Profile
| Keywords: | Membrane, water treatment, nanocomposite membranes, Energy harvesting, Membrane manufacturing |
Dr. Sadrzadeh researches the fundamental and applied aspects of membrane materials and process development, focusing on their applications in industrial/residential wastewater treatment and energy harvesting. The contributions made by Dr. Sadrzadeh during his academic career thus far have led to the development and application of novel composite and nanocomposite membranes for water and gas treatment. He has an h-index of 38 (according to Scopus), with his 150+ refereed publications cited more than 3400 times. He is currently directing Advanced Water Research Lab (AWRL) at the University of Alberta, which is equipped with the membrane and nanoparticle synthesis and characterization equipment as well as membrane filtration systems. In this unique membrane-specialized facility in western Canada, 12 graduate students and 4 postdoctoral fellows are working under his supervision on cutting-edge membrane technologies. He has already graduated 10 PhD and 11 MSc students. Dr. Sadrzadeh is collaborating with nine oil and gas companies through Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), IBM, National Research Council (NRC, Canada), Natural Resource Canada (NRCan, Canada), and Alberta Innovates (AI) on the synthesis of high-performance membranes. His research work will be continued on the synthesis of high-performance polymeric membranes to produce clean water and clean energy from oil sands produced water. FES Funded ProjectsOutputs
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| Deep learning-based energy management of a hybrid photovoltaic-reverse osmosis-pressure retarded osmosis systemThis paper investigates the energy management of a hybrid grid-connected reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process consisting of photovoltaic (PV), pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), and energy storage system. The developed intelligent energy management system (IEMS) aims to maximize the total water production and contaminant removal efficiency while keeping the grid’s supplied power as low as possible. To promote the performance of the IEMS, the prediction of PV solar power is performed by three deep neural networks based on convolutional neural networks and long short-term memory neural networks. These networks are designed to perform 5-hour-ahead PV power forecasting, and the model with the smallest error is selected. The IEMS employs the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to find the optimum solutions of the system for each time step. Four performance indices are defined through which the IEMS is evaluated. The results of the proposed technique are compared with two benchmark methods, one of which is similar to the IEMS; however, it does not incorporate the PV power predictions. The superiority of the IEMS over the first benchmark is demonstrated by studying three scenarios: two successive sunny days, two successive cloudy days, and 10 days of operation. Moreover, the simulations are executed for different forecast horizons to investigate the effects of this parameter on the optimization results. The impacts of the best-found forecaster errors are also explored by repeating the simulations with the actual PV power. Finally, the optimization is performed by two other stochastic algorithms: grey wolf optimizer (GWO) and genetic algorithm (GA). It is found that PSO outperforms GWO and GA for solving this optimization problem.T10-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-04-26 | | | In-Situ Ag-MOFs Growth on Pre-Grafted Zwitterions Imparts Outstanding Antifouling Properties to Forward Osmosis MembranesIn this study, a polyamide forward osmosis membrane was functionalized with zwitterions followed by the in situ growth of metal–organic frameworks with silver as a metal core (Ag-MOFs) to improve its antibacterial and antifouling activity. First, 3-bromopropionic acid was grafted onto the membrane surface after its activation with N,N-diethylethylenediamine. Then, the in situ growth of Ag-MOFs was achieved by a simple membrane immersion sequentially in a silver nitrate solution and in a ligand solution (2-methylimidazole), exploiting the underlying zwitterions as binding sites for the metal. The successful membrane functionalization and the enhanced surface wettability were verified through an array of characterization techniques. When evaluated in forward osmosis tests, the modified membranes exhibited high performance and improved permeability compared to pristine membranes. Static antibacterial experiments, evaluated by confocal microscopy and colony-forming unit plate count, resulted in a 77% increase in the bacterial inhibition rate due to the activity of the Ag-MOFs. Microscopy micrographs of the Escherichia coli bacteria suggested the deterioration of the biological cells. The antifouling properties of the functionalized membranes translated into a significantly lower flux decline in forward osmosis filtrations. These modified surfaces displayed negligible depletion of silver ions over 30 days, confirming the stable immobilization of Ag-MOFs on their surface.T10-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-07-17 | | | Improved antifouling and antibacterial properties of forward osmosis membranes through surface modification with zwitterions and silver-based metal organic frameworksThis study investigates the effect of surface functionalization of a thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane with zwitterions and silver-based metal organic frameworks (Ag-MOFs) to improve the antifouling, anti-biofouling, and antimicrobial activity of the membrane. Two types of zwitterions, namely, 3-bromopropionic acid and 1,3-propane sultone, are chemically bonded, with and without incorporation of Ag-MOFs, over the surface of a polyamide membrane. Spectroscopy measurements indicate successful grafting of the modifying agents on the membrane surface. Contact angle measurements demonstrate a notable improvement in surface wettability upon functionalization. The performance of the membranes is evaluated in terms of water and salt fluxes in forward osmosis filtrations. The transport data show demonstrably increased water flux of around 300% compared to pristine membranes, with similar or slightly reduced salt reverse flux. The antifouling and anti-biofouling properties of the modified membranes are evaluated using sodium alginate and E. coli, respectively. These experiments reveal that functionalized membranes exhibit significant antifouling and anti-biofouling behavior, with high resilience against flux decline.T10-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-10-01 | | | Nanodiamond-decorated thin film composite membranes with antifouling and antibacterial propertiesMembrane fouling is the main bottleneck that restricts the practical applications of membrane processes. In this work, we report an effective and scalable method to reduce the fouling of polyamide thin film composite (TFC) membranes by grafting amine-functionalized nanodiamond (ND) particles. The surface chemistry of ND was modified to improve the compatibility of nanoparticles with the polyamide membranes. Fouling experiments with sodium alginate (SA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) showed that the ND layer substantially reduced fouling of the membranes. The