Does Chlorination of Seawater Reverse Osmosis Membranes Control Biofouling?

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad Tariq

2015-04-01

Biofouling is the major problem of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes used for desalting seawater (SW). The use of chlorine is a conventional and common practice to control/prevent biofouling. Unlike polyamide RO membranes, cellulose triacetate (CTA) RO membranes display a high chlorine tolerance. Due to this characteristic, CTA membranes are used in most of the RO plants located in the Middle East region where the elevated seawater temperature and water quality promote the risk of membrane biofouling. However, there is no detailed study on the investigation/characterization of CTA-RO membrane fouling. In this investigation, the fouling profile of a full–scale SWRO desalination plant operating with not only continuous chlorination of raw seawater but also intermittent chlorination of CTA-RO membranes was studied. Detailed water quality and membrane fouling analyses were conducted. Profiles of microbiological, inorganic, and organic constituents of analysed fouling layers were extensively discussed. Our results clearly identified biofilm development on these membranes. The incapability of chlorination on preventing biofilm formation on SWRO membranes could be assigned to its failure in effectively reaching throughout the different regions of the permeators. This failure could have occurred due to three main factors: plugging of membrane fibers, chlorine consumption by organics accumulated on the front side fibers, or chlorine adaptation of certain bacterial populations.

Fouling and cleaning of seawater reverse osmosis membranes in Kalpakkam Nuclear Desalination Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murugan, V.; Rajanbabu, K.; Tiwari, S.A.; Balasubramanian, C.; Yadav, Manoj Kumar; Dangore, A.Y.; Prabhakar, S.; Tewari, P.K.

2005-01-01

Seawater reverse osmosis plant of 1800 m 3 /day capacity is a part of 6300 m 3 /day capacity Nuclear Desalination Demonstration Project, at Kalpakkam. The plant was commissioned in October 2002 and is in continuous operation. This paper deals with types of foulants, membrane cleaning procedures and the improvement in the reverse osmosis system after cleaning. This paper also describes analysis of foulants which may consist of adsorbed organic compounds, particulate matter, microorganisms, metallic oxides and chemical cleaning procedure to be adopted, which is characteristics of sea water used as the membrane foulant is very much specific with respect to the sea water constituents. The cleaning of the membranes in Kalpakkam Nuclear Desalination plant were taken up as the quality of permeate deteriorated and differential pressure across membrane had gone-up. This paper essentially deals with selection of cleaning chemicals, the experience gained in cleaning procedure adopted and effects of cleaning for the membrane system. (author)

Seawater reverse osmosis desalination and (harmful) algal blooms

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, Loreen O.; Tabatabai, S. Assiyeh Alizadeh; Anderson, Donald M.; Amy, Gary L.; Schippers, Jan Cornelis; Kennedy, Maria Dolores

2015-01-01

This article reviews the occurrence of HABs in seawater, their effects on the operation of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants, the indicators for quantifying/predicting these effects, and the pretreatment strategies for mitigating operational issues during algal blooms. The potential issues in SWRO plants during HABs are particulate/organic fouling of pretreatment systems and biological fouling of RO membranes, mainly due to accumulation of algal organic matter (AOM). The presence of HAB toxins in desalinated water is also a potential concern but only at very low concentrations. Monitoring algal cell density, AOM concentrations and membrane fouling indices is a promising approach to assess the quality of SWRO feedwater and performance of the pretreatment system. When geological condition is favourable, subsurface intake can be a robust pretreatment for SWRO during HABs. Existing SWRO plants with open intake and are fitted with granular media filtration can improve performance in terms of capacity and product water quality, if preceded by dissolved air flotation or sedimentation. However, the application of advanced pretreatment using ultrafiltration membrane with in-line coagulation is often a better option as it is capable of maintaining stable operation and better RO feed water quality during algal bloom periods with significantly lower chemical consumption.

Seawater reverse osmosis desalination and (harmful) algal blooms

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, Loreen O.

2015-03-01

This article reviews the occurrence of HABs in seawater, their effects on the operation of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants, the indicators for quantifying/predicting these effects, and the pretreatment strategies for mitigating operational issues during algal blooms. The potential issues in SWRO plants during HABs are particulate/organic fouling of pretreatment systems and biological fouling of RO membranes, mainly due to accumulation of algal organic matter (AOM). The presence of HAB toxins in desalinated water is also a potential concern but only at very low concentrations. Monitoring algal cell density, AOM concentrations and membrane fouling indices is a promising approach to assess the quality of SWRO feedwater and performance of the pretreatment system. When geological condition is favourable, subsurface intake can be a robust pretreatment for SWRO during HABs. Existing SWRO plants with open intake and are fitted with granular media filtration can improve performance in terms of capacity and product water quality, if preceded by dissolved air flotation or sedimentation. However, the application of advanced pretreatment using ultrafiltration membrane with in-line coagulation is often a better option as it is capable of maintaining stable operation and better RO feed water quality during algal bloom periods with significantly lower chemical consumption.

Removal of oil pollutants in seawater as pretreatment of reverse osmosis desalination process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen Jian; Nishijima, Wataru; Baes, Aloysius U.; Okada, Mitsumasa [Hiroshima Univ., Environmental Science Dept., Hiroshima (Japan); Kitanaka, Atsushi [Fuji-Electric Corporate Research and Development Ltd., Yokosuka, Kanagawa (Japan)

1999-11-01

Weathered oil contaminated seawater (WOCS) was used to investigate the behaviour of soluble oil components in seawater in various pretreatment processes for removal of oil pollutants in seawater. The various pretreatment processes were a reverse osmosis desalination process in combination with advanced oxidation processes, ultrafiltration, coagulation, GAC adsorption, biological treatment and separation with a low pressure RO membrane. WOCS was prepared by mixing oil, nutrients and fresh seawater which was exposed to sunlight to simulate photooxidation and microbial degradation of oil in the marine environment. It was found that WOCS contained soluble components with relatively small molecular size, which are refractory to biodegradation and difficult to remove by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), UF membrane or coagulation using FeCl{sub 3} or PAC as flocculants. However, DOC in WOCS (OCWOCS) was easily adsorbed to GAC. Low pressure RO membranes with higher salt rejection rate could remove more OCWOCS compared to those of lower salt rejection rate. (Author)

Removal of oil pollutants in seawater as pretreatment of reverse osmosis desalination process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen Jian; Nishijima, Wataru; Baes, Aloysius U.; Okada, Mitsumasa [Hiroshima Univ., Environmental Science Dept., Hiroshima (Japan); Kitanaka, Atsushi [Fuji-Electric Corporate Research and Development Ltd., Yokosuka, Kanagawa (Japan)

1999-07-01

Weathered oil contaminated seawater (WOCS) was used to investigate the behaviour of soluble oil components in seawater in various pretreatment processes for removal of oil pollutants in seawater. The various pretreatment processes were a reverse osmosis desalination process in combination with advanced oxidation processes, ultrafiltration, coagulation, GAC adsorption, biological treatment and separation with a low pressure RO membrane. WOCS was prepared by mixing oil, nutrients and fresh seawater which was exposed to sunlight to simulate photooxidation and microbial degradation of oil in the marine environment. It was found that WOCS contained soluble components with relatively small molecular size, which are refractory to biodegradation and difficult to remove by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), UF membrane or coagulation using FeCl{sub 3} or PAC as flocculants. However, DOC in WOCS (OCWOCS) was easily adsorbed to GAC. Low pressure RO membranes with higher salt rejection rate could remove more OCWOCS compared to those of lower salt rejection rate. (Author)

A comparison of ROChem reverse osmosis and spiral wound reverse osmosis membrane modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siler, J.L.

1992-01-01

Testing of the ROChem Disc Tube reg-sign reverse osmosis (RO) module's performance on biologically active feed waters has been completed. Both the ROChem module (using Filmtec standard-rejection seawater membranes) and the Filmtec spiral-wound membrane module (using Filmtec high-rejection seawater membranes) were tested with stimulant solutions containing typical bacteria and metal hydroxide levels found in the F/H Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) influent. Results indicate that the ROChem module gave superior performance over the spiral-wound module. Water flux losses were reduced by over 30% for water recoveries above 40%

Hybrid membrane system for desalination and wastewater treatment : Integrating forward osmosis and low pressure reverse osmosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Valladares Linares, R.

2014-01-01

Since more than 97% of the water in the world is seawater, desalination technologies have the potential to solve the fresh water crisis. The most used desalination technology nowadays is seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO), where a membrane is used as a physical barrier to separate the salts from the

Conceptual design and cost study for a dual-purpose nuclear-electric reverse osmosis seawater conversion plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-04-01

The objective of this study was to develop a conceptual design and cost estimate for a 25 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalting plant operating at both Caribbean and Persian Gulf sites. The plant would operate in conjunction with a 1000 MW(e) nuclear power plant. Four seawater membrane manufacturers were supplied with feedwater analysis and a simplified cost estimating procedure in order to recommend membrane systems which would be applicable. For both sites a two-stage system was selected for development of a conceptual cost estimate. The product water cost was found to be (based upon 1978 United States construction costs) $3.17/1000 gallons for the Caribbean site and $3.75/1000 gallons for the Persian Gulf site.

Conceptual design and cost study for a dual-purpose nuclear-electric reverse osmosis seawater conversion plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-04-01

The objective of this study was to develop a conceptual design and cost estimate for a 25 million gallon per day seawater reverse osmosis desalting plant operating at both Caribbean and Persian Gulf sites. The plant would operate in conjunction with a 1000 MW(e) nuclear power plant. Four seawater membrane manufacturers were supplied with feedwater analysis and a simplified cost estimating procedure in order to recommend membrane systems which would be applicable. For both sites a two-stage system was selected for development of a conceptual cost estimate. The product water cost was found to be (based upon 1978 United States construction costs) $3.17/1000 gallons for the Caribbean site and $3.75/1000 gallons for the Persian Gulf site

Forward osmosis membrane modular configurations for osmotic dilution of seawater by forward osmosis and reverse osmosis hybrid system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung Eun; Phuntsho, Sherub; Ali, Syed Muztuza; Choi, Joon Young; Shon, Ho Kyong

2018-01-01

This study evaluates various options for full-scale modular configuration of forward osmosis (FO) process for osmotic dilution of seawater using wastewater for simultaneous desalination and water reuse through FO-reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid system. Empirical relationship obtained from one FO membrane element operation was used to simulate the operational performances of different FO module configurations. The main limiting criteria for module operation is to always maintain the feed pressure higher than the draw pressure throughout the housing module for safe operation without affecting membrane integrity. Experimental studies under the conditions tested in this study show that a single membrane housing cannot accommodate more than four elements as the draw pressure exceeds the feed pressure. This then indicates that a single stage housing with eight elements is not likely to be practical for safe FO operation. Hence, six different FO modular configurations were proposed and simulated. A two-stage FO configuration with multiple housings (in parallel) in the second stage using same or larger spacer thickness reduces draw pressure build-up as the draw flow rates are reduced to half in the second stage thereby allowing more than four elements in the second stage housing. The loss of feed pressure (pressure drop) and osmotic driving force in the second stage are compensated by operating under the pressure assisted osmosis (PAO) mode, which helps enhance permeate flux and maintains positive pressure differences between the feed and draw chamber. The PAO energy penalty is compensated by enhanced permeate throughput, reduced membrane area, and plant footprint. The contribution of FO/PAO to total energy consumption was not significant compared to post RO desalination (90%) indicating that the proposed two-stage FO modular configuration is one way of making the FO full-scale operation practical for FO-RO hybrid system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of multivariate statistical analyses for monitoring and prediction of processes in an seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolluri, Srinivas Sahan; Esfahani, Iman Janghorban; Garikiparthy, Prithvi Sai Nadh; Yoo, Chang Kyoo [Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2015-08-15

Our aim was to analyze, monitor, and predict the outcomes of processes in a full-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant using multivariate statistical techniques. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to investigate the performance and efficiencies of two SWRO processes, namely, pore controllable fiber filterreverse osmosis (PCF-SWRO) and sand filtration-ultra filtration-reverse osmosis (SF-UF-SWRO). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to monitor the two SWRO processes. PCA monitoring revealed that the SF-UF-SWRO process could be analyzed reliably with a low number of outliers and disturbances. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis was then conducted to predict which of the seven input parameters of feed flow rate, PCF/SF-UF filtrate flow rate, temperature of feed water, turbidity feed, pH, reverse osmosis (RO)flow rate, and pressure had a significant effect on the outcome variables of permeate flow rate and concentration. Root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of the PLS models for permeate flow rates were 31.5 and 28.6 for the PCF-SWRO process and SF-UF-SWRO process, respectively, while RMSEs of permeate concentrations were 350.44 and 289.4, respectively. These results indicate that the SF-UF-SWRO process can be modeled more accurately than the PCF-SWRO process, because the RMSE values of permeate flowrate and concentration obtained using a PLS regression model of the SF-UF-SWRO process were lower than those obtained for the PCF-SWRO process.

Evaluation of multivariate statistical analyses for monitoring and prediction of processes in an seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolluri, Srinivas Sahan; Esfahani, Iman Janghorban; Garikiparthy, Prithvi Sai Nadh; Yoo, Chang Kyoo

2015-01-01

Our aim was to analyze, monitor, and predict the outcomes of processes in a full-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant using multivariate statistical techniques. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to investigate the performance and efficiencies of two SWRO processes, namely, pore controllable fiber filterreverse osmosis (PCF-SWRO) and sand filtration-ultra filtration-reverse osmosis (SF-UF-SWRO). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to monitor the two SWRO processes. PCA monitoring revealed that the SF-UF-SWRO process could be analyzed reliably with a low number of outliers and disturbances. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis was then conducted to predict which of the seven input parameters of feed flow rate, PCF/SF-UF filtrate flow rate, temperature of feed water, turbidity feed, pH, reverse osmosis (RO)flow rate, and pressure had a significant effect on the outcome variables of permeate flow rate and concentration. Root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of the PLS models for permeate flow rates were 31.5 and 28.6 for the PCF-SWRO process and SF-UF-SWRO process, respectively, while RMSEs of permeate concentrations were 350.44 and 289.4, respectively. These results indicate that the SF-UF-SWRO process can be modeled more accurately than the PCF-SWRO process, because the RMSE values of permeate flowrate and concentration obtained using a PLS regression model of the SF-UF-SWRO process were lower than those obtained for the PCF-SWRO process.

Application of ceramic membranes for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) pre-treatment

KAUST Repository

Hamad, Juma

2013-05-30

Low-pressure (microfiltration/ultrafiltration (MF/UF)) membranes are being increasingly used as pre-treatment, prior to seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO). The objective of pre-treatment before reverse osmosis (RO) membranes is to remove undesirable and particulate fouling materials (algae, suspended and colloidal particles). Also, a pre-treatment barrier reduces organics and provides better feed water quality for RO membranes. MF and UF pre-treatment prior to SWRO provides Low Silt Density Index (SDI) values recommended for RO operation. Ceramic membranes are more attractive as they made of more chemically resistant materials, which allow for more stable operation and aggressive backwashing (BW) and cleaning. A pilot plant with a monolith ceramic MF membrane (0.1 μm pore size) from METAWATER was used to carry out the study. Red Sea water pumped from a distance of 700 m offshore from Thuwal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) was used as feed water. The pilot plant was operated automatically at constant flux of 150 LMH that involved BW, air flushing and forward flushing at the end of filtration cycle. Seawater permeates were used for hydraulic BW, while sodium hypochlorite, citric acid and sodium hydroxide were used for chemical cleaning (CIP) to restore the membrane permeability after use. Filtration cycles of 2.5 h were adopted for initial experiments. Aggressive BW flux of 1,800 LMH for 15 s, air flushing of 4 bars for 10 s and forward flushing of 300 LMH for 40 s were applied for regular membrane hydraulic cleaning. The increase of membrane resistances over time was monitored. Further studies were also performed by using Anopore ceramic membranes AAO100 (pore sizes of 0.1 μm) using a constant pressure bench-scale set-up. The feed water and permeate were analysed using an SDI unit, flow cytometre (FCM) and liquid chromatography with organic carbon detection (LC-OCD). The results showed that ceramic membrane filtration reduced the SDI15 of seawater from 6.1 to 2.1 which

Thermodynamic advantages of nuclear desalination through reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, K.P.; Prabhakar, S.; Tewari, P.K.

2009-01-01

Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) integrated with nuclear power station has significant thermodynamic advantages since it can utilize the waste heat available in the condenser cooling circuit and electrical power from the nuclear power plant with provision for using grid power in case of exigencies and shared infrastructure. Coupling of RO plants to the reactor is simple and straightforward and power loss due to RO unit, resulting in the loss of load, does not impact reactor turbine. Product water contamination probability is also very less since it has in-built mechanical barrier. Preheat reverse osmosis desalination has many thermodynamic advantages and studies have indicated improved performance characteristics thereby leading to savings in operational cost. The significant advantages include the operational flexibility of the desalination systems even while power plant is non-operational and non-requirement of safety systems for resource utilization. This paper brings out a comprehensive assessment of reverse osmosis process as a stand-alone nuclear desalination system. (author)

Batteryless photovoltaic reverse-osmosis desalination system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomson, M.; Miranda, M.; Gwillim, J.; Rowbottom, A.; Draisey, I.

2001-07-01

The aim of this project was to design an efficient cost-effective batteryless photovoltaic-powered seawater reverse-osmosis desalination system, to deliver in the order of 3 m{sup 3} of fresh drinking water per day. The desalination of seawater to produce fresh drinking water is extremely valuable on islands and in coastal regions wherever natural freshwater is scarce. Existing small-scale desalination equipment, suitable for areas of medium and low population density, often requires a copious and constant supply of energy, either electricity or diesel. If supply of these fuels is expensive or insecure, but the area has a good solar resource, the use of photovoltaic power is an attractive option. Existing demonstrations of photovoltaic-powered desalination generally employ lead-acid batteries, which allow the equipment to operate at a constant flow, but are notoriously problematic in practice. The system developed in this project runs at variable flow, enabling it to make efficient use of the naturally varying solar resource, without need of batteries. In a sense, the freshwater tank is providing the energy storage. In this project, we have reviewed the merits of a wide variety of reverse-osmosis system configurations and component options. We have completed extensive in-house testing and characterisation of major hardware components and used the results to construct detailed software models. Using these, we have designed a system that meets the above project aim, and we have predicted its performance in detail. Our designs show that a system costing 23,055 pounds stirling will produce 1424 m{sup 3} of fresh drinking water annually - an average of just over 3.9 m{sup 3}/day. The system has no fuel costs and no batteries. The overall cost of water, including full maintenance, is 2.00 pounds stirling per m{sup 3}. The energy consumption (photovoltaic-electricity) is typically between 3.2 and 3.7 kWh/m{sup 3} depending on the solar irradiance and feed water

Thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analyses of seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant with energy recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Emam, Rami Salah; Dincer, Ibrahim

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the performance of a RO (reverse osmosis) desalination plant at different seawater salinity values. An energy recovery Pelton turbine is integrated with the desalination plant. Thermodynamic analysis, based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics, as well as a thermo-based economic analysis is performed for the proposed system. The effects of the system components irreversibilities on the economics and cost of product water are parametrically studied through the thermoeconomic analysis. The exergy analysis shows that large irreversibilities occur in the high pressure pump and in the RO module. Both thermodynamic and thermoeconomic performances of the overall system are investigated under different operating parameters. For the base case; the system achieves an exergy efficiency of 5.82%. The product cost is estimated to be 2.451 $/m 3 and 54.2 $/MJ when source water with salinity of 35,000 ppm is fed to the system. - Highlights: • Thermodynamic and exergoeconomic analyses are performed for SWRO with energy recovery. • Parametric studies are done to study effects of operating conditions on performance. • Different seawater sources with different salinity values are tested. • At base case, plant exergy efficiency is 5.82% and product cost is 2.451 $/m 3

Subsurface intakes for seawater reverse osmosis facilities: Capacity limitation, water quality improvement, and economics

KAUST Repository

Missimer, Thomas M.

2013-08-01

The use of subsurface intake systems for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants significantly improves raw water quality, reduces chemical usage and environmental impacts, decreases the carbon footprint, and reduces cost of treated water to consumers. These intakes include wells (vertical, angle, and radial type) and galleries, which can be located either on the beach or in the seabed. Subsurface intakes act both as intakes and as part of the pretreatment system by providing filtration and active biological treatment of the raw seawater. Recent investigations of the improvement in water quality made by subsurface intakes show lowering of the silt density index by 75 to 90%, removal of nearly all algae, removal of over 90% of bacteria, reduction in the concentrations of TOC and DOC, and virtual elimination of biopolymers and polysaccharides that cause organic biofouling of membranes. Economic analyses show that overall SWRO operating costs can be reduced by 5 to 30% by using subsurface intake systems. Although capital costs can be slightly to significantly higher compared to open-ocean intake system costs, a preliminary life-cycle cost analysis shows significant cost saving over operating periods of 10 to 30. years. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

High solute rejecting membranes for reverse osmosis: Polyetheramide hydrazide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bindal, R.C.; Ramachandhran, V.; Misra, B.M.; Ramani, M.P.S.

1991-01-01

Synthesis of benzhydrazide polymers and determination of reverse osmosis properties of their membranes were reported earlier. Their performance was not adequate for seawater desalination or for high radioactive decontamination factors (DF). The same hydrazide polymers modified by incorporation of additional monomers with ether linkages were synthesized by low temperature polycondensation of freshly prepared m-amino benzhydrazide, p-amino benzhydrazide, and 4,4'-diamino diphenyl ether, with isophthaloyl chloride and terephthaloyl chloride in dimethyl acetamide solvent. A series of film-forming polymers prepared by altering the molar ratios of the reacting monomers were characterized in terms of percent moisture regain, inherent viscosity, solubility parameters, and interfacial sorption characteristics. Asymmetric membranes prepared from these polymer samples were characterized in terms of the pure water permeability constant and the solute transport parameter, and were tested for their reverse osmosis performance. An optimum mole ratio of reaching monomers has been identified for the synthesis of polymer and the resulting membrane offered the best performance for reverse osmosis (salt rejection as high as 99.4% for 3.5% sodium chloride solution). The incorporation of aromatic ether linkages in the polyamide benzhydrazide polymeric chains appears to alter the polar and nonpolar character of the bulk polymer, and also the membrane solution interface characteristics, resulting in enhanced solute separation. These membranes appear to be potential candidates for single-stage seawater desalination and also for a variety of industrial effluent treatment applications for significantly high DF radioactive effluent treatment

Hybrid membrane system for desalination and wastewater treatment: Integrating forward osmosis and low pressure reverse osmosis

OpenAIRE

Valladares Linares, R.

2014-01-01

Since more than 97% of the water in the world is seawater, desalination technologies have the potential to solve the fresh water crisis. The most used desalination technology nowadays is seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO), where a membrane is used as a physical barrier to separate the salts from the water, using high hydraulic pressure as the driving force. However, the use of high hydraulic pressure imposes a high cost on operation of these systems, in addition to the known persistent fouling p...

Reverse Osmosis

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Osmosis is a phenomenon which regulates many biological functions in plants and animals. That the plants stand upright, or the water reaches the tip of every leaf of a plant is due to osmotic pressure. The fact that we cannot survive by drinking seawater is also linked to this same phenomenon. J H van 't. Hoff showed in ...

DRINKING WATER FROM DESALINATION OF SEAWATER: OPTIMIZATION OF REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM OPERATING PARAMETERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARWAN M. SHAMEL

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on the use of pilot scale membrane separation system coupled with another pilot scale plate heat exchanger to investigate the possibilities of sweetening seawater from Telok Kalong Beach, Terengganu, Malaysia. Reverse osmosis (RO membrane of a surface area of 0.5 m2 was used during the experimental runs. Experiments were conducted at different transmembrane pressures (TMP ranged from 40 to 55 bars, operation temperature ranged from 35 to 45oC, feed concentration (TDS ranged from 34900 to 52500 ppm and cross flow velocities ranged from 1.4 to 2.1 m/s. The result show that the flux values increased linearly with TMP as well as sodium ion rejection. Permeate flux values increased proportionally with the temperature and the later effect was more significant at high pressures. The temperature changing has also influenced the rejection of sodium ion. The minerals content especially NaCl and total dissolved solid (TDS in the drinking water produced in this research are conforming to the standards of World Health Organization (WHO.

A new approach for determination of fouling potential by colloidal nanoparticles during reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration of seawater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ji Yeon; Lim, Sungil; Park, Kihong

2013-01-01

A direct measurement of number concentration of colloidal nanoparticles (15–450 nm) in water was made with the membrane filtration-differential mobility analyzer technique, and its corresponding flux decline rate (FDR) was determined by laboratory-scale RO fouling test unit using varying number concentrations of silica nanoparticles in artificial seawaters. This relationship was used to predict fouling potential of colloidal nanoparticles in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process of seawaters in RO plant. It was found that the FDR linearly increased with the increasing number of colloidal nanoparticles for the given concentration range and that the relationship between the number concentration and the FDR also depended on RO membrane surface properties. Data for estimated FDR values for natural seawaters after pretreatment showed a clear difference among samples, which is contrary to the pre-existing index such as silt density index and modified fouling index. Our data suggest that measurement of colloidal nanoparticles is useful for selection of proper pretreatment and successful operation of RO membrane process along with other particle fouling predictors accounting for large particles (>450 nm).

A new approach for determination of fouling potential by colloidal nanoparticles during reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration of seawater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Ji Yeon; Lim, Sungil; Park, Kihong, E-mail: kpark@gist.ac.kr [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), School of Environmental Science and Engineering (Korea, Republic of)

2013-04-15

A direct measurement of number concentration of colloidal nanoparticles (15-450 nm) in water was made with the membrane filtration-differential mobility analyzer technique, and its corresponding flux decline rate (FDR) was determined by laboratory-scale RO fouling test unit using varying number concentrations of silica nanoparticles in artificial seawaters. This relationship was used to predict fouling potential of colloidal nanoparticles in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process of seawaters in RO plant. It was found that the FDR linearly increased with the increasing number of colloidal nanoparticles for the given concentration range and that the relationship between the number concentration and the FDR also depended on RO membrane surface properties. Data for estimated FDR values for natural seawaters after pretreatment showed a clear difference among samples, which is contrary to the pre-existing index such as silt density index and modified fouling index. Our data suggest that measurement of colloidal nanoparticles is useful for selection of proper pretreatment and successful operation of RO membrane process along with other particle fouling predictors accounting for large particles (>450 nm).

Seawater feed reverse osmosis preheating appraisal, Part I: leading element performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karameldin, A.; Saadawy, M.S.

2006-01-01

This paper is concerned with the seawater reverse osmosis preheating process, and presents a parametric study of the process. The basic transport equations describing the leading element are exhibited and appraised. The leading element, which governs the whole system performance, is studied and analysed. The incorporated and investigated operating parameters are the feed pressure and the temperature for different feed salt concentrations. In addition, different feed flow rates, effects on permeate flux and permeator salt rejection, together with the permeator recovery, are studied. A seawater membrane of a well-known data, for instance FT30SW380HR, is used to perform the study. The membrane water permeability coefficient K w is determined and correlated. Furthermore, the membrane salt permeability coefficient K s from the manufacturer system analysis program (ROSA) is given and discussed. The transport governing equations are programmed in a way that facilitates the achievement of a realistic parametric study. The results showed that the permeate flux increases significantly as the feed pressure increases. Also, it increases significantly as the feed salt concentration decreases, and also as the feed temperature and pressure increase. Meanwhile, the permeator salt rejection increases significantly as the feed pressure increases, and decreases significantly as the feed temperature increases. The study of the leading element of the array showed that there are constraints that must be considered, such as maximum membrane flux, maximum applied feed pressure, maximum feed flow rate and maximum feed temperature. Therefore, to attain the maximum membrane flux, the applied feed pressure must be lowered when the feed temperature is increased. In the case where the feed temperature is increased from 18 deg.. C to 45 deg.. C, a pressure saving of between 7% and 26% is achieved, according to the feed salt concentration and feed flow rate. (author)

Reverse osmosis seawater test facility on board NS Otto Hahn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boeddeker, K.W.; Hilgendorff, W.; Kaschemekat, J.

1977-01-01

To evaluate the performance of reverse osmosis membranes and prototype modules for the desalination of sea water under near technical conditions, a test station has been installed on board the nuclear research vessel NS Otto Hahn. A newly designed plate module with variable membrane area and favorable membrane exchange properties is being used as a test instrument for membranes and operating conditions. (orig./HK) [de

Flux patterns and membrane fouling propensity during desalination of seawater by forward osmosis

KAUST Repository

Li, Zhenyu; Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor; Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Li, Qingyu; Zhan, Tong; Amy, Gary L.

2012-01-01

The membrane fouling propensity of natural seawater during forward osmosis was studied. Seawater from the Red Sea was used as the feed in a forward osmosis process while a 2. M sodium chloride solution was used as the draw solution. The process was conducted in a semi-batch mode under two crossflow velocities, 16.7. cm/s and 4.2. cm/s. For the first time reported, silica scaling was found to be the dominant inorganic fouling (scaling) on the surface of membrane active layer during seawater forward osmosis. Polymerization of dissolved silica was the major mechanism for the formation of silica scaling. After ten batches of seawater forward osmosis, the membrane surface was covered by a fouling layer of assorted polymerized silica clusters and natural organic matter, especially biopolymers. Moreover, the absorbed biopolymers also provided bacterial attachment sites. The accumulated organic fouling could be partially removed by water flushing while the polymerized silica was difficult to remove. The rate of flux decline was about 53% with a crossflow velocity of 16.7. cm/s while reaching more than 70% with a crossflow velocity of 4.2. cm/s. Both concentration polarization and fouling played roles in the decrease of flux. The salt rejection was stable at about 98% during seawater forward osmosis. In addition, an almost complete rejection of natural organic matter was attained. The results from this study are valuable for the design and development of a successful protocol for a pretreatment process before seawater forward osmosis and a cleaning method for fouled membranes. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Changes in physicochemical and transport properties of a reverse osmosis membrane exposed to chloraminated seawater

KAUST Repository

Valentino, Lauren; Renkens, Tennie; Maugin, Thomas; Crouè , Jean-Philippe Philippe; Mariñ as, Benito J.

2015-01-01

This study contributed to improving our understanding of how disinfectants, applied to control biofouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, result in membrane performance degradation. We investigated changes in physicochemical properties and permeation performance of a RO membrane with fully aromatic polyamide (PA) active layer. Membrane samples were exposed to varying concentrations of monochloramine, bromide, and iodide in both synthetic and natural seawater. Elemental analysis of the membrane active layer by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) revealed the incorporation of bromine and iodine into the polyamide. The kinetics of polyamide bromination were first order with respect to the concentration of the secondary oxidizing agent Br2 for the conditions investigated. Halogenated membranes were characterized after treatment with a reducing agent and heavy ion probes to reveal the occurrence of irreversible ring halogenation and an increase in carboxylic groups, the latter produced as a result of amide bond cleavage. Finally, permeation experiments revealed increases in both water permeability and salt passage as a result of oxidative damage.

Changes in physicochemical and transport properties of a reverse osmosis membrane exposed to chloraminated seawater

KAUST Repository

Valentino, Lauren

2015-02-17

This study contributed to improving our understanding of how disinfectants, applied to control biofouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, result in membrane performance degradation. We investigated changes in physicochemical properties and permeation performance of a RO membrane with fully aromatic polyamide (PA) active layer. Membrane samples were exposed to varying concentrations of monochloramine, bromide, and iodide in both synthetic and natural seawater. Elemental analysis of the membrane active layer by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) revealed the incorporation of bromine and iodine into the polyamide. The kinetics of polyamide bromination were first order with respect to the concentration of the secondary oxidizing agent Br2 for the conditions investigated. Halogenated membranes were characterized after treatment with a reducing agent and heavy ion probes to reveal the occurrence of irreversible ring halogenation and an increase in carboxylic groups, the latter produced as a result of amide bond cleavage. Finally, permeation experiments revealed increases in both water permeability and salt passage as a result of oxidative damage.

In-depth analyses of organic matters in a full-scale seawater desalination plant and an autopsy of reverse osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sanghyun; Naidu, Gayathri; Vollprecht, Robert; Leiknes, TorOve; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu

2016-01-01

In order to facilitate the global performance of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) systems, it is important to improve the feed water quality before it enters the RO. Currently, many desalination plants experience production losses due to incidents of organic and biofouling. Consequently, monitoring or characterizing the pretreatment step using more advanced organic and biological parameters are required for better operation to lessen fouling issues. In this study, the performance of pretreatment processes (including coagulation, dual media filtration (DMF), polishing with cartridge filter (CF) coupled with anti-scalant) used at Perth Seawater Desalination Plant (PSDP) located in Western Australia were characterized in terms of organic and biological fouling parameters. These analyses were carried out using liquid chromatography with organic carbon detector (LC-OCD), three dimensional-fluorescence excitation emission matrix (3D-FEEM) and assimilable organic carbon (AOC). Furthermore, the used (exhausted) RO membrane and CF were autopsied so that the fates and behaviors of organic foulants in these treatment systems could be better understood.

In-depth analyses of organic matters in a full-scale seawater desalination plant and an autopsy of reverse osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sanghyun

2016-02-17

In order to facilitate the global performance of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) systems, it is important to improve the feed water quality before it enters the RO. Currently, many desalination plants experience production losses due to incidents of organic and biofouling. Consequently, monitoring or characterizing the pretreatment step using more advanced organic and biological parameters are required for better operation to lessen fouling issues. In this study, the performance of pretreatment processes (including coagulation, dual media filtration (DMF), polishing with cartridge filter (CF) coupled with anti-scalant) used at Perth Seawater Desalination Plant (PSDP) located in Western Australia were characterized in terms of organic and biological fouling parameters. These analyses were carried out using liquid chromatography with organic carbon detector (LC-OCD), three dimensional-fluorescence excitation emission matrix (3D-FEEM) and assimilable organic carbon (AOC). Furthermore, the used (exhausted) RO membrane and CF were autopsied so that the fates and behaviors of organic foulants in these treatment systems could be better understood.

21 CFR 177.2550 - Reverse osmosis membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2010-04-01 2009-04-01 true Reverse osmosis membranes. 177.2550 Section 177... Components of Articles Intended for Repeated Use § 177.2550 Reverse osmosis membranes. Substances identified in paragraph (a) of this section may be safely used as reverse osmosis membranes intended for use in...

Rotating Reverse-Osmosis for Water Purification

Science.gov (United States)

Lueptow, RIchard M.

2004-01-01

A new design for a water-filtering device combines rotating filtration with reverse osmosis to create a rotating reverse- osmosis system. Rotating filtration has been used for separating plasma from whole blood, while reverse osmosis has been used in purification of water and in some chemical processes. Reverse- osmosis membranes are vulnerable to concentration polarization a type of fouling in which the chemicals meant not to pass through the reverse-osmosis membranes accumulate very near the surfaces of the membranes. The combination of rotating filtration and reverse osmosis is intended to prevent concentration polarization and thereby increase the desired flux of filtered water while decreasing the likelihood of passage of undesired chemical species through the filter. Devices based on this concept could be useful in a variety of commercial applications, including purification and desalination of drinking water, purification of pharmaceutical process water, treatment of household and industrial wastewater, and treatment of industrial process water. A rotating filter consists of a cylindrical porous microfilter rotating within a stationary concentric cylindrical outer shell (see figure). The aqueous suspension enters one end of the annulus between the inner and outer cylinders. Filtrate passes through the rotating cylindrical microfilter and is removed via a hollow shaft. The concentrated suspension is removed at the end of the annulus opposite the end where the suspension entered.

