Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-25DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.120023
Shengbo Yuan , Min Luo , Wenbo Zhou , Jianrong Li , Yue Cao , Kwan San Hui , Yi Yang , Yang Wang , Xiaoman Li , Yongqing Yang , Fuming Chen
Solar-driven photoelectrochemical desalination (SD-PED) presents a promising avenue for freshwater production. However, the research related to photocathode-drive systems is still very limited due to the shortage of suitable cathode electrode materials. Furthermore, the desalination performance of existing photocathode requires significant improvement. In this study, we proposed a novel photocathode desalination system based on CuBi2O4/NiO heterostructure, which was directly fabricated on FTO via ammonium ion-assisted electrodeposition process. This method facilitates the deposition of NiO and CuBi₂O₄, resulting in a robust, high-quality coating with exceptional stability. Under zero-bias conditions and simulated solar illumination, the photocathode demonstrated a high salt removal rate of 54.30 μg/(cm2·min) and a solar desalination capacity of 0.077 μmol/J. This represents one of the best performances reported for a photocathode desalination system. The outstanding cycling stability underscores the potential of this integrated electrode strategy for developing robust, high-performance SD-PED systems, and offers a novel approach for utilizing p-type semiconductors in solar-driven photocatalytic desalination.
{"title":"Ammonium ion-assisted electrodeposition of CuBi2O4/NiO photocathodes for efficient photoelectrochemical desalination","authors":"Shengbo Yuan , Min Luo , Wenbo Zhou , Jianrong Li , Yue Cao , Kwan San Hui , Yi Yang , Yang Wang , Xiaoman Li , Yongqing Yang , Fuming Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar-driven photoelectrochemical desalination (SD-PED) presents a promising avenue for freshwater production. However, the research related to photocathode-drive systems is still very limited due to the shortage of suitable cathode electrode materials. Furthermore, the desalination performance of existing photocathode requires significant improvement. In this study, we proposed a novel photocathode desalination system based on CuBi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/NiO heterostructure, which was directly fabricated on FTO via ammonium ion-assisted electrodeposition process. This method facilitates the deposition of NiO and CuBi₂O₄, resulting in a robust, high-quality coating with exceptional stability. Under zero-bias conditions and simulated solar illumination, the photocathode demonstrated a high salt removal rate of 54.30 μg/(cm<sup>2</sup>·min) and a solar desalination capacity of 0.077 μmol/J. This represents one of the best performances reported for a photocathode desalination system. The outstanding cycling stability underscores the potential of this integrated electrode strategy for developing robust, high-performance SD-PED systems, and offers a novel approach for utilizing p-type semiconductors in solar-driven photocatalytic desalination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 120023"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-24DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.120011
Lin Huang , Jun Wang , Jinhui Li , Haiqing Chang
Membrane distillation (MD) has emerged as a promising technology for treating high-salinity wastewater. However, its practical application remains hindered by membrane scaling, particularly the crystallization of gypsum, which has low solubility and rapid nucleation. This study presented an integrated filtration–MD module designed to enhance anti-scaling performance by investigating three key factors. Firstly, the MD module was optimized by testing empty, lower-, and upper-channel designs. Both filler layers adsorbed gypsum crystals and alleviated membrane scaling, while the upper-channel configuration further suppressed concentration polarization by avoiding short circuiting, ultimately boosting water recovery from 25% to 65%. Secondly, zeolite outperformed activated alumina in capturing Ca2+ and SO42− ions, which changed gypsum crystal size and deposition morphology, thereby reducing membrane scaling by 37.7–93.8%. Thirdly, the introduction of representative foulants (i.e., organic matters and microplastics) or salinity regulated gypsum supersaturation and nucleation pathways by promoting precursor complexation and cluster formation, enhancing precursor capture within the filter layer and reducing membrane scaling by up to 95.6%. Collectively, these effects enhanced the robustness of the integrated filtration–MD system for complex feed solution. Overall, this work provides an effective strategy for improving the operational stability of MD systems when treating wastewaters with high scaling potential.
