Purification and Concentration of Caustic Mercerization Wastewater by Membrane Processes and Evaporation for Reuse

A membrane-based treatment strategy was developed for purifying the highly alkaline textile mercerization wastewater. 0.2-μm MF and 100 kDa UF membranes were evaluated as pretreatment alternatives before 10 kDa UF and 200 Da NF membranes. Turbidity was almost totally removed by both pretreatment options, while UF (100 kDa) showed higher COD retention than MF. In total recycle mode of filtration, fouling of both UF and MF membranes were 80% reversible by physical and almost totally reversible (≥ 97%) by chemical cleaning. In the second stage filtrations applied to the pretreated wastewater samples, NF could yield high (97-98%) COD retentions and low permeate COD concentrations (≤ 22 mg/L), while 10 kDa UF could only reduce the COD concentration to 150 mg/L. While no NaOH was lost in the MF+UF process, the use of NF as second stage resulted in 12-17% NaOH retention. The permeate flux in all second stage processes were stable, implying that the majority of the feed components that would cause fouling had been removed in the pretreatment stages. Permeate of the MF+NF sequence was concentrated by evaporation with no foaming problems, showing that the hybrid process can be applied to recycle a purified and concentrated caustic stream to the mercerization process.     

Threshold flux measurement of an ultrafiltration membrane module in the treatment of two-phase olive mill wastewater

The critical and threshold flux theories represent an important advance in membrane knowledge. Comprehension of the flux behavior of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes is key to control the fouling issues during the steady operation of the plant. In this regard, differing between critical or threshold flux patterns in the treatment of wastewater effluents by UF is relevant to confirm the level of fouling expected and to verify if no fouling is predictable or if certain amount of fouling cannot be avoided. In the present study, the hydrodynamic behavior of a polymeric UF membrane was analyzed by means of both critical and threshold flux theories and diverse patterns were found depending on the feedstock pollutants concentration and particle size distribution. Results obtained from the pressure-cycling experiments point for a threshold flux pattern in the case of UF of the effluent derived from the extraction process (OMW) disregarding the applied pretreatment, whereas for 1:1 (v/v) mixture of the latter with the wastewater from the fruit washing (OWW) the membrane fits a critical flux trend, indistinctly of the performed pretreatment too, with negligible fouling below the critical conditions. These conclusions are supported by the experimental permeate flux profiles during batch-run operation experiments.     

膜分离技术在垃圾渗滤液处理中的应用

垃圾渗滤液是一种重污染的有毒有机废水,对生态环境造成了严重的威胁。本文综述了垃圾渗滤液现有的膜处理技术,与传统处理工艺相比,膜技术具有低能高效等优点,是未来渗滤液处理技术的重要发展方向。由于垃圾渗滤液组成的复杂性,根据不同处理目的,微滤膜(MF)、超滤膜(UF)、纳滤膜(NF)和反渗透膜(RO)4种膜在垃圾渗滤液处理中都得到了一定的应用。总结发现,其中MF和UF对渗滤液的处理效果较差,一般作为渗滤液的预处理技术;NF和RO对渗滤液的处理效果较好,主要作为其深度处理技术。然而,膜污染阻碍了膜技术在渗滤液处理方面的发展与应用,为此可通过研究开发新型膜材料、有效的预处理技术和膜分离工艺优化等方面来防止膜污染的发生,以便膜技术在渗滤液及其他水处理方面得到更加广泛的应用。     

