Monday, June 2, 2025
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Terms & Conditions
Environmental Magazine
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Recycling
  • Air
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Water
No Result
View All Result
Environmental Magazine
  • Home
  • News
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Recycling
  • Air
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Water
No Result
View All Result
Environmental Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Water

Dialysis ‘astonishingly effective’ for treating wastewater

January 10, 2025
in Water
A A

Researchers believe they have uncovered an innovative approach to treating high-salinity organic wastewaters — streams containing both elevated salt and organic concentrations — by employing dialysis, a technology borrowed from the medical field.

For patients with kidney failure, dialysis uses a machine called a dialyzer to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood; blood is drawn from the body, cleansed in the dialyzer then returned through a separate needle or tube.

In a new study published in Nature Water, a team – from Rice University and Guangdong University of Technology – found that mimicking this same method can separate salts from organic substances with minimal dilution of the wastewater, simultaneously addressing key limitations of conventional methods. This novel pathway has the potential to reduce environmental impacts, lower costs and enable the recovery of valuable resources across a range of industrial sectors.

“Dialysis was astonishingly effective in separating the salts from the organics in our trials,” said Menachem Elimelech, a corresponding author on the study and the Nancy and Clint Carlson Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. “It’s an exciting discovery with the potential to redefine how we handle some of our most intractable wastewater challenges.”

Numerous industries generate high-salinity organic wastewaters, including petrochemical, pharmaceutical and textile manufacturing. Because of the combined high salt and high organic content, these wastewaters pose serious challenges for existing treatment processes. Biological treatment and advanced oxidation methods often become compromised by elevated salinity levels, reducing their overall effectiveness. Thermal methods, although technically feasible, are energy intensive and susceptible to corrosion, clogging and operational inefficiencies that can escalate costs and complicate maintenance. Meanwhile, pressure-driven membrane processes such as ultrafiltration frequently encounter severe membrane fouling, leading to the need for multiple wastewater dilution steps, which increases both water usage and operational complexity.

“Traditional methods often demand a lot of energy and require repeated dilutions,” said Yuanmiaoliang “Selina” Chen, a co-first author and postdoctoral student in Elimelech’s lab at Rice. “Dialysis eliminates many of these pain points, reducing water consumption and operational overheads.”

The research team employed a combination of bench-scale dialysis experiments and comprehensive transport modeling to evaluate dialysis performance in separating salts and organic compounds. The researchers first selected commercial ultrafiltration membranes with different molecular weight cutoffs to study salt transport and organic rejection. They then established a bilateral countercurrent flow mode in the dialysis setup, which included a feed stream containing high-salinity organic wastewater passed on one side of the membrane, while a freshwater stream flowed on the other side without any applied hydraulic pressure.

The researchers tracked salt and water fluxes over time to demonstrate that salts diffused across the membrane into the dialysate, while water flux remained negligible. They measured organic removal by comparing organic concentrations in the feed before and after dialysis. To assess fouling resistance, they monitored changes in membrane performance, if any, during extended run times. The researchers further developed mathematical models to deepen their understanding of salt and water transport mechanisms.

They found that dialysis effectively removed salt from water without requiring large amounts of fresh water. The process allowed salts to move into the dialysate stream while keeping most organic compounds in the original solution. Compared to ultrafiltration with the same membrane, dialysis was better at separating salts from small, neutral organic molecules. Since dialysis relies on diffusion instead of pressure, salts and organics crossed the membrane at different speeds, making the separation more efficient.

“We found that one of the biggest advantages of dialysis for wastewater treatment is the potential for resource recovery,” Elimelech said. “Beyond simply treating the wastewater, we can also recover valuable salts or chemicals, contributing to a more circular economy.”

Another significant advantage of dialysis is its resistance to fouling. Unlike pressure-driven systems, dialysis experienced notably less buildup of organic materials on the membrane because it doesn’t rely on hydraulic pressure. This could translate to lower energy use, less maintenance and fewer membrane replacements.

“By forgoing hydraulic pressure altogether, we minimized the risk of fouling, which is one of the biggest hurdles in membrane-based treatment,” said Zhangxin Wang, a co-corresponding author and professor in the School of Ecology, Environment and Resources at Guangdong Tech. “This allows for a more stable and consistent performance over extended operating cycles.”

Moreover, while dialysis alone doesn’t fully purify wastewater, it effectively reduces salinity, making other treatments — like biological processes, advanced oxidation or zero-liquid discharge systems — more efficient.

“Dialysis offers a sustainable solution for treating complex, high-salinity waste streams by conserving freshwater, reducing energy costs and minimizing fouling,” Elimelech said. “Its diffusion-driven approach could revolutionize the treatment of some of the most challenging industrial wastewaters.”

ShareTweetSharePinSendShare

Related Articles

Water

Microplastics are still getting through wastewater plants

May 18, 2025
Water

Data-driven pumping can cut storm overflows

May 18, 2025
Water

New trade body will represent the Property Flood Resilience sector

May 9, 2025
Water

New pilot study detects faecal pollution marker in UK rivers

May 8, 2025
Water

Climate trends in river flow revealed by global dataset

May 6, 2025
Water

Smarter ways to find more leaks faster

April 30, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Local Tax Breaks for LNG Plants Don’t Benefit Communities, Report Says

December 3, 2024

What Does Tesla’s Slide Mean for the US Electric Vehicle Market?

March 20, 2025

Don't miss it

Energy

Trump’s Budget Wish Could Threaten Billions in Clean Energy Investment in Virginia

June 2, 2025
Fossil Fuels

The Massive Pipeline Buildout in the U.S. Is Mostly for Gas Going Overseas

June 2, 2025
News

Breakthrough geopolymer turns recycled glass and construction waste into a high-performance cement replacement

June 2, 2025
Energy

Gila River Tribes Intend to Float Solar Panels on a Reservoir. Could the Technology Help the Colorado River?

June 1, 2025
Fossil Fuels

U.S. Steel Is a Major Source of Pollution in Pennsylvania. Will Its Sale Lock in Emissions for Another Generation?

May 30, 2025
Activism

Trump Executive Orders Violate Young People’s Rights to a Stable Climate, a Lawsuit Alleges

May 30, 2025
Environmental Magazine

Environmental Magazine, Latest News, Opinions, Analysis Environmental Magazine. Follow us for more news about Enviroment and climate change from all around the world.

Learn more

Sections

  • Activism
  • Air
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Fossil Fuels
  • News
  • Uncategorized
  • Water

Topics

Activism Air Climate Change Energy Fossil Fuels News Uncategorized Water

Recent News

Trump’s Budget Wish Could Threaten Billions in Clean Energy Investment in Virginia

June 2, 2025

The Massive Pipeline Buildout in the U.S. Is Mostly for Gas Going Overseas

June 2, 2025

© 2023 Environmental Magazine. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Recycling
  • Air
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Water

© 2023 Environmental Magazine. All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.