Globally increasing energy demands and environmental concerns related to the use of fossil fuels have stimulated extensive research to identify new energy systems and economies that are sustainable, clean, low cost, and environmentally benign. Hydrogen generation from solar-driven water splitting is a promising strategy to store solar energy in chemical bonds. The subsequent combustion of hydrogen in fuel cells produces electric energy, and the only exhaust is water. These two reactions compose an ideal process to provide clean and sustainable energy. In such a process, a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during water splitting, and an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as a fuel cell cathodic reaction are key steps that affect the efficiency of the overall energy conversion. Catalysts play key roles in this process by improving the kinetics of these reactions. Porphyrin-based and corrole-based systems are versatile and can efficiently catalyze the ORR, OER, and HER. Becau...

Energy-Related Small Molecule Activation Reactions: Oxygen Reduction and Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution Reactions Catalyzed by Porphyrin- and Corrole-Based Systems

Membrane distillation: Recent developments and perspectives

https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/30657/4/Final%20Revision_2_Unmarked%20without%20endnote%202014%2007%2028.pdf

Fouling and its control in membrane distillation-A review

A review of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and its use in fuel-cell applications is presented. Discussed are mechanisms of the ORR and implementations of catalysts for this reaction. Specific catalysts discussed include nanoparticles, macrocycles and pyrolysis products, carbons, chalcogenides, enzymes, and coordination complexes. A prospectus for future efforts is provided.

Electroreduction of dioxygen for fuel-cell applications: materials and challenges.

Reverse osmosis technology for water treatment: State of the art review

The vapour pressures of saturated aqueous solutions of sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium iodate, and rubidium chloride at temperatures from 227 K to 323 K

Water desalination by pervaporation with hollow fiber membranes

Recent studies of membrane distillation have shown varying effects on flux when sparingly soluble salts of calcium precipitate. Another common sparingly soluble mineral often found in brackish water feeds is silica. Because of its normal solubility silica is stable to higher concentrations at higher temperature than at room temperature and this should allow further water recovery and volume reduction of brackish water RO brines by membrane distillation. We report here on a series of experiments conducted with hollow fiber and flat sheet DCMD modules with silica solutions with saturation indices in the range 1.5 to 2.2 at temperatures of 60–75 °C. We found that unlike previous work on calcium salt scalants in cross-flow hollow fiber modules, in the same type of modules silica fouling consistently caused significant flux decline after 2–7 h effective induction time, with declines of up to 70%. In flat sheet modules, the induction time for 400 mg/L silica solutions at 75 °C was 4–7 h independent of initial f...

Silica Fouling in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation

Thermal analysis of a helical heat exchanger for ground thermal energy storage in arid zones

Precipitation of sparingly soluble salts is one of the main factors limiting the recovery in reverse osmosis (RO) of brackish water sources. Recoveries can be increased and antiscalant usage eliminated or reduced by applying flow reversal to RO process trains. Flow reversal works by changing the place of the entrance and exit of the pressurized feed before the induction time of the supersaturated solution along the membrane wall runs out and precipitation occurs. Reversing the flow before the induction time of the system is reached replaces the supersaturated brine at the exit with the unsaturated feed flow and thus “zeroes the elapsed nucleation time”, thereby resetting the induction clock. Laboratory experiments successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of this concept by periodically exposing RO membranes to undersaturated solution after exposure to supersaturated calcium sulfate solution (bulk saturation index up to 3.0) formed from calcium chloride and sodium sulfate. The induction time to ...

Eli Korin

Papers

The vapour pressures of saturated aqueous solutions of sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium iodate, and rubidium chloride at temperatures from 227 K to 323 K

Water desalination by pervaporation with hollow fiber membranes

Silica Fouling in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation

Thermal analysis of a helical heat exchanger for ground thermal energy storage in arid zones

Prevention of Scaling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes by "Zeroing" the Elapsed Nucleation Time. Part I. Calcium Sulfate