Although membrane distillation offers distinctive benefits in some certain areas, i.e., RO concentrate treatment, concentrating solutions in the food industry and solar heat utilization, the occurrence of wetting of the hydrophobic membrane hinders its potential industrial applications. Therefore, wetting prevention is a vital criterion particularly for the treatment of solutions with lower surface tension than water. The present work examines the effect of recharging air bubbles on the membrane surface for the wetting incidence when a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) exists in a highly concentrated NaCl aqueous solution. This study shows that the presence of the air bubbles on the surface of the superhydrophobic membrane in a direct contact membrane distillation setup inhibited the occurrence of wetting (similar to 100% salt rejection) even for high concentrations of the surface-active species (up to 0.8 mM SDS) in the feed solution while no undesirable influence on the permeate flux was observed. Introducing air into the feed side of the membrane displaces the liquid which partly tends to penetrate the macro porous structure with air bubbles and therefore increases the liquid entry pressure, and in addition, the simultaneous use of a superhydrophobic membrane enhances the solution contact angle

Membrane distillation (MD) has shown promise for concentrating a wide variety of brines, but the knowledge is limited on how different brines impact salt scaling, flux decline, and subsequent wetting. Furthermore, past studies have lacked critical details and analysis to enable a physical understanding, including the length of experiments, the inclusion of salt kinetics, impact of antiscalants, and variability between feed-water types. To address this gap, we examined the system performance, water recovery, scale formation, and saturation index of a lab-scale vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) in long-running test runs approaching 200 h. The tests provided a comparison of a variety of relevant feed solutions, including a synthetic seawater reverse osmosis brine with a salinity of 8.0 g/L, tap water, and NaCl, and included an antiscalant. Saturation modeling indicated that calcite and aragonite were the main foulants contributing to permeate flux reduction. The longer operation times than typical studies revealed several insights. First, scaling could reduce permeate flux dramatically, seen here as 49% for the synthetic brine, when reaching a high recovery ratio of 91%. Second, salt crystallization on the membrane surface could have a long-delayed but subsequently significant impact, as the permeate flux experienced a precipitous decline only after 72 h of continuous operation. Several scaling-resistant impacts were observed as well. Although use of an antiscalant did not reduce the decrease in flux, it extended membrane operational time before surface foulants caused membrane wetting. Additionally, numerous calcium, magnesium, and carbonate salts, as well as silica, reached very high saturation indices (>1). Despite this, scaling without wetting was often observed, and scaling was consistently reversible and easily washed. Under heavy scaling conditions, many areas lacked deposits, which enabled continued operation; existing MD performance models lack this effect by assuming uniform layers. This work implies that longer times are needed for MD fouling experiments, and provides further scaling-resistant evidence for MD.

The urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂), has led to intensive research into novel techniques for synthesizing valuable chemicals that address climate change. One technique that is becoming increasingly important is the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to produce carbon monoxide (CO), an important feedstock for various industrial processes. This comprehensive review examines the latest developments in CO₂ electroreduction, focusing on mechanisms, catalysts, reaction pathways, and optimization strategies to enhance CO production efficiency. A particular emphasis is placed on the role of ion exchange membranes, including cation exchange membranes (CEMs), anion exchange membranes (AEMs), and bipolar membranes (BPMs). The review explores their advantages, disadvantages, and the current challenges associated with their implementation in CO₂ electroreduction systems. Through careful analysis of the current literature, this report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of state-of-the-art methods and their potential impact on sustainable CO production, with a special focus on membrane technologies.