Seawater predesalination with electrodialysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Galama, A.H.; Saakes, M.; Bruning, H.; Rijnaarts, H.H.M.; Post, J.W.

2014-01-01

The suitability of ED for seawater desalination was investigated and we quantified the energy losses that play a role in electrodialysis. The combination of electrodialysis (ED) and brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) is presented as an alternative desalination strategy for seawater reverse

Fouling of Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Membrane: Chemical and Microbiological Characterization

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad T.

2013-12-01

In spite of abundant water resources, world is suffering from the scarcity of usable water. Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination technology using polymeric membranes has been recognized as a key solution to water scarcity problem. However, economic sustainability of this advanced technology is adversely impacted by the membrane fouling problem. Fouling of RO membranes is a highly studied phenomenon. However, literature is found to be lacking a detailed study on kinetic and dynamic aspects of SWRO membrane fouling. The factors that impact the fouling dynamics, i.e., pretreatment and water quality were also not adequately studied at full–scale of operation. Our experimental protocol was designed to systematically explore these fouling aspects with the objective to improve the understanding of SWRO membrane fouling mechanisms. An approach with multiple analytical techniques was developed for fouling characterization. In addition to the fouling layer characterization, feed water quality was also analysed to assess its fouling potential. Study of SWRO membrane fouling dynamics and kinetics revealed variations in relative abundance of chemical and microbial constituents of the fouling layer, over operating time. Aromatic substances, most likely humic–like substances, were observed at relatively high abundance in the initial fouling layer, followed by progressive increase in relative abundances of proteins and polysaccharides. Microbial population grown on all membranes was dominated by specific groups/species belonging to different classes of Proteobacteria phylum; however, similar to abiotic foulant, their relative abundance also changed with the biofilm age and with the position of membrane element in RO vessel. Our results demonstrated that source water quality can significantly impact the RO membrane fouling scenarios. Moreover, the major role of chlorination in the SWRO membrane fouling was highlighted. It was found that intermittent mode of chlorination

Multi-objective optimization of a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell – gas turbine hybrid system integrated with seawater reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eveloy, Valerie; Rodgers, Peter; Al Alili, Ali

2017-01-01

To improve the capacity and efficiency of distributed power and fresh water generation in coastal industrial facilities affected by regional water scarcity, a natural gas-fueled, pressurized solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine (SOFC-GT) hybrid is integrated with a bottoming organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and seawater reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant. This power and water co-generation system is optimized in terms of two objectives, maximum exergy efficiency and minimum cost rate, using a genetic algorithm. The exergetic and economic performance of three solutions representing maximum exergy efficiency, minimum cost rate, and a compromise between efficiency and cost rate, are compared. When imposing a water production requirement (reference case), the selected compromise multi-objective optimization solution delivers a net power output of 2.4 MWe and 636 m"3/day of permeate, at a co-generation exergy efficiency and cost rate of 71.3% and 0.0256 USD/s, respectively. The system payback time is estimated to be less than six years for typical economic parameters, but would become unprofitable in the most unfavorable economic scenario considered. Overall, the results indicate the thermodynamic and economic benefits of reverse osmosis over thermal desalination processes for integration with high-efficiency power generation systems in coastal regions impacted by domestic gas shortages and water scarcity. - Highlights: • Integration of a pressurized SOFC-GT hybrid system with a reverse osmosis unit. • Multi-objective, exergetic and economic optimization using a genetic algorithm. • Optimum solution delivers 2.4 MWe and 636 m"3/day of desalinated water. • Overall exergy efficiency and cost rate of 71.3% and 0.0256 USD/s, respectively. • System payback time estimated at less than six years for typical economic conditions.

Desalting seawater and brackish waters: 1981 cost update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, S.A.

1982-08-01

This is the fourth in a series of desalting cost update reports. Cost data are reported for desalting seawater by various distillation systems and by reverse osmosis. Costs of desalting four brackish waters, representative of those found in the United States by both reverse osmosis and electrodialysis are also given. Cost data are presented parametrically as a function of energy cost and plant size. The cost of desalting seawater by distillation has increased by 40% during the past two years, while desalting by reverse osmosis has increased by about 36% during the same period. Brackish water desalting by reverse osmosis has only increased by about 12%, and brackish water desalting by electrodialysis is up by 40%. Again, the continued increase in energy costs has had a major impact on all desalination systems

Application of reverse osmosis in radioactive wastewater treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong Jinsong; Guo Weiqun

2012-01-01

Considering the disadvantages of the conventional evaporation and ion exchange process for radioactive wastewater treatment, the reverse osmosis is used to treat the low level radioactive wastewater. The paper summarizes the research and application progress of the reverse osmosis in the radioactive wastewater treatment and indicates that the reverse osmosis in the radioactive wastewater treatment is very important. (authors)

Organic Carbon Reduction in Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Plants, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

KAUST Repository

Alshahri, Abdullah

2015-12-01

Desalination is considered to be a major source of usable water in the Middle East, especially the Gulf countries which lack fresh water resources. A key and sometimes the only solution to produce high quality water in these countries is through the use of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination technology. Membrane fouling is an economic and operational defect that impacts the performance of SWRO desalination technology. To limit this fouling phenomenon, it is important to implement the appropriate type of intake and pre-treatment system design. In this study, two types of systems were investigated, a vertical well system and a surface-water intake at a 9m depth. The purpose of this investigation is to study the impact of the different intake systems and pre-treatment stages in minimizing the concentrations of algae, bacteria, natural organic matter (NOM) and transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), in the feed water prior to pre-treatment, through the pre-treatment stages, and in the product water and concentrate. Water samples were collected from the surface seawater, the intakes (wells for site A, 9 m depth open ocean intake at site B), after the media filter, after the cartridge filter, and from the permeate and reject streams. The measured parameters included physical parameters, algae, bacteria, total organic carbon (TOC), fractions of dissolved NOM, particulate and colloidal TEP. The results of this study prove that the natural filtration and biological treatment of the seawater which occur in the aquifer matrix are very effective in improving the raw water quality to a significant degree. The results demonstrated that algae and biopolymers were 100% removed, the bacterial concentrations were significantly removed and roughly 50% or greater of TOC concentrations was eliminated by the aquifer matrix at site A. The aquifer feeding the vertical wells reduced TEP concentrations, but to differing degree. There is a slight decrease in the concentrations of

Spontaneous direct and reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valitov, N.Kh.

1996-01-01

It has been ascertained experimentally that in the course of separation of CsCl, KCl, NaCl aqueous solutions by semi-permeable membrane from distilled water the direct and then reverse osmosis are observed. The same sequence is observed in case of separation of CsCl aqueous solutions from NaCl of different concentrations. The reason for the direct and reverse osmosis has been explained. 5 refs.; 3 figs. 1 tab

Effectiveness of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) pretreatment systems in removing transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) substances

KAUST Repository

Lee, Shang-Tse

2015-05-01

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) have been reported as one of the main factors of membrane fouling in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) process. Research has been focused on algal TEP so far, overlooking bacterial TEP. This thesis investigated the effects of coagulation on removal of bacterial TEP/TEP precursors in seawater and subsequent reduction on TEP fouling in ultrafiltration (UF), as a pretreatment of SWRO. Furthermore, the performance of pretreatment (coagulation + UF) has been investigated on a bench-scale SWRO system. TEP/TEP precursors were harvested from a strain of marine bacteria, Pseudoalteromonas atlantica, isolated from the Red Sea. Isolated bacterial organic matter (BOM), containing 1.5 mg xanthan gum eq./L TEP/TEP precursors, were dosed in Red Sea water to mimic a high TEP concentration event. Bacterial TEP/TEP precursors added to seawater were coagulated with ferric chloride and aluminum sulfate at different dosages and pH. Results showed that ferric chloride had a better removal efficiency on TEP/TEP precursors. Afterwards, the non-coagulated/coagulated seawater were tested on a UF system at a constant flux of 130 L/m2h, using two types of commercially available membranes, with pore sizes of 50 kDa and 100 kDa, respectively. The fouling potential of coagulated water was determined by the Modified Fouling Index (MFI-UF). Transmembrane pressure (TMP) was also continuously monitored to investigate the fouling development on UF membranes. TEP concentrations in samples were determined by the alcian blue staining assay. Liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) was used to determine the removal of TEP precursors with particular emphasis on biopolymers. Finally, SWRO tests showed that TEP/TEP precursors had a high fouling potential as indicated by MFI-UF, corresponding to the TMP measurements. Coagulation could substantially reduce TEP/TEP precursors fouling in UF when its dosage was equal or higher than 0.2 mg Fe/L. The flux decline

Boiler feedwater treatment using reverse osmosis at Suncor OSG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, T.

1997-01-01

The installation of a new 1000 cu m/hr reverse osmosis water treatment system for boiler feedwater at a Suncor plant was discussed. The selection process began in 1993 when Suncor identified a need to increase its boiler feedwater capacity. The company reviewed many options available to increase the treated water capacity. These included: contracting the supply of treated water, adding additional capacity, replacing the entire plant, reverse osmosis, and demineralization. The eventual decision was to build a new 1000 cu m/hr reverse osmosis water treatment plant with the following key components: a Degremont Infilco Ultra Pulsator Clarifier and a Glegg Water Conditioning multimedia filter, Amberpack softeners and reverse osmosis arrays. The reverse osmosis plant was environmentally favourable over an equivalent demineralization plant. A technical comparison was provided between demineralization and reverse osmosis. The system has proven to be successful and economical in meeting the plants needs. 5 figs

Efficiently Combining Water Reuse and Desalination through Forward Osmosis-Reverse Osmosis (FO-RO) Hybrids: A Critical Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Blandin, Gaetan; Verliefde, Arne R D; Comas, Joaquim; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi; Le-Clech, Pierre

2016-07-01

Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising membrane technology to combine seawater desalination and water reuse. More specifically, in a FO-reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid process, high quality water recovered from the wastewater stream is used to dilute seawater before RO treatment. As such, lower desalination energy needs and/or water augmentation can be obtained while delivering safe water for direct potable reuse thanks to the double dense membrane barrier protection. Typically, FO-RO hybrid can be a credible alternative to new desalination facilities or to implementation of stand-alone water reuse schemes. However, apart from the societal (public perception of water reuse for potable application) and water management challenges (proximity of wastewater and desalination plants), FO-RO hybrid has to overcome technical limitation such as low FO permeation flux to become economically attractive. Recent developments (i.e., improved FO membranes, use of pressure assisted osmosis, PAO) demonstrated significant improvement in water flux. However, flux improvement is associated with drawbacks, such as increased fouling behaviour, lower rejection of trace organic compounds (TrOCs) in PAO operation, and limitation in FO membrane mechanical resistance, which need to be better considered. To support successful implementation of FO-RO hybrid in the industry, further work is required regarding up-scaling to apprehend full-scale challenges in term of mass transfer limitation, pressure drop, fouling and cleaning strategies on a module scale. In addition, refined economics assessment is expected to integrate fouling and other maintenance costs/savings of the FO/PAO-RO hybrid systems, as well as cost savings from any treatment step avoided in the water recycling.

Unlocking High-Salinity Desalination with Cascading Osmotically Mediated Reverse Osmosis: Energy and Operating Pressure Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xi; Yip, Ngai Yin

2018-02-20

Current practice of using thermally driven methods to treat hypersaline brines is highly energy-intensive and costly. While conventional reverse osmosis (RO) is the most efficient desalination technique, it is confined to purifying seawater and lower salinity sources. Hydraulic pressure restrictions and elevated energy demand render RO unsuitable for high-salinity streams. Here, we propose an innovative cascading osmotically mediated reverse osmosis (COMRO) technology to overcome the limitations of conventional RO. The innovation utilizes the novel design of bilateral countercurrent reverse osmosis stages to depress the hydraulic pressure needed by lessening the osmotic pressure difference across the membrane, and simultaneously achieve energy savings. Instead of the 137 bar required by conventional RO to desalinate 70 000 ppm TDS hypersaline feed, the highest operating pressure in COMRO is only 68.3 bar (-50%). Furthermore, up to ≈17% energy saving is attained by COMRO (3.16 kWh/m 3 , compared to 3.79 kWh/m 3 with conventional RO). When COMRO is employed to boost the recovery of seawater desalination to 70% from the typical 35-50%, energy savings of up to ≈33% is achieved (2.11 kWh/m 3 , compared to 3.16 kWh/m 3 with conventional RO). Again, COMRO can operate at a moderate hydraulic pressure of 80 bar (25% lower than 113 bar of conventional RO). This study highlights the encouraging potential of energy-efficient COMRO to access unprecedented high recovery rates and treat hypersaline brines at moderate hydraulic pressures, thus extending the capabilities of membrane-based technologies for high-salinity desalination.

Surface modification of seawater desalination reverse osmosis membranes: Characterization studies & performance evaluation

KAUST Repository

Matin, Asif

2014-06-01

In this work we report surface modification of commercial reverse osmosis membranes by depositing ultrathin copolymer coatings, which could potentially enhance the biofouling resistance of RO membranes. Hydrophilic monomer hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and a hydrophobic monomer, perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFDA) were copolymerized directly on the active layer of commercial aromatic polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membranes using an initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (iCVD) technique. Attenuated total reflective Fourier transform infrared spectra (ATR-FTIR) verified the successful modification of the membrane surfaces as a new FTIR adsorption band around 1730cm-1 corresponding to carbonyl groups in the copolymer film appeared after the deposition. X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis also confirmed the presence of the copolymer film on the membrane surface by showing strong fluorine peaks emanating from the fluorinated alkyl side chains of the PFA molecules. Contact angle measurements with deionized water showed the modified membrane surfaces to be initially very hydrophobic but quickly assumed a hydrophilic character within few minutes. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) revealed that the deposited films were smooth and conformal as the surface topology of the underlying membrane surface remained virtually unchanged after the deposition. FESEM images of the top surface also showed that the typical ridge-and-valley structure associated with polyamide remained intact after the deposition. Short-term permeation tests using DI water and 2000ppm NaCl water showed that the deposited copolymer coatings had negligible effect on permeate water flux and salt rejection. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Surface modification of commercial seawater reverse osmosis membranes by grafting of hydrophilic monomer blended with carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vatanpour, Vahid, E-mail: vahidvatanpour@khu.ac.ir; Zoqi, Naser

2017-02-28

Highlights: • A commercial PA RO membrane was modified by grafting of hydrophilic acrylic acid. • COOH-MWCNTs were mixed in grafting layer to increase permeability and antifouling. • However, more increase of CNTs caused in reduction of flux of the membranes. • Effect of acrylic acid amount, contact time and curing time was optimized. - Abstract: In this study, modification of commercial seawater reverse osmosis membranes was carried out with simultaneous use of surface grafting and nanoparticle incorporation. Membrane grafting with a hydrophilic acrylic acid monomer and thermal initiator was used to increase membrane surface hydrophilicity. The used nanomaterial was carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), which were dispersed in the grafting solution and deposited on membrane surface to reduce fouling by creating polymer brushes and hydrodynamic resistance. Effectiveness of the grafting process (formation of graft layer on membrane surface) was proved by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Increase of membrane surface hydrophilicity was approved with contact angle test. First, the grafting was performed on the membrane surfaces with different monomer concentrations, various contact times and several membrane curing times (three variables for optimization). The modified membranes were tested by a cross-flow setup using saline solution for permeability and rejection tests, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution for fouling test. The results showed that the modified membranes with 0.75 M of monomer, 3 min contact time and 80 min curing time in an oven at 50 °C presented the highest flux and lowest rejection decline related to the commercial reverse osmosis membrane. In the next step, the optimum grafting condition was selected and the nanotubes with different weight percentages were dispersed in the acrylic acid monomer solution. The membrane containing 0.25 wt% COOH-MWCNTs showed the

Surface modification of commercial seawater reverse osmosis membranes by grafting of hydrophilic monomer blended with carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vatanpour, Vahid; Zoqi, Naser

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A commercial PA RO membrane was modified by grafting of hydrophilic acrylic acid. • COOH-MWCNTs were mixed in grafting layer to increase permeability and antifouling. • However, more increase of CNTs caused in reduction of flux of the membranes. • Effect of acrylic acid amount, contact time and curing time was optimized. - Abstract: In this study, modification of commercial seawater reverse osmosis membranes was carried out with simultaneous use of surface grafting and nanoparticle incorporation. Membrane grafting with a hydrophilic acrylic acid monomer and thermal initiator was used to increase membrane surface hydrophilicity. The used nanomaterial was carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), which were dispersed in the grafting solution and deposited on membrane surface to reduce fouling by creating polymer brushes and hydrodynamic resistance. Effectiveness of the grafting process (formation of graft layer on membrane surface) was proved by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Increase of membrane surface hydrophilicity was approved with contact angle test. First, the grafting was performed on the membrane surfaces with different monomer concentrations, various contact times and several membrane curing times (three variables for optimization). The modified membranes were tested by a cross-flow setup using saline solution for permeability and rejection tests, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution for fouling test. The results showed that the modified membranes with 0.75 M of monomer, 3 min contact time and 80 min curing time in an oven at 50 °C presented the highest flux and lowest rejection decline related to the commercial reverse osmosis membrane. In the next step, the optimum grafting condition was selected and the nanotubes with different weight percentages were dispersed in the acrylic acid monomer solution. The membrane containing 0.25 wt% COOH-MWCNTs showed the

Bioluminescence-Based Method for Measuring Assimilable Organic Carbon in Pretreatment Water for Reverse Osmosis Membrane Desalination ▿

Science.gov (United States)

Weinrich, Lauren A.; Schneider, Orren D.; LeChevallier, Mark W.

2011-01-01

A bioluminescence-based assimilable organic carbon (AOC) test was developed for determining the biological growth potential of seawater within the reverse osmosis desalination pretreatment process. The test uses Vibrio harveyi, a marine organism that exhibits constitutive luminescence and is nutritionally robust. AOC was measured in both a pilot plant and a full-scale desalination plant pretreatment. PMID:21148685

Kinetic study of seawater reverse osmosis membrane fouling

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad

2013-10-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane fouling is not a static state but a dynamic phenomenon. The investigation of fouling kinetics and dynamics of change in the composition of the foulant mass is essential to elucidate the mechanism of fouling and foulant-foulant interactions. The aim of this work was to study at a lab scale the fouling process with an emphasis on the changes in the relative composition of foulant material as a function of operating time. Fouled membrane samples were collected at 8 h, and 1, 2, and 4 weeks on a lab-scale RO unit operated in recirculation mode. Foulant characterization was performed by CLSM, AFM, ATR-FTIR, pyrolysis GC-MS, and ICP-MS techniques. Moreover, measurement of active biomass and analysis of microbial diversity were performed by ATP analysis and DNA extraction, followed by pyro-sequencing, respectively. A progressive increase in the abundance of almost all the foulant species was observed, but their relative proportion changed over the age of the fouling layer. Microbial population in all the membrane samples was dominated by specific groups/species belonging to Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria phyla; however, similar to abiotic foulant, their relative abundance also changed with the biofilm age. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Full-scale simulation of seawater reverse osmosis desalination processes for boron removal: Effect of membrane fouling.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Pyung-Kyu; Lee, Sangho; Cho, Jae-Seok; Kim, Jae-Hong

2012-08-01

The objective of this study is to further develop previously reported mechanistic predictive model that simulates boron removal in full-scale seawater reverse osmosis (RO) desalination processes to take into account the effect of membrane fouling. Decrease of boron removal and reduction in water production rate by membrane fouling due to enhanced concentration polarization were simulated as a decrease in solute mass transfer coefficient in boundary layer on membrane surface. Various design and operating options under fouling condition were examined including single- versus double-pass configurations, different number of RO elements per vessel, use of RO membranes with enhanced boron rejection, and pH adjustment. These options were quantitatively compared by normalizing the performance of the system in terms of E(min), the minimum energy costs per product water. Simulation results suggested that most viable options to enhance boron rejection among those tested in this study include: i) minimizing fouling, ii) exchanging the existing SWRO elements to boron-specific ones, and iii) increasing pH in the second pass. The model developed in this study is expected to help design and optimization of the RO processes to achieve the target boron removal at target water recovery under realistic conditions where membrane fouling occurs during operation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recovery of uranium by a reverse osmosis process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cleary, J.G.; Stana, R.R.

1980-01-01

A method for concentrating and recovering uranium material from an aqueous solution, comprises passing a feed solution containing uranium through at least one reverse osmosis membrane system to concentrate the uranium, and then flushing the concentrated uranium solution with water in a reverse osmosis membrane system to further concentrate the uranium

Reverse osmosis and its use at the nuclear power plants. Purification of primary circuit coolant by the means of reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kus, Pavel; Vonkova, Katerina; Kunesova, Katerina; Bartova, Sarka; Skala, Martin; Moucha, Tomáš

2014-01-01

This contribution is focused on the use of membrane technologies (e.g. reverse osmosis) for the primary coolant purification at the nuclear power plants. Currently, boric acid present in the primary coolant is preconcentrated at the evaporators, but their operation is very inefficient and expensive. Therefore, reverse osmosis was proposed as one of promising methods possibly replacing evaporators. The aim of the purification process is to achieve boric acid solution of a defined concentration (40 g/l) in the retentate stream in order to recycle it and reuse it in the primary circuit. Additionally, permeate flow should consist solely of pure water. To study the efficiency of several reverse osmosis modulus in the boric acid removal form the water solutions, experimental apparatus was constructed in our laboratory. It consists of the solution reservoir, pump and reverse osmosis modulus. The arrangement of experiments was batch and the retentate flow was refluxed to the feed solution. Several modulus of commercial reverse osmosis membranes were tested. The feed solution contained various concentrations of H 3 BO 3 , KOH, LiOH and NH 3 in order to simulate real primary coolant composition. Based on the experimental results, mathematical model was developed in order to optimize experimental conditions for the best results in primary coolant purification and boric acid preconcentration. (author)

Reverse osmosis water purification system

Science.gov (United States)

Ahlstrom, H. G.; Hames, P. S.; Menninger, F. J.

1986-01-01

A reverse osmosis water purification system, which uses a programmable controller (PC) as the control system, was designed and built to maintain the cleanliness and level of water for various systems of a 64-m antenna. The installation operates with other equipment of the antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex. The reverse osmosis system was designed to be fully automatic; with the PC, many complex sequential and timed logic networks were easily implemented and are modified. The PC monitors water levels, pressures, flows, control panel requests, and set points on analog meters; with this information various processes are initiated, monitored, modified, halted, or eliminated as required by the equipment being supplied pure water.

RO-75, Reverse Osmosis Plant Design Optimization and Cost Optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glueckstern, P.; Reed, S.A.; Wilson, J.V.

1999-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: RO75 is a program for the optimization of the design and economics of one- or two-stage seawater reverse osmosis plants. 2 - Method of solution: RO75 evaluates the performance of the applied membrane module (productivity and salt rejection) at assumed operating conditions. These conditions include the site parameters - seawater salinity and temperature, the membrane module operating parameters - pressure and product recovery, and the membrane module predicted long-term performance parameters - lifetime and long flux decline. RO75 calculates the number of first and second stage (if applied) membrane modules needed to obtain the required product capacity and quality and evaluates the required pumping units and the power recovery turbine (if applied). 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The program does not optimize or design the membrane properties and the internal structure and flow characteristics of the membrane modules; it assumes operating characteristics defined by the membrane manufacturers

Learning Curve for Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plants: Capital Cost Trend of the Past, Present, and Future

Science.gov (United States)

Caldera, Upeksha; Breyer, Christian

2017-12-01

Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination is expected to play a pivotal role in helping to secure future global water supply. While the global reliance on SWRO plants for water security increases, there is no consensus on how the capital costs of SWRO plants will vary in the future. The aim of this paper is to analyze the past trends of the SWRO capital expenditures (capex) as the historic global cumulative online SWRO capacity increases, based on the learning curve concept. The SWRO capex learning curve is found based on 4,237 plants that came online from 1977 to 2015. A learning rate of 15% is determined, implying that the SWRO capex reduced by 15% when the cumulative capacity was doubled. Based on SWRO capacity annual growth rates of 10% and 20%, by 2030, the global average capex of SWRO plants is found to fall to 1,580 USD/(m3/d) and 1,340 USD/(m3/d), respectively. A learning curve for SWRO capital costs has not been presented previously. This research highlights the potential for decrease in SWRO capex with the increase in installation of SWRO plants and the value of the learning curve approach to estimate future SWRO capex.

Energy recovery by pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) in SWRO–PRO integrated processes

KAUST Repository

Wan, Chun Feng; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

2015-01-01

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to reduce the specific energy consumption of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. In this study, it is projected that 25.6-40.7millionkWh/day of energy can be recovered globally

Forward osmosis niches in seawater desalination and wastewater reuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Valladares Linares, R; Li, Z; Sarp, S; Bucs, Sz S; Amy, G; Vrouwenvelder, J S

2014-12-01

This review focuses on the present status of forward osmosis (FO) niches in two main areas: seawater desalination and wastewater reuse. Specific applications for desalination and impaired-quality water treatment and reuse are described, as well as the benefits, advantages, challenges, costs and knowledge gaps on FO hybrid systems are discussed. FO can play a role as a bridge to integrate upstream and downstream water treatment processes, to reduce the energy consumption of the entire desalination or water recovery and reuse processes, thus achieving a sustainable solution for the water-energy nexus. FO hybrid membrane systems showed to have advantages over traditional membrane process like high pressure reverse osmosis and nanofiltration for desalination and wastewater treatment: (i) chemical storage and feed water systems may be reduced for capital, operational and maintenance cost, (ii) water quality is improved, (iii) reduced process piping costs, (iv) more flexible treatment units, and (v) higher overall sustainability of the desalination and wastewater treatment process. Nevertheless, major challenges make FO systems not yet a commercially viable technology, the most critical being the development of a high flux membrane, capable of maintaining an elevated salt rejection and a reduced internal concentration polarization effect, and the availability of appropriate draw solutions (cost effective and non-toxic), which can be recirculated via an efficient recovery process. This review article highlights the features of hybrid FO systems and specifically provides the state-of-the-art applications in the water industry in a novel classification and based on the latest developments toward scaling up these systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forward osmosis niches in seawater desalination and wastewater reuse

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo

2014-12-01

This review focuses on the present status of forward osmosis (FO) niches in two main areas: seawater desalination and wastewater reuse. Specific applications for desalination and impaired-quality water treatment and reuse are described, as well as the benefits, advantages, challenges, costs and knowledge gaps on FO hybrid systems are discussed. FO can play a role as a bridge to integrate upstream and downstream water treatment processes, to reduce the energy consumption of the entire desalination or water recovery and reuse processes, thus achieving a sustainable solution for the water-energy nexus. FO hybrid membrane systems showed to have advantages over traditional membrane process like high pressure reverse osmosis and nanofiltration for desalination and wastewater treatment: (i) chemical storage and feed water systems may be reduced for capital, operational and maintenance cost, (ii) water quality is improved, (iii) reduced process piping costs, (iv) more flexible treatment units, and (v) higher overall sustainability of the desalination and wastewater treatment process. Nevertheless, major challenges make FO systems not yet a commercially viable technology, the most critical being the development of a high flux membrane, capable of maintaining an elevated salt rejection and a reduced internal concentration polarization effect, and the availability of appropriate draw solutions (cost effective and non-toxic), which can be recirculated via an efficient recovery process. This review article highlights the features of hybrid FO systems and specifically provides the state-of-the-art applications in the water industry in a novel classification and based on the latest developments toward scaling up these systems.

Forward Osmosis in India: Status and Comparison with Other Desalination Technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Dhruv; Gupta, Lovleen; Dhingra, Rijul

2014-01-01

With an increase in demand of freshwater and depleting water sources, it is imperative to switch to seawater as a regular source of water supply. However, due to the high total dissolved solid content, it has to be desalinated to make it drinkable. While desalination technologies have been used for many years, mass deployment of such technologies poses a number of challenges like high energy requirements as well as high negative environmental impact through side products and CO2 emissions. The purpose of this paper is to present a sustainable technology for desalination. Forward osmosis, an emerging technology, is compared with the other commonly used technologies worldwide, namely, multieffect distillation, multistage flash distillation, and reverse osmosis as well as other emerging technologies like vapour compression, solar humidification dehumidification, nanofiltration, and freezing desalination. As energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions are one of the major concerns of desalination, this paper concludes that forward osmosis is an emerging sustainable technology for seawater desalination. This paper then presents the challenges involved in the application of forward osmosis in India and presents a plant setup. In the end, the cost comparison of a forward osmosis and reverse osmosis plant has been done and it was concluded that forward osmosis is economically better as well.

Forward Osmosis in India: Status and Comparison with Other Desalination Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

With an increase in demand of freshwater and depleting water sources, it is imperative to switch to seawater as a regular source of water supply. However, due to the high total dissolved solid content, it has to be desalinated to make it drinkable. While desalination technologies have been used for many years, mass deployment of such technologies poses a number of challenges like high energy requirements as well as high negative environmental impact through side products and CO2 emissions. The purpose of this paper is to present a sustainable technology for desalination. Forward osmosis, an emerging technology, is compared with the other commonly used technologies worldwide, namely, multieffect distillation, multistage flash distillation, and reverse osmosis as well as other emerging technologies like vapour compression, solar humidification dehumidification, nanofiltration, and freezing desalination. As energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions are one of the major concerns of desalination, this paper concludes that forward osmosis is an emerging sustainable technology for seawater desalination. This paper then presents the challenges involved in the application of forward osmosis in India and presents a plant setup. In the end, the cost comparison of a forward osmosis and reverse osmosis plant has been done and it was concluded that forward osmosis is economically better as well. PMID:27350984

Heavy metal removal using reverse osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Gajdošová

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to study reverse osmosis characteristics for copper, nickel and zinc removal from technological aqueoussolutions. Reverse osmosis (RO is a separation process that uses pressure to force a solution through a membrane that retainsthe solute on one side and allows the pure solvent to pass to the other side. A polyamide thin-film composite membrane TW30-1812-50was used. The difference in flux decline is significant. There is a significant difference in flux decline depending on the anions of usedheavy metal salts. The heavy metal concentration also has a significant influence on the membrane separation. There is alsoa significant difference in flux decline depending on the transmembrane pressure.

Treatment of low-level radioactive waste liquid by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckley, L.P.; Sen Gupta, S.K.; Slade, J.A.

1995-01-01

The processing of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) liquids that result from operation of nuclear power plants with reverse osmosis systems is not common practice. A demonstration facility is operating at Chalk River Laboratories (of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited), processing much of the LLRW liquids generated at the site from a multitude of radioactive facilities, ranging from isotope production through decontamination operations and including chemical laboratory drains. The reverse osmosis system comprises two treatment steps--spiral wound reverse osmosis followed by tubular reverse osmosis--to achieve an average volume reduction factor of 30:1 and a removal efficiency in excess of 99% for most radioactive and chemical species. The separation allows the clean effluent to be discharged without further treatment. The concentrated waste stream of 3 wt% total solids is further processed to generate a solid product. The typical lifetimes of the membranes have been nearly 4000 hours, and replacement was required based on increased pressure drops and irreversible loss of permeate flux. Four years of operating experience with the reverse osmosis system, to demonstrate its practicality and to observe and record its efficiency, maintenance requirements and effectiveness, have proven it to be viable for volume reduction and concentration of LLRW liquids generated from nuclear-power-plant operations

Improvement of water desalination technologies in reverse osmosis plants

Science.gov (United States)

Vysotskii, S. P.; Konoval'chik, M. V.; Gul'ko, S. E.

2017-07-01

The strengthening of requirements for the protection of surface-water sources and increases in the cost of reagents lead to the necessity of using membrane (especially, reverse osmosis) technologies of water desalination as an alternative to ion-exchange technologies. The peculiarities of using reverse osmosis technologies in the desalination of waters with an increased salinity have been discussed. An analogy has been made between the dependence of the adsorptive capacity of ion-exchange resins on the reagent consumption during ion exchange and the dependence of the specific ion flux on the voltage in the electrodialysis and productivity of membrane elements on the excess of the pressure of source water over the osmotic pressure in reverse osmosis. It has been proposed to regulate the number of water desalination steps in reverse osmosis plants, which makes it possible to flexibly change the productivity of equipment and the level of desalinization, depending on the requirements for the technological process. It is shown that the selectivity of reverse osmotic membranes with respect to bivalent ions (calcium, magnesium, and sulfates) is approximately four times higher than the selectivity with respect to monovalent ions (sodium and chlorine). The process of desalination in reverse osmosis plants depends on operation factors, such as the salt content and ion composition of source water, the salt content of the concentrate, and the temperatures of solution and operating pressure, and the design features of devices, such as the length of the motion of the desalination water flux, the distance between membranes, and types of membranes and turbulators (spacers). To assess the influence of separate parameters on the process of reverse osmosis desalination of water solutions, we derived criteria equations by compiling problem solution matrices on the basis of the dimensional method, taking into account the Huntley complement. The operation of membrane elements was

Feasibility of Gallery Intake Systems for Seawater Reverse Osmosis Facilities along the Northern Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia

KAUST Repository

Dehwah, Abdullah

2012-03-01

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is dependent on desalination of seawater to provide new water supplies for the future. Desalination is expensive and it is very important to reduce the cost and lower the energy consumption. Most seawater reverse osmosis facilities use open-ocean intakes, which require extensive pre-treatment processes to remove particulate and biological materials that cause operating problems. An alternative intake is the subsurface system which utilizes the concept of riverbank filtration using wells or galleries and provides natural filtration to improve the quality of feedwater before it enters the desalination plant. This reduces operating cost and lowers energy consumption. Research was focused on evaluating gallery-type intakes (beach and seabed galleries) that could be used along the Northern Red Sea shoreline to provide a better quality feedwater for desalination. The geological characteristics of the visited sites were favorable for the development of seabed filter systems (offshore), but not for beach gallery intakes. The low wave energy along the shoreline and the presence of mud or rocky coasts made beach galleries infeasible. One of the potentially favorable sites for a seabed filter was located in the nearshore area at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). This site has a predominantly sandy offshore bottom with shallow water depths, and a low tide range. In addition, the bottom is always covered with water and contains soft limestone unit below the sand mantle that could be easy excavated to facilitate the construction of a seabed filter. About 50 sediment samples were collected from the site and laboratory measurements were performed on them. Grain size distribution, porosity and hydraulic conductivity measurements were performed on the sediment samples. In addition, six statistical methods were used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity values. Based on results of lab measurements, field observations, tide ranges and sediment types, it

Open-source CFD model for optimization of forward osmosis and reverse osmosis membrane modules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gruber, Mathias Felix; Aslak, Ulf; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus

2016-01-01

Osmotic membrane separation processes are based on using semi-permeable membranes to remove solutes from a given feed solution. This can happen either as Reverse Osmosis (RO) where a hydraulic pressure is applied to drive separation across the membrane, or as Forward Osmosis (FO) where osmotic...

Arsenic removal in drinking water by reverse osmosis

OpenAIRE

Ahmad, Md. Fayej

2012-01-01

Arsenic is widely distributed in nature in the air, water and soil. Acute and chronic arsenic exposure by drinking water has been reported in many countries, especially Argentina, Bangladesh, India, Mexico, Mongolia, Thailand and Taiwan. There are many techniques used to remove arsenic from drinking water. Among them reverse osmosis is widely used. Therefore the purpose of this study is to find the conditions favorable for removal of arsenic from drinking water by using reverse osmosis ...

