Systematic structure control of ammonium iodide salts as feasible UCST-type forward osmosis draw solutes for the treatment of wastewater

A variety of UCST-type thermoresponsive ammonium iodide salts is systematically designed and synthesised with desired aqueous solubility, phase-transition temperature, osmolality change, phase-transition concentration range, stability, and toxicity by controlling the ionic interactions, hydrophobici...

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Published inJournal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 1255 - 1265
Main Authors Park, Jeongseon, Joo, Heeyoung, Noh, Minwoo, Namkoong, Yon, Lee, Seonju, Jung, Kyung Hwa, Ahn, Hye Ryun, Kim, Seulah, Lee, Jong-Chan, Yoon, Jae Hoon, Lee, Yan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 2018
Subjects
Ammonium
Chemical analysis
Control stability
Desalination
External pressure
Flue gas
Fresh water
Freshwater environments
Hydrophobicity
Iodides
Ionic interactions
Nanofiltration
Nanotechnology
Osmotic pressure
Phase transitions
Purification
Reverse osmosis
Salts
Seawater
Solutes
Toxicity
Transition temperature
Transition temperatures
Wastewater treatment
Water analysis
Water purification
Water treatment
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Summary:A variety of UCST-type thermoresponsive ammonium iodide salts is systematically designed and synthesised with desired aqueous solubility, phase-transition temperature, osmolality change, phase-transition concentration range, stability, and toxicity by controlling the ionic interactions, hydrophobicity, and symmetry of the salt structure. Suitable draw solutes can be selected based on the characteristics of the ammonium iodide salts as well as the feed solutions for feasible forward osmosis (FO)-based water purification. In this research, highly concentrated wastewater from a flue gas desulfuriser (FGD), with osmotic pressure three times higher than seawater, is targeted for purification by FO using the draw solutes. Two ammonium iodide salts (HM8I and HM10I) show a remarkable water flux from the wastewater samples and significantly lower salt leakage compared to conventional draw solutes. The osmolality of the phase-separated draw solution drops to less than one tenth of that of the initial feed solution, and reverse osmosis or nanofiltration can be applied to the solution with much lower external pressure for the final purification to produce fresh water. This systematic approach to the design and selection of suitable draw solutes can be an effective strategy for future practical FO-based wastewater treatment and seawater desalination.
ISSN:2050-7488
2050-7496
DOI:10.1039/C7TA09741G