微细通道内CO2沸腾换热与干涸特性

CO₂作为一种天然制冷剂在微通道内应用具有很大的换热优势,然而由于微尺度效应及其物性,在低干度区容易发生干涸,严重影响换热效果。为研究微细通道内CO₂流动沸腾换热与干涸特性,搭建了相应实验装置,对内径分别为1mm、2mm、3mm以及内表面粗糙度为16μm的不锈钢管,在CO₂制冷剂热流密度2~34kW/m²、质量流率50~1350kg/(m²·s)、饱和温度-10~15℃下进行换热性能与干涸实验对比研究。结果表明:常规管径换热特性在微细通道内不再适用;热流密度的增加对于强化核态沸腾换热具有显著影响,高于临界热流密度(critical heat flux,CHF)则发生干涸;质量流率对于核态沸腾区换热系数的影响则较小;不同饱和温度时换热特性有所不同,高饱和温度下换热系数随其升高而提高,低饱和温度下则相反;干涸过程对总换热系数的影响占34%。研究结论为CO₂微通道换热器的研究开发提供理论依据。     

An advanced treatment of high-strength opium alkaloid processing industry wastewaters with membrane technology: pretreatment, fouling and retention characteristics of membranes

This paper presents the results of the laboratory and pilot-scale membrane experiments of opium alkaloid processing industry effluents. Different types of ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were evaluated for membrane fouling, permeate flux and their suitability in separating COD, color and conductivity. Experiments demonstrated that membrane treatment is a very promising advanced treatment option for pollution control for opium alkaloid processing industry effluents. Almost complete color removal was achieved with NF and RO membranes. COD and conductivity removals were also greater than 95% and met the current local standards. Nevertheless, pretreatment was an important factor for the NF and RO membrane applications. Membrane fouling occurred with direct NF membrane applications without UF pretreatment. The total estimated cost of the UF and NF treatment system was calculated as $0.96/m³, excluding the concentrate disposal cost.     

Irreversible Fouling in MF/UF Membranes Caused by Natural Organic Matters (NOMs) Isolated from Different Origins

Abstract

For more efficient use of membrane technology in water treatment, it is essential to understand more about the fouling that requires chemical cleaning to be eliminated (i.e., irreversible fouling). In this study, five different MF/UF membranes and four types of organic matter collected from different origins were examined in terms of the degree of irreversible membrane fouling. Experimental results demonstrated that the extent of irreversible fouling differed significantly depending on the properties of both the membrane and organic matter. Among the tested membranes, UF membranes made of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) exhibited the best performance in terms of prevention of irreversible fouling. In contrast, MF membranes, especially one made of polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), suffered significant irreversible fouling. Conventional methods for characterization of organic matter such as specific ultraviolet absorption (SUVA), XAD fractionation, and excitation‐emission matrix (EEM) were found to be inadequate for prediction of the degree of irreversible fouling. This is because these analytical methods represent an average property of bulk organic matter, while the fouling was actually caused by some specific fractions. It was revealed that hydrophilic fraction of the organic matter was responsible for the irreversible fouling regardless of the type of membranes or organic matter.     

Ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes applied to the removal of the pharmaceuticals amoxicillin,naproxen, metoprolol and phenacetin from water

BACKGROUND: In the removal of pharmaceuticals present in aquatic systems by membrane processes, some important issues must be explored in order to obtain a better knowledge of the global process. Among these issues, a better understanding of the influences of the operating parameters on the membrane flux, an analysis of membrane resistances and fouling, and determination of the removal of specific substances, must be studied. RESULTS: Four selected pharmaceuticals (amoxicillin, naproxen, metoprolol and phenacetin) were subjected to ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) processes for their removal from several water matrices. The determined permeate fluxes at the steady state were affected by the main operating conditions: molecular weight cut‐off (MWCO) of the membrane, transmembrane pressure TMP, cross‐flow velocity and temperature. The retention coefficients with the UF membranes followed the sequence naproxen > metoprolol > amoxicillin > phenacetin, and with the NF membranes, followed the trend: amoxicillin > naproxen > metoprolol > phenacetin, due to the role of other mechanisms such as size exclusion and electrostatic repulsion. In the case of the selected water matrices, the retention coefficient was referred to some quality parameters (total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand and absorbance at 254 nm), leading to moderate (UF) or high (NF) removals of the organic matter content. CONCLUSIONS: The NF CK membrane achieved the highest retention of these pharmaceuticals (excepting phenacetin), and provided retentions for quality parameters around 80% in the four water systems tested. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Threshold performance of a spiral-wound reverse osmosis membrane in the treatment of olive mill effluents from two-phase and three-phase extraction processes

