Cross-stacked super-aligned carbon nanotube/activated carbon composite electrodes for efficient water purification via capacitive deionization enhanced ultrafiltration

doi:10.1007/s11783-020-1286-1

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2020, Vol. 14

Issue (6) : 107 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1286-1

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Cross-stacked super-aligned carbon nanotube/activated carbon composite electrodes for efficient water purification via capacitive deionization enhanced ultrafiltration

Min Li¹, Shuai Liang¹(

), Yang Wu², Meiyue Yang¹, Xia Huang³(

)

¹. Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
². Department of Mechanical Engineering and Tsinghua Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
³. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

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Abstract

• A high-performance electrode was prepared with super-aligned carbon nanotubes.

• SACNT/AC electrode achieved a ~100% increase in desalination capacity and rate.

• SACNT/AC electrode achieved a ~26% increase in charge efficiency.

• CUF process with SACNT/AC achieved an up to 2.43-fold fouling reduction.

• SACNT/AC imparts overall improved water purification efficiency.

The practical application of the capacitive deionization (CDI) enhanced ultrafiltration (CUF) technology is hampered due to low performance of electrodes. The current study demonstrated a novel super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT)/activated carbon (AC) composite electrode, which was prepared through coating AC on a cross-stacked SACNT film. The desalination capability and water purification performance of the prepared electrode were systematically investigated at different applied voltages (0.8–1.2 V) with a CDI system and a CUF system, respectively. In the CDI tests, as compared with the control AC electrode, the SACNT/AC electrode achieved an approximately 100% increase in both maximum salt adsorption capacity and average salt adsorption rate under all the applied voltage conditions, demonstrating a superior desalination capability. Meanwhile, a conspicuous increase by an average of ~26% in charge efficiency was also achieved at all the voltages. In the CUF tests, as compared with the control run at 0 V, the treatment runs at 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 V achieved a 2.40-fold, 2.08-fold, and 2.43-fold reduction in membrane fouling (calculated according to the final transmembrane pressure (TMP) data at the end of every purification stage), respectively. The average TMP increasing rates at 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 V were also roughly two times smaller than that at 0 V, indicating a dramatical reduction of membrane fouling. The SACNT/AC electrode also maintained its superior desalination capability in the CUF process, resulting in an overall improved water purification efficiency.

Keywords Carbon nanotube Super aligned Conductive membrane Capacitive deionization Ultrafiltration Desalination

Corresponding Author(s): Shuai Liang,Xia Huang

Issue Date: 28 June 2020

Cite this article:

Min Li,Shuai Liang,Yang Wu, et al. Cross-stacked super-aligned carbon nanotube/activated carbon composite electrodes for efficient water purification via capacitive deionization enhanced ultrafiltration[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2020, 14(6): 107.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-020-1286-1
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2020/V14/I6/107

Fig.1 Schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication processes of the super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT) / activated carbon (AC) composite electrode and AC electrode (served as a control).

Fig.2 Configuration diagram of the (A) capacitive deionization (CDI) cell and (B) capacitive deionization enhanced ultrafiltration (CUF) cell.

Fig.3 SEM views of the (A) surface and (B) local area of the SACNT film, (C) the cross section of the SACNT/AC composite electrode, and (D) the surface of AC electrode.

Fig.4 Comparison of the CDI performance between the AC and SACNT/AC electrodes at different applied voltages (0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 V): changes of effluent salt concentration in the CDI tests with the (A) AC electrode pair and (B) the SACNT/AC electrode pair, (C) calculated maximum salt adsorption capacity (mSAC), (D) calculated average salt adsorption rate (ASAR), (E) calculated SAR at different points in time at 1.2 V, and (F) calculated charge efficiency.

Fig.5 Water purification performance via CUF at different voltages of the SACNT/AC electrode: (A) variations of transmembrane pressure (TMP); (B) calculated average TMP increasing rates; (C) variations of effluent total organic carbon (TOC) concentration; (D) calculated average retention rates; (E) variations of effluent salt concentration; and (F) calculated SARs at different time points. The shadow area indicates the purification stage where the external voltage was applied.

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