A New Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane Synthesized by Integrating of Powdered Activated Carbon for Treatment of Stabilized Leachate

Stabilized landfill leachate contains a wide variety of highly concentrated non-biodegradable organics, which are extremely toxic to the environment. Though numerous techniques have been developed for leachate treatment, advanced membrane filtration is one of the most environmentally friendly methods to purify wastewater effectively. In the current study, a novel polymeric membrane was produced by integrating powdered activated carbon (PAC) on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to synthesize a thin membrane using the phase inversion method. The membrane design was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The fabricated membrane was effectively applied for the filtration of stabilized leachate using a cross-flow ring (CFR) test. The findings suggested that the filtration properties of fabricated membrane were effectively enhanced through the incorporation of PAC. The optimum removal efficiencies by the fabricated membrane (14.9 wt.% PVDF, 1.0 wt.% PAC) were 35.34, 48.71, and 22.00% for COD, colour and NH3-N, respectively. Water flux and transmembrane pressure were also enhanced by the incorporated PAC and recorded 61.0 L/m2·h and 0.67 bar, respectively, under the conditions of the optimum removal efficiency. Moreover, the performance of fabricated membranes in terms of pollutant removal, pure water permeation, and different morphological characteristics were systematically analyzed. Despite the limited achievement, which might be improved by the addition of a hydrophilic additive, the study offers an efficient way to fabricate PVDF-PAC membrane and to optimize its treatability through the RSM tool

In-service teachers’ readiness to conduct action research

Teachers are required to be researchers. A research project is being conducted to investigate the readiness of in-service school teachers to conduct action research using the mixed method research design. This paper is allocated to present the validation process of the self-developed research survey. Five experts from three Faculties of Education examined the content and face validity of the survey. The survey was improved and modified based on the given comments. Then, the survey was piloted on 49 in-service Mathematics teachers in Gaza Strip, Palestine. The alpha coefficient for the final 38 items was 0.928, suggesting that the items have high internal consistency. In conclusion, the instrument is valid and reliable to be used in the final data collection

A review of anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) for the treatment of highly contaminated landfill leachate and biogas production: Effectiveness, limitations and future perspectives

Most of the municipal solid wastes (MSW) produced daily in the world are being buried in landfilling sites without any prior treatment particularly in developing countries. These landfills yield leachate which is a highly contaminated wastewater. Thus, a proper treatment of leachate is highly recommended before the final discharge. Recently, the use of membrane separation technology alongside bioreactors have opened a new gateway in treating refractory wastewater such as landfill leachate. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is a promising technique for leachate treatment due its substantial benefits over other conventional anaerobic and aerobic technologies. Thus, this study provides a comprehensive review and assessment on the potential practice of AnMBR in treating landfill leachate and its technological advancements in the recent past. A critical review on the performance of a lab-scale AnMBR on landfill leachate with the biogas production is also included in the current work. Moreover, this study inspects various factors affecting the performance of AnMBR along with its limitations and future perspectives. The simultaneous treatment of landfill leachate anaerobically to produce bioenergy complies with the principles of circular economy and sustainable growth