A study on reverse osmosis permeating treatment for yarn dyeing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper presents a fuzzy linear regression model for estimation of reverse osmosis permeating parameters conditions. The proposed model can effectively take on non-crisp, fuzzy and crisp data. This study model used for estimation of reverse osmosis permeating parameters data from Tirupur examines the variables that ...

Removal of radionuclides from liquid streams by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deshmukh, U.A.; Ramachandhran, V.; Misra, B.M.

1987-01-01

Separation of radionuclides in trace concentrations by cellulose acetate membranes has been under investigation in this laboratory, and the behaviour of some important radionuclides such as 137 Cs and 90 Sr under reverse osmosis has been reported earlier. The present work deals with a few other typical radionuclides such as 60 Co, 103 Ru and 131 I which are not fully amenable to conventional methods for their removal. Separation of these radionuclides from liquid streams by the reverse osmosis process was studied using a small reverse osmosis test cell. Various parameters like membrane porosity, applied pressure and feed activity levels were investigated. Cellulose acetate membranes offer reasonable separation of 60 Co, 103 Ru and 131 I radionuclides, indicating the potential of reverse osmosis for treatment of effluents containing these radioisotopes. The percent separation is found to be in the order of Co > Ru > I. The percent radioactive separation improves with increases in feed activity. The performance data are explained in terms of solution-diffusion mechanism. It appears that the separation of radionuclides is not governed by diffusion alone, but by the interaction of solutes with the membranes. (author)

New Dynamic Library of Reverse Osmosis Plants with Fault Simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luis, Palacin; Fernando, Tadeo; Cesar, de Prada; Elfil, Hamza

2009-01-01

This paper presents an update of a dynamic library of reverse osmosis plants (ROSIM). This library has been developed in order to be used for optimization, simulation, controller testing or fault detection strategies and a simple fault tolerant control is tested. ROSIM is based in a set of components representing the different units of a typical reverse osmosis plant (as sand filters, cartridge filters, exchanger energy recoveries, pumps, membranes, storage tanks, control systems, valves, etc.). Different types of fouling (calcium carbonate, iron hydroxide, biofouling) have been added and the mathematical model of the reverse osmosis membranes, proposed in the original library, has been improved.

Reverse-osmosis membranes by plasma polymerization

Science.gov (United States)

Hollahan, J. R.; Wydeven, T.

1972-01-01

Thin allyl amine polymer films were developed using plasma polymerization. Resulting dry composite membranes effectively reject sodium chloride during reverse osmosis. Films are 98% sodium chloride rejective, and 46% urea rejective.

Solar Desalination System Model for Sizing of Photovoltaic Reverse Osmosis (PVRO)

KAUST Repository

Habib, Abdulelah; Zamani, Vahraz; Kleissl, Jan

2015-01-01

loads, are considered as an ON/OFF units to track these solar energy variations. Reverse osmosis units are different in sizes and numbers. Various combinations of reverse osmosis units in size and capacity provide different water desalination system

Solar Desalination System Model for Sizing of Photovoltaic Reverse Osmosis (PVRO)

KAUST Repository

Habib, Abdulelah

2015-06-28

The focus of this paper is to optimize the solar energy utilization in the water desalination process. Due to variable nature of solar energy, new system design is needed to address this challenge. Here, reverse osmosis units, as the electrical loads, are considered as an ON/OFF units to track these solar energy variations. Reverse osmosis units are different in sizes and numbers. Various combinations of reverse osmosis units in size and capacity provide different water desalination system performances. To assess each scenario of reverse osmosis units, the total capital cost and operation and maintenance (O&M) cost are considered. The implemented optimization algorithm search all of the possible scenarios to find the best solution. This paper deploys the solar irradiance data which is provided from west coast (Red Sea) of Saudi Arabia for model construction and optimization algorithm implementation.

CAPSULE REPORT: REVERSE OSMOSIS PROCESS

Science.gov (United States)

A failure analysis has been completed for the reverse osmosis (RO) process. The focus was on process failures that result in releases of liquids and vapors to the environment. The report includes the following: 1) A description of RO and coverage of the principles behind the proc...

Seawater desalination by reveised osmosis - state of the art, experiences, outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boeddeker, K.W.

1979-01-01

Although membrane processing is rapidly gaining acceptance in general water treatment, and in spite of distinct advantages as compared to distillation, water desalination by reserve osmosis is still a relatively minor proposition. With reference to the practical implications of the process the situation of brackish water and seawater desalting is discussed using available resp. projected cost figures, arriving at an orientational shceme for cost estimates. (orig.) [de

Reverse osmosis based water treatment and purification systems for nuclear power installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epimakhov, V.N.; Olejnik, M.S.; Moskvin, L.N.

2004-01-01

Experiments on the realization and service of specialized water treatment and purification plants based on the principle of reverse osmosis filtration of water at the NPU benches of the A.P. Aleksandrov Scientific Research Technological Institute (SRTI) are analyzed. Membrane-sorption unit including module of micro-, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and ion exchange with productivity to 0.5 m 3 /h is developed and operated at SRTI. It is demonstrated that reverse osmosis purification of manufacturing water significantly improves service conditions of NPU and decreases salinity [ru

Reverse osmosis separation of radium from dilute aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramanian, K.S.; Sastri, V.S.

1980-01-01

Porous cellulose acetate membranes obtained from Osmonics Inc. were characterized in terms of pure water permeability constant, solute transport parameter, and mass transfer coefficient with aqueous sodium chloride solution as the reference system. Reverse osmosis separation behavior of radium-226 as nitrate, chloride, and sulfate salts was studied. Reverse osmosis method of removing radium-226 from aqueous solutions has been compared with other methods, and it has been shown to be one of the best methods for alleviating radium contamination problems

The treatment of radioactive aqueous wastes by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgson, T.D.

Experiments were carried out to determine the rejection factors for the more important radionuclides found in aqueous wastes, to study activity deposition within reverse osmosis modules, and to obtain experience in active operation of a reverse osmosis facility. It was found that reverse osmosis is likely to be useful in aqueous radioactive waste treatment when a wide range of contaminants rather than a specific radioactive species must be removed. There appeared to be no barrier to active operation, although greater confidence in the reliability of pumps and membranes is needed. The rejection of trace quantities of radioisotopes such as Cs + or Sr ++ could be predicted from the behaviour of similar inactive ions. Activity present as polyvalent ions or colloidal aggregates is highly rejected by the membrane. Activity may be deposited onto the membrane with insoluble or scaling compounds, and is greatest on areas of the membrane shielded from the sweeping action of the liquor flow

Novel technologies for reverse osmosis concentrate treatment: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Joo, Sung Hee; Tansel, Berrin

2015-03-01

Global water shortages due to droughts and population growth have created increasing interest in water reuse and recycling and, concomitantly, development of effective water treatment processes. Pressured membrane processes, in particular reverse osmosis, have been adopted in water treatment industries and utilities despite the relatively high operational cost and energy consumption. However, emerging contaminants are present in reverse osmosis concentrate in higher concentrations than in the feed water, and have created challenges for treatment of the concentrate. Further, standards and guidelines for assessment and treatment of newly identified contaminants are currently lacking. Research is needed regarding the treatment and disposal of emerging contaminants of concern in reverse osmosis concentrate, in order to develop cost-effective methods for minimizing potential impacts on public health and the environment. This paper reviews treatment options for concentrate from membrane processes. Barriers to emerging treatment options are discussed and novel treatment processes are evaluated based on a literature review. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ozonation of nanofiltration permeate of whey before processing by reverse osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zmievskii Yurii G.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available During nanofiltration processing of whey a significant amount of permeate is generated. In some cases this permeate is treated by reverse osmosis to get purified water for technological needs. Dry substances are not used, because they contain practically the same amount of organic and inorganic components. Mineral substances can be used for the mineralization of drinking water purified by reverse osmosis. However, the presence of organic compounds complicates the process of separation, as well as reduces the specific productivity of reverse osmosis membranes at the concentration stage. Therefore, the search for methods of destruction and removal of organic components is grounded. In the presented work, experimental studies of ozonation and sorption of organic compounds by activated carbon were carried. It has been shown that ozonation improves the degree of sorption purification by six times. Sequential treatment with ozone and subsequent filtration through the layer of activated carbon improves the specific productivity of reverse osmosis membranes by 30% at the stage of treatment of the nanofiltration permeate, while their selectivity remains unchanged.

An experiment with spiral wound reverse osmosis membranes for the Desalination of seawater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.N.A. Hawlader Hawlader,

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In the research, the performance characteristics of Reverse Osmosis (RO Spiral Wound (SW membrane are evaluated. The effects of feed water concentration, temperature, pressure and flow rate on the performance of this membrane are investigated. The product recovery ( of SW membrane is found to increase with feed water temperature and pressure, but decrease with increasing feed water concentration and flow rate. Salt passage (SP increases with feed water temperature and concentration, but decreases with increasing feed pressure and flow rate. Under the tested feed water conditions, of SW varies from 6% - 18% and permeate salinity is approximately 130ppm. In addition, validity of the Complete Mixing Model is verified and successfully extended to the derivation of water and salt transport parameters of SW membrane. Plots of I/SR' versus l/Jw display linear relationships, as predicted in the model.

Energy consumption for sugar manufacturing. Part I: Evaporation versus reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madaeni, S.S.; Zereshki, S.

2010-01-01

Removing water from various feeds is usually carried out using evaporation process especially in food industry. Due to the high latent heat of water, this unit operation results in consumption of unacceptable amount of energy. Finding low energy consuming processes which could be replaced with this process is still a challenge. The processes with no phase inversion may be considered for concentration purposes with reasonable energy consumption in comparison with the other various separation procedures. Reverse osmosis and most of the other membrane technologies are separation techniques without any change in the phase and therefore consume low amount of energy. Concentrating the sugar thin juice in the classical sugar manufacturing procedure is carried out using conventional evaporation. Reverse osmosis membranes may be used as a pre-concentration step to partially separate water from the sugar thin juice in combination with this part of the plant. Final concentration and thick juice preparation for crystallization may be carried out in the evaporation unit. In this study, membranes were employed for sugar thin juice concentration using a two-stage reverse osmosis process in two different arrangements. The energy consumption was calculated and compared for conventional evaporation versus reverse osmosis combined with evaporation. The results indicate that the employment of reverse osmosis membranes for concentrating the sugar thin juice leads to sensibly lower energy requirements. Furthermore, there is no thermal loss of sugar in the membrane process.

Indirect desalination of Red Sea water with forward osmosis and low pressure reverse osmosis for water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor; Li, Zhenyu; Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Li, Qingyu; Amy, Gary L.

2011-01-01

The use of energy still remains the main component of the costs of desalting water. Forward osmosis (FO) can help to reduce the costs of desalination, and extracting water from impaired sources can be beneficial in this regard. Experiments with FO membranes using a secondary wastewater effluent as a feed water and Red Sea water as a draw solution demonstrated that the technology is promising. FO coupled with low pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) was implemented for indirect desalination. The system consumes only 50% (~1.5 kWh/m3) of the energy used for high pressure seawater RO (SWRO) desalination (2.5-4 kWh/m3), and produces a good quality water extracted from the impaired feed water. Fouling of the FO membranes was not a major issue during long-term experiments over 14 days. After 10 days of continuous FO operation, the initial flux declined by 28%. Cleaning the FO membranes with air scouring and clean water recovered the initial flux by 98.8%. A cost analysis revealed FO per se as viable technology. However, a minimum average FO flux of 10.5 L/m2-h is needed to compete with water reuse using UF-LPRO, and 5.5 L/m2-h is needed to recover and desalinate water at less cost than SWRO. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Indirect desalination of Red Sea water with forward osmosis and low pressure reverse osmosis for water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor

2011-10-01

The use of energy still remains the main component of the costs of desalting water. Forward osmosis (FO) can help to reduce the costs of desalination, and extracting water from impaired sources can be beneficial in this regard. Experiments with FO membranes using a secondary wastewater effluent as a feed water and Red Sea water as a draw solution demonstrated that the technology is promising. FO coupled with low pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) was implemented for indirect desalination. The system consumes only 50% (~1.5 kWh/m3) of the energy used for high pressure seawater RO (SWRO) desalination (2.5-4 kWh/m3), and produces a good quality water extracted from the impaired feed water. Fouling of the FO membranes was not a major issue during long-term experiments over 14 days. After 10 days of continuous FO operation, the initial flux declined by 28%. Cleaning the FO membranes with air scouring and clean water recovered the initial flux by 98.8%. A cost analysis revealed FO per se as viable technology. However, a minimum average FO flux of 10.5 L/m2-h is needed to compete with water reuse using UF-LPRO, and 5.5 L/m2-h is needed to recover and desalinate water at less cost than SWRO. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Membrane-based seawater desalination: Present and future prospects

KAUST Repository

Amy, Gary L.

2016-10-20

Given increasing regional water scarcity and that almost half of the world\\'s population lives within 100 km of an ocean, seawater represents a virtually infinite water resource. However, its exploitation is presently limited by the significant specific energy consumption (kWh/m) required by conventional desalination technologies, further exasperated by high unit costs ($/m) and environmental impacts including GHG emissions (g CO-eq/m), organism impingement/entrainment through intakes, and brine disposal through outfalls. This paper explores the state-of-the-art in present seawater desalination practice, emphasizing membrane-based technologies, while identifying future opportunities in step improvements to conventional technologies and development of emerging, potentially disruptive, technologies through advances in material science, process engineering, and system integration. In this paper, seawater reverse osmosis (RO) serves as the baseline conventional technology. The discussion extends beyond desalting processes into membrane-based salinity gradient energy production processes, which can provide an energy offset to desalination process energy requirements. The future membrane landscape in membrane-based desalination and salinity gradient energy is projected to include ultrahigh permeability RO membranes, renewable-energy driven desalination, and emerging processes including closed-circuit RO, membrane distillation, forward osmosis, pressure retarded osmosis, and reverse electrodialysis according various niche applications and/or hybrids, operating separately or in conjunction with RO.

Controlling Biofouling in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dhakal, N.

2017-01-01

Seawater desalination is a rapidly growing coastal industry that is increasingly threatened by algal blooms. Depending on the severity of algal blooms, desalination systems may be forced to shut down because of clogging and/or poor feed water quality. To maintain stable operation and provide good

Inorganic fouling mitigation by salinity cycling in batch reverse osmosis

OpenAIRE

Maswadeh, Laith A.; Warsinger, David Elan Martin; Tow, Emily W.; Connors, Grace B.; Swaminathan, Jaichander; Lienhard, John H

2018-01-01

Enhanced fouling resistance has been observed in recent variants of reverse osmosis (RO) desalination which use time-varying batch or semi-batch processes, such as closed-circuit RO (CCRO) and pulse flow RO (PFRO). However, the mechanisms of batch processes' fouling resistance are not well-understood, and models have not been developed for prediction of their fouling performance. Here, a framework for predicting reverse osmosis fouling is developed by comparing the fluid residence time in bat...

Advanced Control Synthesis for Reverse Osmosis Water Desalination Processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Phuc, Bui Duc Hong; You, Sam-Sang; Choi, Hyeung-Six; Jeong, Seok-Kwon

2017-11-01

  In this study, robust control synthesis has been applied to a reverse osmosis desalination plant whose product water flow and salinity are chosen as two controlled variables. The reverse osmosis process has been selected to study since it typically uses less energy than thermal distillation. The aim of the robust design is to overcome the limitation of classical controllers in dealing with large parametric uncertainties, external disturbances, sensor noises, and unmodeled process dynamics. The analyzed desalination process is modeled as a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system with varying parameters. The control system is decoupled using a feed forward decoupling method to reduce the interactions between control channels. Both nominal and perturbed reverse osmosis systems have been analyzed using structured singular values for their stabilities and performances. Simulation results show that the system responses meet all the control requirements against various uncertainties. Finally the reduced order controller provides excellent robust performance, with achieving decoupling, disturbance attenuation, and noise rejection. It can help to reduce the membrane cleanings, increase the robustness against uncertainties, and lower the energy consumption for process monitoring.

Research on rejection performance of reverse osmosis to nickel in simulated radioactive wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong Jinsong; Wang Xiaowei

2013-01-01

In order to reveal the rejection performance of the reverse osmosis applied in the radioactive wastewater treatment, treatment experiments were carried out on a pilot reverse osmosis equipment using wastewater containing nickel nuclide. Results showed that the rejection ratio of reverse osmosis to nickel was almost not affected by the operation pressure and the ratio of reclaiming, and had no direct relation with the salt rejection ratio. The ratio of nickel rejection reached 95% in the experiment condition and could meet the requirement on the disposal of radioactive wastewater produced by nuclear powered installations. (authors)

Research on rejection performance of reverse osmosis to cobalt in simulated radioactive wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong Jinsong; Tian Yanjie

2012-01-01

In order to reveal the rejection performance of the reverse osmosis applied in the radioactive wastewater treatment, treatment experiments were carried out on a pilot reverse osmosis equipment using wastewater containing cobalt nuclide. Results showed that the rejection ratio of reverse osmosis to cobalt was almost not affected by the operation pressure and the ratio of reclaiming, and had no direct relation with the salt rejection ratio. The ratio of cobalt rejection reached 90% in the experiment condition and could meet the requirement on the disposal of radioactive wastewater produced by nuclear powered installations. (authors)

Modeling pH variation in reverse osmosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nir, Oded; Bishop, Noga Fridman; Lahav, Ori; Freger, Viatcheslav

2015-12-15

The transport of hydronium and hydroxide ions through reverse osmosis membranes constitutes a unique case of ionic species characterized by uncommonly high permeabilities. Combined with electromigration, this leads to complex behavior of permeate pH, e.g., negative rejection, as often observed for monovalent ions in nanofiltration of salt mixtures. In this work we employed a rigorous phenomenological approach combined with chemical equilibrium to describe the trans-membrane transport of hydronium and hydroxide ions along with salt transport and calculate the resulting permeate pH. Starting from the Nernst-Planck equation, a full non-linear transport equation was derived, for which an approximate solution was proposed based on the analytical solution previously developed for trace ions in a dominant salt. Using the developed approximate equation, transport coefficients were deduced from experimental results obtained using a spiral wound reverse osmosis module operated under varying permeate flux (2-11 μm/s), NaCl feed concentrations (0.04-0.18 M) and feed pH values (5.5-9.0). The approximate equation agreed well with the experimental results, corroborating the finding that diffusion and electromigration, rather than a priori neglected convection, were the major contributors to the transport of hydronium and hydroxide. The approach presented here has the potential to improve the predictive capacity of reverse osmosis transport models for acid-base species, thereby improving process design/control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reverse osmosis membrane allows in situ regeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonhomme, N.; Menjeaud, C.; Poyet, C.

1989-01-01

The use of mineral membranes on metallic supports has provided a novel solution to the problem of filtration by the reverse osmosis process. A new reverse osmosis membrane is described which is capable of resisting high operational temperatures (120 0 C), fluctuations in pH(3 to 12) and high pressure (100 bar), as well as significant chlorine concentrations. In addition, the membrane can be regenerated in-situ on the same porous metal support. Numerous membranes can thus be used over the multi-year life of the porous support. Moreover, accidental damage to the membrane is of no great consequence as the membrane itself can be easily replaced. The life of the installation can thus be extended and the overall cost of filtration reduced. The membrane's various applications include water and effluent treatment in the nuclear power industry. (author)

Boron in reverse osmosis water desalination: current situational and applying technologies for its removal; El boro en las aguas desaladas por osmosis inversa: situacion actual y tecnologias aplicables para su eliminacion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigo Sanz, M.; Penate Suarez, B.

2007-07-01

In most of the seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants operating in one stage, the water produced presents values bordering or exceeding the limit established by the Spanish legislation for boron content of 1mg/l. As well as on the intrinsic features of the membrane elements, the boron removal in the desalination process depends on various factors. In this article the most relevant ones are described and a synopsis of the applied technologies and designs is introduced in order to fulfil current regulations. (Author)

Separation of mixtures of organic substance using reverse osmosis membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kimura, Shoji; Nakao, Shin' ichi; Tanimura, Shinobu

1987-12-25

With the arrival of energy crisis, attention has been concentrated on the production of alcohol by means of biomass conversion. Energy-saving concentration method was searched to replace a distillation method as a method of concentrating dilute alcohols, for which a reverse osmosis method was proposed; experimental results have been reported accordingly. One result is that the osmotic pressure method has a limitation of difficulty to exceed more than 15% concentration. For this, the reverse osmosis was reviewed and it was found that wider concentration range should be examined for the area where the reverse osmosis was not experimented. Fils employed were a polyamide film of Nitto Denko Co. and an acrylonitrile film of sumitomo Chemical Co.. The result revealed that alcohol could be concentrated up to rather high concentration in alcohol-water system; even in a non-aqueous system, separation with high selective permeability was possible by the proper selection of film materials. (4 figs, 2 refs)

Calcium carbonate scaling in seawater desalination by ammonia-carbon dioxide forward osmosis: Mechanism and implications

KAUST Repository

Li, Zhenyu

2015-02-07

Forward osmosis (FO) is an osmotically driven membrane process, where the membrane separates a draw solution (DS) with high salinity from a feed solution (FS) with low salinity. There can be a counter direction flow of salt (i.e., salt leakage) that may interact with the water flux through the FO membrane. For the first time reported, this study describes a new calcium carbonate scaling phenomenon in the seawater FO desalination process using ammonium bicarbonate as the DS. The scaling on the membrane surface at the feed side is caused by the interaction between an anion reversely diffused from the DS and a cation present in the FS, causing a significant decline of the water flux. The composition of the scaling layer is dominated by the solubility (represented as solubility product constant, Ksp) of salt formed by the paired anion and cation. Membrane surface morphology plays a crucial role in the reversibility of the scaling. If the scaling occurs on the active layer of the FO membrane, hydraulic cleaning (increasing crossflow velocity) efficiency to restore the water flux is up to 82%. When scaling occurs on the support layer of the FO membrane, the hydraulic cleaning efficiency is strongly reduced, with only 36% of the water flux recovered. The present study reveals the risk of scaling induced by the interaction of feed solute and draw solute, which is different from the scaling caused by the supersaturation in reverse osmosis and other FO studies reported. The scaling investigated in this study can occur with a very low solute concentration at an early stage of the FO process. This finding provides an important implication for selection of draw solution and development of new membranes in the FO process.

A Method for Seawater Desalination via Squeezing Ionic Hydrogels.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Chi; Wang, Yanhong; Lang, Xuemei; Fan, Shuanshi

2016-12-06

In this study, mechanical force applied to squeeze poly(sodium acrylate-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels that contained seawater in order to obtain fresh water. By incorporating ionic monomer sodium acrylate (SA) into hydrogels, the salt rejection was significantly enhanced from 27.62% to 64.57% (feed concentration 35.00g/L NaCl solution). As SA's concentration continuously increased, salt rejection declined due to the change in hydrogel's matrix structure. Therefore, water recovery raised as the current swelling degree increased. We also measured pore size distribution by applying mercury intrusion porosimetry on each hydrogel sample in the interest of finding out whether the sample SA5/HEMA15 owned multi pore structure, since the result could be good for the desalination performance. After 4 times reused, the hydrogel remained good desalination performance. Although compared to reverse osmosis (RO) and multistage flash distillation (MSF) & multiple effect distillation (MED) the salt rejection of this hydrogel (roughly 64%) seemed low, the hydrogels can be used for forward osmosis and reverse osmosis, as pretreatment of seawater to reduce the energy consumption for the downstream.

Purification and decontamination of a caustic water by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plock, C.E.; Travis, T.N.

1981-01-01

A reverse osmosis pilot plant was used to decontaminate a caustic water containing low concentrations of uranium, plutonium, and americium. The concentrations of the plutonium and americium were less than one picocurie per liter in the product water. The concentrations of the uranium was reduced to 4.4 picocuries per liter in the product water, which is a reduction of greater than 99%. The reverse osmosis pilot plant was operated at a 98% water recovery, which produced 25,000 gallons per day of product water

Research on safety of reverse osmosis to treat radioactive wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong Jinsong; Tian Yanjie

2012-01-01

The security of reverse osmosis combined with a pretreatment process of disc filtration-ultrafiltration to treat the radioactive wastewater was analyzed and evaluated. Several aspects including reliability and security during operation, maintenance and decommissioning were investigated in this paper. Results showed that safe operation can be ensured by rational process design and scientific management. Estimation on radiation safety showed that the absorbed dose rate is below 0.04 mSv/h on the surface of reverse osmosis module, which can ensure the radiation safety of operators. (authors)

Application of reverse osmosis membrane for separation of toxic metal in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syahril Ahmad

2010-01-01

Experimental separation of toxic metal in water has been done using reverse osmosis membrane made from composite material. Experiment was done by simulation in which metals that will be observed solved with water in different concentration and then used as feed solution in reverse osmosis process. Metals observed were Cr"6"+, Mn"2"+ and Pb"2"+ and reverse osmosis process was done at pressure of 40 Bar for all metals. Experiment result showed that value of feed solution concentration would affect flux and coefficient rejection of membrane. Composite membrane with polyacrylamide as active layer of membrane can reject metals observed with value of rejection coefficient more than 90%, except for Mn"2"+metal that have concentration 250 ppm and 500 ppm. (author)

Application of positron annihilation technique to reverse osmosis membrane materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimazu, A.; Ikeda, K.; Miyazaki, T.; Ito, Y.

2000-01-01

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy has been adopted as a new approach for studying vacancies of reverse osmosis membrane materials composed of cellulose acetate films and aromatic polyamide resins. The intensity of the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) lifetime increased with the amount of vacancies determined using N 2 isotherm at -195 deg. C. Changes of vacancy profiles induced by heat treatment in the cellulose acetate films were detected using o-Ps. It was found that the positron annihilation technique is applicable to the study of vacancy profiles associated with salt selectivity in typical reverse osmosis membranes.

Studies on the reverse osmosis treatment of uranyl nitrate solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prabhakar, S.; Panicker, S.T.; Misra, B.M.; Ramani, P.S.

1992-01-01

The aqueous effluent generated in uranium processing, particularly in the nuclear fuel fabrication step, contains mainly uranium nitrate. This requires treatment before discharge into the environment to meet stringent standards. This paper presents the performance of cellulose acetate membranes with regard to rejection of uranium under reverse osmotic conditions for feed concentrations up to 200 mg/l of uranium, which corresponds to the levels normally prevalent in the effluents. The use of additives like the disodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and sodium sulfate for the improvement of reverse osmosis performance of the above membranes was also investigated. In the light of the experimental results, the suitability of reverse osmosis for the decontamination of uranium effluents is discussed

Chemical treatment of commercial reverse osmosis membranes for use in FO

Science.gov (United States)

Commercially available reverse osmosis (RO) membranes – SW30HR, BW30, and AG – were chemically treated for use in forward osmosis (FO). Nitric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, ethanol, and ethanol–acid–water ternary solutions were employed for the treatment. All three membra...

The effect of flow and chemical corrosion in reverse osmosis over desalinated water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young Jae [Chunnam National Univ., Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Pak, Byung Gu [Doosan Heavy Industry Co., Tongyoung (Korea, Republic of)

2015-12-15

Desalinated water produced by a reverse osmosis (RO) filtering method forms about 22% of total production of desalinated water in the world. However, the RO environment is very corrosive due to the presence of various chemicals for water treatment and the flow of sand particles leading to corrosion. Recently, there has been much effort to substitute cheaper and more corrosion resistant stainless steels for copper based alloys as a valve material in RO. Nevertheless, the effects of chemicals and particles on the corrosion of stainless steels have rarely been studied. Erosion phenomenon was detected under the condition with the flow rate of more than 8ms{sup -1} in spite of the absence of sand particles. In seawater containing sand particles, the erosion in stainless steels was accelerated further.

Fouling effects of tri-n-butylphosphate on reverse osmosis performance and techniques for performance recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poy, F.L.

1987-01-01

The F/H Effluent Treatment Facility (F/H ETF) must be on-line by November 1988 to treat the low level activity wastes presently being discharged to the F- and H- areas' seepage basins. The three main processes of the F/H ETF are filtration, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange. Any dissolved organics present in the F/H ETF's feed have the potential to affect operation of the reverse osmosis system. Earlier studies with F/H ETF feed simulant and 70 volume percent kerosene and 30 volume percent tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) additions showed that the kerosene/TBP mixture results in partial fouling of reverse osmosis membranes. A more detailed analysis of the seepage basin feed has shown that TBP is the major dissolved organic compound. Since it is dissolved (soluble to about 400 ppM at 25 degree C), TBP will be present in the reverse osmosis feed unless removed by a means other than filtration. Thus the fouling effect of TBP (without kerosene) on reverse osmosis performance was investigated. 4 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

Calculation of separation selectivity of aqueous electrolytic solutions with reverse osmosis membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ognevskij, A.V.; Fomichev, S.V.; Khvostov, V.F.; Kochergin, N.V.; AN SSSR, Moscow

1988-01-01

Viscosity and dielectric permittivity of a bound water layer in micropores of cellulose acetate membranes used for electrolyte ion separation by reverse osmosis method are calculated using the water cluster model and the proposed structural temperature parameter. Based on the model representations presented an algorithmof reverse osmosis membrane selectivity calculation in diluted aqueous solutions ofelectrolytes containing Cs + , Sr 2+ , I - and other ions is constructed

Predicting flux decline of reverse osmosis membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schippers, J.C.; Hanemaayer, J.H.; Smolders, C.A.; Kostense, A.

1981-01-01

A mathematical model predicting flux decline of reverse osmosis membranes due to colloidal fouling has been verified. This mathema- tical model is based on the theory of cake or gel filtration and the Modified Fouling Index (MFI). Research was conducted using artificial colloidal solutions and a

Efficiently Combining Water Reuse and Desalination through Forward Osmosis—Reverse Osmosis (FO-RO Hybrids: A Critical Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaetan Blandin

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Forward osmosis (FO is a promising membrane technology to combine seawater desalination and water reuse. More specifically, in a FO-reverse osmosis (RO hybrid process, high quality water recovered from the wastewater stream is used to dilute seawater before RO treatment. As such, lower desalination energy needs and/or water augmentation can be obtained while delivering safe water for direct potable reuse thanks to the double dense membrane barrier protection. Typically, FO-RO hybrid can be a credible alternative to new desalination facilities or to implementation of stand-alone water reuse schemes. However, apart from the societal (public perception of water reuse for potable application and water management challenges (proximity of wastewater and desalination plants, FO-RO hybrid has to overcome technical limitation such as low FO permeation flux to become economically attractive. Recent developments (i.e., improved FO membranes, use of pressure assisted osmosis, PAO demonstrated significant improvement in water flux. However, flux improvement is associated with drawbacks, such as increased fouling behaviour, lower rejection of trace organic compounds (TrOCs in PAO operation, and limitation in FO membrane mechanical resistance, which need to be better considered. To support successful implementation of FO-RO hybrid in the industry, further work is required regarding up-scaling to apprehend full-scale challenges in term of mass transfer limitation, pressure drop, fouling and cleaning strategies on a module scale. In addition, refined economics assessment is expected to integrate fouling and other maintenance costs/savings of the FO/PAO-RO hybrid systems, as well as cost savings from any treatment step avoided in the water recycling.

Efficiently Combining Water Reuse and Desalination through Forward Osmosis—Reverse Osmosis (FO-RO) Hybrids: A Critical Review

Science.gov (United States)

Blandin, Gaetan; Verliefde, Arne R.D.; Comas, Joaquim; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi; Le-Clech, Pierre

2016-01-01

Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising membrane technology to combine seawater desalination and water reuse. More specifically, in a FO-reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid process, high quality water recovered from the wastewater stream is used to dilute seawater before RO treatment. As such, lower desalination energy needs and/or water augmentation can be obtained while delivering safe water for direct potable reuse thanks to the double dense membrane barrier protection. Typically, FO-RO hybrid can be a credible alternative to new desalination facilities or to implementation of stand-alone water reuse schemes. However, apart from the societal (public perception of water reuse for potable application) and water management challenges (proximity of wastewater and desalination plants), FO-RO hybrid has to overcome technical limitation such as low FO permeation flux to become economically attractive. Recent developments (i.e., improved FO membranes, use of pressure assisted osmosis, PAO) demonstrated significant improvement in water flux. However, flux improvement is associated with drawbacks, such as increased fouling behaviour, lower rejection of trace organic compounds (TrOCs) in PAO operation, and limitation in FO membrane mechanical resistance, which need to be better considered. To support successful implementation of FO-RO hybrid in the industry, further work is required regarding up-scaling to apprehend full-scale challenges in term of mass transfer limitation, pressure drop, fouling and cleaning strategies on a module scale. In addition, refined economics assessment is expected to integrate fouling and other maintenance costs/savings of the FO/PAO-RO hybrid systems, as well as cost savings from any treatment step avoided in the water recycling. PMID:27376337

Studies on radioactive liquid waste treatment by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, Akio; Shimoura, Kazukuni; Tsutsui, Tenson

1982-01-01

Reverse osmosis is a simple process and has relatively high decontamination factor comparing to other processes used for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste. Furthermore the quantity of secondary waste of this process is small. In this study, test solution containing nine elements such as cesium, strontium, cobalt etc. in chloride forms are treated by reverse osmosis. Permeate rate decreases as the increase of osmotic pressure of feed solution and is expressed by linear equation. Decontamination factor of cations of univalency is more than ten, and about one tenth of that of bivalency. Decontamination factors of all the elements used in this experiment are approximately estimated using the solution-diffusion model. (author)

Reverse osmosis: experience of cold commissioning trials in waste immobilisation plant, Trombay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anand, G.; Bose, Aditi; Verma, B.B.