{"title":"A novel membrane distillation module integrating filter media within the feed channel for gypsum scaling regulation","authors":"Lin Huang , Jun Wang , Jinhui Li , Haiqing Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Membrane distillation (MD) has emerged as a promising technology for treating high-salinity wastewater. However, its practical application remains hindered by membrane scaling, particularly the crystallization of gypsum, which has low solubility and rapid nucleation. This study presented an integrated filtration–MD module designed to enhance anti-scaling performance by investigating three key factors. Firstly, the MD module was optimized by testing empty, lower-, and upper-channel designs. Both filler layers adsorbed gypsum crystals and alleviated membrane scaling, while the upper-channel configuration further suppressed concentration polarization by avoiding short circuiting, ultimately boosting water recovery from 25% to 65%. Secondly, zeolite outperformed activated alumina in capturing Ca<sup>2+</sup> and SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> ions, which changed gypsum crystal size and deposition morphology, thereby reducing membrane scaling by 37.7–93.8%. Thirdly, the introduction of representative foulants (i.e., organic matters and microplastics) or salinity regulated gypsum supersaturation and nucleation pathways by promoting precursor complexation and cluster formation, enhancing precursor capture within the filter layer and reducing membrane scaling by up to 95.6%. Collectively, these effects enhanced the robustness of the integrated filtration–MD system for complex feed solution. Overall, this work provides an effective strategy for improving the operational stability of MD systems when treating wastewaters with high scaling potential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 120011"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-27DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.120022
Qiuyan Kong , Shuxin Zhou , Yongqi Chen , Yan Dong , Jing Zhang , Lu Luo , Junkai Gao
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation represents a sustainable and efficient approach for seawater desalination and wastewater purification. However, developing photothermal evaporators that combine high efficiency, long-term stability, and multifunctionality remains challenging. Herein, an ion-bond-enhanced adsorption strategy was proposed to fabricate a superhydrophilic wood-based evaporator. Using delignified wood as a hydrophilic substrate, Zn2+ ions induce the self-assembly of MXene/carbon black (CB) composite coatings, which significantly enhance optical absorption. The intercalation of CB mitigates MXene nanosheet stacking, thereby addressing insufficient charge exposure and high reflectivity. This synergistic design yields a unique, hierarchical light-trapping architecture composed of regularly arranged tilted nanosheets, which facilitates broad-spectrum light absorption and enhances photothermal conversion efficiency. The optimized ZWMC6 evaporator achieves an evaporation rate of 2.10 kg m−2 h−1 with 90% efficiency under 1 sun irradiation, substantially surpassing natural wood (0.93 kg m−2 h−1, 45%). Moreover, ZWMC6 exhibits strong antibacterial properties (99.96% bacterial removal) and maintains stable evaporation performance with excellent salt-resistant self-cleaning during prolonged operation. This zinc ion-guided coating strategy integrates high evaporation efficiency, antifouling capability, and photocatalytic activity, providing a novel route for functionalizing natural porous materials toward high-performance solar evaporation systems.
太阳能驱动的界面蒸发代表了一种可持续和有效的海水淡化和废水净化方法。然而，开发高效、长期稳定和多功能的光热蒸发器仍然具有挑战性。本文提出了一种离子键增强吸附策略来制备超亲水性木基蒸发器。以脱木质素木材为亲水性基材，Zn2+离子诱导MXene/炭黑（CB）复合涂层的自组装，显著增强了涂层的光吸收。CB的嵌入减轻了MXene纳米片的堆叠，从而解决了电荷暴露不足和高反射率的问题。这种协同设计产生了一种独特的、分层的、由规则排列的倾斜纳米片组成的光捕获结构，促进了广谱光吸收，提高了光热转换效率。优化后的ZWMC6蒸发器在1次太阳照射下的蒸发速率为2.10 kg m−2 h−1，效率为90%，大大超过了天然木材（0.93 kg m−2 h−1,45%）。此外，ZWMC6具有较强的抗菌性能（99.96%的细菌去除率），并在长时间运行中保持稳定的蒸发性能，具有优异的耐盐自清洁性能。这种锌离子引导涂层策略集成了高蒸发效率、防污能力和光催化活性，为实现高性能太阳能蒸发系统的天然多孔材料功能化提供了一条新途径。
{"title":"Zinc ion-induced MXene/CB self-assembled Superhydrophilic wood evaporators: Enabling high-efficiency solar interfacial desalination and pollutant degradation","authors":"Qiuyan Kong , Shuxin Zhou , Yongqi Chen , Yan Dong , Jing Zhang , Lu Luo , Junkai Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120022","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar-driven interfacial evaporation represents a sustainable and efficient approach for seawater desalination and wastewater purification. However, developing photothermal evaporators that combine high efficiency, long-term stability, and multifunctionality remains challenging. Herein, an ion-bond-enhanced adsorption strategy was proposed to fabricate a superhydrophilic wood-based evaporator. Using delignified wood as a hydrophilic substrate, Zn<sup>2+</sup> ions induce the self-assembly of MXene/carbon black (CB) composite coatings, which significantly enhance optical absorption. The intercalation of CB mitigates MXene nanosheet stacking, thereby addressing insufficient charge exposure and high reflectivity. This synergistic design yields a unique, hierarchical light-trapping architecture composed of