This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
This dissertation focuses on pretreatment techniques and carbon nanotube (CNT) enabled electrochemical removal for biological and inorganic foulants in desalination reject streams. Specifically, bacterial Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm removal and inorganic silica scaling removal in the context of membrane-based water treatment is discussed. Cathodic and anodic conditions are tested for foulant…
This dissertation focuses on pretreatment techniques and carbon nanotube (CNT) enabled electrochemical removal for biological and inorganic foulants in desalination reject streams. Specifically, bacterial Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm removal and inorganic silica scaling removal in the context of membrane-based water treatment is discussed. Cathodic and anodic conditions are tested for foulant removal, with results indicating that cathodic conditions are preferred for both biological and inorganic fouling. These foulants are chosen due to their abundance in wastewater treatment feeds and their propensity to foul membranes in water treatment processes. The second chapter is a study involving the removal of wetting inducing compounds from a municipal wastewater brine via ultrafiltration, electrooxidation, and foam fractionation pretreatments. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss bench-scale proof of concept experiments with CNT coupons being fouled with biofilm and silica. The pretreated feed is then passed through a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system to evaluate the extent of pore wetting. The results of this work indicate that foam fractionation can successfully reduce pore wetting in DCMD, but fouling still occurs on the MD membranes, highlighting the need for in-situ fouling removal methods as indicated in chapters 3 and 4. The fifth chapter is a study to combine the findings of the previous chapters by fabricating self-cleaning CNT-PVDF membranes for a cross flow bench scale membrane distillation system and analyzing the silica fouling removal capacity of these membranes.