A reverse osmosis (RO) treatment stage was examined for the complete depuration of the different effluents exiting the olive mill factories (OMW) working with diverse extraction procedures, that is, the two-phase and the three-phase extraction processes, respectively. In the present work, the modelization of batch RO purification of OMW by means of the relevant equations of the threshold flux theory for fouling control and plant dimension is addressed. Results show that higher threshold flux values (20.2–22.1% increase) and major feed recovery rates (80.2–85.0%) as well as very significant reduction of the long-term fouling index (27.3–52.7%) were achieved by using as pretreatment steps the following series of processes: pH-T flocculation, UV/TiO₂ photocatalysis, UF and NF in series. This leads to both lower energy and capital costs, in particular a reduction of the required membrane area in case of batch membrane processes equal to 22.3–44.8%. Accurate prediction of the rejection behavior was attained by the used leaky solution-diffusion model in all cases, with reflection coefficients (σ_COD) ranging from 0.86 to 1.0. The purified effluent streams are finally compatible with irrigation water quality standards (COD values below 1000 mg L⁻¹).     

Natural organic matter (NOM) fouling in low pressure membrane filtration — effect of membranes and operation modes

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of operating modes, membrane materials and pore size on natural organic matter (NOM) fouling. A range of flat sheet microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were tested under conditions of various constant pressure and constant flux filtration modes. Based on experimental filtration profiles, molecular weight (MW) distributions of NOM obtained using high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and autopsies of fouled membranes using force emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), it was concluded that medium to low MW component of NOM (300–1,000 Da) is responsible for the initiation of fouling, where bulk of the fouling observed is due to very high MW ‘colloidal’ NOM (>50,000 Da). This two stage fouling phenomenon was in good agreement with classical blocking laws. As a general observation hydrophilic membranes were less prone to NOM fouling. A comparison of constant pressure and constant flux tests confirmed that modest constant flux, as used in industry, provided the most beneficial conditions.     

Elimination of organic matter present in wastewaters from the cork industry by membrane filtration

BACKGROUND: The first stage of the cork industrial process generates great volumes of wastewater with moderate to high organic pollutant content that must be purified using different procedures, such as filtration by membranes. RESULTS: The tangential filtration of these wastewaters was studied using two different laboratory equipments. In the first one, three ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were tested, with molecular weight cut‐off (MWCO) 100 kDa and 30 kDa, and two operating modes were used: total recycling of permeate and retentate streams, and in continuous mode, without recycling both streams. In the total recycling UF experiments, the influence of the operating variables on the permeate flux was first established. The effectiveness of the different membranes was determined by evaluating the rejection coefficients for several parameters that measure the global pollutant content of the effluent. The values found for these rejection coefficients were in the following order: ellagic acid and color > absorbance at 254 nm > tannic content > COD (chemical oxygen demand). In the continuous mode experiments, the fouling mechanism for each membrane was established by fitting the experimental data to various filtration fouling models given in the literature. The operating mode in the second equipment was batch concentration, and additional experiments were carried out with an UF membrane (2 kDa), and with a NF membrane (with MWCO in the range 150–300 Da). CONCLUSIONS: The three operating modes tested provided different rejection levels of organic matter; among them, the most effective procedure tested was batch concentration mode using a NF membrane. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

膜技术在饮用水除砷中的应用研究进展

以低压驱动膜的微滤膜(MF)与超滤膜(UF),和高压驱动膜的反渗透膜(RO)与纳滤膜(NF)为主,分析了目前国内外膜技术在饮用水除砷方面的效果、影响因素、浓水处理、膜污染及其清洗等方面的应用研究和进展情况,同时对膜技术优缺点及其在除砷中的应用研究方向与前景做了展望.     

