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Membrane distillation (MD), a thermally driven membrane-based separation, is receiving increasing attention as a promising technology for the desalination of hypersaline (>70 g/L) brine streams. Fouling on the membrane surface has yet remained a major challenge that has limited MD implementation at large scales. Fouling, accumulating undesired constituents on the membrane surface, reduces the membrane throughput and can potentially lead to membrane failure. This challenge is more concerning for the application of MD for hydraulic fracturing produced water (PW). High salinity PW streams resulting from unconventional oil and gas explorations have high fouling and scaling potential because of the high concentration of organic matter and dissolved solids. Hence, understanding the fouling and scaling mechanisms and devising mitigation strategies to reduce the extent of fouling and scaling is of critical importance. The effectiveness of various pretreatments to mitigate the extent of fouling and scaling was carefully studied. Real PW samples were tested with a variety of physical and chemical pretreatments. This experimental effort was scaled to a field application to treat PW onsite through a cascade of electrocoagulation, microfiltration, and intensified MD (EC-MF-iMD). The EC-MF-iMD process was designed, fabricated, and demonstrated at a 500 L/day scale for treating real PW. This study demonstrated the excellent capability of the EC-MF-iMD process for PW treatment, revealing the great potential for PW reuse and recycling. Even though the energy efficiency was slightly improved, and fouling was effectively mitigated, the scaling remained a challenge. The motivation for the second part of this work was to better understand the mechanism of scaling and explore mitigation strategies. The scaling mechanism on the membrane surface and wetting phenomenon in MD were elucidated without using any intermediate, and the scaling mitigation by varying the flow hydrodynamics was stud, Embargo status: Restricted until 01/2028. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left.

The Red House neighbourhood in the Ximen shopping district, located on the south side of Taipei, has been the centre of the city’s vibrant culture of sexual inclusivity and gay activism since the early 2000s. Next to the shining billboards at Ximen Square, the Red House presents itself as a reminder of the neighbourhood's historical transformation from a marketplace during the Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan (1895-1945) to a major pornography theatre in the 1970s-1990s, while emerging as a new urban centre for youth culture, entertainment and outdoor gay bars in the 2000s. Addressing issues of urban exclusion and inclusion, this paper focuses on an HIV testing booth located in the Red House area. Based on interviews with social workers and drawing analyses from archival research, this paper reflects on the politics of a place of caring. Providing 15-minute HIV testing sessions free for anyone in the gay community, the testing booth is an outpost of the Taiwan AIDS Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation that receives public funds. Despite the fact that HIV tests are now widely available for purchase - even accessible from vending machines – the testing booth’s cosy, discretionary and friendly manner renders it a place of caring, where one can be attended by social workers as well as receiving a consultation.