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Updated: Oct 30, 2025
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Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
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High Performance Mixed-Matrix Electrospun Membranes for Ammonium Removal from Wastewaters
Shu-Ting Chen1, Sumith Ranil Wickramasinghe1, Xianghong Qian2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
Membranes
|July 2, 2021
Summary
New electrospun membranes with zeolite 13X effectively remove ammonium from wastewater. These membranes offer high capacity and easy regeneration, surpassing previous methods for treating low-concentration ammonium streams.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Ammonium contamination in wastewater is a significant environmental concern.
- Existing methods for ammonium removal often struggle with low concentrations.
- Development of efficient and cost-effective removal technologies is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop novel mixed-matrix electrospun membranes for ammonium removal from low-concentration wastewaters.
- To investigate the incorporation of zeolite particles into polyethersulfone (PES) matrices.
- To evaluate the performance of these membranes in terms of ammonium removal capacity, permeability, and regenerability.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of mixed-matrix electrospun membranes by incorporating zeolite 13X particles into a PES matrix.
- Testing the ammonium removal capacity of the fabricated membranes using low ammonium concentration wastewaters.
- Comparison of performance with previously developed mixed-matrix membranes.
- Investigation of other zeolite types (Y, 3A, 4A) and their effect on removal capacity.
Main Results:
- The developed membranes achieved high ammonium removal capacity exceeding 55 mg/gzeolite, over 2.5 times higher than previous methods.
- Over 90% of total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) was removed from low TAN wastewaters, including aquaculture wastewater.
- The membranes exhibited high permeability and ease of regeneration.
- Zeolite 13X demonstrated the highest ammonium exchange capacity among the tested zeolites.
Conclusions:
- Mixed-matrix electrospun membranes incorporating zeolite 13X are highly effective for ammonium removal from low-concentration wastewaters.
- These membranes offer a promising, efficient, and regenerable solution for wastewater treatment.
- Zeolite type, loading, and dispersion significantly influence the total ammonium nitrogen removal capacity.
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