regularly arranged tilted nanosheets, which facilitates broad-spectrum light absorption and enhances photothermal conversion efficiency. The optimized ZWMC6 evaporator achieves an evaporation rate of 2.10 kg m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup> with 90% efficiency under 1 sun irradiation, substantially surpassing natural wood (0.93 kg m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup>, 45%). Moreover, ZWMC6 exhibits strong antibacterial properties (99.96% bacterial removal) and maintains stable evaporation performance with excellent salt-resistant self-cleaning during prolonged operation. This zinc ion-guided coating strategy integrates high evaporation efficiency, antifouling capability, and photocatalytic activity, providing a novel route for functionalizing natural porous materials toward high-performance solar evaporation systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 120022"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119974
Yuxin Cai , Zhicun Liu , Xuanyu Ye , Huan Li , Jiaxin Wang , Zhe Chang , Chunxia Chen
It is of great significance for gold recovery to develop adsorbent that can effectively extract gold from complex aquatic environments and resist microbial contamination. However, the current adsorbents demonstrate relatively limited adsorption performance and anti-microbial performance in actual water environments, which obviously impedes their effectiveness in practical applications. In this work, an imine-linked covalent organic framework (COF) structure (designated as TFPA-TAPT-COF) were designed and synthesized. The TFPA-TAPT-COF exhibited maximum adsorption capacity of 1810 mg·g−1, along with excellent selectivity (distribution coefficient Kd > 104) and reusability (up to five adsorption-desorption cycles). This might be due to its abundant N sites and considerable surface area. Notably, the material retained its superior adsorption performance in real-world aquatic environments. Meanwhile, the D-A structure endows TFPA-TAPT-COF with excellent reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency, thereby conferring it with antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties (with inhibition rates against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa all exceeding 80%). These findings offer a promising strategy for the development of gold recovery materials that combine high adsorption performance with effective antimicrobial activity.
开发能从复杂的水环境中有效提取金并能抵抗微生物污染的吸附剂对金的回收具有重要意义。然而，目前的吸附剂在实际水环境中的吸附性能和抗菌性能相对有限，这明显阻碍了其在实际应用中的有效性。本研究设计并合成了一种亚胺连接的共价有机框架（COF）结构（命名为tfpa - tap -COF）。tppa - tap - cof的最大吸附量为1810 mg·g−1，具有良好的选择性（分布系数Kd >； 104）和可重复使用性（多达5次吸附-解吸循环）。这可能是由于其丰富的N位和相当大的表面积。值得注意的是，该材料在真实的水生环境中保持了优越的吸附性能。同时，D-A结构赋予了tfpa - tap - cof优异的活性氧（ROS）生成效率，从而赋予其抗菌和抗生物膜性能（对大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、MRSA和铜绿假单胞菌的抑制率均超过80%）。这些发现为开发高吸附性能和有效抗菌活性相结合的金回收材料提供了一个有希望的策略。
{"title":"A covalent triazine framework with antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties for highly efficient gold recovery","authors":"Yuxin Cai , Zhicun Liu , Xuanyu Ye , Huan Li , Jiaxin Wang , Zhe Chang , Chunxia Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119974","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119974","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is of great significance for gold recovery to develop adsorbent that can effectively extract gold from complex aquatic environments and resist microbial contamination. However, the current adsorbents demonstrate relatively limited adsorption performance and anti-microbial performance in actual water environments, which obviously impedes their effectiveness in practical applications. In this work, an imine-linked covalent organic framework (COF) structure (designated as TFPA-TAPT-COF) were designed and synthesized. The TFPA-TAPT-COF exhibited maximum adsorption capacity of 1810 mg·g<sup>−1</sup>, along with excellent selectivity (distribution coefficient K<sub>d</sub> > 10<sup>4</sup>) and reusability (up to five adsorption-desorption cycles). This might be due to its abundant N sites and considerable surface area. Notably, the material retained its superior adsorption performance in real-world aquatic environments. Meanwhile, the D-A structure endows TFPA-TAPT-COF with excellent reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency, thereby conferring it with antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties (with inhibition rates against <em>Escherichia coli</em>, <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, MRSA and <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> all exceeding 80%). These findings offer a promising strategy for the development of gold recovery materials that combine high adsorption performance with effective antimicrobial activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 119974"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-26DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119981
Di Wang , Qingbai Chen , Bingbing He , Yong Xu , Haoran Zhang , Ping Li , Jianyou Wang