flux of the ND-modified membrane made with a solution containing 1000 ppm ND particles declined only by 15% (SA) and 9% (BSA) after 180 min of filtration, while the flux of the pristine TFC membrane declined by 42% (SA) and 21% (BSA). The ND particles increased the antibacterial activity of the membranes, increasing the inactivation and mortality rate of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria cells. Because they are easy to make and have antifouling and antibacterial properties, these membranes can be applied in a broad range of forward osmosis water reclamation applications.T10-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-01-15 | | | Functionalized polyamide membranes yield suppression of biofilm and planktonic bacteria while retaining flux and selectivityBiofouling is a major challenge for desalination, water treatment, and water reuse applications using polymer-based membranes. Two classes of novel silver-based metal azolate frameworks (MAF) are proposed to decorate polyamide (PA) forward osmosis membranes and to improve numerous aspects of fouling and transport. Membranes functionalized with two concentrations of each MAF are compared with a pristine control material, with results that clearly highlight their tunability and bio-inhibitory effects. We report for the first time PA membranes yielding near complete suppression of a robust biofilm-forming bacterium (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and inactivation of planktonic bacteria, while maintaining high selectivity. These features improve the long-term water flux performance of the membranes, tested during 24 h of accelerated biofouling and organic fouling conditions, and showing lower than 10% and 20% decline in water flux. These enhancements were achieved with only 0.03–0.06% mass of additives and little generation of hazardous waste products, indicating that low-cost and environmentally benign functionalization can prevent biofouling growth while maintaining selectivity and transport for high-performance desalination, water treatment and reuse.T10-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-02-01 | | | Novel data-driven energy management of a hybrid photovoltaic-reverse osmosis desalination system using deep reinforcement learningThis paper proposes a novel deep reinforcement learning-accelerated energy management system for a hybrid grid-connected photovoltaic-reverse osmosis-pressure retarded osmosis desalination plant. The energy management problem is formulated as a partially observable Markov decision process by using historical photovoltaic (PV) power data in order to cope with uncertainties related to the generation of solar power and provide more information regarding the true state of the system. The soft actor-critic (SAC) algorithm is employed as the core of the energy management system to maximize water production rate and contaminant removal efficiency while minimizing the supplied power from the external grid. We introduce 1-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1-D CNNs) to the actor, critic, and value function networks of the SAC algorithm to address the partial observability dilemma involved in PV-powered energy systems, extract essential features from the PV power time series, and achieve immensely improved performance ultimately. Furthermore, it is assumed that the proposed CNN-SAC algorithm does not have access to the current output power data of the PV system. The development of more practical energy management systems necessitates this assumption, and we demonstrate that the proposed method is capable of forecasting the current PV power data. The superiority of the CNN-SAC model is verified by comparing its learning performance and simulation results with those of four state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning algorithms: Deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG), proximal policy optimization (PPO), twin delayed DDPG (TD3), and vanilla SAC. The results show that the CNN-SAC model outperforms the benchmark methods in terms of effective solar energy exploitation and power scheduling, manifesting the necessity of exploiting historical PV power data and 1-D CNNs. Moreover, the CNN-SAC algorithm is benchmarked against a powerful energy management system we developed in our previous investigation by studying three scenarios, and it is demonstrated that considerable improvement in energy efficiency can be obtained without using any solar power generation forecasting algorithm. By conducting ablation studies, the critical contribution of the introduced 1-D CNN is demonstrated, and we highlight the significance of providing historical PV power data for substantial performance enhancement. The average and standard deviation of evaluation scores obtained during the last stages of training reveal that the 1-D CNN significantly improves the final performance and stability of the SAC algorithm. These results demonstrate that the modifications we detail in our investigation render deep reinforcement learning algorithms extremely powerful for the energy management of PV-powered microgrids, including PV-driven reverse osmosis desalination plants.T10-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-05-01 | | | Effects of Electro-Oxidation Process on Tight-Rock Wettability and Imbibition Oil RecoveryOil and gas industry has faced significant operational, economic, and environmental challenges in recycling produced water. The treatment of produced water is highly researched, but few studies have evaluated the performance of treated produced water when used for hydraulic fracturing and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. In this study, we treated various aqueous solutions, including synthetic formation brine (FB), sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), using an electro-oxidation (EO) process. The brine properties, including density, surface tension (ST), oil–water interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, and pH, were compared before and after the treatment. Then, we conducted systematic contact-angle (CA) measurements and spontaneous imbibition tests using treated and untreated brine to study the effects of water treatment on rock–fluid interactions and its impact on oil recovery. The experimental results show that the effect of the EO process on ST, density, viscosity, and IFT was insignificant. However, the CA results show that the treated FB, NaCl, and Na2SO4 solutions exhibit stronger wetting characteristics compared with the untreated ones, while the treated CaCl2 solution exhibit weaker wetting characteristics compared with the untreated ones. We hypothesized that the change in the wetting characteristics was due to the generated oxidants from the EO process. We added OH–, H+, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) into untreated brine to test this hypothesis and monitored the CA variations. The results suggest that H2O2 and OH– can alter the wettability to more water-wet conditions in the NaCl solution but not in the CaCl2 solution. Furthermore, NaOCl results in wettability alteration to more oil-wet conditions in NaCl and CaCl2 solutions. The change in wettability to more water-wet conditions is mainly the result of the oxidation of dissolved organic matters, and the change to more oil-wet conditions is the result of the dissolution of high-valence cations, causing the cation bridging effect.
