses on one of the grand challenges of our time, the energy-efficient purification of water for beneficial use in industrial, agricultural, and municipal applications. There are many steps involved in purifying groundwater or contaminated water from operations such as hydraulic fracturing into water suitable for use (or reuse) in oil and gas production operations, as well as agricultural and drinking water applications. However, many of these purification steps begin with removing particles or other contaminants in the water, such as oil droplets in the case of hydraulic fracturing flowback water. When such particulate contaminants are removed from dirty water using membrane filters, the filters become dirty and clogged, leading to reduced performance and increased energy consumption, a problem ubiquitous throughout the membrane filtration industry. This research program builds upon previous encouraging joint research findings between the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and The University of Texas at Austin showing how to modify the surfaces of membranes so that particulate material, such as oil droplets or other particles, are less likely to stick to the membrane surface and subsequently clog the membrane filters. This fundamental research program will explore the basic science that limits the application of current membranes in operations such as municipal wastewater purification and purification of water generated through oil and gas production and exploration activities. The long-range output of this research program would be an enhanced understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that result in contaminants sticking to membranes and clogging them and in understanding novel ways to modify the surfaces of membranes to make them more resistant to particulate contaminants in water. This research could result in membranes with higher performance and longer lifetimes as well as reduced energy consumption to purify many sources of water for a broad range of applications.Professors Benny Freeman (U Texas Austin) and Todd Emrick (UMass Amherst) propose a collaborative project focusing on fundamental research to prepare, apply, and characterize polymer coatings to ameliorate fouling in water purification membranes. The project seeks to combine synthesis and characterization activities in two primary areas: 1) the development of novel phosphorylcholine (PC)-substituted polyolefins for coating water purification membranes (including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis membranes) using polymers carrying a high density of PC groups pendent to the polymer backbone, and 2) the preparation of catechol-containing phosphorylcholine polymers that combine non-fouling zwitterions with surface adhering cross-linkable aromatic derivatives. Both areas share the objective of realizing a dramatic improvement in membrane performance relative to materials in use today, and this objective will be met by collaborative interaction between synthesis in Emrick?s group and membrane characterization efforts in Freeman?s group. The proposed research responds to the pressing need for advanced fouling-resistant membranes, by producing coated membrane materials that exhibit water flux characteristics in the presence of contaminated water sources (e.g., oily water) that approach flux values of pure water. The collaborative interaction will operate through frequent exchange of students and scheduled teleconference meetings to review progress and plan for productive interactions.The project responds to the critical scientific and technological challenges associated with water purification, recognizing that the combination of population growth and increasing strain on fresh water supplies represents a serious societal threat in the United States and worldwide. Accelerating discoveries that improve water purification membranes can be accomplished most effectively through collaborative research that enables rapid and effective testing of novel polymer materials prepared specifically for membrane coating and fouling prevention. Membranes with greater fouling resistance would use less energy to purify, for example, hydraulic fracturing flowback water, produced water and other impaired water sources.Broader impact efforts are intended to benefit both the research and broader scientific communities, with areas of emphasis including: 1) leadership and organization in conferences and symposia dedicated to polymer membranes and water purification; 2) providing research and educational opportunities for minority and physically challenged individuals; and 3) pursuing technology transfer strategies that facilitate the transition of laboratory discoveries to products and processes that contribute to American competitiveness.