The continuous influx of waste batteries poses severe challenges to energy, economy, and the environment, particularly in major economies with high lithium-ion battery (LIB) usage. Selectrodialysis (SED) is considered for lithium recovery from spent LIB leachate via monovalent ion selectivity, but proton hopping through monovalent-selective cation exchange membranes in acidic media limits its selectivity and stability. This report describes a diffusion dialysis (DD)/SED integrated recycling system capable of acid recovery and subsequent lithium extraction. The efficient SED unit exhibits high lithium selectivity during spent LIB leachate reclamation, benefiting from the removal of acid (H+) from the feed stream via DD process. Appropriate running mode conditions contribute to excellent mass transfer for each unit. Specifically, DD operates in counter-flow mode with waste acid flowing from bottom-to-top, leading to >95% acid recovery. This performance is attributed to the uniform concentration distribution and adequate acid filtration. Meanwhile, SED under constant voltage mode reaching 7.9 (7.8) selectivity for Li/Ni (Li/Co) owing to its high Li electromigration rate constants (0.0273 ± 0.0003 min−1) under changing current drop. Furthermore, the integrated DD/SED process recovers 92.3%-pure Li₂SO₄ from spent LIB leachate with reduced chemical input, achieving a gross profit of 42.22 USD/t while demonstrating enhanced sustainability and industrial potential.
{"title":"Multi-driven force coupled dialysis system for collaborative recycling of acid and lithium from spent LIBs leachate","authors":"Di Wang , Qingbai Chen , Bingbing He , Yong Xu , Haoran Zhang , Ping Li , Jianyou Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119981","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119981","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The continuous influx of waste batteries poses severe challenges to energy, economy, and the environment, particularly in major economies with high lithium-ion battery (LIB) usage. Selectrodialysis (SED) is considered for lithium recovery from spent LIB leachate via monovalent ion selectivity, but proton hopping through monovalent-selective cation exchange membranes in acidic media limits its selectivity and stability. This report describes a diffusion dialysis (DD)/SED integrated recycling system capable of acid recovery and subsequent lithium extraction. The efficient SED unit exhibits high lithium selectivity during spent LIB leachate reclamation, benefiting from the removal of acid (H<sup>+</sup>) from the feed stream via DD process. Appropriate running mode conditions contribute to excellent mass transfer for each unit. Specifically, DD operates in counter-flow mode with waste acid flowing from bottom-to-top, leading to >95% acid recovery. This performance is attributed to the uniform concentration distribution and adequate acid filtration. Meanwhile, SED under constant voltage mode reaching 7.9 (7.8) selectivity for Li/Ni (Li/Co) owing to its high Li electromigration rate constants (0.0273 ± 0.0003 min<sup>−1</sup>) under changing current drop. Furthermore, the integrated DD/SED process recovers 92.3%-pure Li₂SO₄ from spent LIB leachate with reduced chemical input, achieving a gross profit of 42.22 USD/t while demonstrating enhanced sustainability and industrial potential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 119981"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-24DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.120009
Hejia Wang , Bozhan Ma , Chengxin Niu , Zhichao Wu , Ruobin Dai , Zhiwei Wang
Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated cross-domain application capabilities due to the emergent intelligence derived from billion-scale parameters. However, their potential in modeling specific membrane processes requires further investigation. In this study, we selected the rejection of organic micropollutants (OMPs) by polyamide membrane, a typical membrane process, to evaluate whether LLMs can accurately predict its performance. The results show that base LLMs, including gpt-4o, 4o-mini, and 4.1-mini, were unable to predict the OMP rejection process before fine-tuning, with predictive accuracy even inferior to a linear regression model. However, the predictive performance of LLMs improved substantially after fine-tuning, which enhanced the mechanistic understanding of size exclusion, enabling the prediction of OMP rejection. Notably, larger LLMs did not outperform smaller ones, indicating that model size alone does not guarantee superior performance, likely due to the limited parameter ratio that can be fine-tuned. Although the fine-tuned LLMs still slightly underperformed compared to conventional machine learning models, they demonstrated considerable promise for regression-based applications. Further analysis revealed that the lack of domain-specific knowledge in LLMs limits the effectiveness of transfer learning during fine-tuning. Moreover, converting structured data into text sequences leads to information loss and redundancy, preventing LLMs from effectively capturing the influence of input features. Therefore, model architecture, data sufficiency, and task compatibility are suggested to be prioritized for the successful application of LLMs. This study demonstrates the potential of fine-tuned LLMs for regression-based modeling and highlights feasible strategies for improvement, providing valuable insights for advancing their practical deployment in membrane research.