1999-01-01

Industrial scale reverse osmosis plant for low level radioactive waste put up in Waste Immobilisation Plant (WIP), Trombay is the first of its kind in India. The performance test with inactive simulated waste is meeting the desired performance. The preliminary treatment of LLW stream at W.I.P., Trombay is proposed to be carried out with reverse osmosis membrane separation process. The design, recovery and rejection ratio of LLW is described

Gravity-driven membrane filtration as pretreatment for seawater reverse osmosis: linking biofouling layer morphology with flux stabilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhondi, Ebrahim; Wu, Bing; Sun, Shuyang; Marxer, Brigit; Lim, Weikang; Gu, Jun; Liu, Linbo; Burkhardt, Michael; McDougald, Diane; Pronk, Wouter; Fane, Anthony G

2015-03-01

In this study gravity-driven membrane (GDM) ultrafiltration is investigated for the pretreatment of seawater before reverse osmosis (RO). The impacts of temperature (21 ± 1 and 29 ± 1 °C) and hydrostatic pressure (40 and 100 mbar) on dynamic flux development and biofouling layer structure were studied. The data suggested pore constriction fouling was predominant at the early stage of filtration, during which the hydrostatic pressure and temperature had negligible effects on permeate flux. With extended filtration time, cake layer fouling played a major role, during which higher hydrostatic pressure and temperature improved permeate flux. The permeate flux stabilized in a range of 3.6 L/m(2) h (21 ± 1 °C, 40 mbar) to 7.3 L/m(2) h (29 ± 1 °C, 100 mbar) after slight fluctuations and remained constant for the duration of the experiments (almost 3 months). An increase in biofouling layer thickness and a variable biofouling layer structure were observed over time by optical coherence tomography and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The presence of eukaryotic organisms in the biofouling layer was observed by light microscopy and the microbial community structure of the biofouling layer was analyzed by sequences of 16S rRNA genes. The magnitude of permeate flux was associated with the combined effect of the biofouling layer thickness and structure. Changes in the biofouling layer structure were attributed to (1) the movement and predation behaviour of the eukaryotic organisms which increased the heterogeneous nature of the biofouling layer; (2) the bacterial debris generated by eukaryotic predation activity which reduced porosity; (3) significant shifts of the dominant bacterial species over time that may have influenced the biofouling layer structure. As expected, most of the particles and colloids in the feed seawater were removed by the GDM process, which led to a lower RO fouling potential. However, the dissolved organic carbon in the

Flow cytometric assessment of microbial abundance in the near-field area of seawater reverse osmosis concentrate discharge

KAUST Repository

Van Der Merwe, Riaan

2014-06-01

The discharge of concentrate and other process waters from seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant operations into the marine environment may adversely affect water quality in the near-field area surrounding the outfall. The main concerns are the increase in salt concentration in receiving waters, which results in a density increase and potential water stratification near the outfall, and possible increases in turbidity, e.g., due to the discharge of filter backwash waters. Changes in ambient water quality may affect microbial abundance in the area, for example by hindering the photosynthesis process or disrupting biogenesis. It is widely accepted that marine biodiversity is lower in more extreme conditions, such as high salinity environments. As aquatic microbial communities respond very rapidly to changes in their environment, they can be used as indicators for monitoring ambient water quality. The objective of this study was to assess possible changes in microbial abundance as a result of concentrate discharge into the near-field area (<. 25. m) surrounding the outfall of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) SWRO plant. Flow cytometric (FCM) analysis was conducted in order to rapidly determine microbial abundance on a single-cell level in 107 samples, taken by diving, from the discharge area, the intake area and two control sites. FCM analysis combined the measurement of distinct scatter of cells and particles, autofluorescence of cyanobacteria and algae, and fluorescence after staining of nucleic acids with SYBR® Green for a total bacterial count. The results indicate that changes in microbial abundance in the near-field area of the KAUST SWRO outfall are minor and appear to be the result of a dilution effect rather than a direct impact of the concentrate discharge. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Reasons for the Fast Growing Seawater Desalination Capacity in Algeria

KAUST Repository

Drouiche, Nadjib; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Naceur, Mohamed Wahib; Mahmoudi, Hacè ne; Ouslimane, Tarik

2011-01-01

growing markets. Five desalination plants, including the Africa's largest seawater reverse osmosis project with a total capacity of 200,000 m3 per day, are already in operation and the remaining projects are either under construction or in commissioning

Discussion on cleaning and maintenance of YA system reverse osmosis membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yidong

2012-01-01

According to the overproof of pollution data of YA system reverse osmosis membrane in extension project, the daily maintenance company is using chemical cleaning on reverse osmosis unit to eliminate the pollution blindly, the fixed prescription, fixed dosage and high frequency of the chemical cleaning. The writer analyzed the cause of the membrane pollution and commended several chemical cleaning methods by the long-period study of the system, and also some suggestion, according to the status of operational site, for the daily maintenance. (author)

Utilization of reverse osmosis (RO) for reuse of MBR-treated wastewater in irrigation-preliminary tests and quality analysis of product water.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunani, Samuel; Yörükoğlu, Eren; Sert, Gökhan; Kabay, Nalan; Yüksel, Ümran; Yüksel, Mithat; Egemen, Özdemir; Pek, Taylan Özgür

2018-02-01

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) effluent collected from a wastewater treatment plant installed at an industrial zone was used for reverse osmosis (RO) membrane tests in the laboratory. For this, two different GE Osmonics RO membranes (AK-BWRO and AD-SWRO) were employed. The results showed that AK-brackish water reverse osmosis (AK-BWRO) and AD-seawater reverse osmosis (AD-SWRO) membranes have almost similar rejection performances regarding analyzed parameters such as conductivity, salinity, color, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total organic carbon (TOC). On the other hand, these membranes behaved quite differently considering their permeate water flux at the same applied pressure of 10 bar. AD-SWRO membrane was also tested at 20 bar. The results revealed that AD-SWRO membrane had almost the same rejections either at 10 or at 20 bar of applied pressure. Compared with irrigation water standards, AK-BWRO and AD-SWRO gave an effluent with low salinity value and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) which makes it unsuitable for irrigation due to the infiltration problems risi0ng from unbalanced values of salinity and SAR. Combination of MBR effluent and RO effluent at respective proportions of 0.3:0.7 and 0.4:0.6 for AK-BWRO and AD-SWRO, respectively, are the optimum mixing ratios to overcome the infiltration hazard problem. Choice of less-sensitive crops to chloride and sodium ions is another strategy to overcome all hazards which may arise from above suggested mixing proportions.

Power generation from water salinity gradient via osmosis and reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, Milancho

2015-01-01

To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, while at the same time to meet the growing energy demands of the world, it is necessary to explore and promote new alternative energy sources. One such type of renewable energy sources, which recently gained greater credibility is the energy extracted from the water salinity gradient, which is also called blue energy. In this research project will be described a new model of osmotic power plant (MIOS plant), which uses a combination of reverse osmosis and osmosis to convert the energy from the water salinity gradient into electricity. MIOS plant can be built as a vessel anywhere on the surface of the oceans or in the form of dam on the land, which will have a huge advantage over existing plants that can be built only on mouths of rivers. (author)

ETV REPORT: EVALUATION OF HYDROMETRICS, INC., HIGH EFFICIENCY REVERSE OSMOSIS (HERO™) INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM

Science.gov (United States)

Hydrometrics, founded in 1979 and located in Helena, MT, manufactures a commercial-ready High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis (HERO™) industrial wastewater treatment system. The system uses a three-stage reverse osmosis process to remove and concentrate metals for recovery while prod...

Treatment of simulated plutonium-containing wastewater by ultrafiltration-reverse osmosis technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Zhonghua; Fan Xianhua; Luo Deli; Wang Tuo; Chen Qi

2008-01-01

Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis were employed for the treatment of low level radioactive water containing plutonium. The system consists of ultrafiltration module with hollow fibre membrane and reverse osmosis module with spiral membrane. The decontamination efficiency and volume concentration ratio affected by technical parameters were explored in the experiment. The results show that the decontamination efficiency achieves 99.94% and the volume concentration ratio achieves 12.5 at pH=10 for solution fed into the membrane separation system. This technology will be applied in radioactive waste minimization as a new treatment method. (authors)

A technical and economic evaluation of reverse osmosis nuclear desalination as applied at the Muria site in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humphries, J.R.; Davies, K.; Vu, T.D.; Aryono, N.A.; Peryoga, Y.

1998-01-01

In many regions of the world, the supply of renewable water resources is inadequate to meet current needs, and that from non-renewable sources is being rapidly depleted. Since the worldwide demand for potable water is steadily growing, the result is water shortages that are already reaching serious proportions in many regions. This is particularly true in Indonesia where there is an increasing reliance on bottled water due to shortage of safe, fresh drinking water. To mitigate the stress being placed on water resources, additional fresh water production capability must be developed. Because of Indonesia's long coastline, seawater desalination is a good alternative. The main drawback of desalination, however, is that it is an energy intensive process. Therefore, the increasing global demand for desalted water creates a tremendous collateral demand for new sources of electrical power. In addition to providing a means of meeting regional electricity demand, the CANDU nuclear reactor can also serve as an energy source for a reverse osmosis (RO) seawater desalination plant. In conjunction with the use of electrical energy, waste heat from the reactor is used in the desalination plant to improve the efficiency of the RO process. This is done by using condenser cooling water being discharged from the CANDU reactor as a source of preheated feedwater for the RO system. The system design also makes use of advanced feedwater pretreatment and sophisticated design optimization analyses. The net result is improved efficiency of energy utilization, increased potable water production capability, reduced product water cost and reduced environmental burden. This approach to the integration of a seawater desalination plant with a CANDU nuclear reactor has the advantage of maximizing the benefits of system integration while at the same time minimizing the impacts of physical interaction between the two systems. Consequently, transients in one plant do not necessarily have adverse

[Influence of reverse osmosis concentrate on physicochemical parameters of Sini decoction material system and their relevance].

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Tang-Hui; Zhang, Liu-Hong; Zhu, Hua-Xu; Guo, Li-Wei; Li, Bo; Lu, Ming-Ming

2014-04-01

By studying the process of reverse osmosis system for traditional Chinese medicine materials physicochemical parameters affecting the osmotic pressure of its relevance, new compound system reverse osmosis process design methods were explored. Three concentrations materials for high, middle and low were dubbed with Sini decoction as a model drug, and pretreated by 50 thousand relative molecular weight cut-off ultrafiltration membrane. The viscosity, turbidity, conductivity, salinity, TDS, pH value and osmotic pressure of each sample were determined after the reverse osmosis to study the physical and chemical parameters between their respective correlations with the osmotic pressure, and characterized by HPLC chromatograms showing changes before and after the main chemical composition of samples of reverse osmosis. Conductivity-osmotic pressure, salinity-osmotic pressure of the linear correlation coefficient, TDS-osmotic pressure between the three sets of parameters were 0.963 8, 0.932 7, 0.973 7, respectively. Reverse osmosis concentrate and its characteristic spectrum ultrafiltrate HPLC similarity were up to 0. 968 or more, except the low concentrations. There is a significant correlation between the three physicochemical parameters (conductivity, salinity, TDS) and osmotic pressure of each sample system, and there is also significant linear correlation between salinity, conductivity, TDS. The original chemical composition of Sini decoction material concentrate was completely remained after the process of reverse osmosis.

Reverse osmosis using for water demineralization for supplying the NPP and TPP steam generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamet, A.P.; Sitnyakovskij, Yu.A.

2000-01-01

Paper analyzes the conditions affecting the efficiency of water reverse-osmosis demineralization for NPP and TPP steam generators and presents an example of efficient application of a membrane reverse-osmosis facility serving as the first stage of water demineralization at the Mosehnergo Joint-Stock Company heating and power plant no. 23 to feed boilers [ru

Cross flow filtration for radwaste applications reverse osmosis demonstration case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malkmus, D.

1995-01-01

Today's radwaste economic and regulatory scenarios signify the importance in the improvement of operational practices to reduce generator liabilities. This action is largely due to the rising cost dealing with burial sites and the imposed waste volume restriction. To control the economical burdens associated with waste burial and to comply with stricter environmental regulations, NPP's are attempting to modify their radwaste system(s) design and operating philosophy by placing a major emphasis on waste volume reduction and processing techniques. The utilization of reverse osmosis technology as a means for treatment of process and wastewater streams in the nuclear power industry has been investigated for many years. This paper will outline reverse osmosis theory and highlight performance data for process and waste stream purification applications. Case studies performed at 5 nuclear plants have been outlined. The demonstrations were performed on a widely variety of process stream for both a PWR and BWR application. The data provided by the pilot systems, the equipment design, and the economical impact a reverse osmosis unit will have on producing treated (high purity) are as follows

Transport properties of mixed metallic salts through reverse osmosis membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, Akio; Nishimaki, Kenzo

1991-01-01

Applicability of reverse osmosis to the treatment of radioactive liquid waste was investigated. In previous papers, we showed the ability of reverse osmosis to decontaminate liquid waste which contains ionic radionuclides with chloride ion. When sulfate ion coexists with chloride, logarithms of DFs of one cation are approximately expressed by a linear function of logarithms of SO 4 2- /Cl - ratio. In this paper, we investigate the relation between DFs and concentrations of coexisting ions in multicomponent cation/anion system. As a result of this study, DFs of cations change more seriously with coexisting anions composition than with cations. In the case of anion, these influences are the reverse. Logarithms of DFs of cations and anions are expressed by linear equation with the two variables, logarithmic concentration ratio of univalent/divalent cations and logarithmic concentration ratio of SO 4 2- /Cl - . (author)

Concentration of pineapple juice by reverse osmosis: physicochemical characteristics and consumer acceptance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Simões Couto

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Reverse osmosis has been used for the concentration of fruit juices with promising considering the quality of the obtained products. The objective of this study was to concentrate single strength pineapple juice by reverse osmosis. The concentration was carried out with polyamide composite membranes in a 0.65 m² plate and frame module at 60 bar transmembrane pressure at 20 °C. The permeate flux was 17 L.hm-2. The total soluble solid content of the juice increased from 11 to 31 °Brix corresponding to a Volumetric Concentration Factor (VCF of 2.9. The concentration of soluble solids, total solids, and total acidity increased proportionally to FCV. The concentrated juice and three commercial concentrated pineapple juices were evaluated regarding preference and purchase intention by 79 pineapple juice consumers. The concentrated juice by reverse osmosis was the preferred among consumers. It can be concluded that this process may be considered an alternative to the pre-concentration of fruit juices.

An alternative design concept in reverse osmosis desalination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boeddeker, K.W.; Hilgendorff, W.; Kaschemekat, J.

1976-01-01

A highly adaptable plate system for reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration with easily accessible flat membranes is introduced, employing a straight-channel construction of plastic components, designed to tolerate comparatively bold operations conditions at the calculated expense of membrane service life. Pilot installations are illustrated. (orig.) [de

Two-step optimization of pressure and recovery of reverse osmosis desalination process.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Shuang; Liu, Cui; Song, Lianfa

2009-05-01

Driving pressure and recovery are two primary design variables of a reverse osmosis process that largely determine the total cost of seawater and brackish water desalination. A two-step optimization procedure was developed in this paper to determine the values of driving pressure and recovery that minimize the total cost of RO desalination. It was demonstrated that the optimal net driving pressure is solely determined by the electricity price and the membrane price index, which is a lumped parameter to collectively reflect membrane price, resistance, and service time. On the other hand, the optimal recovery is determined by the electricity price, initial osmotic pressure, and costs for pretreatment of raw water and handling of retentate. Concise equations were derived for the optimal net driving pressure and recovery. The dependences of the optimal net driving pressure and recovery on the electricity price, membrane price, and costs for raw water pretreatment and retentate handling were discussed.

The Use of Reverse Osmosis for the Removal of As(III) and As(V) in Drinking Water

OpenAIRE

Garcia Ortiz, Christian Adriana

2012-01-01

The following thesis project was designed to collect data on the use of reverse osmosis for arsenic removal in drinking water and to explore economic methods for sample analysis with emphasis on the use of an ion exchange resin for arsenic speciation. The data collected was meant for verification of existing results, finding an optimal operating point for the reverse osmosis unit provided by Malthe Winje DWS, and to determine whether double filtration by reverse osmosis increases the removal ...

Performance of tubular reverse osmosis for the desalination ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Municipal solid waste leachate (MSWL) has the potential to pollute the water environment and to affect biological treatment processes adversely if not properly handled. Reverse osmosis (RO) has the ability to remove both organics and inorganics effectively from effluents. Therefore, RO was evaluated for the treatment of ...

Reverse Osmosis Optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMordie Stoughton, Kate; Duan, Xiaoli; Wendel, Emily M.

2013-08-26

This technology evaluation was prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). ¬The technology evaluation assesses techniques for optimizing reverse osmosis (RO) systems to increase RO system performance and water efficiency. This evaluation provides a general description of RO systems, the influence of RO systems on water use, and key areas where RO systems can be optimized to reduce water and energy consumption. The evaluation is intended to help facility managers at Federal sites understand the basic concepts of the RO process and system optimization options, enabling them to make informed decisions during the system design process for either new projects or recommissioning of existing equipment. This evaluation is focused on commercial-sized RO systems generally treating more than 80 gallons per hour.¬

Reverse Osmosis Optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-08-01

This technology evaluation was prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). The technology evaluation assesses techniques for optimizing reverse osmosis (RO) systems to increase RO system performance and water efficiency. This evaluation provides a general description of RO systems, the influence of RO systems on water use, and key areas where RO systems can be optimized to reduce water and energy consumption. The evaluation is intended to help facility managers at Federal sites understand the basic concepts of the RO process and system optimization options, enabling them to make informed decisions during the system design process for either new projects or recommissioning of existing equipment. This evaluation is focused on commercial-sized RO systems generally treating more than 80 gallons per hour.

The treatment of river water by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, N.J.; Jenkins, M.A.; Coates, A.

1977-01-01

The suitability of rod, spirally would and hollow fibre reverse osmosis systems has been assessed for the treatment of River Trent water to produce water of boiler feed quality. Particular attention has been paid to the effects of the suspended solids level of the influent water supply on operating and cleaning regimes. The best performance was given by the rod-type membranes which could be used with relatively dirty water if suitable chemical and/or physical cleaning techniques were applied. However, even this system, requires some form of clarification of the raw supply, and this affects capital and overall running costs. The hollow fibre membrane, which cannot be readily cleaned required an excessively clean water supply to avoid rapid and irreversible loss of output and is unlikely to have full-scale application on this, or similar, water. The spirally wound membranes, whilst not so susceptible to suspended solids as the hollow fibre system, did not tolerate dirty water, and required the raw water to be clarified to a level that is unlikely to be continuously guaranteed. In its current stage of development reverse osmosis is unlikely to give a cost advantage over the main cation/anion exchange stage of present water treatment plant, even for the treatment of waters relatively high in dissolved salts (500 mg kg -1 ). Moreover, conventional pretreatment and final mixed ion-exchange beds would still be required to produce water of boiler feed quality. Reverse osmosis does, however, remove organic species and non reactive silicon; its selection is likely to be dictated by such requirements or where space is at a premium e.g. extensions to existing water treatment plants. (orig.) [de

Reverse osmosis application studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golomb, A.

1982-02-01

To assess the feasibility of applying reverse osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF) for effective treatment of process and waste streams from operations at Ontario Hydro's thermal and nuclear stations, an extensive literature survey has been carried out. It is concluded that RO is not at present economic for pretreatment of Great Lakes water prior to ion exchange demineralization for boiler makeup. Using both conventional and novel commercial membrane modules, RO pilot studies are recommended for treatment of boiler cleaning wastes, fly ash leachates, and flue gas desulphurization scrubber discharges for removal of heavy metals. Volume reduction and decontamination of nuclear station low-level active liquid waste streams by RO/UF also appear promising. Research programmes are proposed

Arsenic Removal Efficiency in Aqueous Solutions Using Reverse Osmosis and Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niloofar Saboori

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Arsenic is one of the most hazardous pollutants of water resources which threaten human health as well as animals. Therefore arsenic removal from water resources is the priority of health programs. There are several ways to remove arsenic. In this study, reverse osmosis and zero-valent iron nanoparticles methods have been used in a laboratory scale. To perform the test, the variables of temperature, arsenic concentration, pH, iron nanoparticle concentration and mixing time were considered. The results indicated that in both methods of reverse osmosis and iron nanoparticle, through increasing arsenic concentration, arsenic removal efficiency has been also increased. At concentration of 1.5 mg per litre in reverse osmosis method, the maximum efficiency was achieved by 98% and 95.2% removal of arsenic respectively. The effect of temperature and pH were similar in reverse osmosis; by increasing these two variables, arsenic removal percentage also increased. The highest removal rates of 95.98% and 95.56% were observed at pH 9 and Temperature 30oC respectively. The results indicated that in iron nanoparticles method the arsenic removal efficiency increases by increasing mixing time and temperature, while it decreases with increasing pH.

Control of biofouling by xanthine oxidase on seawater reverse osmosis membranes from a desalination plant: enzyme production and screening of bacterial isolates from the full-scale plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagaraj, V; Skillman, L; Li, D; Xie, Z; Ho, G

2017-07-01

Control of biofouling on seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes is a major challenge as treatments can be expensive, damage the membrane material and often biocides do not remove the polymers in which bacteria are embedded. Biological control has been largely ignored for biofouling control. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of xanthine oxidase enzyme against complex fouling communities and then identify naturally occurring bacterial strains that produce the free radical generating enzyme. Initially, 64 bacterial strains were isolated from different locations of the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant. In our preceding study, 25/64 isolates were selected from the culture collection as models for biofouling studies, based on their prevalence in comparison to the genomic bacterial community. In this study, screening of these model strains was performed using a nitroblue tetrazolium assay in the presence of hypoxanthine as substrate. Enzyme activity was measured by absorbance. Nine of 25 strains tested positive for xanthine oxidase production, of which Exiguobacterium from sand filters and Microbacterium from RO membranes exhibited significant levels of enzyme production. Other genera that produced xanthine oxidase were Marinomonas, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Pseudoalteromonas and Staphylococcus. Strain variations were observed between members of the genera Microbacterium and Bacillus. Xanthine oxidase, an oxidoreductase enzyme that generates reactive oxygen species, is endogenously produced by many bacterial species. In this study, production of the enzyme by bacterial isolates from a full-scale desalination plant was investigated for potential use as biological control of membrane fouling in seawater desalination. We have previously demonstrated that free radicals generated by a commercially available xanthine oxidase in the presence of a hypoxanthine substrate, effectively dispersed biofilm polysaccharides on industrially fouled membranes

Economic Evaluation of a Hybrid Desalination System Combining Forward and Reverse Osmosis

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yongjun; Cho, Hyeongrak; Shin, Yonghyun; Jang, Yongsun; Lee, Sangho

2015-01-01

This study seeks to evaluate the performance and economic feasibility of the forward osmosis (FO)–reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid process; to propose a guideline by which this hybrid process might be more price-competitive in the field. A solution-diffusion model modified with film theory was applied to analyze the effects of concentration polarization, water, and salt transport coefficient on flux, recovery, seawater concentration, and treated wastewater of the FO process of an FO-RO hybrid system. A simple cost model was applied to analyze the effects of flux; recovery of the FO process; energy; and membrane cost on the FO-RO hybrid process. The simulation results showed that the water transport coefficient and internal concentration polarization resistance are very important factors that affect performance in the FO process; however; the effect of the salt transport coefficient does not seem to be large. It was also found that the flux and recovery of the FO process, the FO membrane, and the electricity cost are very important factors that influence the water cost of an FO-RO hybrid system. This hybrid system can be price-competitive with RO systems when its recovery rate is very high, the flux and the membrane cost of the FO are similar to those of the RO, and the electricity cost is expensive. The most important thing in commercializing the FO process is enhancing performance (e.g.; flux and the recovery of FO membranes). PMID:26729176

Pressure retarded osmosis for energy production: membrane materials and operating conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, H; Choi, J-S; Lee, S

2012-01-01

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a novel membrane process to produce energy. PRO has the potential to convert the osmotic pressure difference between fresh water (i.e. river water) and seawater to electricity. Moreover, it can recover energy from highly concentrated brine in seawater desalination. Nevertheless, relatively little research has been undertaken for fundamental understanding of the PRO process. In this study, the characteristics of the PRO process were examined using a proof-of-concept device. Forward osmosis (FO), reverse osmosis (RO), and nanofiltration (NF) membranes were compared in terms of flux rate and concentration polarization ratio. The results indicated that the theoretical energy production by PRO depends on the membrane type as well as operating conditions (i.e. back pressure). The FO membrane had the highest energy efficiency while the NF membrane had the lowest efficiency. However, the energy production rate was low due to high internal concentration polarization (ICP) in the PRO membrane. This finding suggests that the control of the ICP is essential for practical application of PRO for energy production.

Removal of radionuclides by reverse osmosis using a cellulose acetate membrane, (2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimaki, Kenzo; Koyama, Akio; Saji, Minoru; Tutui, Tenson.

1990-01-01

Experiments were performed on the removal of radionuclides from radioactive liquid waste by reverse osmosis using asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes. In previous papers, we reported such removal properties as the dependence on solute concentration and the influence of co-existing material. In this paper we performed experiments on some separation properties, especially on the formation and the disappearance of concentration polarization layer of membrane surface. These experiments are necessary for the theoretical explanation of findings shown in previous papers. Concentration polarization layer is formed on the surface of the membrane, when pressurized feed solution is not stirred during reverse osmosis operation. This layer grows with elapsed time and reaches the equilibrium. The thickness of this concentration polarization layer and solute concentrations in this layer are calculated by a simple model. The formation and disappearance of this layer are experimented with intermittent stirring. The influence of intensity of stirring on the formation of concentration polarization layer is observed. These are important information on property of membrane for removing solute by reverse osmosis. (author)

Plutonium decontamination studies using Reverse Osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plock, C.E.; Travis, T.N.

1980-01-01

Water in batches of 45 gallons each, from a creek crossing the Rocky Flats Plant, was transferred to the Reverse Osmosis (RO) laboratory for experimental testing. The testing involved using RO for plutonium decontamination. For each test, the water was spiked with plutonium, had its pH adjusted, and was then processed by RO. At a water recovery level of 87%, the plutonium decontamination factors ranged from near 100 to 1200, depending on the pH of the processed water

Biofouling in reverse osmosis: phenomena, monitoring, controlling and remediation

Science.gov (United States)

Maddah, Hisham; Chogle, Aman

2017-10-01

This paper is a comprehensive review of biofouling in reverse osmosis modules where we have discussed the mechanism of biofouling. Water crisis is an issue of pandemic concern because of the steady rise in demand of drinking water. Overcoming biofouling is vital since we need to optimize expenses and quality of potable water production. Various kinds of microorganisms responsible for biofouling have been identified to develop better understanding of their attacking behavior enabling us to encounter the problem. Both primitive and advanced detection techniques have been studied for the monitoring of biofilm development on reverse osmosis membranes. Biofouling has a negative impact on membrane life as well as permeate flux and quality. Thus, a mathematical model has been presented for the calculation of normalized permeate flux for evaluating the extent of biofouling. It is concluded that biofouling can be controlled by the application of several physical and chemical remediation techniques.

Forward osmosis for the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate from water reclamation: process performance and fouling control.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazner, C; Jamil, S; Phuntsho, S; Shon, H K; Wintgens, T; Vigneswaran, S

2014-01-01

While high quality water reuse based on dual membrane filtration (membrane filtration or ultrafiltration, followed by reverse osmosis) is expected to be progressively applied, treatment and sustainable management of the produced reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) are still important issues. Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising technology for maximising water recovery and further dewatering ROC so that zero liquid discharge is produced. Elevated concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds may act as potential foulants of the concentrate desalting system, in that they consist of, for example, FO and a subsequent crystallizer. The present study investigated conditions under which the FO system can serve as concentration phase with the focus on its fouling propensity using model foulants and real ROC. Bulk organics from ROC consisted mainly of humic acids (HA) and building blocks since wastewater-derived biopolymers were retained by membrane filtration or ultrafiltration. Organic fouling of the FO system by ROC-derived bulk organics was low. HA was only adsorbed moderately at about 7% of the initial concentration, causing a minor flux decline of about 2-4%. However, scaling was a major impediment to this process if not properly controlled, for instance by pH adjustment or softening.

Nitrate-nitrogen removal with small-scale reverse osmosis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in water supplied to clinics in Limpopo Province is too high to be fit for human consumption (35 to 75 mg/ℓ NO3-N). Therefore, small-scale technologies (reverse osmosis, ion-exchange and electrodialysis) were evaluated for nitrate-nitrogen removal to make the water potable (< 10 mg/ℓ ...

Ion-containing reverse osmosis membranes obtained by radiation grafting method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegazy, E.-S.A.; El-Assy, N.B.; Dessouki, A.M.; Shaker, M.M.

1989-01-01

Cationic membranes obtained by radiation grafting of aqueous acrylic acid onto low density polyethylene films followed by alkaline treatment to confer ionic character in the graft chains, were tested for reverse osmosis desalination of saline water. Selected physical properties of such membranes were investigated. The grafted membranes possess good mechanical and electrical properties. Water uptake for the alkali-treated membrane was much higher than that of the alkali-untreated one. The effect of operation time, degree of grafting, applied pressure and feed concentration on the water flux and salt rejection for the grafted membranes was investigated. Such cationic membranes showed good durability, thermal and chemical stability, acceptable water flux and salt rejection which may make them acceptable for practical use in reverse osmosis desalination of sea water. (author)

Design aspects of reverse osmosis plants for rad waste treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prabhakar, S.; Panicker, S.T.; Misra, B.M.

1993-01-01

The potential of reverse osmosis process has been well established in the nuclear waste treatment. The nuclear wastes are characterised by chemically insignificant levels of radioactive nuclides and small amounts (a few hundred ppm) of inactive ionic species. The basic design objectives in these systems aim at higher volume reduction factors, i.e. corresponding to recovery factor of more than 0.9 and a decontamination factor of at least 10, i.e. corresponding to a solute rejection of more than 90%. In this paper, the salient aspects of the design of a reverse osmosis system for radioactive waste treatment is discussed in the light of the operating experience of an experimental plant based on plate module configuration and utilizing cellulose acetate membranes prepared in our laboratory. (author). 3 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

Preparation and selected properties of ion-containing reverse osmosis membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegazy, E.S.A.; Dessouki, A.M.

1986-01-01

Ion-containing reverse osmosis membranes were prepared by the post radiation grafting of 4-vinylpyridine onto low density polyethylene films, followed by quaternization of the pyridine rings in the graft chains to confer ionic character to the membranes. The effect of some preparation conditions on the grafting yield was investigated. Different quaternizing agents such as methyl iodide, allyl bromide, and hydrochloric acid were used for the quaternization of the graft chains. The effect of quaternizing agent and degree of grafting on the properties of the membranes such as swelling behaviour, specific electric resistance, water flux and salt rejection, was investigated. The properties of these ionic membranes did not deteriorate with the operation time and they show a great promise for the use in the field of reverse osmosis desalination of sea water. (author)

Pengaruh Kepuasan Dan Kepercayaan Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Ulang Pada Depot Air Minum Tris Water Reverse Osmosis System (Ro)

OpenAIRE

Fitria, Ika

2011-01-01

Kind of this survey is asociative survey which watch influence of customer satisfaction and trust to re-purchase decision on Depot Air Minum Tris Water Reverse Osmosis System (RO) and test of hypothesis use Multiple Linear Regression Analysist on α=5%. This survey used SPSS 16.00 version for windows. Research population is consumers of Depot Air Minum Tris Water Reverse Osmosis System (RO). Sample was used in this survey from customers of Depot Air Minum Tris Water Reverse Osmosis System (RO)...

Obtaining water with a high degree of purity by using reverse osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolae Chirilă

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we used the method of reverse osmosis in order to obtain water with a high degree of purity. For this aim, we used the TKA 20-120ECO device. We completed physic-chemical determinations for the water of supply, as well as for the water obtained after the osmosis process. The results that we obtained are relevant and interesting.

Water Desalination Studies Using Forward Osmosis Technology, A Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou El-Nour, F.H.

2016-01-01

Fresh water and energy shortage represent a great challenge facing the whole world now. To cover the global water demand, an energy-efficient approach is required to be applied in the suitable technology to achieve the shortage in the fresh water demand. Different techniques are used to solve this problem. A mong the different methods applied to desalinate seawater is the osmosis technologies . Although reversible osmosis (RO) is the most familiar method used for this purpose, forward osmosis (FO) represents a more suitable technique due to several arguments including low energy cost. The present study represents the use of FO technique for water desalination with adsorption regeneration. In this respect, a self-prepared granular active carbon produced from dates is to be used as an adsorbent agent. The physical characteristics of the active carbon are studied such as BET specific surface area, pore size, particle size and the structure using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Different advanced apparatus are used for such measurements. In addition, the adsorption is otherms (Langmuier and Freundlich) are established to explain the adsorption mechanism of the process. Accordingly, the review includes essential information and sufficient backgrounds in the field of desalination using FO or simply direct osmosis, which overcome the different difficulties present in reversible RO

Considerations on the question of applying ion exchange or reverse osmosis methods in boiler feedwater processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marquardt, K.; Dengler, H.

1976-01-01

This consideration is to show that the method of reverse osmosis presents in many cases an interesting and economical alternative to part and total desolination plants using ion exchangers. The essential advantages of the reverse osmosis are a higher degree of automization, no additional salting of the removed waste water, small constructional volume of the plant as well as favourable operational costs with increasing salt content of the crude water to be processed. As there is a relatively high salt breakthrough compared to the ion exchange method, the future tendency in boiler feedwater processing will be more towards a combination of methods of reverse osmosis and post-purification through continuous ion exchange methods. (orig./LH) [de

Evaluation of spiral wound reverse osmosis for four radioactive waste processing applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen Gupta, S.K.

1997-01-01

A pilot-scale spiral wound reverse osmosis rig was used to treat four significantly different radioactive waste streams, three of which were generated at the Chalk River Laboratories at AECL. These streams included: 1. A chemical decontamination (CD/DC) waste stream which is routinely treated by the plant-scale membrane system at CRL; 2. Reactor waste which is a dilute radioactive waste stream (containing primarily tritium and organic acids), and it an effluent from the operating reactors at AECL; 3. An ion exchange regenerant waste stream which contains a mixture of stream (1) (CD/DC), blended with secondary waste from ion exchange regeneration; 4. Boric acid simulated waste which is a by-product waste of the PWR reactors. This was the only stream treated that was not generated as a waste liquid at AECL. For the first three streams specified above, reverse osmosis was used to remove chemical and radiochemical impurities from the water with efficiencies usually exceeding 99%. In these three cases the 'permeate' or clean water was the product of the process. In the case of stream 4, reverse osmosis was used in a recovery application for the purpose of recycling boric acid back to the reactor, with the concentrate being the 'product'. Reverse osmosis technology was successfully demonstrated for the treatment of all four streams. Prefiltration and oxidation (with photocatalytic continuous oxidation technology) were evaluated as pretreatment alternatives for streams 1, 2, and 3. The results indicated that the effective crossflow velocity through and membrane vessel was more important in determining the extent of membrane fouling than the specific pretreatment strategy employed. (author)

Surface modification of reverse osmosis desalination membranes by thin-film coatings deposited by initiated chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozaydin-Ince, Gozde, E-mail: gozdeince@sabanciuniv.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Matin, Asif, E-mail: amatin@mit.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Khan, Zafarullah, E-mail: zukhan@mit.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Zaidi, S.M. Javaid, E-mail: zaidismj@kfupm.edu.sa [Department of Mechanical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Gleason, Karen K., E-mail: kkgleasn@mit.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

2013-07-31

Thin-film polymeric reverse osmosis membranes, due to their high permeation rates and good salt rejection capabilities, are widely used for seawater desalination. However, these membranes are prone to biofouling, which affects their performance and efficiency. In this work, we report a method to modify the membrane surface without damaging the active layer or significantly affecting the performance of the membrane. Amphiphilic copolymer films of hydrophilic hydroxyethylmethacrylate and hydrophobic perfluorodecylacrylate (PFA) were synthesized and deposited on commercial RO membranes using an initiated chemical vapor deposition technique which is a polymer deposition technique that involves free-radical polymerization initiated by gas-phase radicals. Relevant surface characteristics such as hydrophilicity and roughness could be systematically controlled by varying the polymer chemistry. Increasing the hydrophobic PFA content in the films leads to an increase in the surface roughness and hydrophobicity. Furthermore, the surface morphology studies performed using the atomic force microscopy show that as the thickness of the coating increases average surface roughness increases. Using this knowledge, the coating thickness and chemistry were optimized to achieve high permeate flux and to reduce cell attachment. Results of the static bacterial adhesion tests show that the attachment of bacterial cells is significantly reduced on the coated membranes. - Highlights: • Thin films are deposited on reverse osmosis membranes. • Amphiphilic thin films are resistant to protein attachment. • The permeation performance of the membranes is not affected by the coating. • The thin film coatings delayed the biofouling.

Testing of a benchscale Reverse Osmosis/Coupled Transport system for treating contaminated groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgson, K.M.; Lunsford, T.R.; Panjabi, G.

