@article{4e66a31224d444a2aaa932cb29d25c25,
title = "Fouling-resistant membranes for the treatment of flowback water from hydraulic shale fracturing: a pilot study",
abstract = "Polyacrylonitrile hollow fiber ultrafiltration (UF) and polyamide spiral wound reverse osmosis (RO) membrane modules were surface-modified by contact with an aqueous solution containing dopamine to deposit polydopamine on the membrane surfaces and other wetted parts inside the modules. UF modules were further modified by grafting poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brushes to the polydopamine coating. Polydopamine and polydopamine-. g-PEG coatings increase hydrophilicity of the membrane surfaces and have previously been shown to improve fouling resistance towards model oil/water emulsions in laboratory studies. In a pilot-scale test treating hydraulic fracturing flowback water from the Barnett Shale region of Texas, the fouling performance of modified UF and RO membrane modules was compared to that of unmodified analogs. UF modules were used to remove most of the highly fouling organic matter in the feed before desalination by a train of RO elements. Polydopamine-modified UF modules maintained higher flux, lower transmembrane pressure difference, and improved cleaning efficiency relative to unmodified modules. The polydopamine coating did not appear to improve RO fouling behavior, presumably because most of the organic foulants had been removed by UF pretreatment of the feedwater. However, higher and more stable salt rejection was observed in modified RO modules than in unmodified modules.",
keywords = "Hydraulic fracturing, Membrane fouling, Polydopamine, Surface modification, Water purification",
author = "Miller, {Daniel J.} and Xiaofei Huang and Hua Li and Sirirat Kasemset and Albert Lee and Dileep Agnihotri and Thomas Hayes and Paul, {Donald R.} and Freeman, {Benny D.}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge support from Devon Energy for providing access to the Maggie Spain Water Reclamation Facility in the Barnett Shale region near Fort Worth, Texas. We would like to especially recognize Anthony Smith of Devon Energy who coordinated site activities. The authors would also like to acknowledge the operations staff of Fountain Quail for their assistance in providing a feedwater stream that was pre-treated via coagulation and clarification and pH adjusted. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Layered Polymeric Systems ( DMR-0423914 ). Funding Information: Additional funding for this project was provided by RPSEA through the “Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources” program authorized by the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005. RPSEA ( www.rpsea.org ) is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States. RPSEA, operating as a consortium of premier U.S. energy research universities, industry, and independent research organizations, manages the program under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy{\textquoteright}s National Energy Technology Laboratory. Copyright: Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
year = "2013",
month = jun,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1016/j.memsci.2013.03.019",
language = "English",
volume = "437",
pages = "265--275",
journal = "Journal of Membrane Science",
issn = "0376-7388",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
}