{"title":"Fine-tuning large language models for predicting organic micropollutant rejection by polyamide membranes","authors":"Hejia Wang , Bozhan Ma , Chengxin Niu , Zhichao Wu , Ruobin Dai , Zhiwei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated cross-domain application capabilities due to the emergent intelligence derived from billion-scale parameters. However, their potential in modeling specific membrane processes requires further investigation. In this study, we selected the rejection of organic micropollutants (OMPs) by polyamide membrane, a typical membrane process, to evaluate whether LLMs can accurately predict its performance. The results show that base LLMs, including gpt-4o, 4o-mini, and 4.1-mini, were unable to predict the OMP rejection process before fine-tuning, with predictive accuracy even inferior to a linear regression model. However, the predictive performance of LLMs improved substantially after fine-tuning, which enhanced the mechanistic understanding of size exclusion, enabling the prediction of OMP rejection. Notably, larger LLMs did not outperform smaller ones, indicating that model size alone does not guarantee superior performance, likely due to the limited parameter ratio that can be fine-tuned. Although the fine-tuned LLMs still slightly underperformed compared to conventional machine learning models, they demonstrated considerable promise for regression-based applications. Further analysis revealed that the lack of domain-specific knowledge in LLMs limits the effectiveness of transfer learning during fine-tuning. Moreover, converting structured data into text sequences leads to information loss and redundancy, preventing LLMs from effectively capturing the influence of input features. Therefore, model architecture, data sufficiency, and task compatibility are suggested to be prioritized for the successful application of LLMs. This study demonstrates the potential of fine-tuned LLMs for regression-based modeling and highlights feasible strategies for improvement, providing valuable insights for advancing their practical deployment in membrane research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 120009"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-15DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.119977
Thi-Huyen Duong , Jihyeon Tak , Sang Yeob Kim , Bohyeon Park , Soohoon Choi , Kyung-Hyuk Lee , Sung Kyu Maeng
Stringent ultrapure water (UPW) quality standards require high-quality pipe materials and well-controlled hydraulic conditions to prevent biofilm formation. This study evaluated the migration potential test and the biomass formation potential of selected UPW pipe materials under varying flow conditions. The results indicate that new polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) pipes exhibit highest migration of total organic carbon but lowest particle migration under hot water conditions, whereas stainless steel (SUS) poses a greater concern owing to its stronger biofilm adhesion. Additionally, the study examines the growth potential of UPW-originating bacteria in the presence of urea, a persistent UPW compound, indicating that urea increases bacterial growth by 1.3–1.8 times. For the first time, online flow cytometry was applied alongside hydraulic tests in a flow system, enabling the real-time monitoring of biofilm-to-planktonic transitions under different flow regimes. The results reveal that biofilm formation behavior was strongly influenced by pipe surface characteristics and operational conditions. Biofilms on SUS exhibited stronger adhesion, whereas biofilm on PVDF developed more rapidly but were more susceptible to fluctuating flow conditions. Strongly attached biofilms were formed (56.2%) even under turbulent conditions with high Reynold (Re) number (26,000) and were not completely removed even when the Re increased to 52,000. However, prolonged exposure to such high turbulence can eventually reduce biofilm formation. Understanding biofilm behavior across pipes under different flow regimes is crucial for UPW quality control. This study underscores the need to establish a standardized biological evaluation method for selecting UPW pipe materials and optimizing hydraulic conditions.
