title: Probing Membrane Fouling via Infrared Attenuated Total Reflection Mapping Coupled with Multivariate Curve Resolution.
abstract: Understanding membrane fouling induced by dissolved organic matter (DOM) is of primary importance for developing effective fouling control and prevention strategies. In this work, we combine multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares analysis with infrared attenuated total reflection mapping to explore the fouling process of microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes caused by two typical DOMs, humic acid (HA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The spectral contributions of different foulants and the membrane substrate were successfully discriminated, thereby enabling the diagnosis of fouling origins. Membrane fouling caused by HA is more severe than that by BSA. Three periods, the initial adsorption stage, the equilibrium stage, and the accumulation stage, were observed for the HA-induced fouling process. The integrated approach presented herein elegantly demonstrates the spatial and temporal characterization of membrane fouling processes, along with relative concentrations of the involved species, and suggests a promising perspective for understanding the interaction mechanisms between foulant species and membranes at the molecular level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Bao-Cheng
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Long-Fei
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China. hqyu@ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Han-Qing
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Ulm, 89081, Ulm, Germany. boris.mizaikoff@uni-ulm.de.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5583-7962
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mizaikoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D006812:Humic Substances; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008566:Membranes / Q000737:chemistry*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011145:Polyvinyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers
chemical_list: D006812:Humic Substances; D011145:Polyvinyls; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; C024865:polyvinylidene fluoride; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers
keywords: dissolved organic matter; infrared spectroscopy; mapping; membranes; multivariate curve resolution