Ultrafiltration of lake water for potable water production

Ultrafiltration with coagulation or powdered activated carbon pretreatment is used to treat water from a public water supply. While UF without pretreatment is effective in removing turbidity, pretreatment prior to UF greatly enhances the removal of natural organic matter and trihalomethane precursors. Short-term flux loss can be minimized with backflushing, while long-term irreversible fouling seems to be affected most by the type of membrane polymer.     

Performance evaluation of pretreatment processes in integrated membrane system for wastewater reuse

A series of lab-scale filtration experiments were performed under various operating conditions to investigate the fouling behavior of microfiltration (MF) membranes when employing two different pretreatment methods. The secondary effluents from a biologically advanced treatment process were fed to each hybrid system, consisting of coagulation-flocculation-MF (CF-MF) and ozonation-MF processes. All experiments were carried out using a stirred-cell system, which consisted of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) MF membranes with a 0.22 μm pore size. When MF membrane was used alone without any pretreatment, the permeate flux dropped significantly. However, in the case of employing polyaluminium chloride (PACl) coagulation and ozonation as a pretreatment, the extent of flux decline rates was enhanced up to 88 and 38%, respectively. In the CF-MF hybrid system, the removal efficiencies of COD and total phosphorus were significantly enhanced at a coagulant dose above 30 mg/L. With ozonation, more than 90% of the color was removed even at a low dosage of ozone (5 mg/L). Therefore, ozonation would be strongly recommended as a pretreatment in terms of removing organic matter. The permeate water quality by ozonation-MF process was in good compliance with the guidelines for wastewater reuse proposed by South Korean Ministry of Environment.     

A comprehensive review of nanofiltration membranes:Treatment, pretreatment, modelling, and atomic force microscopy

Nanofiltration membranes (NF) have applications in several areas. One of the main applications has been in watertreatment for drinking water production as well as wastewater treatment. NF can either be used to treat all kinds of water including ground, surface, and wastewater or used as a pretreatment for desalination. The introduction of NF as a pretreatment is considered a breakthrough for the desalination process. NF membranes have been shown to be able to remove turbidity, microorganisms and hardness, as well as a fraction of the dissolved salts. This results in a significantly lower operating pressure and thus provides a much more energy-efficient process. Similar to other membrane processes, a major problem in NF membrane applications is fouling. Several studies have investigated the mechanisms of fouling in NF membranes and suggested methods to minimize and control the fouling of NF membranes. For NF membrane characterizations and process prediction, modeling of NF processes and the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) are very important. The ability to predict the performance of NF processes will lead to a lower number of experiments, saving of time and money, and help to understand the separation mechanisms during NF. A comprehensive review of NF in water treatments is presented including a review of the applications of NF in treating water as well as in the pretreatment process for desalination; the mechanism as well as minimization of NF membrane fouling problems; and theories for modelling and transport of salt, charged and noncharged organic compounds in NF membranes. The review will also address the application of AFM in studying the morphology of membrane surfaces as part of the NF membrane characterization.     

巡视中空纤维膜的研发和产业进展

介绍了国内外用于人工肾的中空纤维透析膜、用于废水处理的微滤、超滤中空纤维及膜生物反应器（MBR）、用于海水淡化的中空纤维反渗透膜、用于气体分离及有机物代精馏的中空纤维膜、用于双亲和性吸附蛋白质的固定双配合剂多微孔中空纤维膜、用于回收海水资源的微滤和纳滤膜、用于脱氧核糖核酸链（DNA）切片的内含亲水性聚合物的中空纤维膜以及新型电池隔膜.     

