Performance and Environmental Assessment of Biochar-Based Membranes Synthesized from Traditional and Eco-Friendly Solvents

Abelline Fionah, Isaac Oluk, Laura Brady, Diana Byrne, Isabel C. Escobar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Water contamination resulting from coal spills is one of the largest environmental problems affecting communities in the Appalachia Region of the United States. This coal slurry contains potentially toxic substances, such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and coal cleaning chemicals, and its leakage into water bodies (lakes, rivers, and aquifers) can lead to adverse health effects not only for freshwater bodies and plant life but also for humans. This study focused on two major experiments. The first experiment involved the use of biochar to create a biochar–polysulfone (BC-PSf) flat-sheet multifunctional membrane to remove organic contaminants, and the other major experiment compared eco-friendly (gamma-valerolactone—GVL; Rhodiasolv® PolarClean—PC) and petroleum-derived solvents (i.e., N-methyl-pyrrolidone—NMP) in the fabrication of the biochar–polysulfone membranes. The resulting membranes were tested for their efficiency in removing both positively and negatively charged organic contaminants from the collected water at varying pH values. A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) with accompanying uncertainty and sensitivity analyses was carried out to understand the global environmental impacts of incorporating biochar, NMP, GVL, and PC in the synthesis of PSf/NMP, BC-PSf/NMP, PSf/GVL, BC-PSf/GVL, PSf/PC, and BC-PSf/PC membranes at a set surface area of 1000 m2. The results showed that the addition of biochar to the membrane matrix increased the surface area of the membranes and improved both their adsorptive and mechanical properties. The membranes with biochar incorporated in their matrix showed a higher potential for contaminant removal than those without biochar. The environmental impacts normalized to the BC-PSf/GVL membrane showed that the addition of biochar increased global warming impacts, eutrophication, and respiratory impacts by over 100% in all the membrane configurations with biochar. The environmental impacts were highly sensitive to biochar addition (Spearman’s coefficient > 0.8). The BC/PSf membrane with Rhodiasolv® PolarClean had the lowest associated global environmental impacts among all the membranes with biochar. Ultimately, this study highlighted potential tradeoffs between functional performance and global environmental impacts regarding choices for membrane fabrication.

Original languageEnglish
Article number153
JournalMembranes
Volume14
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant No. 1922694 through the University of Kentucky National Science Foundation Graduate Research Traineeship (NRT) program.

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation CBET-1510861 the University of Kentucky
National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science Program1922694

    Keywords

    • adsorptive membranes
    • biochar
    • eco-friendly solvents
    • leaching studies
    • life cycle assessment
    • petroleum-derived solvents
    • sensitivity assessment
    • uncertainty assessment

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
    • Process Chemistry and Technology
    • Filtration and Separation

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