3D Printing in the Water Treatment Industry

Abstract:

The advancement of 3D printing in the past few decades propelled many ground-breaking developments in the water treatment industry. More specifically, 3D printing has the unique advantage of prototyping parts of high complexity with acute precision within a short period of time. Innovative feed spacers and membranes, which could not be fabricated using conventional methods, can now be 3D printed and evaluated in actual filtration experiments. However, there are still limitations to 3D printing such as the printing resolution, build volume and printing speed which poses some problems, especially in the fabrication of membranes. This paper presents a comprehensive and critical discussion on the 3D printed feed spacer and membrane prototypes from a 3D printing perspective.

• Periodical: Diffusion Foundations and Materials Applications (Volume 31)
• Pages: 1-5
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-s3n109
• Online since: November 2022
• Authors: Jing Wee Koo*, Jia Shin Ho, Jia An, Yi Zhang, Chee Kai Chua, Tzyy Haur Chong
• Keywords: 3D Printing, Hybrid Additive Manufacturing, Membranes, Spacers, Water Treatment

References

[1] Koo, J. W.; Ho, J. S.; An, J.; Zhang, Y.; Chua, C. K.; Chong, T. H., A review on spacers and membranes: Conventional or hybrid additive manufacturing?, in Water Research 188 (2021), p.116497.

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116497

[2] Lee, J.-Y.; Tan, W. S.; An, J.; Chua, C. K.; Tang, C. Y.; Fane, A. G.; Chong, T. H., The potential to enhance membrane module design with 3D printing technology., in Journal of Membrane Science 499 (2016), pp.480-490.

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.11.008

[3] Jiang, S.; Li, Y.; Ladewig, B. P., A review of reverse osmosis membrane fouling and control strategies., in Science of The Total Environment 595 (2017), pp.567-583.

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.235

[4] Malinauskas, M.; Farsari, M.; Piskarskas, A.; Juodkazis, S., Ultrafast laser nanostructuring of photopolymers: A decade of advances., in Physics Reports 533 (2013), pp.1-31.

DOI: 10.1016/j.physrep.2013.07.005

[5] Ovsianikov, A.; Mironov, V.; Stampf, J.; Liska, R., Engineering 3D cell-culture matrices: Multiphoton processing technologies for biological and tissue engineering applications., in Expert Review of Medical Devices 9 (2012), pp.613-633.

DOI: 10.1586/erd.12.48

[6] Schwinge, J.; Wiley, D. E.; Fane, A. G.; Guenther, R., Characterization of a zigzag spacer for ultrafiltration., in Journal of Membrane Science 172 (2000), pp.19-31.

DOI: 10.1016/s0376-7388(00)00312-4

[7] Tan, W. S.; Suwarno, S. R.; An, J.; Chua, C. K.; Fane, A. G.; Chong, T. H., Comparison of solid, liquid and powder forms of 3D printing techniques in membrane spacer fabrication., in Journal of Membrane Science 537 (2017), pp.283-296.

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2017.05.037

[8] Yanar, N.; Son, M.; Park, H.; Choi, H., Bio-mimetically inspired 3D-printed honeycombed support (spacer) for the reduction of reverse solute flux and fouling of osmotic energy driven membranes., in Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 83 (2020), pp.343-350.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2019.12.007

[9] Kerdi, S.; Qamar, A.; Vrouwenvelder, J. S.; Ghaffour, N., Fouling resilient perforated feed spacers for membrane filtration., in Water Research 140 (2018), pp.211-219.

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.04.049

[10] Thomas, N.; Sreedhar, N.; Al-Ketan, O.; Rowshan, R.; Abu Al-Rub, R. K.; Arafat, H., 3D printed triply periodic minimal surfaces as spacers for enhanced heat and mass transfer in membrane distillation., in Desalination 443 (2018), pp.256-271.

DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2018.06.009

[11] Ali, S. M.; Qamar, A.; Phuntsho, S.; Ghaffour, N.; Vrouwenvelder, J. S.; Shon, H. K., Conceptual design of a dynamic turbospacer for efficient low pressure membrane filtration., in Desalination 496 (2020), p.114712.

DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2020.114712

[12] Perrucci, F.; Bertana, V.; Marasso, S. L.; Scordo, G.; Ferrero, S.; Pirri, C. F.; Cocuzza, M.; El-Tamer, A.; Hinze, U.; Chichkov, B. N.; Canavese, G.; Scaltrito, L., Optimization of a suspended two photon polymerized microfluidic filtration system., in Microelectronic Engineering 195 (2018), pp.95-100.

DOI: 10.1016/j.mee.2018.04.001

[13] Al-Shimmery, A.; Mazinani, S.; Ji, J.; Chew, Y. M. J.; Mattia, D., 3D printed composite membranes with enhanced anti-fouling behaviour., in Journal of Membrane Science 574 (2019), pp.76-85.

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2018.12.058

[14] Hwa, L.; Basheer, U.; Ahmad, N.; Noor, A.; Zakaria, K., integration and fabrication of the cheap ceramic membrane through 3D printing technology (first winning paper of Elsevier 3D printing grand challenge)., in Materials Today Communications 15 (2018), pp.134-142.

DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2018.02.029