Application of ultrafiltration hybrid membrane processes for reuse of secondary effluent

This study evaluates the factors affecting pretreatment conditions for hybrid UF membrane processes for reuse of secondary effluent from the sewage treatment plant. The experimental results obtained from the ultrafiltration (UF) membrane process showed that the particles of the size range between 0.2 and 1.2 μm caused a significant impact on membrane fouling in all cases even with or without the coagulation process. As pretreatment of UF membrane process, the coagulation significantly improved the permeate flux. Optimal flux improvement was seen at an alum dose of 50 mg/L. In addition, it was found that the permeate flux was least declined under the coagulation condition of charge neutralization (pH 5.0). Also, the powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption enhanced the permeate flux. Application of the direct filtration as a pretreatment of UF membrane process was also very effective in reducing the UF membrane fouling.     

Membrane processes for water reuse from the effluent of industrial park wastewater treatment plant: a study on flux and fouling of membrane

Both the relationship between the flux and the fouling mechanism of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and the effects of pretreatment before reverse osmosis (RO) process on the treatment of the effluent of industrial park wastewater treatment plant (IPWTP) were investigated to examine the application of membrane processes on the water reuse treatment. For the former, the flux data was first fitted to the Hermia model to give the implication of the fouling mechanism. Then, the fouling mechanism was further identified with the aid of the SEM morphology of membrane surfaces. For the latter, the changes of both water characteristics (turbidity, TOC, conductivity, particle size distribution, and organic solute molecular weight) and membrane properties (surface zeta potential and surface morphology) before and after the treatment of membrane processes were measured. It was found that the major blocking mechanisms of UF membrane process at initial and final stage were standard blocking of pore (causing from colloid materials) and cake blocking of pore (causing from suspended particles), respectively. On the other hand, it was concluded that the permeate from 1 μm/UF/RO process was suitable for the reuse of cooling water and low pressure boiler water.     

Nanoparticles modified Polyacrylonitrile/Polyacrylonitrile – Polyvinylidenefluoride blends as substrate of high flux anti-fouling nanofiltration membranes

Thin-film composite nanofiltration membranes were prepared by interfacial polymerization reaction of piperazine and trimesoylchloride on virgin and nanoparticles (SiO₂/TiO₂) modified Polyacrylonitrile/70:30 and 30:70 Polyacrylonitrile – Polyvinylidenefluoride blend ultrafiltration substrates. The membranes were characterized for surface hydrophilicity and potential, surface and cross-sectional morphology and equilibrium water content. Pure water permeability and differential rejection of multi (MgSO₄) and monovalent salts (NaCl) of the membranes were studied. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes prepared on nanoparticle modified UF substrates exhibit higher flux than the membranes prepared on virgin UF substrates. NF membranes prepared on TiO₂ modified substrates are exhibiting higher flux than the other membranes. Membrane prepared on TiO₂ modified 70:30 blend substrate exhibits the highest rejection ratio (4.63) of divalent to monovalent salts. Nanofiltration membranes prepared on nanoparticle modified substrates are displaying comparatively higher flux recovery ratio (FRR) and lower total fouling ratio (TFR) values than the NF membranes prepared on virgin ultrafiltration substrates.     

膜分离技术在低分子量生物产品分离纯化中的应用

介绍了膜分离技术在低分子量生产产品分离纯化中的应用。以压力差为推动力的膜分离技术包括微滤、超滤、纳滤、反渗透等，其分离性能通常由透过通量和截留率表征，而操作模式则分为浓缩和渗滤两种。本文将低分子量生物产品划分为氨基酸和多肽、抗生素、乳酸及低聚糖等，综述了膜分离技术在上述产品的回收、分离、纯化和浓缩过程中的研究与应用进展。     

膜分离技术处理放射性废水

介绍了膜技术在中、低浓度放射性废水处理中的研究和应用进展.膜组合技术处理放射性废水净化率可达98%～99.9%、净化因子可达100～1000.指出反渗透、纳滤、超滤、微滤和电渗析是目前应用的主流膜技术,并对其工艺特点作了评述.今后膜技术在核工业放射性废水处理中将获得更广泛的应用.