{"title":"Assessment of biostability and oligotrophic bacterial growth in ultrapure water pipes under various hydraulic conditions using online flow cytometry","authors":"Thi-Huyen Duong , Jihyeon Tak , Sang Yeob Kim , Bohyeon Park , Soohoon Choi , Kyung-Hyuk Lee , Sung Kyu Maeng","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119977","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.119977","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stringent ultrapure water (UPW) quality standards require high-quality pipe materials and well-controlled hydraulic conditions to prevent biofilm formation. This study evaluated the migration potential test and the biomass formation potential of selected UPW pipe materials under varying flow conditions. The results indicate that new polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) pipes exhibit highest migration of total organic carbon but lowest particle migration under hot water conditions, whereas stainless steel (SUS) poses a greater concern owing to its stronger biofilm adhesion. Additionally, the study examines the growth potential of UPW-originating bacteria in the presence of urea, a persistent UPW compound, indicating that urea increases bacterial growth by 1.3–1.8 times. For the first time, online flow cytometry was applied alongside hydraulic tests in a flow system, enabling the real-time monitoring of biofilm-to-planktonic transitions under different flow regimes. The results reveal that biofilm formation behavior was strongly influenced by pipe surface characteristics and operational conditions. Biofilms on SUS exhibited stronger adhesion, whereas biofilm on PVDF developed more rapidly but were more susceptible to fluctuating flow conditions. Strongly attached biofilms were formed (56.2%) even under turbulent conditions with high Reynold (<em>Re</em>) number (26,000) and were not completely removed even when the <em>Re</em> increased to 52,000. However, prolonged exposure to such high turbulence can eventually reduce biofilm formation. Understanding biofilm behavior across pipes under different flow regimes is crucial for UPW quality control. This study underscores the need to establish a standardized biological evaluation method for selecting UPW pipe materials and optimizing hydraulic conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 119977"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-20DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.120000
Linkai He , Xingqiang Wu , Yun Tian , Yixin Pan , Faquan Wu
The release and dispersion of uranium during mining activities and fuel/waste management processes in nuclear power plants pose serious environmental risks, particularly in aqueous systems. In such environments, uranium exhibits high solubility and strong mobility, leading to severe radioactive contamination of groundwater, soil, and ecosystems. Therefore, remediating uranium-contaminated environments remains a significant scientific and technological challenge. To address this issue, the present study exploits the high specific surface area and tunable pore architectures/functional sites of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Using a controlled synthesis strategy, a core-shell (Fe-Ni) galvanic cell structure was constructed and integrated with MIL-100(Fe) to fabricate the Ni-Fe-MIL-100(Fe) composite, enabling highly efficient and synergistic removal of U(VI) via an “adsorption-reduction-complexation” mechanism. Experimental results demonstrate that the maximum uranium uptake capacity reached 3038.19 mg·g−1 at 303 K and pH = 5, with a significantly enhanced removal efficiency. The kinetic analysis indicates that the uranium adsorption process is well described by the pseudo-second-order model. Combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the electronic transfer channels of the structure were elucidated, revealing that they drive the reduction of U(VI) and facilitate its coordination and immobilization at multi-metal and oxygen-containing sites. These findings confirm that U(VI) removal by the composite material proceeds via a coupled chemical reduction and complexation process, thereby clarifying the underlying adsorption mechanism. Moreover, in mixed-ion solutions and real seawater, the composite maintains high adsorption capacity and excellent selectivity, demonstrating strong potential for uranium immobilization and recovery in the remediation of radioactive wastewater.
{"title":"Ni-Fe electronic reservoirs supported on MIL-100(Fe) for efficient removal of U(VI) from aqueous solutions through a synergistic reduction-adsorption mechanism","authors":"Linkai He , Xingqiang Wu , Yun Tian , Yixin Pan , Faquan Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120000","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120000","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The release and dispersion of uranium during mining activities and fuel/waste management processes in nuclear power plants pose serious environmental risks, particularly in aqueous systems. In such environments, uranium exhibits high solubility and strong mobility, leading to severe radioactive contamination of groundwater, soil, and ecosystems. Therefore, remediating uranium-contaminated environments remains a significant scientific and technological challenge. To address this issue, the present study exploits the high specific surface area and tunable pore architectures/functional sites of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Using a controlled synthesis strategy, a core-shell (Fe-Ni) galvanic cell structure was constructed and integrated with MIL-100(Fe) to fabricate the Ni-Fe-MIL-100(Fe) composite, enabling highly efficient and synergistic removal of U(VI) via an “adsorption-reduction-complexation” mechanism. Experimental results demonstrate that the maximum uranium uptake capacity reached 3038.19 mg·g<sup>−1</sup> at 303 K and pH = 5, with a significantly enhanced removal efficiency. The kinetic analysis indicates that the uranium adsorption process is well described by the pseudo-second-order model. Combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the electronic transfer channels of the structure were elucidated, revealing that they drive the reduction of U(VI) and facilitate its coordination and immobilization at multi-metal and oxygen-containing sites. These findings confirm that U(VI) removal by the composite material proceeds via a coupled chemical reduction and complexation process, thereby clarifying the underlying adsorption mechanism. Moreover, in mixed-ion solutions and real seawater, the composite maintains high adsorption capacity and excellent selectivity, demonstrating strong potential for uranium immobilization and recovery in the remediation of radioactive wastewater.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 120000"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-28DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.120034