1994-01-01

The Reverse Osmosis/Coupled Transport process is a innovative means of removing radionuclides from contaminated groundwater at the Hanford Site. Specifically, groundwater in the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site has been contaminated with uranium, technetium, and nitrate. Investigations are proceeding to determine the most cost effective method to remove these contaminants. The process described in this paper combines three different membrane technologies (reverse osmosis, coupled transport, and nanofiltration to purify the groundwater while extracting and concentrating uranium, technetium, and nitrate into separate solutions. This separation allows for the future use of the radionuclides, if needed, and reduces the amount of waste that will need to be disposed of. This process has the potential to concentrate the contaminants into solutions with volumes in a ratio of 1/10,000 of the feed volume. This compares to traditional volume reductions of 10 to 100 for ion exchange and stand-alone reverse osmosis. The successful demonstration of this technology could result in significant savings in the overall cost of decontaminating the groundwater

Sorption-reagent treatment of brines produced by reverse osmosis unit for liquid radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avramenko, V. A.; Zheleznov, V. V.; Sergienko, V. I.; Chizhevsky, I. Yu

2003-01-01

The results of the pilot plant tests (2002-2003) of the sorption-reagent decontamination of high salinity radioactive waste (brines) remaining after the low-salinity liquid radioactive waste (LRW) treatment in the reverse-osmosis unit from long-lived radionuclides are presented. The sorption-reagent materials used in this work were developed in the Institute of Chemistry FEDRAS. They enable one to decontaminate brines with total salt content up to 50 g/l from long-lived radionuclides of Cs, Sr and Co. At joint application of the reverse-osmosis and sorption-reagent technologies total volume of solid radioactive waste (SRW) decreases up to 100-fold as compared to the technology of cementation of reverse osmosis brines. In this case total cost of LRW treatment and SRW disposal decreases more than 10-fold. Brines decontaminated from radionuclides are then diluted down to the ecologically safe total salts content in water to be disposed of. Tests were performed to compare the efficiency of technologies including evaporation of brines remaining after reverse osmosis process and their decontamination by means of the sorption-reagent method. It was shown that, as compared to evaporation, the sorption-reagent technology provides substantial advantages as in regard to radioactive waste total volume reduction as in view of total cost of the waste management

Modus operandi for maximizing energy efficiency and increasing permeate flux of community scale solar powered reverse osmosis systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vyas, Harsh; Suthar, Krunal; Chauhan, Mehul; Jani, Ruchita; Bapat, Pratap; Patel, Pankaj; Markam, Bhupendra; Maiti, Subarna

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Experimental data on energy efficient photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis system. • Synergetic management of electrical, thermal and hydraulic energies. • Use of reflectors, heat exchanger and turgo turbine. - Abstract: Photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis systems can only be made cost effective if they are made highly energy efficient. In this work we describe a protocol to maximize energy efficiency and increase permeate flux in a fully integrated installation of such a system. The improved system consisted of (i) photovoltaic array fitted with suitably positioned and aligned North–South V-trough reflectors to enhance power output from the array; (ii) direct contact heat exchanger fitted on the rear of the photovoltaic modules for active cooling of the same while safeguarding the terminals from short-circuit and corrosion; (iii) use of reverse osmosis feed water as heat exchange medium while taking due care to limit the temperature rise of feed water; (iv) enhancing permeate flux through the rise in feed water temperature; (v) turgo-turbine for conversion of hydraulic energy in reverse osmosis reject water into mechanical energy to provide part of the energy to replace booster pump utilized in the reverse osmosis unit. The V-trough reflectors onto the photovoltaic modules with thermal energy recovery system brought about an increase in power output of 40% and the synergistic effect of (i)–(iv) gave rise to total permeate volume boost of 59%. Integration of (v) resulted in 56% and 26% saving of electrical power when the reverse osmosis plant was operated by battery bank and direct photovoltaic array respectively

Purification of Drinking Water from Fluorides by Reverse Osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksander A.

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: An important task in the sphere of sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population of the Russian Federation is provision of drinking water. Tap water must not contain pathogenic bacteria and dangerous chemicals. Purification systems regulate the concentration of fluoride ions in drinking water. The aim of this paper is to study the possibility of purifying tap water from fluoride ions by reverse osmosis. Materials and Methods: We used the Alfa Laval PilotUnit 2.5 "RO/NF with a set of spiral-type membrane elements RO99-2517/48 to remove fluoride ions. We measured the concentration of fluoride ions by the potentiometric method using the Hanna HI 2211 (pH/mV/T. Fluoride-selective electrode ELIS 131 F was used as an indicator electrode and the standard chloride-silver electrode EVL-1M3 was used as a reference electrode. Both the calibration and buffer solutions were prepared from chemically pure reagents and A. R. purity for analysis reagents according to GOST 4386-89. Results: A single passage of water through the reverse osmosis membrane reduced the concentration of fluoride ions from 2.29 ± 0.02 to 0.240 ± 0.015 mg/l. Double passage of water reduced the concentration by a factor of two. As the concentration of fluoride ions increased in the retentate, the concentration in the filtrate slightly increased too. Purification of water reduced the concentration of fluoride ions from 20 mg/l, to 0.5 mg/l. Discussion and Conclusions: Thus, using the Alfa Laval PilotUnit 2.5" RO/NF with a set of spiral-type membrane elements RO99-2517/48 filters tap water of ions of fluoride to the maximum allowable concentration. This study opens the perspective of using reverse osmosis to purify tap water with high concentration of fluoride ions.

Experimentation with a reverse osmosis plant powered by renewable energies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Segura, L.; Gomez, A. [Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Univ., Las Palmas (Spain). Dept. of Process Engineering; Nuez, I. [Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Univ., Las Palmas (Spain). Dept. of Electronic and Automatic Engineering

2006-07-01

This paper described a set of tests conducted in a reverse osmosis plant powered by renewable energy sources. Variations on feed flow, reject flow, recovery and power consumption were investigated. The plant has a production of over 115 m{sup 3} per day. During the experiments, the plant was required to operate at variable loading conditions. An energy recovery system was then developed to operate effectively with the observed variable load conditions. The system was incorporated within the reject flow system and was comprised of a Pelton turbine matched to the axis of an asynchronous energy generator. The system was designed to avoid making changes to the actual hydraulic circuit of the plant. Recovery system failures did not necessitate plant stoppages during the testing period. Simulations conducted to assess the energy system showed that optimal performance of the plant was between 16 and 18 kW with a working pressure of between 57 to 67 bars. Results also suggested that installing the system in the evacuation brine line would maximize the use of kinetic energy. It was concluded that energy recovery systems are ideal for use in seawater installations where functioning pressure levels are high. 14 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

Liquid radwaste treatment by microfiltration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dulama, M.; Deneanu, N.; Popescu, I.V.

2001-01-01

Radioactive liquid waste processing is an integral part of any facility involved in nuclear power generation, radioisotope production, research and development, decontamination or other aspects of nuclear energy. The aqueous liquid radwastes from the decontamination center are currently treated by the membrane plant. Generally, the liquid waste streams are effectively volume-reduced by a combination of continuous crossflow microfiltration (MF), spiral wound reverse osmosis (SWRO) and tubular reverse osmosis membrane technologies. Backwash chemical cleaning wastes from the membrane plant are further volume-reduced by evaporation. The concentrate from the membrane plant is ultimately immobilized with bitumen. We performed experiments using two simulated waste solution; secondary waste from the decontamination process with POD (Permanganate Oxidation Decontamination) solution and secondary waste from decontamination with CAN-DECON solution. The experimental tests have been done with cellulose acetate (CA) membrane and polysulfonate (PSF) membrane manufactured at Research Center for Macromolecular Materials and Membranes Bucharest and with Millipore membrane type VS 0.025 μm. A schematic of the laboratory-scale test facility is presented

Progress in the development of the reverse osmosis process for spacecraft wash water recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Pecoraro, J. N.; Podall, H. E.; Spurlock, J. M.

1972-01-01

Research work on ambient- and pasteurization-temperature reverse osmosis processes for wash water recovery in a spacecraft environment is reviewed, and the advantages and drawbacks of each are noted. A key requirement in each case is to provide a membrane of appropriate stability and semipermeability. Reverse osmosis systems intended for such use must also take into account the specific limitations and requirements imposed by the small volume of water to be processed and the high water recovery desired. The incorporation of advanced high-temperature membranes into specially designed modules is discussed.

Performance of high-recovery recycling reverse osmosis with wash water

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Cal C.

1993-01-01

Inclusion of a recycling loop for partially-desalted water from second-stage reverse-osmosis permeate has been shown useful for achieving high-recovery at moderate applied pressures. This approach has now been applied to simulated wash waters, to obtain data on retention by the membranes of solutes in a mixture comparable to anticipated spacecraft hygiene wastewaters, and to generate an estimate of the maximum concentration that can be expected without causing membrane fouling. A first experiment set provides selectivity information from a single membrane and an Igepon detergent, as a function of final concentration. A reject concentration of 3.1% Total Organic Carbon has been reached, at a pressure of 1.4 Mega Pascals, without membrane fouling. Further experiments have generated selectivity values for the recycle configuration from two washwater simulations, as a function of applied pump pressure. Reverse osmosis removal has also been tested for washwater containing detergent formulated for plant growth compatibility (containing nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium functional groups.)

Treatment of radioactive liquid waste by tubular type reverse osmosis module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimaki, Kenzo; Koyama, Akio; Tsutsui, Tenson; Mori, Koji.

1988-01-01

The applicability of reverse osmosis to radioactive liquid waste treatment was studied using a tubular type module. When four modules were used in a series, circulating volume of concentrate was much greater than permeate volume, therefore solute concentration and circulating rate of concentrate can be assumed uniform in the axial direction of the modules. DFs of stable elements contained in the tap water were 36-40 for Na, 50-55 for K, 170-250 for Mg and 90-160 for Ca. When Na concentration increased about ten times, DFs for all elements slightly decreased. For actual liquid waste tagged with radionuclides, DFs were in the range of 35-40 for 134 Cs, 150-200 for 85 Sr, and 180-280 for 58 Co. These DF values indicate the possibility of the treatment of low radioactive liquid waste by reverse osmosis. (author)

Salinity-gradient power: Evaluation of pressure-retarded osmosis and reverse electrodialysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Post, J.W.; Veerman, J.; Hamelers, H.V.M.; Euverink, G.J.W.; Metz, S.J.; Nymeijer, K.; Buisman, C.J.N.

2007-01-01

A huge potential to obtain clean energy exists from mixing water streams with different salt concentrations. Two membrane-based energy conversion techniques are evaluated: pressure-retarded osmosis and reverse electrodialysis. From the literature, a comparison is not possible since the reported

Reverse osmosis treatment in CO_2 + O_2 to the application of the in-situ leaching of uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruan Zhilong; Li Xilong; Yang Shaowu

2014-01-01

Advantages and disadvantages of various groundwater management methods, combined with CO_2 + O_2 characteristics of in situ leaching uranium mining process, use reverse osmosis wastewater treatment technology, has carried on the laboratory test, field condition test and industrial test. Obtained by indoor experiment and field conditions for Cl"- ion concentration variation characteristics; Reverse osmosis treatment effect of wastewater is verified by industrial test, obtained the technical parameters and consumption data, as well as the leaching liquid and adsorption tail liquid pH, SO_4"2"-; Cl"- in the plasma concentration monitoring, and further prove that the reverse osmosis treatment technology is suitable for in-situ leaching of uranium in CO_2 + O_2 in wastewater treatment. (authors)

Membrane morphology and topology for fouling control in Reverse Osmosis filtration systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Bowen; Battiato, Ilenia

2017-11-01

Reverse Osmosis Membrane (ROM) filtration systems are widely utilized in waste-water recovery, seawater desalination, landfill water treatment, etc. During filtration, the system performance is dramatically affected by membrane fouling which causes a significant decrease in permeate flux as well as an increase in the energy input required to operate the system. Design and optimization of ROM filtration systems aim at reducing membrane fouling by studying the coupling between membrane structure, local flow field and foulant adsorption patterns. Yet, current studies focus exclusively on oversimplified steady-state models that ignore any dynamic coupling between fluid flow and transport through the membrane. In this work, we develop a customized solver (SUMembraneFoam) under OpenFOAM to solve the transient equations. The simulation results not only predict macroscopic quantities (e.g. permeate flux, pressure drop, etc.) but also show an excellent agreement with the fouling patterns observed in experiments. It is observed that foulant deposition is strongly controlled by the local shear stress on the membrane, and channel morphology or membrane topology can be modified to control the shear stress distribution and reduce fouling. Finally, we identify optimal regimes for design.

Quantitative biofouling diagnosis in full scale nanofiltration and reverse osmosis installations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vrouwenvelder, J.S.; Manolarakis, S.A.; van der Hoek, J.P.; van Paassen, J.A.M.; van der Meer, Walterus Gijsbertus Joseph; van Agtmaal, J.M.C.; Prummel, H.D.M.; Kruithof, J.C.; Loosdrecht, M.C.M.

2008-01-01

Biofilm accumulation in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane elements results in a relative increase of normalised pressure drop (ΔNPD). However, an increase in ΔNPD is not exclusively linked to biofouling. In order to quantify biofouling, the biomass parameters adenosine triphosphate (ATP),

Domestic wash water reclamation for reuse as commode water supply using filtration: Reverse-osmosis separation technique

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, J. B., Jr.; Batten, C. E.; Wilkins, J. R.

1974-01-01

A combined filtration-reverse-osmosis water recovery system has been evaluated to determine its capability to reclaim domestic wash water for reuse as a commode water supply. The system produced water that met all chemical and physical requirements established by the U.S. Public Health Service for drinking water with the exception of carbon chloroform extractables, methylene blue active substances, and phenols. It is thought that this water is of sufficient quality to be reused as commode supply water. The feasibility of using a combined filtration and reverse-osmosis technique for reclaiming domestic wash water has been established. The use of such a technique for wash-water recovery will require a maintenance filter to remove solid materials including those less than 1 micron in size from the wash water. The reverse-osmosis module, if sufficiently protected from plugging, is an attractive low-energy technique for removing contaminants from domestic wash water.

Desalination of brackish mine waters by reverse osmosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kepinski, J; Lipinski, K; Chlubek, N; Delyannis, A; Delyannis, E [eds.

1976-01-01

The situation concerning the pollution, by excessive salinity, of the main rivers in Poland is analyzed. The significant contribution of saline coal mine waters is evaluated, with emphasis on large quantities of brackish water in new coal mines. The results are given of preliminary experiments undertaken in order to elaborate the suitable technology. Pretreatment, concentration by reverse osmosis and disinfection of the permeate are the proposed steps. The concentrate as obtained is suitable for further utilization by evaporation.

A comparative study of reverse osmosis and activated charcoal, two inexpensive and very effective ways to remove waterborne radon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, K.T.; Mose, D.G.; Mushrush, G.W.

1994-01-01

A two year comparative study of waterborne radon removal reveals that reverse osmosis is consistently more effective than the use of activated charcoal. Reverse osmosis is a process by which water is forced under a pressure sufficient to overcome osmotic pressure through a semipermeable membrane, leaving behind impurities. Removal effectiveness for dissolved organic, dissolved ionic and suspended impurities are typically above 90%. Systems designed for home use to remove impurities from water dispensed at a convenient tap cost about $2000 and commonly consist of a sediment filter, a carbon prefilter, and a reverse osmosis container. A tank of activated charcoal can work equally well, and cost $500-$1000. However, the tank of charcoal becomes measurably enriched in gamma-emitters

RECYCLING NICKEL ELECTROPLATING RINSE WATERS BY LOW TEMPERATURE EVAPORATION AND REVERSE OSMOSIS

Science.gov (United States)

Low temperature evaporation and reverse osmosis systems were each evaluated (on a pilot scale) on their respective ability to process rinse water collected from a nickel electroplating operation. Each system offered advantages under specific operating conditions. The low temperat...

An investigation of desalination by nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and integrated (hybrid NF/RO) membranes employed in brackish water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Talaeipour, M; Nouri, J; Hassani, A H; Mahvi, A H

2017-01-01

As an appropriate tool, membrane process is used for desalination of brackish water, in the production of drinking water. The present study aims to investigate desalination processes of brackish water of Qom Province in Iran. This study was carried out at the central laboratory of Water and Wastewater Company of the studied area. To this aim, membrane processes, including nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO), separately and also their hybrid process were applied. Moreover, water physical and chemical parameters, including salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), electric conductivity (EC), Na +1 and Cl -1 were also measured. Afterward, the rejection percent of each parameter was investigated and compared using nanofiltration and reverse osmosis separately and also by their hybrid process. The treatment process was performed by Luna domestic desalination device, which its membrane was replaced by two NF90 and TW30 membranes for nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes, respectively. All collected brackish water samples were fed through membranes NF90-2540, TW30-1821-100(RO) and Hybrid (NF/RO) which were installed on desalination household scale pilot (Luna water 100GPD). Then, to study the effects of pressure on permeable quality of membranes, the simulation software model ROSA was applied. Results showed that percent of the salinity rejection was recorded as 50.21%; 72.82 and 78.56% in NF, RO and hybrid processes, respectively. During the study, in order to simulate the performance of nanofiltartion, reverse osmosis and hybrid by pressure drive, reverse osmosis system analysis (ROSA) model was applied. The experiments were conducted at performance three methods of desalination to remove physic-chemical parameters as percentage of rejections in the pilot plant are: in the NF system the salinity 50.21, TDS 43.41, EC 43.62, Cl 21.1, Na 36.15, and in the RO membrane the salinity 72.02, TDS 60.26, EC 60.33, Cl 43.08, Na 54.41. Also in case of the rejection in

REMOVAL OF CHLORINATED AND BROMINATED ALKANES FROM DRINKING WATER USING REVERSE OSMOSIS

Science.gov (United States)

Membrane use in water treatment has historically focused on desalination. With the development of new membrane materials, attention began to focus on reverse osmosis and pervaporation as alternatives to traditional water treatment processes. This paper addresses the use of reve...

Preliminary design of seawater and brackish water reverse osmosis desalination systems driven by low-temperature solar organic Rankine cycles (ORC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delgado-Torres, Agustin M.; Garcia-Rodriguez, Lourdes

2010-01-01

In this paper, the coupling between the low-temperature solar organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and seawater and brackish water reverse osmosis desalination units has been carried out. Four substances have been considered as working fluids of the solar cycle (butane, isopentane, R245fa and R245ca). With these four fluids the volumetric flow of fresh water produced per unit of aperture area of stationary solar collector has been calculated. The former has been made with the optimized direct vapour generation (DVG) configuration and heat transfer fluid (HTF) configuration of the solar ORC. In the first one (DVG), working fluid of the ORC is directly heated inside the absorber of the solar collector. In the second one (HTF), a fluid different than the working fluid of the ORC (water in this paper) is heated without phase change inside the absorber of the solar collector. Once this fluid has been heated it is carried towards a heat exchanger where it is cooled. Thermal energy delivered in this cooling process is transferred to the working fluid of the ORC. Influence of condensation temperature of the ORC and regeneration's process effectiveness over productivity of the system has also been analysed. Finally, parameters of several preliminary designs of the low-temperature solar thermal driven RO desalination are supplied. R245fa is chosen as working fluid of the ORC in these preliminary designs. The information of the proposed preliminary designs can also be used, i.e., for the assessment of the use of thermal energy rejected by the solar cycle. Overall analysis of the efficiency of the solar thermal driven RO desalination technology is given with the results presented in this paper and the results obtained with the medium temperature solar thermal RO desalination system presented by the authors in previous papers. This work has been carried out within the framework of the OSMOSOL and POWERSOL projects.

Preliminary design of seawater and brackish water reverse osmosis desalination systems driven by low-temperature solar organic Rankine cycles (ORC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delgado-Torres, Agustin M. [Dpto. Fisica Fundamental y Experimental, Electronica y Sistemas, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria Civil e Industrial, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avda. Astrofisico Francisco Sanchez s/n. 38206 La Laguna (Tenerife) (Spain); Garcia-Rodriguez, Lourdes [Dpto. Ingenieria Energetica, Universidad de Sevilla Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros, Camino de los Descubrimientos, s/n 41092 Sevilla (Spain)

2010-12-15

In this paper, the coupling between the low-temperature solar organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and seawater and brackish water reverse osmosis desalination units has been carried out. Four substances have been considered as working fluids of the solar cycle (butane, isopentane, R245fa and R245ca). With these four fluids the volumetric flow of fresh water produced per unit of aperture area of stationary solar collector has been calculated. The former has been made with the optimized direct vapour generation (DVG) configuration and heat transfer fluid (HTF) configuration of the solar ORC. In the first one (DVG), working fluid of the ORC is directly heated inside the absorber of the solar collector. In the second one (HTF), a fluid different than the working fluid of the ORC (water in this paper) is heated without phase change inside the absorber of the solar collector. Once this fluid has been heated it is carried towards a heat exchanger where it is cooled. Thermal energy delivered in this cooling process is transferred to the working fluid of the ORC. Influence of condensation temperature of the ORC and regeneration's process effectiveness over productivity of the system has also been analysed. Finally, parameters of several preliminary designs of the low-temperature solar thermal driven RO desalination are supplied. R245fa is chosen as working fluid of the ORC in these preliminary designs. The information of the proposed preliminary designs can also be used, i.e., for the assessment of the use of thermal energy rejected by the solar cycle. Overall analysis of the efficiency of the solar thermal driven RO desalination technology is given with the results presented in this paper and the results obtained with the medium temperature solar thermal RO desalination system presented by the authors in previous papers. This work has been carried out within the framework of the OSMOSOL and POWERSOL projects. (author)

Analysis of a Wave-Powered, Reverse-Osmosis System and its Economic Availability in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Yi-Hsiang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jenne, Dale S [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-06-03

A wave energy converter (WEC) system has the potential to convert the wave energy resource directly into the high-pressure flow that is needed by the desalination system to permeate saltwater through the reverse-osmosis membrane to generate clean water. In this study, a wave-to-water numerical model was developed to investigate the potential use of a wave-powered desalination system (WPDS) for water production in the United States. The model was developed by coupling a time-domain radiation-and-diffraction-method-based numerical tool (WEC-Sim) for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of WECs with a solution-diffusion model that was used to simulate the reverse-osmosis process. To evaluate the feasibility of the WPDS, the wave-to-water numerical model was applied to simulate a desalination system that used an oscillating surge WEC device to pump seawater through the system. The annual water production was estimated based on the wave resource at a reference site on the coast of northern California to investigate the potential cost of water in that area, where the cost of water and electricity is high compared to other regions. In the scenario evaluated, for a 100-unit utility-scale array, the estimated levelized cost of energy for these WECs is about 3-6 times the U.S.'s current, unsubsidized electricity rates. However, with clean water as an end product and by directly producing pressurized water with WECs, rather than electricity as an intermediary, it is presently only 12% greater than typical water cost in California. This study suggests that a WEC array that produces water may be a viable, near-term solution to the nation's water supply, and the niche application of the WPDS may also provide developers with new opportunities to further develop technologies that benefit both the electric and drinking water markets.

The treatment of radioactive waste with reverse osmosis membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendro

1997-01-01

The study of liquid waste characteristic and performance of reverse osmosis for treatment of liquid radioactive waste had been taken. Waste simulation was used to contain of 100 ppm strontium, 100 ppm cesium, pH between 5 and 6, and dry extract of 0.11 g/l, with operating condition of feed solution pressure 100 psi, temperature 25 o C, spiral wound composite membrane modules and area of membrane was 0,3042 m 2 . Results of the experiment indicated that the decontamination factor obtained between 9.3 and 15.4 for strontium, and 7,3 and 7,9 for cesium. From the beginning until one hour of operation decontamination factor increased to 53,8% for strontium and 4,1% for cesium, and permeate flux decreased at operating time more than 12 hours. Decontamination factor of process can be increased by using the series of osmosis unit (author)

EFFICIENCY OF DOMESTIC REVERSE OSMOSIS IN REMOVAL OF TRIHALOMETHANES FROM DRINKING WATER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Mazloomi ، R. Nabizadeh ، S. Nasseri ، K. Naddafi ، S. Nazmara ، A. H. Mahvi

2009-10-01

Full Text Available The reaction of disinfectants with natural organic matters existing in water lead to the formation of Disinfection By-Products. Potentially hazardous and carcinogenic characteristics of trihalomethanes (THMs are recognized. Thus removal of THMs or its precursors are necessary for human health. The aim of this study was to study the efficiency of domestic reverse osmosis (RO in removal of trihalomethanes from drinking water. A pilot scale of RO system with Polyamide membrane as Spiral-Wound, Tape wrapping module was used. Feed solution was made by using of pure chloroform. The samples containing chloroform were analyzed using a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector. By increasing the flow, the removal rate of chloroform decreased and with declining removal of EC, the removal of chloroform declined too. In this research, at the worst condition, the efficiency of the pilot scale reverse osmosis reached to 80 % removal of chloroform.

Reverse osmosis performance of cellulose acetate membranes in the separation of uranium from dilute solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sastri, V.S.; Ashbrook, A.W.

1976-01-01

Batch 316-type cellulose acetate membranes were characterized in terms of pure water permeability constant, solute transport parameter, and mass transfer coefficient with a reference system of aqueous sodium chloride solution. These membranes were used in the determination of reverse osmosis characteristics such as product rate and solute separation in the case of uranium sulfate solutions of different concentrations (100 to 8000 ppM) in the feed solutions. A long-term test extending over a week has been carried out with dilute uranium solutions. Reverse osmosis treatment of synthetic mine water sample showed satisfactory performance of the membranes in the separation of metal ions

An analysis of the effects of osmotic backwashing on the seawater reverse osmosis process.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, JunYoung; Jeong, WooWon; Nam, JongWoo; Kim, JaeHun; Kim, JiHoon; Chon, Kangmin; Lee, Euijong; Kim, HyungSoo; Jang, Am

2014-01-01

Fouling control is an important consideration in the design and operation of membrane-based water treatment processes. It has been generally known that chemical cleaning is still the most common method to remove foultants and maintain the performance of reverse osmosis (RO) desalination. Regardless of the chemical membrane cleaning methods applied effectively, however, frequent chemical cleaning can shorten the membrane life. In addition, it also increases operating and maintenance costs due to the waste chemical disposal. As an alternative, osmotic backwashing can be applied to RO membranes by diluting the concentration polarization (CP) layer. In this study, the effects of osmotic backwashing were analysed under different total dissolved salts (TDSs) and backwashing conditions, and the parameters of the osmotic backwashing were evaluated. The results of the analysis based on the properties of the organic matters found in raw water showed that the cleaning efficiency in respect to the fouling by hydrophilic organic matters was the greatest. Osmotic backwashing was carried out by changing the TDS of the permeate. As a result, the backwashing volume decreased with time due to the CP of the permeate and the backwashing volume. The difference in the osmotic pressure between the raw water and the permeate (Delta pi) also decreased as time passed. It was confirmed that when the temperature of the effluent was high, both the cleaning efficiency and the backwashing volume, which inpours at the same time, increased. When the circulation flow of the effluent was high, both the cleaning efficiency and the backwashing volume increased.

A survey of structure characterization methods for ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smolders, C.A.; Mulder, M.H.V.; van der Velden, P.M.

1976-01-01

Asymmetric membranes consist of a thin skin, which is permselective to certain molecules in solution, and a porous support, serving as a mechanical support layer and also as a transport layer for the permeate. Both in ultrafiltration and in hyperfiltration (reverse osmosis) asymmetric membranes are

Hydrophilic, bactericidal nanoheater-enabled reverse osmosis membranes to improve fouling resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Jessica R; Tadepalli, Sirimuvva; Nergiz, Saide Z; Liu, Keng-Ku; You, Le; Tang, Yinjie; Singamaneni, Srikanth; Jun, Young-Shin

2015-06-03

Polyamide (PA) semipermeable membranes typically used for reverse osmosis water treatment processes are prone to fouling, which reduces the amount and quality of water produced. By synergistically coupling the photothermal and bactericidal properties of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, gold nanostars (AuNS), and hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) on PA reverse osmosis membrane surfaces, we have dramatically improved fouling resistance of these membranes. Batch fouling experiments from three classes of fouling are presented: mineral scaling (CaCO3 and CaSO4), organic fouling (humic acid), and biofouling (Escherichia coli). Systematic analyses and a variety of complementary techniques were used to elucidate fouling resistance mechanisms from each layer of modification on the membrane surface. Both mineral scaling and organic fouling were significantly reduced in PA-GO-AuNS-PEG membranes compared to other membranes. The PA-GO-AuNS-PEG membrane was also effective in killing all near-surface bacteria compared to PA membranes. In the PA-GO-AuNS-PEG membrane, the GO nanosheets act as templates for in situ AuNS growth, which then facilitated localized heating upon irradiation by an 808 nm laser inactivating bacteria on the membrane surface. Furthermore, AuNS in the membrane assisted PEG in preventing mineral scaling on the membrane surface. In flow-through flux and foulant rejection tests, PA-GO-AuNS-PEG membranes performed better than PA membranes in the presence of CaSO4 and humic acid model foulants. Therefore, the newly suggested membrane surface modifications will not only reduce fouling from RO feeds, but can improve overall membrane performance. Our innovative membrane design reported in this study can significantly extend the lifetime and water treatment efficacy of reverse osmosis membranes to alleviate escalating global water shortage from rising energy demands.

Expansion of thermodynamic model of solute permeation through reverse osmosis membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimaki, Kenzo; Koyama, Akio

1994-01-01

Many studies have been performed on permeation mechanism of solute and solvent in membrane separation process like reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration, and several models of solute/solvent permeation through membrane are proposed. Among these models, Kedem and Katchalsky, based on the theory of thermodynamics of irreversible processes, formulated the one-solute permeation process in their mathematical model, which treats membrane as a black box, not giving consideration to membrane structure and to interaction between membrane material and permeates, viz. solute and solvent. According to this theory, the driving force of solute/solvent permeation through membrane is the difference of their chemical potential between both sides of membrane, and the linear phenomenological equation is applied to describing the relation between driving force and flux of solute/solvent. This equation can be applied to the irreversible process only when the process is almost in equilibrium. This condition is supposed to be satisfied in the solute/solvent permeation process through compact membrane with fine pores like reverse osmosis membrane. When reverse osmosis is applied to treatment process for liquid waste, which usually contains a lot of solutes as contaminants, we can not predict the behavior of contaminants by the above one-solute process model. In the case of multi-solutes permeation process for liquid waste, the number of parameter in thermodynamic model increases rapidly with the number of solute, because of coupling phenomenon among solutes. In this study, we expanded the above thermodynamic model to multi-solute process applying operational calculus to the differential equations which describe the irreversible process of the system, and expressed concisely solute concentration vector as a matrix product. In this way, we predict the behavior of solutes in multi-solutes process, using values of parameters obtained in two-solutes process. (author)

Permeability of uncharged organic molecules in reverse osmosis desalination membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dražević, Emil; Košutić, Krešimir; Svalina, Marin; Catalano, Jacopo

2017-06-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are primarily designed for removal of salts i.e. for desalination of brackish and seawater, but they have also found applications in removal of organic molecules. While it is clear that steric exclusion is the dominant removal mechanism, the fundamental explanation for how and why the separation occurs remains elusive. Until recently there was no strong microscopic evidences elucidating the structure of the active polyamide layers of RO membranes, and thus they have been conceived as "black boxes"; or as an array of straight capillaries with a distribution of radii; or as polymers with a small amount of polymer free domains. The knowledge of diffusion and sorption coefficients is a prerequisite for understanding the intrinsic permeability of any organic solute in any polymer. At the same time, it is technically challenging to accurately measure these two fundamental parameters in very thin (20-300 nm) water-swollen active layers. In this work we have measured partition and diffusion coefficients and RO permeabilities of ten organic solutes in water-swollen active layers of two types of RO membranes, low (SWC4+) and high flux (XLE). We deduced from our results and recent microscopic studies that the solute flux of organic molecules in polyamide layer of RO membranes occurs in two domains, dense polymer (the key barrier layer) and the water filled domains. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of a Wave-Powered, Reverse-Osmosis System and Its Economic Availability in the United States: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Yi-Hsiang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jenne, Dale S [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-08-09

A wave energy converter (WEC) system has the potential to convert the wave energy resource directly into the high-pressure flow that is needed by the desalination system to permeate saltwater through the reverse-osmosis membrane to generate clean water. In this study, a wave-to-water numerical model was developed to investigate the potential use of a wave-powered desalination system (WPDS) for water production in the United States. The model was developed by coupling a time-domain radiation-and-diffraction-method-based numerical tool (WEC-Sim) for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of WECs with a solution-diffusion model that was used to simulate the reverse-osmosis process. To evaluate the feasibility of the WPDS, the wave-to-water numerical model was applied to simulate a desalination system that used an oscillating surge WEC device to pump seawater through the system. The annual water production was estimated based on the wave resource at a reference site on the coast of northern California to investigate the potential cost of water in that area, where the cost of water and electricity is high compared to other regions. In the scenario evaluated, for a 100-unit utility-scale electricity-producing array, the estimated levelized cost of energy for these WECs is about 3-6 times the U.S.'s current, unsubsidized electricity rates. However, with clean water as an end product and by directly producing pressurized water with WECs, rather than electricity as an intermediary, it is presently only 12 percent greater than typical water cost in California. This study suggests that a WEC array that produces water may be a viable, near-term solution to the nation's water supply, and the niche application of the WPDS may also provide developers with new opportunities to further develop technologies that benefit both the electric and drinking water markets.

REMOVAL OF CHLORINATED ALKENE SOLVENTS FROM DRINKING WATER BY VARIOUS REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES

Science.gov (United States)

Historically, membranes have been used to desalinate water. As new membrane materials are developed, traditional water treatment schemes may incorporate membrane technologies, such as reverse osmosis, to address a variety of new concerns such as low molecular weight volatile org...

Installations for water desalination by reverse osmosis. P. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauermann, H.D.; Ermert, U.

1974-01-01

Starting with the explanation of an installation scheme of a reverse osmosis (RO) plant for water desalination, the various parts of such a plant are firstly discussed briefly. After a chapter dealing with the feed pre-treatment required, the operation of RO-plants is dealt with. The usual variations of arrangement are shown, as well as some information given on maintenance and costs of such methods of desalination. The last part contains some examples of plants installed so far. (orig.) [de

Seawater desalination as an option to alleviate water scarcity in South Africa: the need for a strategic approach to planning and environmental decision-making

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Schreiner, GO

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In the last decade, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) has come to be seen by policy-makers as a novel technology that will significantly advance water security in South African coastal regions. Water purveyors, from the private sector, local...

Methodological approaches to conducting pilot and proof tests on reverse-osmosis systems: Results of comparative studies

Science.gov (United States)

Panteleev, A. A.; Bobinkin, V. V.; Larionov, S. Yu.; Ryabchikov, B. E.; Smirnov, V. B.; Shapovalov, D. A.

2017-10-01

When designing large-scale water-treatment plants based on reverse-osmosis systems, it is proposed to conduct experimental-industrial or pilot tests for validated simulation of the operation of the equipment. It is shown that such tests allow establishing efficient operating conditions and characteristics of the plant under design. It is proposed to conduct pilot tests of the reverse-osmosis systems on pilot membrane plants (PMPs) and test membrane plants (TMPs). The results of a comparative experimental study of pilot and test membrane plants are exemplified by simulating the operating parameters of the membrane elements of an industrial plant. It is concluded that the reliability of the data obtained on the TMP may not be sufficient to design industrial water-treatment plants, while the PMPs are capable of providing reliable data that can be used for full-scale simulation of the operation of industrial reverse-osmosis systems. The test membrane plants allow simulation of the operating conditions of individual industrial plant systems; therefore, potential areas of their application are shown. A method for numerical calculation and experimental determination of the true selectivity and the salt passage are proposed. An expression has been derived that describes the functional dependence between the observed and true salt passage. The results of the experiments conducted on a test membrane plant to determine the true value of the salt passage of a reverse-osmosis membrane are exemplified by magnesium sulfate solution at different initial operating parameters. It is shown that the initial content of a particular solution component has a significant effect on the change in the true salt passage of the membrane.