T07-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-06-01 | | | Application of Electro-oxidation Technology for Water Treatment and Rock Wettability AlterationThe unconventional oil and gas industry has been facing numerous operational, economic, and environmental challenges for treating produced water. Although much research has been conducted on improving the treatment of produced water, few studies evaluated the performance of treated produced water when it is reused for fracturing and EOR. In this paper, we treated sodium chloride (NaCl) solution using an electro-oxidation (EO) treatment process and evaluated how the treatment changes brine properties and how the wetting characteristics change with treated brine. The brine properties, including density, surface tension (ST), oil-water interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, and pH values were measured and compared before and after the treatment. Then, we conducted systematic contact-angle measurements using treated and untreated brine to study the effects of water treatment on rock-fluid interactions. The results show that the EO process slightly reduces ST, density, and viscosity, and slightly increases the pH value. Also, we observed that the IFT between oil and treated brine is slightly lower than that between oil and untreated brine. However, the contact-angle results show that the treated brine provides stronger wetting characteristics than the untreated one. We hypothesized that the change in wetting characteristics is mainly due to the generated oxidants and hydroxide (OH-) from the EO process. To further investigate the mechanisms behind the change in wetting characteristics after treatment, we investigated the diffusion of OH-, H+, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) into untreated brine and monitored the contact-angle variations. The results suggest that H2O2 and OH- are responsible for the stronger brine wetting characteristics, and NaOCl and H+ are responsible for the stronger oil wetting characteristics. We also found that the EO process produces a significant amount of active chlorine. However, the stability of active chlorine is low, and it can evaporate as chlorine gas. Based on the results, we concluded that the oil-saturated rock samples in treated brine generally have a higher wetting affinity to water than those in untreated brine, and H2O2 and OH- are the main substances that cause the wettability alteration to more water-wet conditions.
T07-P05 University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-01-01 | | | Application of Electro-oxidation Technology for Water Treatment and Rock Wettability AlterationThe unconventional oil and gas industry has been facing numerous operational, economic, and environmental challenges for treating produced water. Although much research has been conducted on improving the treatment of produced water, few studies evaluated the performance of treated produced water when it is reused for fracturing and EOR. In this paper, we treated sodium chloride (NaCl) solution using an electro-oxidation (EO) treatment process and evaluated how the treatment changes brine properties and how the wetting characteristics change with treated brine. The brine properties, including density, surface tension (ST), oil-water interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, and pH values were measured and compared before and after the treatment. Then, we conducted systematic contact-angle measurements using treated and untreated brine to study the effects of water treatment on rock-fluid interactions. The results show that the EO process slightly reduces ST, density, and viscosity, and slightly increases the pH value. Also, we observed that the IFT between oil and treated brine is slightly lower than that between oil and untreated brine. However, the contact-angle results show that the treated brine provides stronger wetting characteristics than the untreated one. We hypothesized that the change in wetting characteristics is mainly due to the generated oxidants and hydroxide (OH-) from the EO process. To further investigate the mechanisms behind the change in wetting characteristics after treatment, we investigated the diffusion of OH-, H+, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) into untreated brine and monitored the contact-angle variations. The results suggest that H2O2 and OH- are responsible for the stronger brine wetting characteristics, and NaOCl and H+ are responsible for the stronger oil wetting characteristics. We also found that the EO process produces a significant amount of active chlorine. However, the stability of active chlorine is low, and it can evaporate as chlorine gas. Based on the results, we concluded that the oil-saturated rock samples in treated brine generally have a higher wetting affinity to water than those in untreated brine, and H2O2 and OH- are the main substances that cause the wettability alteration to more water-wet conditions.
T07-P05 University of Alberta | Activity | 2021-12-01 | | | Tailoring the solid oxide fuel cell anode support composition and microstructure for low-temperature applicationsT06-P04 University of Alberta | Publication | 2023-03-01 | |
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