Publications
Synthesis and characterization of dual functional potassium doped MWCNT composites (K@Fe3O4@MWCNT and TEG-K/MWCNT) as innovative osmotic agents for forward osmosis processes
Sep 1, 2025Journal Journal of Molecular Liquids
Publisher Zainab Ali Ibrahim
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2025.128452
Issue 128452
Volume 437
Forward osmosis (FO) is recognized as the most energy-efficient membrane method for purifying wastewater, as it operates based on the concentration gradient. In this work, dual-functioned potassium-doped multiwalled carbon nanotube (K/MWCNT) in tri-ethylene glycol (TEG) as (TEG-K@MWCNT) and with Fe3O4 as K@Fe3O4@MWCNT was prepared as novel draw solutions in the FO technique across a thin film composite (TFC) membrane. Investigations were conducted to determine the effects of draw solution (DS) types at concentrations from 1 to 4 g/L of K@Fe3O4(1 g)@MWCNT, K@Fe3O4(1.5 g)@MWCNT, K@Fe3O4(2 g)@MWCNT, and 1–2 g/L concentrations of TEG(5 %)-K/MWCNT, TEG(10 %)-K/MWCNT, TEG(15 %)-K/MWCNT, TEG(20 %)-K/MWCNT on water flux and permeate concentration of methylene blue (MB). These draw solutions were compared with conventional NaCl DS at 5–70 g/L concentrations in the FO method. The results indicated that rejection and flux decreased over time and increased with higher DS concentration. The highest water flux was 9.58 l per square meter per hour (LMH) by using K@Fe3O4(2 g)@MWCNT at 4 g/L concentration, and 7.9 LMH by using TEG(15 %)-K/MWCNT at 2 g/L concentration compared with 9.52 LMH by using NaCl at 70 g/L. The rejection percentage of MB for these draw solutions was higher than 99 %. The stability, shape, and size of the synthesized nanoparticles were examined using different testing methods, including XRD, AFM, FESEM, EDS, FTIR, and zeta potential analysis. These analyses validated the practical synthesis and suitability of the materials for FO application. The photothermal process was used as a regeneration method to concentrate the dilute TEG-K/MWCNT DS for FO.
Synthesis of Magnetic Nanoparticles Coated with Chitosan and Silicon Dioxide as Smart Draw Solutions in Forward Osmosis Process
May 20, 2025Journal Chemistry Africa
Publisher Zainab Ali Ibrahim
DOI https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42250-025-01313-0
Volume 8
Forward osmosis (FO) is an innovative and promising technology for water treatment. The progress of the FO technique is based upon the development of suitable draw solutions (DS). Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are ineffective as draw solutions in the FO process due to their inability to generate sufficient osmotic pressure (i.e., driving force) for the transfer of pure water across the membrane. Therefore, in this work, MNPs were coated with chitosan (CS) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) materials to synthesize smart draw solutions by the co-precipitation technique that enhances the performance of the FO process by augmenting flux and rejection percentage. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, AFM, SEM, EDS, FTIR, TEM, and Zeta potential, which showed their stability, crystalline morphology, spherical shape, and nano size. The effects of synthesis nanoparticles CS–Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 with different volumes (10, 20, and 30 ml) of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as DS on the water flux and rejection efficiency of Methylene Blue 20 ppm as FS were determined at 1, 2, 3, and 4 g/L concentration of each type in FO mode across a thin film composite membrane. The results showed both the flux and the rejection rose with increasing DS concentration and reduced with time. The maximum water flux of the FO process was 10.97 and 10.3 LMH for CS-Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 20 ml TEOS DS, respectively at 4 g/L concentration. Also, the higher rejection percentage was 93.95% and 95.56% for CS–Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 20 ml TEOS DS, respectively. At the end of the procedure, the MNPs coated were readily separable from the diluted DS by the application of a magnetic field.
Evaluation of flat plate solar heater filling in nanofluid under climatic of Iraq conditions
Sep 22, 2022Journal Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Publisher Zainab Ali Ibrahim
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2022.102447
Issue 102477
Volume 39
In order to assess the performance efficiency of a flat plate solar collector. The current investigation focuses on a wide range of nanoparticles suspended in basefluid to create nanofluid. Additionally, the current investigation has been carried out with the best particle volume concentration possible based on our experimental results with varied mass flow rates along three months Feb, March and April 2020 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The volume fractions of solid nanoparticles dispersed in water are 0.15, 0.25 and 0.35% with size diameter of 20 nm and mass flowrate are 0.021, 0.024 and 0.03 kg/s. According to experiments, the energy efficiency of a ZnO/water nanofluid is increased by 31% for a particle volume concentration of 0.35% at a mass flow rate of 0.03 kg/s. Increased system performance in terms of effective conversion of the available energy into useful functions is highlighted by the rise of energy and exergy efficiency. ZnO/water has the highest increase in energy efficiency of a collector, at 0.35%, followed by 0.25 then 0.15%, respectively.
Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity Measurement of ZnO Nanoparticles Dispersing in Various Base Fluids
Mar 4, 2020Journal Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
Publisher Zainab Ali Ibrahim
DOI https://www.akademiabaru.com/doc/ARFMTSV66_N2_P1_10.pdf
Issue 2
Volume 66
In this paper, the Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanopowders suspended in three various base fluids water, Ethylene glycol (EG), and 50%EG+50%W are prepared experimentally. Both nanofluids and base fluids thermal conductivity and viscosity have measured and validated with available experimental and standard data. The hot wire mode and viscometer were utilized to measure the thermal conductivity and viscosity of ZnO nanofluid volume fraction with the range of 0.3 to 1.7% under initial condition temperature of preparation from 25oC to 55oC. Results offer the thermal conductivity enhancement and viscosity increasing by 23% and 52% respectively as increasing in volume fraction whereas, the thermal conductivity enhancement and viscosity decreasing with temperature increasing by 27% and 18% respectively. It observes that the measured data have good agreement with other researchers’ data available in the literature with deviation less than 6%. The ZnO nanoparticle suspended in water has the elevated values of thermal conductivity and lowest worth of viscosity while, ZnO nanoparticle suspended in EG has the lowest values of thermal conductivity and highest values of viscosity.
The Impact of Alumina Nanoparticles Suspended in Water Flowing in a Flat Solar Collector
Jan 26, 2020Journal Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
Publisher Zainab Ali Ibrahim
DOI https://www.akademiabaru.com/doc/ARFMTSV65_N1_P1_12.pdf
Issue 1
Volume 65
In this paper, convective heat transfer of Al2O3–water nanofluid flow in straight channel is numerically and experimentally studied over Reynolds number ranges of 100–1800. The Al2O3–water nanofluid with different volume fractions of 1%, 2% and 3% were prepared and examined. All physical properties of nanofluid which are required to evaluate the flow and thermal characteristics have been measured. In the numerical aspect of the current work, the simulation results showed that there was a good agreement with the experimental data for the friction factor and the Nusselt number. And The experimental results showed that the friction factor decreased with increasing velocity due to the low strength of cohesion between the particles with increasing velocity and increase with the increase in volume fractions due to the increase viscosity of the nanofluid and the coefficient of heat transfer also increases with the increase of the volume fractions and the flow rate. The experimental results were compared with previous experimental data and there were good agreements between the results. It can be concluded that adding 3% solid nanoparticles to water improves heat transfer by (54%) with a slight increase in friction factor can be neglected.