A study of reverse osmosis applicability to light water reactor radwaste processing. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markind, J.; Van Tran, T.

1979-04-01

The use of membrane technology has demonstrated significant process potential in nuclear radioactive waste applications. Reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration can provide filtration capability without the need of filter aids, minimize the requirements of chemical regeneration and/or disposal of expensive resins and can preconcentrate wastes without requiring major process equipment with large auxiliary heat supplies. Because of these capabilities, a study was undertaken to review, evaluate and document the existing experience, both nuclear and appropriate non-nuclear, of the membrane industry as it applies to the processing of reactor radwaste by membrane technology and, in particular, reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration. Relevant information was collected from both the literature and extensive communications with users and suppliers of membrane equipment. The systems reviewed ranged from experimental laboratory units to full scale process units

Treatment of low level waste water by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Kaijun; Zhang Chuanzhi; Xue Qinhua; Liu Meijun

1987-11-01

A Study on the removal of certain radioactive elements Such as 141 Ce, 51 Cr 134 Cu, 106 Ru and 131 I by Reverse Osmosis and the effect of surface activity agent on property of membrance are described in this paper. RO model is carried out to examine the treatment of actual reactor waste water and radioactive laundry waste water. The removal efficiency of total β is 98%. Three preprocessing (cloth pocket filtrator, hivefiltrator and zone) and membrane cleaning methods (acid, ozone and spongeball) are also investigated

Reverse osmosis membrane of high urea rejection properties. [water purification

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, C. C.; Wydeven, T. J. (Inventor)

1980-01-01

Polymeric membranes suitable for use in reverse osmosis water purification because of their high urea and salt rejection properties are prepared by generating a plasma of an unsaturated hydrocarbon monomer and nitrogen gas from an electrical source. A polymeric membrane is formed by depositing a polymer of the unsaturated monomer from the plasma onto a substrate, so that nitrogen from the nitrogen gas is incorporated within the polymer in a chemically combined form.

Advantages and application of forward osmosis

Science.gov (United States)

This month's Processing column explores the use of forward osmosis to dewater and concentrate. Forward osmosis is performed with specially designed membranes and requires very little energy. Where thermal evaporation and reverse osmosis may damage or alter products, forward osmosis preserves the s...

Gray water recycle: Effect of pretreatment technologies on low pressure reverse osmosis treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Gray water can be a valuable source of water when properly treated to reduce the risks associated with chemical and microbial contamination to acceptable levels for the intended reuse application. In this study, the treatment of gray water using low pressure reverse osmosis (RO) filtration after pre...

Removal of radionuclides in drinking water by membrane treatment using ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and electrodialysis reversal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montaña, M.; Camacho, A.; Serrano, I.; Devesa, R.; Matia, L.; Vallés, I.

2013-01-01

A pilot plant had been built to test the behaviour of ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), and electrodialysis reversal (EDR) in order to improve the quality of the water supplied to Barcelona metropolitan area from the Llobregat River. This paper presents results from two studies to reduce natural radioactivity. The results from the pilot plant with four different scenarios were used to design the full-scale treatment plant built (SJD WTP). The samples taken at different steps of the treatment were analysed to determine gross alpha, gross beta and uranium activity. The results obtained revealed a significant improvement in the radiological water quality provided by both membrane techniques (RO and EDR showed removal rates higher than 60%). However, UF did not show any significant removal capacity for gross alpha, gross beta or uranium activities. RO was better at reducing the radiological parameters studied and this treatment was selected and applied at the full scale treatment plant. The RO treatment used at the SJD WTP reduced the concentration of both gross alpha and gross beta activities and also produced water of high quality with an average removal of 95% for gross alpha activity and almost 93% for gross beta activity at the treatment plant. -- Highlights: ► A study with a pilot plant using different membranes technologies was made. ► Big reduction on natural uranium and 40 K by reverse osmosis was found. ► Pilot plant and full-scale treatment plant behave similarly

Nanofiltration vs. reverse osmosis for the removal of emerging organic contaminants in water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor; Maeng, Sungkyu; Fujioka, Takahiro; Kennedy, Maria Dolores; Li, Zhenyu; Amya, Gary

2011-01-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) in existing water reuse facilities is a water industry standard. However, that approach may be questioned taking into consideration that "tight" NF can be equal or "better" than RO. NF can achieve the same removals of RO

A Mechanistic Study of Arsenic (III) Rejection by Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Tasuma

2009-01-01

Reverse osmosis/nanofiltration (RO/NF) membranes are capable to provide an effective barrier for a wide range of contaminants (including disinfection by-products precursors) in a single treatment step. However, solute rejection mechanisms by RO/NF membranes are not well understood. The lack of mechanistic information arises from experimental…

Coupling reverse osmosis with electrodialysis to isolate natural organic matter from fresh waters

Science.gov (United States)

This study was undertaken to solve the problem of removal of sulfate and silica from solutions of natural organic matter (NOM) that have been pre-concentrated by reverse osmosis. The goal is the development of a method by which NOM can be concentrated and desalted to obtain a low...

Impact of Acid Cleaning on the Performance of PVDF UF Membranes in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Pretreatment

KAUST Repository

Alsogair, Safiya

2016-05-05

Low-pressure membrane systems such as Microfiltration (MF) and Ultrafiltration (UF) have been presented as viable option to pre-treatment systems in potable water applications. UF membranes are sporadically backwashed with ultra-filtered water to remove deposited matter from the membrane and restore it. Several factors that may cause permeability and selectivity decrease are involved and numerous procedures are applicable to achieve this objective. Membrane cleaning is the most important step required to maintain the characteristics of the membrane. This research was made with the purpose of investigating the effects of acid cleaning during chemically enhanced backwashing (CEB) on the performance of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) pretreatment. To accomplish this, the questions made were: Does the acid addition (before or after the alkali CEB) influence the overall CEB cleaning effectiveness on Dow UF membrane? Does the CEB order of alkali (NaOCl) and acid (H2SO4) affect the overall CEB cleaning effectiveness? If yes, which order is better/worse? What is the optimal acid CEB frequency that will ensure the most reliable performance of the UF?. To answer this queries, a series of sequences were carried out with different types of chemical treatments: Only NaOCl, daily NaOCl plus weekly acid, daily NaOCl plus daily acid, and weekly acid plus daily NaOCl. To investigate the consequence of acid by studying the effect of operational data like the trans-pressure membrane, resistance or permeability and support that by the analytical experiments (organic, inorganic and microbial characterization). Microorganisms were removed almost completely at hydraulic cleaning and showed no difference with addition of acid. As a conclusion of the operational data the organic and inorganic chatacterization resulted in the elimination of the first sequence due to the acummulation of fouling over time, which produces that the cleaning increases downtime

REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATION OF ORANGE JUICE USING SPIRAL WOUND MEMBRANES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. A. de ARAUJO

2009-03-01

Full Text Available

Flavor and odor components of foods are often lost during processing which leads to a poorer quality final product compared with the fresh ingredients. The orange juice industry concentrates juice (45-66ºBrix in TASTE (Thermally Accelerated Short Time Evaporator to remove excess water, and thus reduce storage and transportation costs, but also to improve product stability. Evaporation results in a loss of fresh juice flavors, color degradation and “cooked” taste due to the thermal effects. Methods using less heat for thermal damage reduction must be investigated to establish parameters for future commercial processes. The promising alternative is Reverse Osmosis (RO, but it cannot achieve concentrations greater than 30ºBrix. RO has advantages over traditional evaporation techniques in removing water. Because less heat is used, thermal damage to products is generally eliminated. In this project tests were performed using unpasteurised Single Strength Orange Juice (SSOJ, spiral wound membranes (Polyamide, and a DESAL pilot system model 4040. The aim was to evaluate spiral wound membranes on the basis of flux as a function of time. Retentate concentrations were 15-20ºBrix, and GC-FID analyses were used in order to understand aroma losses. KEYWORDS: Orange; juice; membrane; concentration; osmosis; reverse.

Study on concentrating treatment test of simulated radioactive wastewater containing boron by reverse osmosis membrane in PWR NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye Xinnan; Jiang Baihua; Fan Wenwen; Zhang Zhiyin; Yang Cangsheng

2015-01-01

The reverse osmosis membrane equipment in PWR NPP was employed to investigate the application of pilot scale system in the radioactive wastewater treatment at the full recirculation operation. The removal performance of the equipment for the boron and the radioactivity nuclide were studied, respectively. The experimental results show that the removal efficiency of the aromatic polyamide composite reverse osmosis membrane for boron is over 83.3% and the concentration of boron in concentrate is over 10000 mg/L. The experimental results also show that the removal efficiency of two nuclides including cobalt and cesium is over 97.9%. (authors)

Isotope and ion selectivity in reverse osmosis desalination: geochemical tracers for man-made freshwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Kloppmann, Wolfram; Vengosh, Avner; Guerrot, Catherine; Millot, Romain; Pankratov, Irena

2008-07-01

A systematic measurement of ions and 2H/1H, 7Li/6Li, 11B/10B, 18O/ 16O, and 87Sr/86Sr isotopes in feed-waters, permeates, and brines from commercial reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants in Israel (Ashkelon, Eilat, and Nitzana) and Cyprus (Larnaca) reveals distinctive geochemical and isotopic fingerprints of fresh water generated from desalination of seawater (SWRO) and brackish water (BWRO). The degree of isotope fractionation during the passage of water and solutes through the RO membranes depends on the medium (solvent-water vs. solutes), chemical speciation of the solutes, their charge, and their mass difference. O, H, and Sr isotopes are not fractionated during the RO process. 7Li is preferentially rejected in low pH RO, and B isotope fractionation depends on the pH conditions. Under low pH conditions, B isotopes are not significantly fractionated, whereas at high pH, RO permeates are enriched by 20 per thousand in 11B due to selective rejection of borate ion and preferential permeation of 11B-enriched boric acid through the membrane. The specific geochemical and isotopic fingerprints of SWRO provide a unique tool for tracing "man-made" fresh water as an emerging recharge component of natural water resources.

Energy efficiency of batch and semi-batch (CCRO) reverse osmosis desalination.

Science.gov (United States)

Warsinger, David M; Tow, Emily W; Nayar, Kishor G; Maswadeh, Laith A; Lienhard V, John H

2016-12-01

As reverse osmosis (RO) desalination capacity increases worldwide, the need to reduce its specific energy consumption becomes more urgent. In addition to the incremental changes attainable with improved components such as membranes and pumps, more significant reduction of energy consumption can be achieved through time-varying RO processes including semi-batch processes such as closed-circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO) and fully-batch processes that have not yet been commercialized or modelled in detail. In this study, numerical models of the energy consumption of batch RO (BRO), CCRO, and the standard continuous RO process are detailed. Two new energy-efficient configurations of batch RO are analyzed. Batch systems use significantly less energy than continuous RO over a wide range of recovery ratios and source water salinities. Relative to continuous RO, models predict that CCRO and batch RO demonstrate up to 37% and 64% energy savings, respectively, for brackish water desalination at high water recovery. For batch RO and CCRO, the primary reductions in energy use stem from atmospheric pressure brine discharge and reduced streamwise variation in driving pressure. Fully-batch systems further reduce energy consumption by not mixing streams of different concentrations, which CCRO does. These results demonstrate that time-varying processes can significantly raise RO energy efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A feasibility study of ultrafiltration/reverse osmosis (UF/RO)-based wastewater treatment and reuse in the metal finishing industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petrinic, Irena; Korenak, Jasmina; Povodnik, Damijan

2015-01-01

that the ultrafiltration-reverse osmosis treatment removed between 91.3% and 99.8% of the contaminants from the effluent, such as metal elements, organic, and inorganic compounds. Contaminants such as suspended solids, nickel, ammonium nitrogen, sulphate nitrogen, chemical oxygen demand, and biochemical oxygen demand were...... completely removed, the concentrations in the permeate being under the detection limits, thus the quality of the ultrafiltration-reverse osmosis process met the reuse criteria. This demonstrates the technological feasibility of wastewater reuse during electro-plating processes and the pre-treatment of powder...

Learning about (Not by) Osmosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Borovoy, Alexander

1991-01-01

Describes the process of osmosis from its discovery by Nollet in 1848 to modern applications. Uses experimental descriptions, illustrations, and photographs to explain osmosis. Discusses the technology of producing perfect filters and their applications in reverse osmosis to purify salt water and to filter blood in kidney machines. (PR)

Forward Osmosis/Low Pressure Reverse Osmosis for Water Reuse: Removal of Organic Micropollutants, Fouling and Cleaning

KAUST Repository

Linares, Rodrigo

2011-07-01

Forward osmosis (FO) is a natural process in which a solution with high concentration of solutes is diluted when being in contact, through a semipermeable membrane, with a low concentration solution. This osmotic process has been demonstrated to be efficient to recover wastewater effluents while diluting a saline draw solution. Nevertheless, the study of the removal of micropollutants by FO is barely described in the literature. This research focuses on the removal of these substances spiked in a secondary wastewater effluent, while diluting water from the Red Sea, generating feed water that can be desalinated with a low pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) system. Another goal of this work is to characterize the fouling of the FO membrane, and its effect on micropollutants rejection, as well as the membrane cleaning efficiency of different methods. When considering only FO with a clean membrane, the rejection of the hydrophilic neutral compounds was between 48.6% and 84.7%, for the hydrophobic neutrals the rejection ranged from 40.0% to 87.5%, and for the ionic compounds the rejections were between 92.9% and 96.5%. With a fouled membrane, the rejections were between 44.6% to 95.2%, 48.7% to 91.5% and 96.9% to 98.6%, respectively. These results suggest that, except for the hydrophilic neutral compounds, the rejection of the micropollutants is increased by the fouling layer, possibly due to the higher hydrophilicity of the FO fouled membrane compared to the clean one, the increased adsorption capacity and reduced mass transport capacity, membrane swelling, and the higher negative charge of the surface, related to the foulants. However, when coupled with low pressure reverse osmosis, the rejections for both, the clean and fouled membrane, increased above 98%. The fouling layer, after characterizing the wastewater effluent and the concentrated wastewater after the FO process, proved to be composed of biopolymers, which can be removed with air scouring during short periods

Radiological map evolution in the treatment of 137Cs liquid wastes by a reverse osmosis plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnal, J.M.; Sancho, M.; Verdu, G.; Gozalvez, J.M.

2002-01-01

As a result of an accidental 1 37C s source melting in one of the furnaces of a stainless steel production company located in Spain, a part of the factory was radioactively contaminated. LAINSA (Logistica y Acondicionamientos Industriales S.A.) company took charge of the plant decontamination process, in which 40 m 3 , approximately, of 1 37C s contaminated water with a mean activity of 300 kBq/L were generated. After some preliminary tests in which the efficiency of reverse osmosis (RO) process in the treatment of 1 37C s contaminated effluent was proved, the radioactive liquid waste was treated by a reverse osmosis plant designed by the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Department of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), and built by LAINSA company. Membrane techniques (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis) have become common in the treatment of radioactive effluents having substitute conventional treatments such as evaporation and ionic exchange. The main advantages of membrane processes used for concentrating radioactive wastes are moderate operating conditions, simple apparatus, high decontamination factors and low energy consumption. The treatment was carried out by the research team UPV-LAINSA, and it consisted in the application of reverse osmosis (RO) process with the main objective of reducing the waste volume to be disposed, obtaining a treated liquid with an activity less than the legal discharge limit for 1 37C s radioisotope (300 Bq/L). When working with radioactive effluents it is very important the radiological vigilance of working areas because it ensures that neither exposed personnel nor general public receive doses above established limits. Radiological vigilance consists in determining (continuously or periodically) radiation and contamination levels in working areas and even in those places where personnel can temporarily stand. The aim of this paper is to assess the evolution of radiation levels of the

Nuclide separation modeling through reverse osmosis membranes in radioactive liquid waste

OpenAIRE

Lee, Byung-Sik

2015-01-01

The aim of this work is to investigate the transport mechanism of radioactive nuclides through the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and to estimate its effectiveness for nuclide separation from radioactive liquid waste. An analytical model is developed to simulate the RO separation, and a series of experiments are set up to confirm its estimated separation behavior. The model is based on the extended Nernst–Plank equation, which handles the convective flux, diffusive flux, and electromigration f...

Poly/vinyl alcohol/ membranes for reverse osmosis

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, M. G.; Wydeven, T., Jr.

1981-01-01

A description is presented of the results of studies of the water and salt transport properties of PVA membranes, taking into account radiation crosslinked PVA membranes, diffusive salt permeability through PVA membranes, and heat treated PVA membranes. The experimental findings support an occurrence of independent water, and salt permeation processes. It is suggested that the salt permeation is governed by a solution-diffusion transport mechanism. The preparation of thin skinned, asymmetric PVA membranes is also discussed. The employed method has a certain similarity to the classical phase inversion method, which is widely applied in the casting of asymmetric reverse osmosis membranes. Instead of using a gelling bath composed of a nonsolvent for the membrane material and miscible with the solvent from which the membrane is cast, a 'complexing' bath is used, which is a solution of a complexing agent in water.

Design features of a reverse osmosis demonstration plant for treatment of low level radioactive waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shekhar, P; Nath, Sudesh; Gandhi, P M; Mishra, S D [Waste Management Projects Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India)

1994-06-01

Reverse osmosis, a novel process in the field of nuclear waste management, is under evaluation globally. Its application is basically considered for the treatment of low level waste; yet references are found for its possible use to treat specific intermediate level waste streams, if segregated at source. The process of reverse osmosis (RO) is proposed for use in conjunction with other conventional processes like chemical treatment, ion exchange and evaporation. Flow sheets have been developed wherein RO can come as a replacement of one of these processes or is used as a pre or post treatment stage. The emphasis is on reducing the secondary wastes so as to realize an optimum levelised cost of treatment. This paper outlines the design basis for an RO plant for treating low level radioactive wastes based on the studies carried out on laboratory as well as bench scale. (author). 3 figs., 3 tabs.

Design features of a reverse osmosis demonstration plant for treatment of low level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shekhar, P.; Sudesh Nath; Gandhi, P.M.; Mishra, S.D.

1994-01-01

Reverse osmosis, a novel process in the field of nuclear waste management, is under evaluation globally. Its application is basically considered for the treatment of low level waste; yet references are found for its possible use to treat specific intermediate level waste streams, if segregated at source. The process of reverse osmosis (RO) is proposed for use in conjunction with other conventional processes like chemical treatment, ion exchange and evaporation. Flow sheets have been developed wherein RO can come as a replacement of one of these processes or is used as a pre or post treatment stage. The emphasis is on reducing the secondary wastes so as to realize an optimum levelised cost of treatment. This paper outlines the design basis for an RO plant for treating low level radioactive wastes based on the studies carried out on laboratory as well as bench scale. (author)

Feasibility of the inverse osmosis; La viabilidad de la osmosis inversa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farinas Iglesias, M.

1999-11-01

Within the different alternatives to the treatment of the water, the inverse osmosis is presented like the most interesting system, avant-garde and economical susceptible of investigation. Manuel Farinas exposes in the REVERSE OSMOSIS, the costs of the cubic meter of hasty water, as well as of other products gotten with this technic. (Author)

Study of reverse osmosis applicability to light water reactor radwaste processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markind, J.; Van Tran, T.

1978-12-01

Objectives were to collect and evaluate documented performance data of existing reverse-osmosis/ultrafiltration processes utilized for treating low-level liquid radioactive wastes, originating from light-water-reactor (LWR) nuclear power plants. Relevant information was collected by communication both written and verbal with membrane experts known to be active in the nuclear industry, and by conducting manual and computer searches. The generated information was evaluated on the basis of membrane performance characteristics relevant to nuclear engineering system analysis. 39 figures, 34 tables

Optimisation of the cleaning sequence for reverse osmosis membranes; Optimizacion de secuencias de lavado de membranas de osmosis inversa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hassani Zerrouk, M.; Quiroga Alonso, J. M.; Lopez Ramirez, J. A.

2005-07-01

Membranes used in water treatment lose performance along the time, in according to membrane kind, feed water characteristics and operating conditions. Fouling is the most important issue associated to membrane technology and for minimising it is necessary to clean membranes correctly. The main goal of this paper is to describe procedures and products that allow effective cleaning of reverse osmosis membranes, used to treat secondary effluents from activated sludges, which lead to a decrease in plant exploitation costs. (Author) 9 refs.

Chemical evaluation and treatment of ground water for university town Peshawar, Pakistan by reverse osmosis technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saddique, M.; Gilani, S.N.; Ishaq, M.; Gul, F.

2012-01-01

Present study is focused on the ground water treatment for the University Town Peshawar by reverse osmosis technology, based on the principle of reverse-osmosis pure water and ultra pure water filtration. Water collected from three locations was analyzed. The results showed that the first two water samples were neutral having pH 7.09 and 7.16 comparable with the range (6.50-8.50), while the pH for the water sample getting purified and passed from RO process was 5.33 i.e. slightly acidic. The ionic content of the water sample was low, whereas the conductivity ranged from 624-634 micro S/cm for the first two samples and reduced to 1.37 muS/cm. The parameters investigated are below the safety baseline levels of the national and international standards with the exception of Pb. (author)

Application of reverse osmosis to the treatment of liquid effluents produced by nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huet, Y.; Poulat, B.; Menjeaud, C.

1989-01-01

Radioactive liquid effluents generated during the operation of PWR nuclear power units are currently treated by two independent systems. The effluents from the reactor coolant system are recycled, unlike the others, which, after treatment, are released into the river or ocean that provides cooling water for the unit. The objective of the treatment of nonrecycled effluents is to separate from them as much of the radioactive particles that they contain as possible, so as to release into the environment a maximum volume of nonradioactive waste, and to be left with only a minimum volume of concentrated waste, containing most of the initial radioactivity, which must be loaded into casks for storage. Membrane-based filtration techniques, because they have excellent separation performances, can logically be used for this decontamination of the liquid effluents. Having developed its own reverse osmosis membrane, a possible application in a nuclear power plant, i.e., integration of a reverse osmosis unit into a radioactive liquid effluent treatment system is presented. (author)

Evaluation of the use of reverse osmosis to eliminate natural radionuclides from water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Nieto, Antonio; Palomo, Marta; Ruana, Josep; Peñalver, Alejandra; Aguilar, Carme; Borrull, Francesc

2013-12-01

The objective of drinking water treatment plants (DWTP) is to supply the population with tap water that is in optimal condition and in compliance with water quality regulations. In the DWTP of L'Ampolla (Tarragona, Spain), slightly high values of gross alpha activity and the amount of salts in the raw water have been observed. Conventional treatment has reduced these levels only minimally. This study tested a tertiary treatment based on reverse osmosis is tested in an industrial pilot plant (240 m3/day) The efficiency of this pilot plant to reduce the gross alpha and beta activities and the activity of some individual radioisotopes (U(238), U(234), U(235) and Ra(226)) was tested. Results showed that the elimination of alpha emitters was greater than 90%, whereas the elimination of beta emitters was about 35%. Overall, the data provided evidence that the pilot plant is effective for removing different radionuclides that can be present in the incoming water treated. Therefore, tertiary treatment based on reverse osmosis has a positive effect in water quality.

Treatment of radioactive liquid effluents by reverse osmosis membranes: From lab-scale to pilot-scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Combernoux, Nicolas; Schrive, Luc; Labed, Véronique; Wyart, Yvan; Carretier, Emilie; Moulin, Philippe

2017-10-15

The recent use of the reverse osmosis (RO) process at the damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant generated a growing interest in the application of this process for decontamination purposes. This study focused on the development of a robust RO process for decontamination of two kinds of liquid effluents: a contaminated groundwater after a nuclear disaster and a contaminated seawater during a nuclear accident. The SW30 HR membrane was selected among other in this study due to higher retentions (96% for Cs and 98% for Sr) in a true groundwater. Significant fouling and scaling phenomenon, attributed to calcium and strontium precipitation, were evidenced in this work: this underscored the importance of the lab scale experiment in the process. Validation of the separation performances on trace radionuclides concentration was performed with similar retention around 96% between surrogates Cs (inactive) and 137 Cs (radioactive). The scale up to a 2.6 m 2 spiral wound membrane led to equivalent retentions (around 96% for Cs and 99% for Sr) but lower flux values: this underlined that the hydrodynamic parameters (flowrate/cross-flow velocity) should be optimized. This methodology was also applied on the reconstituted seawater effluent: retentions were slightly lower than for the groundwater and the same hydrodynamic effects were observed on the pilot scale. Then, ageing of the membrane through irradiation experiments were performed. Results showed that the membrane active layer composition influenced the membrane resistance towards γ irradiation: the SW30 HR membrane performances (retention and permeability) were better than the Osmonics SE at 1 MGy. Finally, to supplement the scale up approach, the irradiation of a spiral wound membrane revealed a limited effect on the permeability and retention. This indicated that irradiation conditions need to be controlled for a further development of the process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of the effectiveness of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes in the recovery of Cr(III) in tanning. Estudio sobre la efectividad de las membranas de osmosis inversa de poliamida en la recuperacion de Cr(III) en curticion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galan, M.; Gonzalez, C.; Llorens, J.; Mans, C. (Barcelona Univ., Tarragona (Spain). Dept. d' Enginyeria Quimica i Bioqumica)

1992-12-01

Laboratory experiments on reverse osmosis using water containing Cr2(SO4)3 and a Film Tech Corporation TW30-2514 membrane are described. The type of cell employed allowed the membrane's rejection of Cr(III) to be measured with a high degree of accuracy. Tests were carried out varying the Cr concentration, the pressure and the temperature. The results obtained have implications regarding the suitability of reverse osmosis in recovering Cr from tanning waste water. (Author)

Reasons for the Fast Growing Seawater Desalination Capacity in Algeria

KAUST Repository

Drouiche, Nadjib

2011-05-24

Seawater/brackish water desalination has been widely adopted by the Algerian Government in the last few years to supply potable water to municipality for various purposes mainly for domestic and industrial uses especially in areas where demand is high due to shortage of fresh water resources, rapid population growth and development of industry and tourism. Ten years ago, desalination was confined to the industrial use only especially in oil and gas industry as the country was relying on rain water and other available sources to supply fresh water to municipalities. Due to chronic drought conditions, the Ministry of Water Resources reviewed the national water strategy and a strong option for desalination was adopted where an ambitious program was thus put into action. Sixteen mega-plants, with capacities ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 m3 per day, primarily based on Reverse Osmosis technology, were launched in the last few years making the Algerian desalination program one of the world\\'s fastest growing markets. Five desalination plants, including the Africa\\'s largest seawater reverse osmosis project with a total capacity of 200,000 m3 per day, are already in operation and the remaining projects are either under construction or in commissioning. An integrated water resources management was also adopted as additional option to cuter the increasing water demand as there is also a great potential for water reuse and conventional water treatment. An additional benefit of this would be reducing the volume of treated wastewater disposed into the environment. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Liquid radwaste processing with crossflow microfiltration and spiral wound reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, S.K. Sen; Slade, J.A.; Tulk, W.S.

1995-02-01

The useful lifetime of thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membranes used for the processing of variable aqueous waste at Chalk River Labs (CRL) by spiral wound reverse osmosis (SWRO) is about 3000 hours. This service lifetime is achievable through regular cleaning cycles which range between 70 to 200 m 3 of waste treated. After 3000 hours of service the SWRO membranes deteriorate rapidly, and more frequent shutdowns are required for chemical cleaning cycles. The overall rejection efficiency of the SWRO membranes at an operating pH of about 6, and a volumetric recovery of 85%, decreased from about 99.5% with 3000 hours of service, to 95% after 4000 hours. Rapid increases in pressure drop due to increased deposition of foulants in deteriorated membrane areas were noted after 3000 hours of field service. Presently the crossflow microfiltration system is operated at pH 7 and removes 45% of the gross β/γ contaminants and 70% of the α radioactivity. Iron concentrations are reduced to below 1 mg/L from 50 mg/L, which minimizes fouling due to ferric hydroxide precipitates on the TFC membranes. About 60% of β/γ in the permeate stream is present as 137 Cs radioactivity. The combined removal efficiencies for critical contaminants employing both microfiltration and reverse osmosis operations are as follows: α : 99.9%; β/γ : 99.6%; PO 4 3- : 99.1%. (author). 8 refs., 1 tab., 4 figs

Treatment of dairy effluent model solutions by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis

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I. Kyrychuk

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Dairy industry generates a large amount of wastewaters that have high concentrations and contain milk components. Membrane processes have been shown to be convenient for wastewater treatment recovering milk components present in wastewaters and producing treated water. Materials and methods. The experiments were carried out in an unstirred batch sell using nanofiltration membranes OPMN-P (ZAO STC “Vladipor”, Russian Federation and reverse osmosis membranes NanoRo, ZAO (“RM Nanotech”, Russian Federation. The model solutions of dairy effluents –diluted skim and whole milk were used. Results. The nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes showed the same permeate flux during the concentration of model solutions of dairy effluents. The reason of this was likely membrane fouling with feed components. The fouling indexes indicated the fouling factor that was higher for RO. The higher permeate quality was obtainedwith RO membranes. The NF permeate containing up to 0.4 g/L of lactose and 0.75 g/L of mineral salts can be discharged or after finishing trеatment (e.g. RO or other can be reused. The obtained NF and RO retentate corresponds to milk in composition and can be used for non-food applications or as feed supplement for animals. Conclusions.The studied RO and NF membranes can be used for concentration of dairy effluents at low pressure. They showed better performance and separation characteristics comparing with data of other membranes available in the literature.

Integrating seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation forward osmosis process using thin-film composite mixed matrix membrane with functionalized carbon nanotube blended polyethersulfone support layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyeon-Gyu; Son, Moon; Choi, Heechul

2017-10-01

Thin-film composite mixed matrix membrane (TFC MMM) with functionalized carbon nanotube (fCNT) blended in polyethersulfone (PES) support layer was synthesized via interfacial polymerization and phase inversion. This membrane was firstly tested in lab-scale integrating seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation forward osmosis (FO) process. Water flux of TFC MMM was increased by 72% compared to that of TFC membrane due to enhanced hydrophilicity. Although TFC MMM showed lower water flux than TFC commercial membrane, enhanced reverse salt flux selectivity (RSFS) of TFC MMM was observed compared to TFC membrane (15% higher) and TFC commercial membrane (4% higher), representing membrane permselectivity. Under effluent organic matter (EfOM) fouling test, 16% less normalized flux decline of TFC MMM was observed compared to TFC membrane. There was 8% less decline of TFC MMM compared to TFC commercial membrane due to fCNT effect on repulsive foulant-membrane interaction enhancement, caused by negatively charged membrane surface. After 10 min physical cleaning, TFC MMM displayed higher recovered normalized flux than TFC membrane (6%) and TFC commercial membrane (4%); this was also supported by visualized characterization of fouling layer. This study presents application of TFC MMM to integrated seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation FO process for the first time. It can be concluded that EfOM fouling of TFC MMM was suppressed due to repulsive foulant-membrane interaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing a reverse osmosis desalination plant, main parameters and compounds; Diseno de una planta desilinizadora de osmosis inversa, parametros y componentes principales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arango Mesa, H. [Universidad del Valle. Cali. Colombia (Colombia); Gomez Gotor, A. [Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain)

1998-12-31

This paper comments on some of the design features which should be taken into account in planning a reverse osmosis sea water desalination plant. It also examine the components of some of the plant`s main units, such as the high pressure pumping unit and energy recovering system and the types of membrane modules and their use. Finally, it compares that most common commercially available products. (Author) 6 refs.

Compositions and constituents of freshwater dissolved organic matter isolated by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yulong; Huang, Wen; Ran, Yong; Mao, Jingdong

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Concentration factor controls sorption of DOM and thus yields of reverse osmosis. • Solid-state 13 C NMR was used to characterize RO-isolated DOM from freshwater. • C distribution of freshwater RO-DOM differs from that of reported marine DOM. • The compositions of DOM were transformed during transport from rivers to oceans. - Abstract: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) from riverine and lacustrine water was isolated using a reverse osmosis (RO) system. Solid-state 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13 C NMR) was used to quantitatively evaluate the compositions and constituents of DOM, which are compared with previous investigations on marine DOM. Results indicated that concentration factor (CF) was a key metric controlling yield and sorption of DOM on the RO system. The sorption was likely non-selective, based on the 13 C NMR and δ 13 C analyses. Carbohydrates and lipids accounted for 25.0–41.5% and 30.2–46.3% of the identifiable DOM, followed by proteins (18.2–19.8%) and lignin (7.17–12.8%). The freshwater DOM contained much higher alkyl and aromatic C but lower alkoxyl and carboxyl C than marine DOM. The structural difference was not completely accounted for by using structure of high molecular weight (HMW) DOM, suggesting a size change involved in transformations of DOM during the transport from rivers to oceans

A novel reverse osmosis membrane modified by polyvinyl alcohol with maleic anhydride crosslinking

Science.gov (United States)

Samnani, Mohit; Rathod, Harshad; Raval, Hiren

2018-03-01

In the era of increasing energy crisis, it is inevitable to decrease process energy consumption to increase process viability and curtail green-house gas emission. The Reverse Osmosis plant requires significant energy to transfer water overcoming the osmotic pressure. This paper focuses on increasing the water flux for Thin Film Composite Reverse Osmosis (TFC RO) membrane without compromising salt rejection performance leading to the environmentally friendly and economically attractive process. The virgin TFC RO membrane was exposed to solution of sodium hypochlorite of concentration 2000 mg l-1 for 1 h to activate the surface of the membrane, followed by the treatment with the mixture of polyvinyl alcohol and maleic anhydride with varying concentrations for 1 h and curing in the oven at 80 °C temperature for 10 min. Out of all the treated membranes, the membrane treated with 2000 mg l-1 polyvinyl alcohol and 1000 mg l-1 maleic anhydride demonstrated the highest salt rejection of 96.83 % with 2% increase as compared to the virgin TFC RO membrane. The water flux of the membrane was around 44% higher than the virgin TFC RO membrane. The membrane samples were characterized by atomic force micrographs, ATR-FTIR, Nuclear magnetic resonance and Dynamic mechanical analysis.

