In Taiwan, more than 25% of all water uses comes from groundwater, and thus groundwater is a very valuable water resource for both domestic and industrial uses. However, groundwater at many existing former industrial sites and disposal areas was contaminated by halogenated organic compounds that were released into the environment. The chlorinated solvent trichloroethene (TCE) is one of the most ubiquitous of these compounds. In this laboratory-scale feasibility study, a hybrid two-stage process combining fiber filtration (FF) and nanofiltration (NF) was applied to remove to suspended solids (SS) and TCE from contaminated groundwater for water purification. In this study, a man-made kaolin solution was used to simulate groundwater purification using FF system. Then, microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), and NF systems were applied for TCE removal. The hybrid membrane process using FF and NF units was used to evaluate the feasibility on TCE removal. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS) were used to investigate membrane morphology and structure after use. A 3-D excitation emission fluorescence matrix (EEFM) was used to evaluate the potential of membrane organic fouling. Results show that the optimization filtration velocity of FF was 15.3 m/hr, and the observed TCE and SS removal efficiencies were 80% and 60%, respectively. Removal mechanisms for MF and UF were mainly sieving, and the removal mechanism for NF was mainly electrostatic repulsion. Results indicate that NF had the highest TCE removal efficiency (98.2%). When initial TCE concentration was 1 mg/L, NF membrane pore might shrink caused increased TCE removal (rejection). When TCE concentration was higher 1 mg/L, membrane damage and pore enlargement was observed with decreased TCE removal efficiency. The observed SS, sulfate, and hardness removal efficiencies were 99.8%, 98.7%, and 98.7% respectively, when FF and NF hybrid process was used. Higher TCE concentration might enlarge membrane pore, which caused decreased membrane separation and increased flux. Approximately 46% of flux drop was observed when NF was used alone compared to the hybrid membrane process using FF as the first treatment stage. Membrane analyses show that residual TCE was adsorbed on the membrane. Low zeta potential of groundwater was observed due to the compressed electric double layer, which caused aggregation of particle. High zeta potential of permeate was due to the particle dispersive through hybrid process. Results from SEM analysis show that membrane morphology was damaged by TCE, and heavy metal in groundwater deposited on membrane. Results of EEFM analysis indicate that groundwater contained humic acid (HA) and soluble microbial by-product (SMP). HA and SMP might be adsorbed on fiber filter, and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that attached on fiber filter might be washed out. The organic powders on the surface of the fiber filter might be washed out causing the increased in NPDOC concentrations. Humic acid could be removed through NF process, and SMP might be adsorbed in membrane pore caused organic fouling, and SMP might be washed out after treatment by the FF+NF hybrid process. Results indicate that FF as pre-treatment can maintain higher flux. Higher TCE concentration caused membrane destruction and decreased membrane separation. TCE contaminated groundwater can be affectively treated by the hybrid membrane system to meet the groundwater standard and reclaimed water standard. Reclaimed water could be used for industrial cooling water and irrigation purposes.

This research is focused on the investigation of phase morphology and blend stability within ionomeric perfluorocyclobutane (PFCB)/poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) copolymer blend membranes. The morphologies of these unique materials, designed as proton exchange membranes (PEMs) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), have been examined not only in the as-cast/as-received state, but also as a function of exposure to various ex-situ aging environments. The morphological investigations used to probe the response of these ionomer blends have been designed to mimic the environment within a PEMFC and will therefore enhance our understanding of the implications of morphological changes which may occur during fuel cell operation. Thermal annealing of the membranes has been conducted to determine the materials' morphological response to various temperatures in the absence of hydration. The results of these thermal annealing studies have facilitated the isolation of morphological contributions stemming from thermal exposure. Immersion of the blend membranes in liquid water has allowed for singular identification of the role of hydration in the blend membranes' morphological rearrangement and phase stability. However, as the typical fuel cell environment to which these membranes will be exposed is complicated by the presence of both temperature and humidity, our ex-situ investigations have also included the exposure of PFCB/PVDF copolymer blend membranes to simultaneous thermal annealing and hydration conditions – a treatment we refer to as "hygrothermal aging." This unique procedure serves as a simplified method whereby the complex fuel cell environment may be simulated, and the resultant morphological response researched. While the work presented herein has enhanced our understanding of the blend stability of the specific membranes investigated, we have also advanced the fundamental knowledge of the role of morphology with respect to the fuel cell performance of blend materials and the corresponding implications of morphological rearrangements. Such an understanding is essential in the development of morphology-property relationships and eventual optimization of membrane materials designed for use in fuel cells. / Ph. D.

No description available.

Ces travaux ont été dédiés à la synthèse et la caractérisation de nouveaux ionomères aromatiques à blocs pour les PEMFC. Les blocs hydrophiles sont constitués par des polysufones fonctionnalisés par des chaînes latérales alkylperfluorosulfoniques, les blocs hydrophobes sont des polysulfones partiellement fluorés. La synthèse du squelette polymère a été réalisée par de polycondensation, les fonctions ioniques ont été greffées par un couplage d'Ullmann. Trois ionomères de différentes capacités d'échange ionique ont été synthétisés en modulant les longueurs des blocs porteurs des fonctions alkylperflurosulfoniques. Ces ionomères ont été mis en œuvre sous forme de membranes par coulée-évaporation. L'impact du solvant d'élaboration et de la structure chimique des ionomères sur la morphologie et les propriétés intrinsèques des membranes ont été largement étudiés. Le solvant de mise en œuvre de la membrane a un effet spectaculaire sur l'organisation des chaînes polymères à l'échelle nanométrique. Les études par diffusion des neutrons aux petits angles montrent que la morphologie des membranes est dépendante de la longueur des blocs hydrophiles. Les propriétés thermomécaniques et les conductivités protoniques des membranes ionomères aromatiques sont supérieures au Nafion, au-delà de 60°C, ce qui les rend prometteuses pour l'application PEMFC opérant à plus de 100°C. / The purpose of this work was the synthesis and characterization of new aromatic ionomers for PEMFC. The ionomers are based on block copolymers containing hydrophilic blocks, functionalised with a perfluorinated acid, and hydrophobic blocks containing partially perfluorinated aromatic rings. The polymer main chain was performed by polycondensation reaction. The acidic functions were grafted onto the polymer in two steps: bromination and coupling Ullman reaction. Different copolymers with different lengths of hydrophilic block were synthetized. The membranes were obtained by casting, the impact of the solvent nature and Ionomer structure on the membrane morphology and properties was studied. The solvent has a strong impact on the membrane structuration at nanometric scale. By small angle neutrons scattering, we showed that the membrane morphology is depending on hydrophilic bloc length. The mechanical strengths and the conductivities of aromatic ionomer membranes are higher that the Nafion above 60°C that make them promising for PEMFC working at temperature higher than 100°C.