Grantee Research Project Results

2013 Progress Report: Enabling Potable Reuse Of Wastewater Using Forward Osmosis: A Sustainable And Affordable Alternative To Reverse Osmosis

EPA Grant Number: R834872
Title: Enabling Potable Reuse Of Wastewater Using Forward Osmosis: A Sustainable And Affordable Alternative To Reverse Osmosis
Investigators: McCutcheon, Jeffrey R
Institution: University of Connecticut
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: June 1, 2011 through May 31, 2016
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 1, 2013 through May 31,2014
Project Amount: $300,000
RFA: Advancing Public Health Protection through Water Infrastructure Sustainability (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Drinking Water , Water

Objective:

This project aims to evaluate the promise of forward osmosis (FO) as a technology to enable direct potable reuse of water. FO is an emerging membrane technology platform that offers a low cost alternative to reverse osmosis (RO) as a means of recapturing wastewater for direct potable reuse. The barriers to direct potable reuse are great, mostly stemming from the lack of guaranteed removal of contaminants that can cause harm to humans even at low levels when exposure is chronic. The goal of this project is to develop new membranes that function in FO and test those membranes for removal of various contaminants.

Progress Summary:

We removed the polydopamine work from this project as one of its core features as we received funding to do more in depth and fundamental research on that work from another source. We have refocused our efforts on nanofiber materials and our work with 3M, though this year was largely spent writing. The overall goals of our project have not changed.

In year 3, we have continued development and characterization work of our membrane platforms, with a focus more on nanofiber materials and our collaboration with 3M.

Platform 1: Nanofiber supported thin-film composite (TFC) membranes
Platform 2: Polydopamine modified RO membranes for forward osmosis
Platform 3: Nylon 6,6 supported TFC membrane
Commercial membrane analysis

This report has demonstrated substantial progress on this Early Career award by many metrics. Significant progress is noted by not only the data, but also the presentations and overall dissemination of the work. We have laid the groundwork for substantial improvements in membrane performance on all of the platforms presented.

Continued development of two new membrane platform designed for forward osmosis
Two Ph.D. students trained, two more collaborators involved in the project
Three undergraduate students trained

Future Activities:

The plan for the period starting 6/1/2014 and ending 5/31/2015 will be to focus on publishing. Furthermore, two of the graduate students supported by this grant will be defending their theses and the two undergraduate students supported will be graduating. We will, however, continue to develop the 3M and nanofiber platforms. Testing on actual wastewater may drop from the task list in the next year of the project. The work has shifted from direct application of wastewater treatment to more of a project focused on materials for FO membrane development.

Optimization of membrane fabrication procedure for two platforms still being studied
Elucidating transport mechanisms that could impact trace contaminant removal during wastewater reuse
Publish and have two students defend their Ph.D. thesis

Journal Articles on this Report : 10 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other project views:	All 82 publications	14 publications in selected types	All 12 journal articles

Publications
Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Arena JT, Manickam SS, Reimund K, Freeman B, McCutcheon JR. Solute and water transport in forward osmosis using polydopamine modified thin film composite membranes. Desalination 2014;343:8-16.	R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: UConn-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Bui N-N, Lind ML, Hoek EMV, McCutcheon JR. Electrospun supported thin film composite membranes for engineered osmosis. Journal of Membrane Science 2011;385-386:10-19.	R834872 (2011) R834872 (2012) R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: ResearchGate-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Bui N-N, McCutcheon JR. Hydrophilic nanofibers as new supports for thin film composite membranes for engineered osmosis. Environmental Science & Technology 2013;47(3):1761-1769.	R834872 (2012) R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: ResearchGate-PDF Exit Abstract: ACS-Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Huang L, Bui N-N, Manickam SS, McCutcheon JR. Controlling electrospun nanofiber morphology and mechanical properties using humidity. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics 2011;49(24):1734-1744.	R834872 (2011) R834872 (2012) R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: UConn-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: Wiley-Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Huang L, Manickam SS, McCutcheon JR. Increasing strength of electrospun nanofiber membranes for water filtration using solvent vapor. Journal of Membrane Science 2013;436:213-220.	R834872 (2012) R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: ResearchGate-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Huang L, Bui N-N, Meyering MT, Hamlin TJ, McCutcheon JR. Novel hydrophilic nylon 6,6 microfiltration membrane supported thin film composite membranes for engineered osmosis. Journal of Membrane Science 2013;437:141-149.	R834872 (2012) R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: UConn-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Huang L, Arena JT, Manickam SS, Jiang X, Willis BG, McCutcheon JR. Improved mechanical properties and hydrophilicity of electrospun nanofiber membranes for filtration applications by dopamine modification. Journal of Membrane Science 2014;460:241-249.	R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: UConn-Full Text HTML Exit
Journal Article	Huang L, McCutcheon JR. Hydrophilic nylon 6,6 nanofibers supported membranes for engineered osmosis. Journal of Membrane Science 2014;457:162-169.	R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: UConn-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	McCutcheon JR, Wang R. Osmotic processes for a sustainable 21st century—guest editorial. Desalination 2013:312:1.	R834872 (2012) R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: UConn-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Ren J, McCutcheon JR. A new commercial thin film composite membrane for forward osmosis. Desalination 2014;343:187-193.	R834872 (2013) R834872 (2014) R834872 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: ResearchGate-Full Text PDF Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

Forward osmosis, engineered osmosis, membrane, thin film composite, nanofiber, electrospinning, wastewater

Relevant Websites:

Jeffrey McCutcheon | Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.