Recovering/concentrating of hemicellulosic sugars and acetic acid by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis from prehydrolysis liquor of kraft based hardwood dissolving pulp process.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahsan, Laboni; Jahan, M Sarwar; Ni, Yonghao

2014-03-01

This work investigated the feasibility of recovering and concentrating sugars and acetic acid (HAc) from prehydrolysis liquor (PHL) of the kraft-based dissolving pulp process prior to fermentation of hemicellulosic sugars, by the combination of activated carbon adsorption, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) processes. To reduce the fouling PHL was subjected to adsorption on activated carbon, then the treated PHL (TPHL) passed through a nanofiltration (NF DK) membrane to retain the sugars, and the permeate of acetic acid rich solution was passed through a reverse osmosis membrane (RO SG). It was found that for NF process sugars were concentrated from 48 to 227g/L at a volume reduction factor (VRF) of 5 while 80 to 90% of acetic acid was permeated. For the reverse osmosis process, 68% of acetic acid retention was achieved at pH 4.3 and 500 psi pressure and the HAc concentration increased from 10 to 50g/L. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OPTIMASI DAN PEMODELAN PROSES RECOVER FLAVOR DARI LIMBAH CAIR INDUSTRI PENGOLAHAN RAJUNGAN DENGAN REVERSE OSMOSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uju

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The waste water of blue crab pasteurization has potential in environmental pollution. It contained TSS of 206.5mg.1-1, BOD 7,092.6mg.1-1 and COD of 51,000mg.1-1. on the other hand, it also contains an interesting flavor compound, which composed of 0.23% non protein nitrogen and 17 amino acids where the highest was glutamic acid one. In this study, pre-filtration step using filter size 0.3 µ followed by reverse osmosis has been used to reduce these pollutions load and flavor compound recovery. During pre-filtration steps, TSS was reduced to 74.8% so turbidity decrased reased until 31%. After reverse osmosis process, BOD, and COD decreased more than 99%, and there was no amino acids detected in permeate stream. Factors that affect performance of reverse osmosis were transmembrane pressure, temperature and pH. The higher transmembrane pressure, temperature and pH resulted the higher the flux permeate. The use of higher temperature make flux increasing, eventually increasing transmembrane pressure make the flux increased only at transmembrane pressure less than 716 kPa. The protein rejection was influenced unsignifanctly by transmembrane pressure, temperature and pH. During concentrating flux declined exponentially by time function. At concentration factor 2.75 resulted 79% and 12% of increasing protein and NPN, respectively. The amino acids content can be increased 2−23 times of the origin. Even arginin and sistin, the amino acids that were undetectable initially, but they can bedetected at concentration of 0.0360 and 0.0250 (w/v respectively at the end of the process. Hidrolysis and fermentation process can increase the amino acid content 31−45 times

Reverse osmosis influence over the content of metals and organic acids in low alcoholic beverages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrieş Mitică Tiberiu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Wine is defined as an alcoholic beverage resulted from fermentation of grape must, having ethanol content higher than 8.5% (v/v. Wine consumption has health benefits related to the high concentration of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant activity and cardiovascular protection effects. However, the alcohol content restricts wine consumption, but wines with low-alcohol content can be obtained with the help of the dealcoholisation process, after it was produced through alcoholic fermentation. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the organic acid concentration, metal content and other physical-chemical parameters of low alcoholic beverages obtained from grape must by a process which involves reverse osmosis, mixing in a variable ratio the permeate and concentrate and then fermentation. For the experiments, a Muscat Ottonel grape must from Iaşi vineyard was used. There were ten variants of beverages (wines with low alcoholic concentration, by mixing known quantities of the two phases resulting from the reverse osmosis process. These beverages (wines had an alcoholic concentration starting from 2.5% (v/v in the first variant, up to 7% (v/v in the tenth variant. Alcoholic concentration varies for each variant by 0.5% (v/v. After fermentation in 50 L stainless steel tanks, the samples were filtered with 0.45μm sterile membrane and bottled in 0.75 L glass bottles. After 2 months of storage at constant temperature, the beverage samples were analyzed to determine the metal content (AAS method, organic acids concentration (HPLC method, and other physical-chemical characteristics (OIV standard methods. The results obtained indicate that the very complex physical-chemical composition of the low alcoholic beverages analyzed is influenced by the specific chemical composition of a given grape must, as well as by the use of products obtained from reverse osmosis.

Effect of engineered environment on microbial community structure in biofilter and biofilm on reverse osmosis membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Sanghyun; Cho, Kyungjin; Jeong, Dawoon; Lee, Seockheon; Leiknes, TorOve; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu; Bae, Hyokwan

2017-11-01

Four dual media filters (DMFs) were operated in a biofiltration mode with different engineered environments (DMF I and II: coagulation with/without acidification and DMF III and IV: without/with chlorination). Designed biofilm enrichment reactors (BERs) containing the removable reverse osmosis (RO) coupons, were connected at the end of the DMFs in parallel to analyze the biofilm on the RO membrane by DMF effluents. Filtration performances were evaluated in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and assimilable organic carbon (AOC). Organic foulants on the RO membrane were also quantified and fractionized. The bacterial community structures in liquid (seawater and effluent) and biofilm (DMF and RO) samples were analyzed using 454-pyrosequencing. The DMF IV fed with the chlorinated seawater demonstrated the highest reductions of DOC including LMW-N as well as AOC among the other DMFs. The DMF IV was also effective in reducing organic foulants on the RO membrane surface. The bacterial community structure was grouped according to the sample phase (i.e., liquid and biofilm samples), sampling location (i.e., DMF and RO samples), and chlorination (chlorinated and non-chlorinated samples). In particular, the biofilm community in the DMF IV differed from the other DMF treatments, suggesting that chlorination exerted as stronger selective pressure than pH adjustment or coagulation on the biofilm community. In the DMF IV, several chemoorganotrophic chlorine-resistant biofilm-forming bacteria such as Hyphomonas, Erythrobacter, and Sphingomonas were predominant, and they may enhance organic carbon degradation efficiency. Diverse halophilic or halotolerant organic degraders were also found in other DMFs (i.e., DMF I, II, and III). Various kinds of dominant biofilm-forming bacteria were also investigated in RO membrane samples; the results provided possible candidates that cause biofouling when DMF process is applied as the pretreatment option for the RO process. Copyright �

Effect of engineered environment on microbial community structure in biofilter and biofilm on reverse osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Sanghyun

2017-07-25

Four dual media filters (DMFs) were operated in a biofiltration mode with different engineered environments (DMF I and II: coagulation with/without acidification and DMF III and IV: without/with chlorination). Designed biofilm enrichment reactors (BERs) containing the removable reverse osmosis (RO) coupons, were connected at the end of the DMFs in parallel to analyze the biofilm on the RO membrane by DMF effluents. Filtration performances were evaluated in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and assimilable organic carbon (AOC). Organic foulants on the RO membrane were also quantified and fractionized. The bacterial community structures in liquid (seawater and effluent) and biofilm (DMF and RO) samples were analyzed using 454-pyrosequencing. The DMF IV fed with the chlorinated seawater demonstrated the highest reductions of DOC including LMW-N as well as AOC among the other DMFs. The DMF IV was also effective in reducing organic foulants on the RO membrane surface. The bacterial community structure was grouped according to the sample phase (i.e., liquid and biofilm samples), sampling location (i.e., DMF and RO samples), and chlorination (chlorinated and non-chlorinated samples). In particular, the biofilm community in the DMF IV differed from the other DMF treatments, suggesting that chlorination exerted as stronger selective pressure than pH adjustment or coagulation on the biofilm community. In the DMF IV, several chemoorganotrophic chlorine-resistant biofilm-forming bacteria such as Hyphomonas, Erythrobacter, and Sphingomonas were predominant, and they may enhance organic carbon degradation efficiency. Diverse halophilic or halotolerant organic degraders were also found in other DMFs (i.e., DMF I, II, and III). Various kinds of dominant biofilm-forming bacteria were also investigated in RO membrane samples; the results provided possible candidates that cause biofouling when DMF process is applied as the pretreatment option for the RO process.

R. O. Kinetic, energy saver for desalination plants by reverse osmosis; R. O: Kinetic, sistema de ahorro de energia en las plantas de osmosis inversa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plasencia Rodriguez, J. P.

2003-07-01

The R. O. Kinetic is a novel system of energy saving, for desalination plants by reverse osmosis, based on the isobaric chambers. With this system it is able to obtain values of specific consumption of energy during the process, around 2, 1-2,2 kWh/m''3, reducing the operation cost of these facilities. (Author)

Dialysis water treated by reverse osmosis decreases the levels of C-reactive protein in uremic patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F.S. Thomé

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Atherosclerosis is a major complication of chronic renal failure. Microinflammation is involved in atherogenesis and is associated with uremia and dialysis. The role of dialysate water contamination in inducing inflammation has been debated. Our aim was to study inflammatory markers in patients on chronic dialysis, before and 3 to 6 months after switching the water purification system from deionization to reverse osmosis. Patients had demographic, clinical and nutritional information collected and blood drawn for determination of albumin, ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in both situations. Acceptable levels of water purity were less than 200 colony-forming units of bacteria and less than 1 ng/ml of endotoxin. Sixteen patients died. They had higher median CRP (26.6 vs 11.2 mg/dl, P = 0.007 and lower median albumin levels (3.1 vs 3.9 g/l, P < 0.05 compared to the 31 survivors. Eight patients were excluded because of obvious inflammatory conditions. From the 23 remaining patients (mean age ± SD: 51.3 ± 13.9 years, 18 had a decrease in CRP after the water treatment system was changed. Overall, median CRP was lower with reverse osmosis than with deionization (13.2 vs 4.5 mg/l, P = 0.022, N = 23. There was no difference in albumin, cytokines, subjective global evaluation, or clinical and biochemical parameters. In conclusion, uremic patients presented a clinically significant reduction in CRP levels when dialysate water purification system switched from deionization to reverse osmosis. It is possible that better water treatments induce less inflammation and eventually less atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients.

Reverse osmosis for the recovery of boric acid from the primary coolant at nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bártová, Šárka, E-mail: sarka.bartova@cvrez.cz [Research Centre Řež Ltd., Husinec-Řež 130, 250 68 Řež (Czech Republic); Kůs, Pavel [Research Centre Řež Ltd., Husinec-Řež 130, 250 68 Řež (Czech Republic); Skala, Martin [Research Centre Řež Ltd., Husinec-Řež 130, 250 68 Řež (Czech Republic); University of Chemical Technology, Prague, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technická 5, Prague 166 28 (Czech Republic); Vonková, Kateřina [Research Centre Řež Ltd., Husinec-Řež 130, 250 68 Řež (Czech Republic)

2016-04-15

Highlights: • RO membranes tested for boric acid recovery from primary coolant of nuclear power plants. • Scanning electron microscopy was used for the characterization of the membranes. • Lab scale experiments performed under various operation conditions. • We proposed configuration of and operation conditions for RO unit in nuclear power plant. - Abstract: At nuclear power plants (NPP), evaporators are used for the treatment of primary coolant and other liquid radioactive waste containing H{sub 3}BO{sub 3}. Because the operation of evaporators is expensive, a number of more cost-effective alternatives has been considered, one of which is reverse osmosis. We tested reverse osmosis modules from several manufactures on a batch laboratory apparatus. SEM images of the tested membranes were taken to distinguish the differences between the membranes. Water permeability through membranes was evaluated from the experiments with pure water. The experiments were performed with feed solutions containing various concentrations of H{sub 3}BO{sub 3} in a range commonly occurring in radioactive waste. The pH of the feed solutions ranged from 5.2 to 11.2. Our results confirmed that the pH of the feed solution plays the most important role in membrane separation efficiency of H{sub 3}BO{sub 3}. Certain modifications to the pH of the feed solution were needed to enable the tested membranes to concentrate the H{sub 3}BO{sub 3} in the retentate stream, separate from the pure water in the permeate stream. On this basis, we propose the configuration of and operational conditions for a reverse osmosis unit at NPP.

Treatment calculation program for reverse osmosis facilities; Programa de calculo de tratamiento para instalaciones de osmosis inversa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adroer, M.; Bodas, J.; Coma, J.

2001-07-01

Reverse osmosis if a technique used ever more frequently for the desalination of water. it is very important to maintain the permeability of the membrane as much as possible throughout its life, and in order to do this, is necessary to know the incrustations properties of the water in contact with the membrane. The Adicro program has been developed to calculate the characteristics of this water from the analysis of the intake water, the type of membrane used, and the recovery percentage. It also calculates the necessary inhibitor doses and, finally, whether the supply water is apt for use in the plant under the predicted conditions or whether it should be modified. (Author) 2 refs.

Rejection of Emerging Organic Contaminants by Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes : Effects of Fouling, Modelling and Water Reuse

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yangali Quintanilla, V.

2010-01-01

The book contains a description of the presence of micropollutants (medicines, hormones, pesticides) in surface water and shows that conventional water treatment poorly removes micropollutants. Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are more appropriate technologies; however removals can vary depending

Evaluation of the acerola juice concentrated by reverse osmosis

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Eliane Rodrigues dos Santos Gomes

2005-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to obtain the acerola juice using separation processes with membranes. The acerola pulp was initially defrosted and treated with 100 ppm of Citrozym Ultra L enzyme at 45ºC for one hour, then ultrafiltrated at 3 bar at 45ºC using 0.1 µm ceramic membrane, and concentrated by reverse osmosis using a spiral membrane of a compound film. The pressures on the reverse osmosis were 20, 30, and 40 bar at environmental temperature, thus, resulting a juice with 9.76, 14.56, and 17.36 ºBrix, respectively. The physicochemical characteristics of the juice were preserved and, studies on evaluation of the public acceptability, showed that 75% of the consumers liked the juice.O objetivo deste trabalho foi à obtenção de suco de acerola utilizando processos de separação com membranas. Combinou-se a ultrafiltração e a osmose inversa, visando a melhoria do processo produtivo, utilizando-se uma tecnologia limpa. Para a acerola, visou-se manter e concentrar significativamente seu teor de vitamina C, obtendo-se um suco com sabor agradável, o mais próximo possível do suco in natura. A polpa de acerola foi inicialmente descongelada e tratada com 100 ppm da enzima Citrozym Ultra L, à 45º C por 1 hora e posteriormente ultrafiltrada a 3 bar na mesma temperatura em membrana cerâmica de 0,1 µm e na seqüência, concentrada por osmose inversa utilizando membrana espiral de filme composto. As pressões na osmose inversa foram 20, 30 e 40 bar em temperatura ambiente, obtendo-se um suco com 9,76, 14,56 e 17,36 ºBrix respectivamente. As características físico-químicas foram preservadas e na avaliação da aceitabilidade, 75% dos consumidores gostaram do suco, indicando boa aceitação.

Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO): Past experiences, current developments, and future prospects

KAUST Repository

Sarp, S.; Li, Z.; Saththasivam, J.

2016-01-01

Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) has attracted worldwide attention with respect to its salinity gradient energy production potential, and low energy desalination applications. PRO processes, which use Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) brine as draw solutions, have a higher potential of being applied to any new, and existing membrane based seawater desalination systems, as an energy production and/or conservation process. Hydraulic pressure is applied on a high salinity draw solution, and the hydraulic pressure of the high salinity draw solution can be kept relatively constant during operation, even though the volumetric flow rate is to be increased. Therefore, the draw side of the PRO process can be considered near-isobaric, in most cases. The harvested Gibbs free energy of mixing, and the volumetric expansion can explain this near-isobaric behavior of the draw side in the PRO process. Thus, PRO can be used to multiply the internal energy of the draw solution with respect to the ratio of the permeated water flux. Even though PRO has very high theoretical potential for energy production and/or recovery, there are several shortcomings, which should be answered before the realization of the scale up applications, such as; thermodynamic process optimization, high power density membranes, and high efficiency hydraulic pressure conversion and recovery systems. This review gives detailed information about the PRO process including; (1) theoretical background, (2) membranes for PRO, (3) experimental and large scale applications, and (4) economic feasibility of PRO applications.

Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO): Past experiences, current developments, and future prospects

KAUST Repository

Sarp, S.

2016-01-16

Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) has attracted worldwide attention with respect to its salinity gradient energy production potential, and low energy desalination applications. PRO processes, which use Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) brine as draw solutions, have a higher potential of being applied to any new, and existing membrane based seawater desalination systems, as an energy production and/or conservation process. Hydraulic pressure is applied on a high salinity draw solution, and the hydraulic pressure of the high salinity draw solution can be kept relatively constant during operation, even though the volumetric flow rate is to be increased. Therefore, the draw side of the PRO process can be considered near-isobaric, in most cases. The harvested Gibbs free energy of mixing, and the volumetric expansion can explain this near-isobaric behavior of the draw side in the PRO process. Thus, PRO can be used to multiply the internal energy of the draw solution with respect to the ratio of the permeated water flux. Even though PRO has very high theoretical potential for energy production and/or recovery, there are several shortcomings, which should be answered before the realization of the scale up applications, such as; thermodynamic process optimization, high power density membranes, and high efficiency hydraulic pressure conversion and recovery systems. This review gives detailed information about the PRO process including; (1) theoretical background, (2) membranes for PRO, (3) experimental and large scale applications, and (4) economic feasibility of PRO applications.

Dynamics of microbial communities in an integrated ultrafiltration–reverse osmosis desalination pilot plant located at the Arabian Gulf

KAUST Repository

Hong, Pei-Ying

2015-08-27

This study demonstrated the use of high-throughput sequencing to assess the efficacy of an integrated ultrafiltration (UF)–reverse osmosis (RO) desalination pilot plant located at the Arabian Gulf, and to identify potential microbial-associated problems that may arise in this plant. When integrated into the desalination treatment system, the UF membranes were able to serve as a good pretreatment strategy to delay RO fouling by achieving up to 1.96-log removal of cells from the seawater. Consequently, the differential pressure of the RO membrane remained around 1 bar for the entire six-month study, suggesting no significant biofouling performance issue identified for this RO system. Examples of microbial populations effectively removed by the UF membranes from the feed waters included Nitrosoarchaeum limnia and phototrophic eukaryotes. Microbial-associated problems observed in this pilot plant included the presence of Pseudomonas spp. in coexistence with Desulfovibrio spp. These two bacterial populations can reduce sulfate and produce hydrogen sulfide, which would in turn cause corrosion problems or compromise membrane integrities. Chemical-enhanced backwashing (CEB) can be used as an effective strategy to minimize the associated microbial problems by removing bacterial populations including sulfate reducers from the UF membranes.

Dynamics of microbial communities in an integrated ultrafiltration–reverse osmosis desalination pilot plant located at the Arabian Gulf

KAUST Repository

Hong, Pei-Ying; Moosa, Nasir; Mink, Justine

2015-01-01

This study demonstrated the use of high-throughput sequencing to assess the efficacy of an integrated ultrafiltration (UF)–reverse osmosis (RO) desalination pilot plant located at the Arabian Gulf, and to identify potential microbial-associated problems that may arise in this plant. When integrated into the desalination treatment system, the UF membranes were able to serve as a good pretreatment strategy to delay RO fouling by achieving up to 1.96-log removal of cells from the seawater. Consequently, the differential pressure of the RO membrane remained around 1 bar for the entire six-month study, suggesting no significant biofouling performance issue identified for this RO system. Examples of microbial populations effectively removed by the UF membranes from the feed waters included Nitrosoarchaeum limnia and phototrophic eukaryotes. Microbial-associated problems observed in this pilot plant included the presence of Pseudomonas spp. in coexistence with Desulfovibrio spp. These two bacterial populations can reduce sulfate and produce hydrogen sulfide, which would in turn cause corrosion problems or compromise membrane integrities. Chemical-enhanced backwashing (CEB) can be used as an effective strategy to minimize the associated microbial problems by removing bacterial populations including sulfate reducers from the UF membranes.

Phosphorus and water recovery by a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor-reverse osmosis system.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Wenhai; Hai, Faisal I; Price, William E; Guo, Wenshan; Ngo, Hao H; Yamamoto, Kazuo; Nghiem, Long D

2016-01-01

An osmotic membrane bioreactor-reverse osmosis (OMBR-RO) hybrid system integrated with periodic microfiltration (MF) extraction was evaluated for simultaneous phosphorus and clean water recovery from raw sewage. In this hybrid system, the forward osmosis membrane effectively retained inorganic salts and phosphate in the bioreactor, while the MF membrane periodically bled them out for phosphorus recovery with pH adjustment. The RO process was used for draw solute recovery and clean water production. Results show that phosphorus recuperation from the MF permeate was most effective when the solution pH was adjusted to 10, whereby the recovered precipitate contained 15-20% (wt/wt) of phosphorus. Periodic MF extraction also limited salinity build-up in the bioreactor, resulting in a stable biological performance and an increase in water flux during OMBR operation. Despite the build-up of organic matter and ammonia in the draw solution, OMBR-RO allowed for the recovery of high quality reused water. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pilot study on arsenic removal from groundwater using a small-scale reverse osmosis system-Towards sustainable drinking water production.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Stefan-André; Gukelberger, Ephraim; Hermann, Mario; Fiedler, Florian; Großmann, Benjamin; Hoinkis, Jan; Ghosh, Ashok; Chatterjee, Debashis; Bundschuh, Jochen

2016-11-15

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is posing a serious challenge to drinking water supplies on a global scale. In India and Bangladesh, arsenic has caused the most serious public health issue in the world for nearly two decades. The aim of this work was to study an arsenic removal system based on reverse osmosis at pilot scale treating two different water sources from two different locations in the State of Bihar, India. For this purpose two villages, Bind Toli and Ramnagar in the Patna District were selected, both located very close to the river Ganga. The trials were conducted with aerated and non-aerated groundwater. It is the first time that the arsenic removal efficiency for aerated and non-aerated groundwater by reverse osmosis technology in combination with an energy-saving recovery system have been studied. As the principle of reverse osmosis requires a relatively high pressure, its energy demand is naturally high. By using an energy recovery system, this demand can be lowered, leading to an energy demand per liter permeate of 3-4Wh/L only. Due to high iron levels in the groundwater and as a consequence the precipitation of ferric (hydr)oxides, it was necessary to develop a granular media filter for the trials under aeration in order to protect the membrane from clogging. Two different materials, first locally available sand, and second commercially available anthracite were tested in the granular media filter. For the trials with aerated groundwater, total arsenic removal efficiency at both locations was around 99% and the arsenic concentration in permeate was in compliance with the WHO and National Indian Standard of 10μg/L. However, trials under anoxic conditions with non-aerated groundwater could not comply with this standard. Additionally a possible safe discharge of the reverse osmosis concentrate into an abandoned well was studied. It was observed that re-injection of reject water underground may offer a safe disposal option. However, long

Experiences on sea water reverse osmosis plant at Anuvijay township, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balasubramanian, M.R.; Selvavinayagam, P.; Singaravelan, S.; Ramdoss, R.; Sundar, R.S.

2007-01-01

Sea water reverse Osmosis plant SWRO of KKNPP is located at Anuvijay township, Chettikulam, Tirunelveli District, Tamilnadu. The objective of SWRO is to produce 2400 M 3 of potable quality water per day. This plant consists of four streams, each having a capacity of 25 M 3 /hr. Each stream is having 9 pressure tube in parallel and each pressure tube has 6 polyamide spiral wound membrane in series. (author)

The use of reverse osmosis at nuclear power plants. Replacement of evaporator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kus, Pavel; Bartova, Sarka; Kunesova, Katerina; Smejdova, Vladena; Vonkova, Katerina [Research Centre Rez, Husinec-Rez (Czech Republic). Technological Circuits

2015-06-01

Evaporators are being used in nuclear power plants for the treatment of primary coolant containing H3BO3 for neutron absorption and other components for adjusting water chemistry. The aim is to achieve a concentrated H3BO3 solution, which is further purified by ion exchangers and then recycled into the primary cycle. Operation of evaporators is expensive, therefore reverse osmosis was proposed as one promising alternative. A pilot-plant RO unit was used for the experiments performed with feed solution. The successful technology is now being implemented at Temelin NPP.

The use of reverse osmosis at nuclear power plants. Replacement of evaporator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kus, Pavel; Bartova, Sarka; Kunesova, Katerina; Smejdova, Vladena; Vonkova, Katerina

2015-01-01

Evaporators are being used in nuclear power plants for the treatment of primary coolant containing H3BO3 for neutron absorption and other components for adjusting water chemistry. The aim is to achieve a concentrated H3BO3 solution, which is further purified by ion exchangers and then recycled into the primary cycle. Operation of evaporators is expensive, therefore reverse osmosis was proposed as one promising alternative. A pilot-plant RO unit was used for the experiments performed with feed solution. The successful technology is now being implemented at Temelin NPP.

Impact of Acid Cleaning on the Performance of PVDF UF Membranes in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Pretreatment

KAUST Repository

Alsogair, Safiya

2016-01-01

required to maintain the characteristics of the membrane. This research was made with the purpose of investigating the effects of acid cleaning during chemically enhanced backwashing (CEB) on the performance of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in seawater

The Development of a Renewable-Energy-Driven Reverse Osmosis System for Water Desalination and Aquaculture Production

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Clark C K Liu

2013-01-01

Water and energy are closely linked natural resources-the transportation, treatment, and distribution of water depends on low-cost energy;while power generation requires large volumes of water. Seawater desalination is a mature technology for increasing freshwater supply, but it is essentially a trade of energy for freshwater and is not a viable solution for regions where both water and energy are in short supply. This paper discusses the development and application of a renewable-energy-driven reverse osmosis (RO) system for water desalination and the treatment and reuse of aquaculture wastewater. The system consists of (1) a wind-driven pumping subsystem, (2) a pressure-driven RO membrane desalination subsystem, and (3) a solar-driven feedback control module. The results of the pilot experiments indicated that the system, operated under wind speeds of 3 m s-1 or higher, can be used for brackish water desalination by reducing the salinity of feedwater with total dissolved solids (TDS) of over 3 000 mg L-1 to product water or permeate with a TDS of 200 mg L-1 or less. Results of the pilot experiments also indicated that the system can remove up to 97%of the nitrogenous wastes from the fish pond effluent and can recover and reuse up to 56%of the freshwater supply for fish pond operation.

Application of pressure assisted forward osmosis for water purification and reuse of reverse osmosis concentrate from a water reclamation plant

KAUST Repository

Jamil, Shazad

2016-07-26

The use of forward osmosis (FO) is growing among the researchers for water desalination and wastewater treatment due to use of natural osmotic pressure of draw solute. In this study pressure assisted forward osmosis (PAFO) was used instead of FO to increase the water production rate. In this study a low concentration of draw solution (0.25 M KCl) was applied so that diluted KCl after PAFO operation can directly be used for fertigation. The performance of PAFO was investigated for the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from a water reclamation plant. The water production in PAFO was increased by 9% and 29% at applied pressure of 2 and 4 bars, respectively, to feed side based on 90 h of experiments. Granular activated carbon (GAC) pretreatment and HCl softening were used to reduce organic fouling and scaling prior to application of PAFO. It reduced total organic carbon (TOC) and total inorganic carbon (TIC) by around 90% and 85%, respectively from untreated ROC. Subsequently, this led to an increase in permeate flux. In addition, GAC pretreatment adsorbed 12 out of 14 organic micropollutants tested from ROC to below detection limit. This application enabled to minimise the ROC volume with a sustainable operation and produced high quality and safe water for discharge or reuse. The draw solution (0.25 M KCl) used in this study was diluted to 0.14 M KCl, which is a suitable concentration (10 kg/m3) for fertigation, due to water transport from feed solution. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

Irradiation effects on properties of reverse osmosis membrane based on cross-linked aromatic polyamide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakase, Yoshiaki; Yanagi, Tadashi; Uemura, Tadahiro.

1994-01-01

In order to develop a membrane suitable for reverse osmotic condensation of radioactive liquid wastes, a new cross-linked aromatic polyamide composite reverse osmosis membrane (ROM) was irradiated in water or in wet system, and its mechanical and some thermal properties, and the separation performance for inorganic salt were investigated. A membrane was degraded by irradiation more severely in wet system than in dry system, probably due to the reaction with OH-radicals. In the separation performance for NaCl, the salt rejection of the membrane was kept over 88% until irradiation reached 2MGy, maintaining about 90% of its original water flux. (author)

Apparatus, System, and Method for Forward Osmosis in Water Reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor

2013-01-03

An apparatus, system, and method for desalinating water is presented. The invention relates to recovery of water from impaired water sources by using FO and seawater as draw solution (DS). The seawater becomes diluted over time and can be easily desalinated at very low pressures. Thus, a device consumes less energy when recovering water. The apparatus, system and method comprise an immersed forward osmosis cell.

Remediating biofouling of reverse osmosis membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siler, J.L.

1991-01-01

Several potential additives and the use of influent pH adjustment were examined to remediated the biofouling problem of the ETF reverse osmosis (RO) system. Tests were conducted with simulated RO feed containing salt, metal hydroxides and bacteria. The addition of sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), sodium bisulfite, and adjusting the influent pH to 3 were each successful in reducing the RO biofouling. Little or no benefit was found from the use of a biofilm remover (Filmtec Alkaline Cleaner) or the use of surfactants (Surfynol or sodium lauryl sulfate). In addition, Surfynol use resulted in irreversible fouling and necessitated membrane replacement. At the water recoveries used in the ETF (>90%), sodium bisulfite addition resulted in the recovery of 70--90% of the flux and almost complete restoration of the DF to prefouled conditions. Based on the bench-scale tests completed, IWT would recommend that sodium bisulfite addition be tested at the ETF. This testing would involve optimizing the amount of bisulfite required. In addition, it is recommended that the addition of SHMP or influent pH adjustment be evaluated since the relative differences in labscale tests were small and scale-up effects could be present. The ETF operating permit allows each to be added

Fluoride Removal from Water by Reverse Osmosis Membrane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Namavar

2013-09-01

Full Text Available As fluoride concentration in drinking water is one of the effective parameters in human health, finding the way to remove excess amount of fluoride from drinking water is very important in water supply projects. Today, with developing in technology and finding new methods, the use of membrane technology for producing fresh water get improved. In this study the efficiency of reverse osmosis method to remove fluoride from water was investigated. Initial concentration of fluoride, sulfate and electrical conductivity in feed water and the effect of associated cation with fluoride ion were studied. All tests adapted from “Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater”. Determination of fluoride concentration was done according the standard SPANDS method by using a spectrophotometer DR/5000. Obtain results show that with increasing in concentration of fluoride and sulfate and electrical conductivity in feed water the efficiency of RO membrane to remove fluoride reduced. In addition, this efficiency for CaF2 was higher than NaF.

Intakes and outfalls for seawater reverse-osmosis desalination facilities innovations and environmental impacts

CERN Document Server

Jones, Burton; Maliva, Robert

2015-01-01

The book assembles the latest research on new design techniques in water supplies using desalinated seawater. The authors examine the diverse issues related to the intakes and outfalls of these facilities. They clarify how and why these key components of the facilities impact the cost of operation and subsequently the cost of water supplied to the consumers. The book consists of contributed articles from a number of experts in the field who presented their findings at the “Desalination Intakes and Outfalls” workshop held at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia in October, 2013. The book integrates coverage relevant to a wide variety of researchers and professionals in the general fields of environmental engineering and sustainable development.

Osmotic power generation by pressure retarded osmosis using seawater brine as the draw solution and wastewater retentate as the feed

KAUST Repository

Wan, Chunfeng

2015-04-01

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to produce clean and sustainable osmotic energy from salinity gradient. Fresh water is of scarcity in Singapore; however, alternative sources of feed solutions and draw solutions are well explored. For the first time, seawater brine from the TuaSpring desalination plant and wastewater retentate from the NEWater plant were used in a state-of-the-art TFC-PES hollow fiber membrane PRO process. The highest power densities obtained with 1 M NaCl solution and seawater brine were 27.0 W/m2 and 21.1 W/m2 at 20bar, respectively, when deionized (DI) water was used as the feed solution. However, the highest power density dropped to 4.6W/m2 when wastewater retentate was used as the feed solution. Fouling on the porous substrate induced by the wastewater retentate was identified as the main cause of the reduction in the power densities, while the negative effects of seawater brine on the PRO performances were negligible. Both ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) pretreatment were employed to mitigate fouling from the wastewater retentate, and the power densities were boosted to 6.6W/m2 and 8.9W/m2, respectively, beyond the power density of 5W/m2 proposed by Statkraft for the PRO process to be economical.

Osmotic power generation by pressure retarded osmosis using seawater brine as the draw solution and wastewater retentate as the feed

KAUST Repository

Wan, Chunfeng; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

2015-01-01

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to produce clean and sustainable osmotic energy from salinity gradient. Fresh water is of scarcity in Singapore; however, alternative sources of feed solutions and draw solutions are well explored. For the first time, seawater brine from the TuaSpring desalination plant and wastewater retentate from the NEWater plant were used in a state-of-the-art TFC-PES hollow fiber membrane PRO process. The highest power densities obtained with 1 M NaCl solution and seawater brine were 27.0 W/m2 and 21.1 W/m2 at 20bar, respectively, when deionized (DI) water was used as the feed solution. However, the highest power density dropped to 4.6W/m2 when wastewater retentate was used as the feed solution. Fouling on the porous substrate induced by the wastewater retentate was identified as the main cause of the reduction in the power densities, while the negative effects of seawater brine on the PRO performances were negligible. Both ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) pretreatment were employed to mitigate fouling from the wastewater retentate, and the power densities were boosted to 6.6W/m2 and 8.9W/m2, respectively, beyond the power density of 5W/m2 proposed by Statkraft for the PRO process to be economical.

Asymmetric polivinylidenfluoride (PVDF) radiation grafted membranes: Preparation and performance in reverse osmosis application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigo, F.; Capannelli, G.; Uliana, C.; Munari, S.

1981-01-01

A new type of reverse osmosis membrane has been synthesized. Membranes were prepared starting from asymmetric PVDF films, obtained by the casting and gelation technique and modified by radiochemical grafting and sulphonation. These membranes were tested in an RO laboratory plant and their performances were determined as a function of preparative parameters. The influences of evaporation time and temperature grafting and solvents were investigated. These membranes exhibit permeabilities as high as 2000 1/m 2 d and sodium chloride rejections up to 70%. (orig.)

Impaired Performance of Pressure-Retarded Osmosis due to Irreversible Biofouling.

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Zeev, Edo; Perreault, François; Straub, Anthony P; Elimelech, Menachem

2015-11-03

Next-generation pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) approaches aim to harness the energy potential of streams with high salinity differences, such as wastewater effluent and seawater desalination plant brine. In this study, we evaluated biofouling propensity in PRO. Bench-scale experiments were carried out for 24 h using a model wastewater effluent feed solution and simulated seawater desalination brine pressurized to 24 bar. For biofouling tests, wastewater effluent was inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and artificial seawater desalination plant brine draw solution was seeded with Pseudoalteromonas atlantica. Our results indicate that biological growth in the feed wastewater stream channel severely fouled both the membrane support layer and feed spacer, resulting in ∼50% water flux decline. We also observed an increase in the pumping pressure required to force water through the spacer-filled feed channel, with pressure drop increasing from 6.4±0.8 bar m(-1) to 15.1±2.6 bar m(-1) due to spacer blockage from the developing biofilm. Neither the water flux decline nor the increased pressure drop in the feed channel could be reversed using a pressure-aided osmotic backwash. In contrast, biofouling in the seawater brine draw channel was negligible. Overall, the reduced performance due to water flux decline and increased pumping energy requirements from spacer blockage highlight the serious challenges of using high fouling potential feed sources in PRO, such as secondary wastewater effluent. We conclude that PRO power generation using wastewater effluent and seawater desalination plant brine may become possible only with rigorous pretreatment or new spacer and membrane designs.

