Early monitoring of pore wetting in membrane distillation using ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (UTDR).

Pore wetting induced by surfactants and salt scaling is a major obstacle to the industrial application of membrane distillation (MD). Identifying the transition of wetting stages and achieving early monitoring of pore wetting are crucial for wetting control. Herein, we made a pioneering attempt to use ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (UTDR) technique to non-invasively detect the pore wetting in a direct contact MD, and explain the UTDR waveform with the help of optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The results showed that the water-vapor interface had a strong reflection to ultrasound (reflection coefficient = 0.9995), while the water-membrane and water-scaling layer interfaces showed relatively weak reflection. Therefore, UTDR could effectively detect the movement of water-vapor interface with the low interference from the signals generated by the membrane and scaling layer. For the surfactant-induced wetting, the occurrence of wetting could be successfully detected by the right-shift in phase and the reduction in amplitude of the UTDR waveform. Moreover, the wetting depth could be accurately calculated by the time of flight (ToF) and ultrasonic velocity. For scaling-induced wetting, the waveform slightly shifted to the left at the beginning due to the growth of scaling layer, then to the right because the left-shift was surpassed by the right-shift of the waveform caused by pore wetting. Both for the surfactant- and scaling-induced wetting, the variation of the UTDR waveform was sensitive to wetting dynamics, and the right-shift of phase and the reduction in amplitude of the waveform could act as early monitoring signals to the occurrence of wetting.

Regulation of exogenous acyl homoserine lactones on sludge settling performance: Monitoring via ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry.

Despite extensive studies, a comprehensive solution for sludge bulking has not yet been found. This study improves the sludge settling performance via quorum sensing (QS) by adding exogenous acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). First, a novel approach based on ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry, which can automatically and in-situ assess a sludge volume index (SVI), was developed using the displacement in the ultrasonic spectra as a feasible indicator (R2 = 0.98, p < 0.01). Next, the effects of typical AHLs, i.e., 3OC6-HSL, C12-HSL, and 3OC14-HSL, on sludge settling properties were investigated. Results indicated that the three AHLs significantly promoted the sludge settleability by 1.90, 2.03, and 1.62 times, respectively. The regulation mechanisms were investigated from the perspective of sludge physicochemical properties and biological community interactions. The draining degree of water to extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) significantly increased (p < 0.05) with all three AHLs. Meanwhile, the hydrophobic tryptophan content increased with the addition of 3OC6-HSL and C12-HSL. Hence, EPS hydrophobicity was promoted, which is conducive to microbial aggregation. In addition, molecular ecological networks of activated sludge (AS) indicated that bacterial community structures were more complex and species interactions were more intense when adding 3OC6-HSL and C12-HSL. Meanwhile, additional keystones were identified, with the proportion of QS species increasing by 63.6% and 22.2%, respectively. Exogenous 3OC6-HSL eventually decreased the gross relative abundance of filamentous bacteria by 2.37%. Overall, appropriate AHLs could enhance community stability and microbial cooperation by strengthening the communication hub role of QS species, thereby suppressing the overgrowth of filamentous bacteria and improving the sludge settleability. This study provides an effective strategy to determine the appropriate AHL to rapidly eliminate filamentous bulking problems.

The new insight about electrode interface behaviour via in situ ultrasound three-dimensional representation monitoring based on a bio-electrochemical system.

Behaviour of the electrode interface is a determining factor that affects the performance of a bio-electrochemical system (BES). Examples include the formation of an electroactive biofilm, electrode degradation and renewal. However, underlying mechanisms are unclear, and traditional approaches make it difficult to achieve in situ monitoring. In this study, a novel technology using ultrasound three-dimensional representation (UTDR) was used to track in situ electrode interface behaviour based on the correspondence between acoustic and electrical signals. A series of wavelet analyses showed that the formation of an electroactive biofilm is a lengthy process with multiple physiological steps, and biofilm thickness increased by approximately 600 µm after 40 days of operation. At the same time, directional migration of Ca2+, Mg2+ confirmed acceleration of the salting out on the cathode, which forms a compacted structure with the biological layer. Furthermore, UTDR combined with electrochemical methods allowed for comprehensive evaluation of AC impact, and indicated that AC (1 Hz, 20 V) could effectively desquamate the contaminating solids and restore power density to 93.4% of initial. These results show that UTDR is a sensitive and effective method for revealing microscopic changes on the electrode surface, which gives it potential wide applicability to interfacial processes.

In-situ monitoring AHL-mediated quorum-sensing regulation of the initial phase of wastewater biofilm formation.

Initial attachment plays an important role in biofilm formation in wastewater treatment processes. However, the initial attachment process mediated by N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) is difficult to be fully understood due to the lack of non-invasive and on-line investigation techniques. In this study, the AHL-regulated wastewater biofilm attachment was quantified using ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (UTDR) as an in-situ and non-invasive monitoring technique. Results demonstrated that the reversible adhesion time in municipal and industrial wastewaters was significantly decreased in the presence of exogenous AHLs. Biofilm thickness in municipal and industrial wastewaters increased significantly with the addition of exogenous AHLs. Also, the addition of acylase delayed the initial biofilm formation (lengthened reversible adhesion time and decreased biofilm thickness and density). Compared with biofilm behavior in the presence of low concentrations of AHLs (4.92 ± 0.17 µg/L), both reversible adhesion time and biofilm thickness were not significantly increased (p > 0.05) with an increase in AHL concentration (9.75 ± 0.41 µg/L). Furthermore, the addition of exogenous AHLs resulted in significant changes in the attached bacterial community structures, in which both QS and quorum-quenching (QQ) bacteria were stimulated. The current work presents an effective approach to in-situ monitoring of the regulation of AHL-mediated QS in the initial attachment of biofilms, especially in the reversible adhesion process, which may provide a potential strategy to facilitate biofilm establishment in wastewater treatment processes.

A Double Transducer for High Precision Ultrasonic Time-Domain Reflectometry Measurements.

Membrane fouling, where unwanted particles accumulate on the membrane surface and reduce its permeability, causes problems in membrane filtration processes. With ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (UTDR) it is possible to measure the extent of membrane fouling and hence take actions to minimize it. However, the usability of UTDR is very limited to constant filtration conditions if the sonic velocity, which has a great impact on UTDR measurement accuracy, is unknown. With a reference transducer the actual sonic velocity can be measured. This requires another transducer to be installed in the module, where there may be only limited space or the module dimensions may not be suitable for the reference transducer. A double transducer described in this study eliminates the need for a separate reference transducer because in the double transducer the reference measurement is included in the design of the transducer holder. Two sensors in the same holder require less space. Other advantage is that the double transducer can be placed near the measurement target and hence the local sonic velocity can be determined.