Aruna Singh

Department of Chemical Engineering

School of Chemical Engineering

Vellore Campus

Mahesh Ganesapillai

Prithvi Simha

Fulltext

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Resource-Efficient Technologies

Over the past decades, numerous materials have emerged as promising amenities for the fabrication of novel membranes. The current study gives insight into a modest and effective method to fabricate a crosslinked poly-vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene membrane with better mechanical properties and permeability for desalination. Poly-vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene membrane was grafted with crosslinked collagen to enhance direct contact membrane distillation used for desalination. Stiffness, rigidity and mechanical properties of the membrane were intensified by incorporating collagen (extracted from eggshells) into the membrane matrix, with glutaraldehyde crosslinkers. Furthermore, to improve water vapor diffusion, immobilized carbon nanofibers (CNF) were integrated in the membrane, casted via phase inversion technique with an optimized controlled approach. The permeate flux of CNF incorporated membrane was as high as 8 LMH, 18% higher than the unmodified poly-vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene membrane at 60 °C, besides minimal salt leakage. The properties of the modified membrane were characterized from its contact angle, morphological structure, surface roughness, dynamic mechanical properties, and water flux. The overall performance of the modified membranes was better than the virgin membranes. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48021. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Journal of Applied Polymer Science

Crosslinked PVDF‐HFP‐based hydrophobic membranes incorporated with CNF for enhanced stability and permeability in membrane distillation

Separation processes and technologies as the mainstay in chemical, biochemical, petroleum and environmental engineering: A special issue

As a solution to the drawbacks of modern sanitation systems and to shift towards a recycling society, source separation of human wastes coupled with resource recovery could be seen as a potential solution. In this research, microwave activated coconut shells were utilized to recover urea from human urine. Batch adsorption studies were carried out to determine the effect of initial concentration, adsorption temperature, microwave output power and irradiation time on the urea uptake capacity of the tailored activated carbon. The shells pretreated with microwave irradiation of 360 W, for 15 min (MACCS-360W-15) shown to be promising adsorbents with BET surface area &gt;1000 m2 g-1. The sorption data were tested against different isotherm models and found to closely follow Langmuir isotherm with a maximum monolayer sorption capacity of 312 mg g-1. Kinetic data over temperature range of 30-60 °C was found to closely follow pseudo-first-order at all adsorbate concentrations. Gibbs free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) indicated the spontaneity and physical nature of the sorption; sorption experiments indicated a urea recovery of ~95% from urine. Finally, the application of urea adsorbed carbon as a soil conditioner in field trials resulted in significant improvement in the number of seed germination and plant biomass (132%) with a substantial increase in the soil nitrogen and cation exchange capacity. Results also indicated that nearly all the urea was desorbed within the soil during irrigation becoming readily available to the plants. This study demonstrates a closed-loop sanitation cycle that channels nutrients from human beings back to agricultural fields. © 2015 The Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Sustainable Production and Consumption

Closed-loop fertility cycle: Realizing sustainability in sanitation and agricultural production through the design and implementation of nutrient recovery systems for human urine

Oxidative fluorination of iridium metal for urban mining: Kinetic studies

Synergism of microwaves and ultrasound for advanced biorefineries

Advances in Colloid and Interface Science

Dye and its removal from aqueous solution by adsorption: A review

Journal	Resource-Efficient Technologies
Publisher	National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University
ISSN	2405-6537
Open Access	Yes