Ziwei Chen , Zhanming Tan , Xuefeng Liu , Peilin Han , Di Zhang , Mengqi Jiang , En Xie , Yunkai Li
Freshwater scarcity necessitates the use of unconventional water sources, yet their direct use poses ecological risks, including soil salinization and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a promising brackish water desalination technology, but conventional carbon electrodes often suffer from performance limitations due to co-ion effects and slow ion diffusion. This study reported a Fe1Ni3-MOFs@AC composite electrode-based hybrid CDI (HCDI) for simultaneous removal of salinity and ARGs, signifying a critical advancement for treating complex saline wastewater. When polarization was applied at 1.5 V, the Fe1Ni3-MOFs@AC composite electrode exhibited a specific capacitance 30.4 F/g and a salt adsorption capacity of 26.0 mg/g, which were 103% and 83% higher than those of the pristine activated carbon (AC) electrode. The improved HCDI performance of the Fe1Ni3-MOFs@AC composite electrode should result from its hierarchical porous structure, which enhances rapid charge-transfer kinetics and ion diffusion rates. Meanwhile, the system demonstrated exceptional durability, maintaining a high desalination capacity with no significant degradation over 35 cycles. Within 30 min, the electrode removed >94% of sulA, tetL, and chL ARGs, far exceeding the levels in non-polarized controls. Coexisting salt ions synergistically enhanced the 3% removal efficiency of ARG through co-adsorption. This work establishes MOF-enhanced HCDI as a robust platform for concurrent desalination and ARG mitigation, offering an energy-efficient solution for sustainable water reuse in agricultural and industrial applications.
{"title":"Bimetallic metal-organic frameworks-modified hybrid capacitive deionization for enabling concurrent desalination and antibiotic resistance genes removal","authors":"Ziwei Chen , Zhanming Tan , Xuefeng Liu , Peilin Han , Di Zhang , Mengqi Jiang , En Xie , Yunkai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freshwater scarcity necessitates the use of unconventional water sources, yet their direct use poses ecological risks, including soil salinization and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a promising brackish water desalination technology, but conventional carbon electrodes often suffer from performance limitations due to co-ion effects and slow ion diffusion. This study reported a Fe<sub>1</sub>Ni<sub>3</sub>-MOFs@AC composite electrode-based hybrid CDI (HCDI) for simultaneous removal of salinity and ARGs, signifying a critical advancement for treating complex saline wastewater. When polarization was applied at 1.5 V, the Fe<sub>1</sub>Ni<sub>3</sub>-MOFs@AC composite electrode exhibited a specific capacitance 30.4 F/g and a salt adsorption capacity of 26.0 mg/g, which were 103% and 83% higher than those of the pristine activated carbon (AC) electrode. The improved HCDI performance of the Fe<sub>1</sub>Ni<sub>3</sub>-MOFs@AC composite electrode should result from its hierarchical porous structure, which enhances rapid charge-transfer kinetics and ion diffusion rates. Meanwhile, the system demonstrated exceptional durability, maintaining a high desalination capacity with no significant degradation over 35 cycles. Within 30 min, the electrode removed >94% of <em>sulA</em>, <em>tetL</em>, and <em>chL</em> ARGs, far exceeding the levels in non-polarized controls. Coexisting salt ions synergistically enhanced the 3% removal efficiency of ARG through co-adsorption. This work establishes MOF-enhanced HCDI as a robust platform for concurrent desalination and ARG mitigation, offering an energy-efficient solution for sustainable water reuse in agricultural and industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 120034"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-26DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2026.120025
Luheng Jing , Siping Ding , Tinglue Zhang , Yang Tong , Tonghui Zhang , Zheyi Meng , Xuefen Wang
Traditional hydrophobic membranes are susceptible to membrane fouling and wetting of membrane pores, limiting the application of membrane distillation (MD) technology in water recovery under increasingly complex water conditions. To address these challenges, we designed a structural integrated hydrophilic-omniphobic Janus membrane via synchronous fluorination/reverse interfacial polymerization (SF/R-IP) based on roughening modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous membrane. During the SF/R-IP process, not only piperazine (PIP) from the upper aqueous phase solution reacted with trimethylchloroform (TMC) from the lower organic phase solution to form polyamide layer (PA) through IP reaction, the modified PVDF substrate would also be fluorinated synchronously by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorotriethoxysilane (PFDTES) in organic phase. As a consequence, a novel Janus membrane with an ultrathin hydrophilic PA surface layer partially inter-embedded onto an omniphobic substrate was featured, and this special inter-embedding adhesion endowed the Janus membrane excellent structural integrity. The optimized Janus membrane combined the anti-wetting performance of an omniphobic membrane with the oil contamination resistance of the hydrophilic layer and the high permeability of nanofibrous substrate, demonstrating considerable vapor flux (31.1 kg m−2 h−1) and complete salt rejection (99.99%) during a long-term (80 h) DCMD experiments using surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-stabilized oil-in-water (O/W) saline emulsion as the feed solution, and could fully recover optimal flux and continue stable operation after flushing. This study would provide a new strategy in designing high-performance MD membranes and enable robust applications of MD facing the challenges of membrane fouling and wetting.
传统疏水膜容易受到膜污染和膜孔润湿，限制了膜蒸馏技术在日益复杂的水条件下的水回收应用。为了解决这些问题，我们基于粗化改性聚偏氟乙烯（PVDF）纳米纤维膜，通过同步氟化/反界面聚合（SF/R-IP）设计了一种结构一体化的亲水-疏水Janus膜。在SF/R-IP过程中，不仅上层水溶液中的哌嗪（PIP）与下层有机相溶液中的三甲基氯仿（TMC）通过IP反应形成聚酰胺层（PA），改性后的PVDF底物还会在有机相中被1H，1H,2H，2H-全氟三乙氧基硅烷（PFDTES）同步氟化。因此，一种超薄亲水性PA表面层部分嵌入到全疏基板上的新型Janus膜被呈现出来，这种特殊的嵌入粘合赋予了Janus膜优异的结构完整性。优化后的Janus膜结合了全疏膜的抗润湿性能、亲水性层的抗油污染性能和纳米纤维基底的高渗透性，在以表面活性剂十二烷基硫酸钠（SDS）稳定的水包油（O/W）盐水乳液为进料溶液的长期（80 h） DCMD实验中，表现出可观的蒸汽通量（31.1 kg m−2 h−1）和完全的盐去除率（99.99%）。冲洗后能完全恢复最佳通量，继续稳定运行。该研究将为设计高性能的MD膜提供新的策略，并使MD在面对膜污染和润湿挑战时具有更强的应用前景。
{"title":"Structural integrated hydrophilic-omniphobic Janus membrane by synchronous fluorination/reverse interfacial polymerization for durable membrane distillation","authors":"Luheng Jing , Siping Ding , Tinglue Zhang , Yang Tong , Tonghui Zhang , Zheyi Meng , Xuefen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120025","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.desal.2026.120025","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional hydrophobic membranes are susceptible to membrane fouling and wetting of membrane pores, limiting the application of membrane distillation (MD) technology in water recovery under increasingly complex water conditions. To address these challenges, we designed a structural integrated hydrophilic-omniphobic Janus membrane via synchronous fluorination/reverse interfacial polymerization (SF/R-IP) based on roughening modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous membrane. During the SF/R-IP process, not only piperazine (PIP) from the upper aqueous phase solution reacted with trimethylchloroform (TMC) from the lower organic phase solution to form polyamide layer (PA) through IP reaction, the modified PVDF substrate would also be fluorinated synchronously by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorotriethoxysilane (PFDTES) in organic phase. As a consequence, a novel Janus membrane with an ultrathin hydrophilic PA surface layer partially inter-embedded onto an omniphobic substrate was featured, and this special inter-embedding adhesion endowed the Janus membrane excellent structural integrity. The optimized Janus membrane combined the anti-wetting performance of an omniphobic membrane with the oil contamination resistance of the hydrophilic layer and the high permeability of nanofibrous substrate, demonstrating considerable vapor flux (31.1 kg m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup>) and complete salt rejection (99.99%) during a long-term (80 h) DCMD experiments using surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-stabilized oil-in-water (O/W) saline emulsion as the feed solution, and could fully recover optimal flux and continue stable operation after flushing. This study would provide a new strategy in designing high-performance MD membranes and enable robust applications of MD facing the challenges of membrane fouling and wetting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":299,"journal":{"name":"Desalination","volume":"627 ","pages":"Article 120025"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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