MODIFIED REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM FOR TREATMENT OF PRODUCED WATERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

T.M. Whitworth; Liangxiong Li

2002-09-15

This report describes work performed during the second year of the project ''Modified reverse osmosis system for treatment of produced waters.'' We performed two series of reverse osmosis experiments using very thin bentonite clay membranes compacted to differing degrees. The first series of 10 experiments used NaCl solutions with membranes that ranged between 0.041 and 0.064mm in thickness. Our results showed compaction of such ultra-thin clay membranes to be problematic. The thickness of the membranes was exceeded by the dimensional variation in the machined experimental cell and this is believed to have resulted in local bypassing of the membrane with a resultant decrease in solute rejection efficiency. In two of the experiments, permeate flow was varied as a percentage of the total flow to investigate results of changing permeate flow on solute rejection. In one experiment, the permeate flow was varied between 2.4 and 10.3% of the total flow with no change in solute rejection. In another experiment, the permeate flow was varied between 24.6 and 52.5% of the total flow. In this experiment, the solute rejection rate decreased as the permeate occupied greater fractions of the total flow. This suggests a maximum solute rejection efficiency for these clay membranes for a permeate flow of between 10.3 and 24.6% of the total; flow. Solute rejection was found to decrease with increasing salt concentration and ranged between 62.9% and 19.7% for chloride and between 61.5 and 16.8% for sodium. Due to problems with the compaction procedure and potential membrane bypassing, these rejection rates are probably not the upper limit for NaCl rejection by bentonite membranes. The second series of four reverse osmosis experiments was conducted with a 0.057mm-thick bentonite membrane and dilutions of a produced water sample with an original TDS of 196,250 mg/l obtained from a facility near Loco Hill, New Mexico, operated by an independent. These experiments

MODIFIED REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM FOR TREATMENT OF PRODUCED WATERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

T.M. Whitworth; Liangxiong Li

2002-09-15

This report describes work performed during the first year of the project ''Modified Reverse Osmosis System for Treatment of Produced Waters.'' This research project has two objectives. The first objective is to test the use of clay membranes in the treatment of produced waters by reverse osmosis. The second objective is to test the ability of a system patented by the New Mexico Tech Research Foundation to remove salts from reverse osmosis waste streams as a solid. We performed 12 experiments using clay membranes in cross-flow experimental cells. We found that, due to dispersion in the porous frit used adjacent to the membrane, the concentration polarization layer seems to be completely (or nearly completely) destroyed at low flow rates. This observation suggests that clay membranes used with porous frit material many reach optimum rejection rates at lower pumping rates than required for use with synthetic membranes. The solute rejection efficiency decreases with increasing solution concentration. For the membranes and experiments reported here, the rejection efficiency ranged from 71% with 0.01 M NaCl solution down to 12% with 2.3 M NaCl solution. More compacted clay membranes will have higher rejection capabilities. The clay membranes used in our experiments were relatively thick (approximately 0.5 mm). The active layer of most synthetic membranes is only 0.04 {micro}m (0.00004 mm), approximately 1250 times thinner than the clay membranes used in these experiments. Yet clay membranes as thin as 12 {micro}m have been constructed (Fritz and Eady, 1985). Since Darcy's law states that the flow through a material of constant permeability is inversely proportional to it's the material's thickness, then, based on these experimental observations, a very thin clay membrane would be expected to have much higher flow rates than the ones used in these experiments. Future experiments will focus on testing very thin clay membranes. The

Energy consumption in membrane capacitive deionization for different water recoveries and flow rates, and comparison with reverse osmosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhao, R.; Porada, S.; Biesheuvel, P.M.; Wal, van der A.

2013-01-01

Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is a non-faradaic, capacitive technique for desalinating brackish water by adsorbing ions in charged porous electrodes. To compete with reverse osmosis, the specific energy consumption of MCDI needs to be reduced to less than 1 kWh per m3 of freshwater

NOM and TEP fouling of a forward osmosis (FO) membrane: Foulant identification and cleaning

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo

2012-12-01

The study of forward osmosis (FO) membranes has increased due to the already demonstrated advantages compared to high-energy membrane processes such as reverse osmosis (RO). This research focuses on characterization of the natural organic matter (NOM) fraction causing fouling on the active layer (AL) of a FO membrane in a novel plate and frame module configuration, facing secondary wastewater effluent as a feed solution (FS) and seawater used as a draw solution (DS). In addition, transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) were observed on the support layer (SL) of the membrane in contact with the DS. The NOM fouling layer, after characterizing the water samples and membranes used, was found to be composed of biopolymers and protein-like substances, which adversely affect the flux of water through the FO membrane. However, NOM fouling showed high reversibility, up to 90% when air scouring for 15. min is used as a cleaning technique. The irreversible fouling in this work was found to be 8.2% after chemical cleaning. On the support layer of the membrane, TEP formed clusters clearly identifiable with an optical microscope and a TEP-specific dye. Chemical cleaning with 1% NaOCl for 10. min proved to be the most effective method to remove TEP. © 2012.

NOM and TEP fouling of a forward osmosis (FO) membrane: Foulant identification and cleaning

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor; Li, Zhenyu; Amy, Gary L.

2012-01-01

The study of forward osmosis (FO) membranes has increased due to the already demonstrated advantages compared to high-energy membrane processes such as reverse osmosis (RO). This research focuses on characterization of the natural organic matter (NOM) fraction causing fouling on the active layer (AL) of a FO membrane in a novel plate and frame module configuration, facing secondary wastewater effluent as a feed solution (FS) and seawater used as a draw solution (DS). In addition, transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) were observed on the support layer (SL) of the membrane in contact with the DS. The NOM fouling layer, after characterizing the water samples and membranes used, was found to be composed of biopolymers and protein-like substances, which adversely affect the flux of water through the FO membrane. However, NOM fouling showed high reversibility, up to 90% when air scouring for 15. min is used as a cleaning technique. The irreversible fouling in this work was found to be 8.2% after chemical cleaning. On the support layer of the membrane, TEP formed clusters clearly identifiable with an optical microscope and a TEP-specific dye. Chemical cleaning with 1% NaOCl for 10. min proved to be the most effective method to remove TEP. © 2012.

Hexavalent Chromium Removal from Model Water and Car Shock Absorber Factory Effluent by Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membrane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amine Mnif

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are investigated as a possible alternative to the conventional methods of Cr(VI removal from model water and industrial effluent. The influences of feed concentration, water recovery, pH, and the coexisting anions were studied. The results have shown that retention rates of hexavalent chromium can reach 99.7% using nanofiltration membrane (NF-HL and vary from 85 to 99.9% using reverse osmosis membrane (RO-SG depending upon the composition of the solution and operating conditions. This work was also extended to investigate the separation of Cr(VI from car shock absorber factory effluent. The use of these membranes is very promising for Cr(VI water treatment and desalting industry effluent. Spiegler-Kedem model was applied to experimental results in the aim to determine phenomenological parameters, the reflection coefficient of the membrane (σ, and the solute permeability coefficient (Ps. The convective and diffusive parts of the mass transfer were quantified with predominance of the diffusive contribution.

Higher boron rejection with a new TFC forward osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Li, Zhenyu; Sarp, Sarper; Park, Y. G.; Amy, Gary L.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.

2014-01-01

Due to the stringent limits for boron in drinking and irrigation water, water treatment facilities have to incur additional treatment to remove boron down to a safe concentration. Forward osmosis (FO) is a membrane technology that may reduce the energy required to remove boron present in seawater. In direct FO desalination hybrid systems, fresh water is recovered from seawater using a recoverable draw solution, FO membranes are expected to show high boron rejection. This study focuses on determining the boron rejection capabilities of a new generation thin-film composite (TFC) FO membrane compared to a first generation cellulose triacetate (CTA) FO membrane. The effects of water permeate flux, membrane structure, draw solute charge, and reverse solute flux on boron rejection were determined. For TFC and CTA FO membranes, experiments showed that when similar operating conditions are applied (e.g. membrane type and draw solute type) boron rejection decreases with increase in permeate flux. Reverse draw solute flux and membrane fouling have no significant impact on boron rejection. Compared to the first generation CTA FO membrane operated at the same conditions, the TFC FO membrane showed a 40% higher boron rejection capability and a 20% higher water flux. This demonstrates the potential for boron removal for new generation TFC FO membranes. © 2014 © 2014 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Higher boron rejection with a new TFC forward osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo

2014-07-17

Due to the stringent limits for boron in drinking and irrigation water, water treatment facilities have to incur additional treatment to remove boron down to a safe concentration. Forward osmosis (FO) is a membrane technology that may reduce the energy required to remove boron present in seawater. In direct FO desalination hybrid systems, fresh water is recovered from seawater using a recoverable draw solution, FO membranes are expected to show high boron rejection. This study focuses on determining the boron rejection capabilities of a new generation thin-film composite (TFC) FO membrane compared to a first generation cellulose triacetate (CTA) FO membrane. The effects of water permeate flux, membrane structure, draw solute charge, and reverse solute flux on boron rejection were determined. For TFC and CTA FO membranes, experiments showed that when similar operating conditions are applied (e.g. membrane type and draw solute type) boron rejection decreases with increase in permeate flux. Reverse draw solute flux and membrane fouling have no significant impact on boron rejection. Compared to the first generation CTA FO membrane operated at the same conditions, the TFC FO membrane showed a 40% higher boron rejection capability and a 20% higher water flux. This demonstrates the potential for boron removal for new generation TFC FO membranes. © 2014 © 2014 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Molecular Characterization of the Bacterial Communities in the Different Compartments of a Full-Scale Reverse-Osmosis Water Purification Plant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bereschenko, L.A.; Heilig, G.H.J.; Nederlof, M.M.; Loosdrecht, M.C.M. van; Stams, A.J.M.; Euverink, G.J.W.

2008-01-01

The origin, structure, and composition of biofilms in various compartments of an industrial full-scale reverse-osmosis (RO) membrane water purification plant were analyzed by molecular biological methods. Samples were taken when the RO installation suffered from a substantial pressure drop and

Molecular characterization of the bacterial communities in the different compartments of a full-scale reverse-osmosis water purification plant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bereschenko, L.A.; Heilig, G.H.J.; Nederlof, M.M.; Loosdracht, van M.C.M.; Stams, A.J.M.; Euverink, G.J.W.

2008-01-01

The origin, structure, and composition of biofilms in various compartments of an industrial full-scale reverse-osmosis (RO) membrane water purification plant were analyzed by molecular biological methods. Samples were taken when the RO installation suffered from a substantial pressure drop and

Research on rejection performance of reverse osmosis to manganese in simulated radioactive wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong Jinsong; Wang Xiaowei

2012-01-01

In order to reveal the performance of reverse osmosis applied in the radioactive wastewater treatment, treatment experiments are carried out on a pilot RO equipment using wastewater containing manganese nuclide. Results show that the rejection ratio of RO to manganese is almost not influenced by the operation pressure and the ration of reclaiming, and has no direct relation with the salt rejection ratio. The ratio of manganese rejection is more than 95% and can meet the requirement on the disposal of radioactive wastewater produced by pressurized water reactors. (authors)

Biofouling of reverse osmosis membranes used in river water purification for drinking purposes: analysis of microbial populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiellini, Carolina; Iannelli, Renato; Modeo, Letizia; Bianchi, Veronica; Petroni, Giulio

2012-01-01

Biofouling in water treatment processes represents one of the most frequent causes of plant performance decline. Investigation of clogged membranes (reverse osmosis membranes, microfiltration membranes and ultrafiltration membranes) is generally performed on fresh membranes. In the present study, a multidisciplinary autopsy of a reverse osmosis membrane (ROM) was conducted. The membrane, which was used in sulfate-rich river water purification for drinking purposes, had become inoperative after 6 months because of biofouling and was later stored for 18 months in dry conditions before analysis. SSU rRNA gene library construction, clone sequencing, T-RFLP, light microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations were used to identify the microorganisms present on the membrane and possibly responsible for biofouling at the time of removal. The microorganisms were mainly represented by bacteria belonging to the phylum Actinobacteria and by a single protozoan species belonging to the Lobosea group. The microbiological analysis was interpreted in the context of the treatment plant operations to hypothesize as to the possible mechanisms used by microorganisms to enter the plant and colonize the ROM surface.

Performances of nanofiltration and low pressure reverse osmosis membranes for desalination: characterization and modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Boussouga, Y. A.; Lhassani, A.

2017-03-01

The nanofiltration and the reverse osmosis processes are the most common techniques for the desalination of water contaminated by an excess of salts. In this present study, we were interested in the characterization of commercial, composite and asymmetric membranes of nanofiltration (NF90, NF270) and low pressure reverse osmosis (BW30LE). The two types of characterization that we opted for our study: (i) characterization of electrical proprieties, in terms of the surface charge of various membranes studied by the measurement of the streaming potential, (ii) hydrodynamic characterization in terms of hydraulic permeability with pure water, mass transfer and phenomenological parameters for each system membrane/salt using hydrodynamic approaches. The irreversible thermodynamics allowed us to model the observed retention Robs of salts (NaCl and Na2SO4) for the different membranes studied, to understand and to predict a good filtration with a membrane. A study was conducted on the type of mass transfer for each system membrane/salt: convection and diffusion. The results showed that all tested membranes are negatively charged for the solutions at neutral pH, this is explained by their material composition. The results also showed competitiveness between the different types of membranes. In view of that the NF remains effective in terms of selective retention with less energy consumption than LPRO.

Combined solar organic Rankine cycle with reverse osmosis desalination process: Energy, exergy, and cost evaluations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nafey, A.S.; Sharaf, M.A. [Department of Engineering Science, Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez Canal University, Suez (Egypt)

2010-11-15

Organic Rankine cycles (ORC) have unique properties that are well suited to solar power generation. In this work design and performance calculations are performed using MatLab/SimuLink computational environment. The cycle consists of thermal solar collectors (Flat Plate Solar Collector (FPC), or Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC), or Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC)) for heat input, expansion turbine for work output, condenser unit for heat rejection, pump unit, and Reverse Osmosis (RO) unit. Reverse osmosis unit specifications used in this work is based on Sharm El-Shiekh RO desalination plant. Different working fluids such as: butane, isobutane, propane, R134a, R152a, R245ca, and R245fa are examined for FPC. R113, R123, hexane, and pentane are investigated for CPC. Dodecane, nonane, octane, and toluene are allocated for PTC. The proposed process units are modeled and show a good validity with literatures. Exergy and cost analysis are performed for saturation and superheated operating conditions. Exergy efficiency, total exergy destruction, thermal efficiency, and specific capital cost are evaluated for direct vapor generation (DVG) process. Toluene and Water achieved minimum results for total solar collector area, specific total cost and the rate of exergy destruction. (author)

Development of a new feed channel spacer for reverse osmosis elements. Phase 2 final report, October 1, 1994--December 31, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milstead, C.E.; Riley, R.L.

1998-02-11

During Phase 1, computer modeling techniques were used as the prime instrument of evaluation of designs for a new feed channel spacer to replace the 30 mil thick standard mesh (Vexar) spacer currently used in ROWPU [Reverse Osmosis Water Processing Unit] spiral-wound elements. A hemispherical peg model, based on a Bed of Nails concept developed in Phase 1, was selected for prototype production of spiral-wound elements for field testing. Evaluation in the See-Thru test cell to observe pressure drops through the spacer, feed mixing patterns and ease of cleaning fouled membrane samples showed considerable benefit over Vexar. This design would be suitable for production by roll embossing (or rotary punching) methods instead of expensive injection molding techniques. A 10{1/2} inch die set was fabricated to prove this concept using a 12 ton press brake. Due to a number of factors, however, the equipment did not work as anticipated and numerous modifications are currently in progress. This work will continue at no cost to the government until completed. A seawater test system has been constructed for field testing of various commercially available feed channel spacers for comparison with the Vexar spacer.

Technical feasibility of using gallery intakes for seawater RO facilities, northern Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia: The King Abdullah Economic City site

KAUST Repository

Dehwah, Abdullah

2013-02-13

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is dependent on desalination of seawater to provide new water supplies for the future. Desalination is expensive and it is very important to reduce the cost and lower the energy consumption. Most seawater reverse osmosis facilities use open-ocean intakes, which require extensive pretreatment processes to remove particulate and biological materials that cause operating problems such as membrane fouling or shutdown during algal blooms. Subsurface systems, using the concept of riverbank filtration, can be used as intakes. These systems include wells of various designs and galleries that provide natural filtration and biological treatment to improve the quality of feed water before it enters the desalination plant. This reduces operating cost, lowers chemical and energy consumption, and reduces environmental impacts. Technical feasibility of gallery-type intakes, beach and seabed types, for use as intakes to seawater reverse osmosis (RO) facilities was evaluated along the northern Red Sea shoreline of Saudi Arabia. The geological characteristics of the offshore ocean bottom were found to be favorable for the development of seabed gallery systems, but the shoreline geology was not adequate for the development of beach gallery intakes. One of the potentially favorable sites for a seabed gallery system was located in the nearshore area at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). Detailed investigation of the site hydrology (tides and wave action), sediment grain size characteristics, and sediment hydraulic conductivity, and access for construction were assessed. It was determined that seabed gallery development is favorable at the site. Based on the seawater that has a salinity of about 41,000 mg/L and a conversion rate of 40%, a conservatively designed gallery cell with dimensions of 100 by 50 m would produce about 25,000 m3/day of filtered seawater and seven cells (6 primary and 1 standby) could support a 60,000 m3/day (permeate) seawater RO plant

Reserve osmosis and its application in water desalination; Osmosis inversa y su aplicacion en la desalacion de las aguas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lazaro, I. [Departamento de Ingenieria Aplicada, EPS Universidad Murcia, Cartagena (Spain); Almela, L. [Departamento de Quimica Agricola, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia (Spain); Huete, J.

1996-08-01

The limited availability of water resources raises two fundamental issues: those of restructuring traditional irrigated land and scarching for new resources to alleviate water shortage. Among the diverse methods that can be utilized for the desalination of water, reverse osmosis is now of great importance. One the advantages of this techniques is that it can be applied equally to big installations as to smaller rural holdings. This paper briefly describes the different methods of desalination, placing emphasis on reverse osmosis. (Author) 8 refs.

A review of reverse osmosis membrane materials for desalination-Development to date and future potential

OpenAIRE

Lee, Kali Peng; Arnot, Tom C.; Mattia, Davide

2011-01-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) is currently the most important desalination technology and it is experiencing significant growth. The objective of this paper is to review the historical and current development of RO membrane materials which are the key determinants of separation performance and water productivity, and hence to define performance targets for those who are developing new RO membrane materials. The chemistry, synthesis mechanism(s) and desalination performance of various RO membranes are ...

Study of the Effect of Nanoparticles and Surface Morphology on Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration Membrane Productivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven J. Duranceau

2013-08-01

Full Text Available To evaluate the significance of reverse osmosis (RO and nanofiltration (NF surface morphology on membrane performance, productivity experiments were conducted using flat-sheet membranes and three different nanoparticles, which included SiO2, TiO2 and CeO2. In this study, the productivity rate was markedly influenced by membrane surface morphology. Atomic force microscopy (AFM analysis of membrane surfaces revealed that the higher productivity decline rates associated with polyamide RO membranes as compared to that of a cellulose acetate NF membrane was due to the inherent ridge-and-valley morphology of the active layer. The unique polyamide active layer morphology was directly related to the surface roughness, and was found to contribute to particle accumulation in the valleys causing a higher flux decline than in smoother membranes. Extended RO productivity experiments using laboratory grade water and diluted pretreated seawater were conducted to compare the effect that different nanoparticles had on membrane active layers. Membrane flux decline was not affected by particle type when the feed water was laboratory grade water. On the other hand, membrane productivity was affected by particle type when pretreated diluted seawater served as feed water. It was found that CeO2 addition resulted in the least observable flux decline, followed by SiO2 and TiO2. A productivity simulation was conducted by fitting the monitored flux data into a cake growth rate model, where the model was modified using a finite difference method to incorporate surface thickness variation into the analysis. The ratio of cake growth term (k1 and particle back diffusion term (k2 was compared in between different RO and NF membranes. Results indicated that k2 was less significant for surfaces that exhibited a higher roughness. It was concluded that the valley areas of thin-film membrane surfaces have the ability to capture particles, limiting particle back diffusion.

Thinning of reverse osmosis membranes by ionic liquids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng, Hong, E-mail: menghong@mail.buct.edu.cn; Gong, Beibei; Geng, Tao; Li, Chunxi

2014-02-15

In this study, ionic liquids (ILs) were used to thin out the dense layer and, in turn, tune the surface properties and separation performance of commercial aromatic polyamide reverse osmosis membranes. It was observed that the structure of the ILs and dipping time had a strong impact on the dense layer thickness and morphology. This can be understood in terms of the dissolubility and interaction force between ILs and the organic membrane surface, such as hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions. Among the ILs synthesized, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) showed the most promising thinning effects. It was observed that the thickness of the dense layer on the surface decreased from 127 to 67 nm after dipping treatment with [BMIM]Cl for 24 h. The water flux was enhanced by 20% at the expense of a slight decline of salt rejection. AFM, contact angle and zeta potential analyses suggest that the surface hydrophilicity and electronegativity increased, while the roughness decreased, which improved the anti-fouling properties.

Comparative study of economic competitive for nuclear seawater desalination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Li; Wang Yongqing

2001-01-01

The method of levelized discounted production water cost and the new desalination economic evaluation program (DEEP1.1) are used. Many cases of seawater desalination by nuclear energy or fossil energy combined with reverse osmosis (RO), Multi-effect distillation (MED) or multi-stage flash (MSF) technology in south-east Asia is performed and their economic competitive is analyzed. Their results indicate, the nuclear desalination plants have stronger economic competitive comparing to the fossil in the RO, MED and MSF technology. The desalination water cost is very changeable depending on the difference of desalination technology and water plant size. Its range is 0.56 dollar · m -3 - 1.89 dollar · m -3 , the lowest desalination water cost is product by RO and the highest is by MSF. The sensitive factors of the economic competitive are orderly the discounted rate, desalination plant size, seawater temperature and total dissolved solids (TDS), fossil fuel price and specific power plant investment. The highest rate of water cost is about 19.3% comparing to base case

Teaching Mass Transfer and Filtration Using Crossflow Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration: An Experiment for the Undergraduate Unit Operations Lab

Science.gov (United States)

Anastasio, Daniel; McCutcheon, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

A crossflow reverse osmosis (RO) system was built for a senior-level chemical engineering unit operations laboratory course. Intended to teach students mass transfer fundamentals related to membrane separations, students tested several commercial desalination membranes, measuring water flux and salt rejections at various pressures, flow rates, and…

Osmotic versus conventional membrane bioreactors integrated with reverse osmosis for water reuse: Biological stability, membrane fouling, and contaminant removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Wenhai; Phan, Hop V; Xie, Ming; Hai, Faisal I; Price, William E; Elimelech, Menachem; Nghiem, Long D

2017-02-01

This study systematically compares the performance of osmotic membrane bioreactor - reverse osmosis (OMBR-RO) and conventional membrane bioreactor - reverse osmosis (MBR-RO) for advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse. Both systems achieved effective removal of bulk organic matter and nutrients, and almost complete removal of all 31 trace organic contaminants investigated. They both could produce high quality water suitable for recycling applications. During OMBR-RO operation, salinity build-up in the bioreactor reduced the water flux and negatively impacted the system biological treatment by altering biomass characteristics and microbial community structure. In addition, the elevated salinity also increased soluble microbial products and extracellular polymeric substances in the mixed liquor, which induced fouling of the forward osmosis (FO) membrane. Nevertheless, microbial analysis indicated that salinity stress resulted in the development of halotolerant bacteria, consequently sustaining biodegradation in the OMBR system. By contrast, biological performance was relatively stable throughout conventional MBR-RO operation. Compared to conventional MBR-RO, the FO process effectively prevented foulants from permeating into the draw solution, thereby significantly reducing fouling of the downstream RO membrane in OMBR-RO operation. Accumulation of organic matter, including humic- and protein-like substances, as well as inorganic salts in the MBR effluent resulted in severe RO membrane fouling in conventional MBR-RO operation. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treatment of tailings water from uranium ore processing by reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgescu, D.P.; Andrei, L.

2000-01-01

Mining and metallurgical waste waters are considered to be the major sources of heavy metal contamination. The need of economic and effective methods for metals removal have resulted in the development of new separation technologies. Precipitation, ion exchange, electrochemical processes, filtration and flotation are commonly applied for industrial effluents treatment. Occasionally, the application of such processes is limited because of technical or economical constraints. The search for new technologies regarding the recovery and removal of toxic metals from waste waters has directed attention to membrane processes. These processes are developed in the recent years due to the availability of many new types of membranes. This paper presents the laboratory test results for liquid radioactive effluent treatment from alkaline uranium ore processing by reverse osmosis. (author)

Nuclear liquid wastes treatment: study of the reverse osmosis membranes degradation under γ irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Combernoux, Nicolas

2015-01-01

The treatment of nuclear liquid wastes by reverse osmosis (RO) involved issues of the water radiolysis and the membrane ageing due to γ irradiation effects. Membrane performances (permeability, strontium and cesium retention) were assessed after γ irradiation. Irradiation was carried out with an external 60 Co source in different conditions that simulated real used of the process (dose from 0.1 to 1 MGy, dose rate of 0.5 and 5 kGy.h -1 , with or without oxygen or water). Several analytical methods were performed to evaluate irradiation effects (ATR-FTIR, XPS, gas production, water soluble species released from the membrane). The methodology developed led to relevant information due to an innovative analytical protocol. Membrane performances started dropping between 0.2 and 0.5 MGy with oxygen and water (dose rate 0.5 kGy.h -1 ). This shift was linked to chains scissions inside the membrane active layer. The membrane degradation was weaker without oxygen or water or at high dose rate (5 kGy.h -1 ). Results showed that each analysis comforted each other. Membrane performances were also evaluated with three different types of liquid effluents, representing radioactive effluents from a post-disaster situation (groundwater type), disaster situation (seawater) or process water. Experiments were carried out at lab and pilot scales. Results indicated that the treatment of each effluent was possible by RO with an adequate choice of membrane and operating parameters. Finally, the time to reach an integrated dose threshold for the membrane in real conditions was estimated with the RABBI software: a dozen of days in the case of disaster situation to several years in the two other cases. (author) [fr

The use of microbial and chemical analyses to characterize the variations in fouling profile of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane

KAUST Repository

Manes, Carmem Lara De O

2013-01-01

Biofouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes is one of the most common problems in desalinations plants reducing the efficiency of the water production process. The characterization of bacterial community composition from fouling layers as well as detailed analysis of surrounding chemical environment might reveal process specific bacterial groups/species that are involved in RO biofouling. In this study, advanced organics analytic methods (elemental analysis, FTIR, and ICP-OES) were combined with high-throughput 16S rRNA (pyro) sequencing to assess in parallel, the chemical properties and the active microbial community composition of SWRO membranes from a pilot desalination plant (MFT, Tarragona) in February 2011 and July 2011. Prefiltered ultrafiltration. waters fed SWRO membranes during third and fifth month of operation, respectively. SWRO samples were taken from three modules at different positions (first, fourth, and sixth) in order to investigate the spatial changes in fouling layers\\' chemical and microbiological composition. The overall assessment of chemical parameters revealed that fouling layers were mainly composed by bio and organic material (proteins and lipids). Ca and Fe were found to be the most abundant elements having an increasing concentration gradient according to the module position. Bacterial community composition of SWRO membranes is mostly represented by the Gammaproteobacteria class with interesting differences in genera/species spatial and temporal distribution. This preliminary result suggests that pretreatments and/or operational conditions might have selected different bacterial groups more adapted to colonize SWRO membranes. © 2013 Desalination Publications.

Assessment of Silt Density Index (SDI) as Fouling Propensity Parameter in Reverse Osmosis Desalination

KAUST Repository

Rachman, Rinaldi

2011-07-01

Reverse osmosis operations are facing persistent fouling phenomenon that has challenged the integrity of these processes. Prediction of fouling potential by measuring a fouling index toward feed water is essential to ensure robust operation. Moreover, employing a reliable fouling index with good reproducibility and precision is necessary. Silt density index (SDI) is considered insufficient in terms of reliability and empirical theory, among other limitations. Nevertheless due its simplicity, SDI measurement is utilized extensively in RO desalination systems. The aim of this research is to assess the reliability of SDI. Methods include the investigation of different SDI membranes and study of the nature of the SDI filtration. Results demonstrate the existence of the membrane properties\\' variation within manufacturers, which then causes a lack of accuracy in fouling risk estimation. The nature of particles during SDI filtration provides information that particle concentration and size play a significant role on SDI quantification with substantial representation given by particles with size close to membrane nominal pore size. Moreover, turbidity assisted SDI measurements along with determination of UF pretreated and clean water fouling potential, establishes the indication of non-fouling related phenomena involved on SDI measurement such as a natural organic matter adsorption and hydrodynamic condition that alters during filtration. Additionally, it was found that the latter affects the sensitivity of SDI by being represented by some portions of SDI value. Keywords: Reverse Osmosis, Fouling index, Particulate Fouling, Silt Density Index (SDI), and Assessment of SDI.

Experimental Investigation of Solar Powered Reverse Osmosis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

fire7-

due to its low energy consumption is one of the best desalination alternatives. ... numerous villages and farmers, it is very difficult to extend an electric grid to every ... osmosis coupling with solar PV systems holds great promise for increasing ...

RO-PRO desalination: An integrated low-energy approach to seawater desalination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prante, Jeri L.; Ruskowitz, Jeffrey A.; Childress, Amy E.; Achilli, Andrea

2014-01-01

Highlights: • In the novel RO-PRO system, the energy produced by PRO is utilized to offset the energy consumed by the RO. • The specific energy consumption of a RO-PRO system was modeled for the first time. • A novel module-based PRO model for full-scale applications was developed. • The minimum net specific energy consumption of the modeled RO-PRO system was 1.2 kW h/m 3 at 50% RO recovery. • A sensitivity analysis showed a min RO-PRO specific energy consumption of 1.0 kW h/m 3 and a max power density of 10 W/m 2 . - Abstract: Although reverse osmosis (RO) is currently the most energy efficient desalination technology, it still requires a great deal of energy to create the high pressures necessary to desalinate seawater. An opposite process of RO, called pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), utilizes the salinity gradient between a relatively fresh impaired water source and seawater to produce pressure and hence, energy. In this paper, PRO is evaluated in conjunction with RO, in a system called RO-PRO desalination, to reduce the energy requirement of seawater RO desalination. RO-PRO specific energy consumption was modeled using RO conditions at the thermodynamic restriction and a newly developed module-based PRO model. Using a well-characterized cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, the minimum net specific energy consumption of the system was found to be approximately 40% lower than state-of-the-art seawater RO. A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the effects of membrane characteristics on the specific energy production of the PRO process in the RO-PRO system. The sensitivity analysis showed that the minimum specific energy consumption using virtual membranes is approximately 1.0 kW h per m 3 of RO permeate at 50% RO recovery and that a maximum power density of approximately 10 W/m 2 could be achieved

Modification of Polyamide-Urethane (PAUt Thin Film Composite Membrane for Improving the Reverse Osmosis Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li-Fen Liu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In the current study, the poly (amide-urethane (PAUt membranes were successfully fabricated by interfacial polymerization of m-phenylenediamine (MPD and 5-choroformyloxyisophaloyl chloride (CFIC on the polysulfone substrates. Two modification methods based on layer-by-layer assembly were applied to modify the PAUt membrane surface to achieve antifouling property: 1. Chitosan (CS was directly self-assembled on the PAUt membrane (i.e., PAUt-CS; and 2. polydimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (PDDA, polystyrene sulfonate (PSS, and CS were successively self-assembled on the membrane surface (i.e., PAUt-PDDA/PSS/CS. The resultant membranes were symmetrically characterized by Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM and Contact Angle Meter (CAM, respectively. The results indicated that the modified membranes had much smoother and more hydrophilic surfaces as compared to the nascent PAUt membrane. Meanwhile, the modified membranes exhibited better reverse osmosis performance in terms of water permeability and salt rejection. After the modified membranes were fouled by lake water, the PAUt-PDDA/PSS/CS membrane presented the best antifouling performance among the three types of membranes. Combining the reverse osmosis performance with the anti-fouling property obviously, the PAUt-PDDA/PSS/CS membrane behaved as a promising candidate to be used in real applications.

Experimental study on treatment of simulated boron containing radioactive wastewater by reverse osmosis membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaowei; Yang Kai; Kong Jinsong

2012-01-01

Experiments were carried out on a pilot equipment to study the performance of treatment of simulated boron containing radioactive wastewater by reverse osmosis membrane. Results showed that the rejection efficiency of boron, simulated nuclides and salts in simulated wastewater could be enhanced by increasing the feedwater pH, improving the applied pressure or reducing the recovery ratio. By adjusting the simulated wastewater pH to 9.0, the boron concentration in permeate could be lower than 5 mg/L and two nuclides including cobalt and cesium could be removed to a satisfied extend. (authors)

10 years of make-up water treatment with integrated reverse osmosis at Grosskraftwerk Mannheim

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spindler, K.; Bloechl, H.; Bursik, A.

1993-01-01

Since 1982, at Grosskraftwerk Mannheim, a make-up water treatment in which three reverse osmosis plants are integrated, has been operating. The original high-pressure hollow fibre module of these plants has been replaced by low-pressure coil modules. The reasons for the change in system are described in the paper. In the low-pressure plant, coil modules have been installed by several manufacturers. The paper reports on experience with the low-pressure elements. The experience gained has been streamed into the planning proposals for the new make-up water treatment plant. (orig.) [de

Speech and Language Disorders in a Dialysis Encephalopathy Patient and the Effect of Desferrioxamine and Reverse-Osmosis Water Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehtihalmes, Matti; And Others

Dialysis encephalopathy is a progressive neurological disorder occurring after long-term hemodialysis in some renal failure patients. Accumulation of aluminum in the brain is suspected as its cause, and the use of reverse osmosis of the dialysis water and administration of desferrioxamine to the patient have been successful in reducing the…

Influence of fuel costs on seawater desalination options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Methnani, Mabrouk

2007-01-01

Reference estimates of seawater desalination costs for recent mega projects are all quoted in the range of US$0.50/m 3 . This however does not reflect the recent trends of escalating fossil fuel costs. In order to analyze the effect of these trends, a recently updated version of the IAEA Desalination Economic Evaluation Program, DEEP-3, has been used to compare fossil and nuclear seawater desalination options, under varied fuel cost and interest rate scenarios. Results presented for a gas combined-cycle and a modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor design, show clear cost advantages for the latter, for both Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) and Reverse Osmosis (RO). Water production cost estimates for the Brayton cycle nuclear option are hardly affected by fuel costs, while combined cycle seawater desalination costs show an increase of more than 40% when fuel costs are doubled. For all cases run, the nuclear desalination costs are lower and if the current trend in fossil fuel prices continues as predicted by pessimist scenarios and the carbon tax carried by greenhouse emissions is enforced in the future, the cost advantage for nuclear desalination will be even more pronounced. Increasing the interest rate from 5 to 8% has a smaller effect than fuel cost variations. It translates into a water cost increase in the range of 10-20%, with the nuclear option being the more sensitive. (author)

Role of membrane technology to achieve ALARA concept in reprocessing plant: utilization of low pressure reverse osmosis for treatment of delay tank solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pabby, Anil K.; Sonawane, J.V.; Rathore, N.S.; Gupta, S.K.; Roy, S.C.; Venugopalan, A.K.; Chagrani, R.D.; Dey, P.K.; Prabhakar, S.; Tiwari, P.K.

2004-01-01

Reverse osmosis is a well-developed technology. The systems have been used in industrial settings for many years with applications to separation, concentration of product streams and waste water treatment. The technology has been used for removal of the radionuclides from low-level liquid wastes, such as waste streams at nuclear power plants. Because reverse osmosis rejects nearly all contaminants from a solution the high purity product water may be recycled within the power plant, or is usually of such low activity that it is suitable for discharge to the environment. This technology will help in achieving ALARA concept which will be beneficial for the environment. In the present study, the removal of alpha and beta activities from delay tank solution is planned

Separation performance and interfacial properties of nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes

KAUST Repository

Pendergast, MaryTheresa M.; Ghosh, Asim K.; Hoek, E.M.V.

2013-01-01

Four different types of nanocomposite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were formed by interfacial polymerization of either polyamide (PA) or zeolite A-polyamide nanocomposite (ZA-PA) thin films over either pure polysulfone (PSf) or zeolite A-polysulfone nanocomposite (ZA-PSf) support membranes cast by wet phase inversion. All three nanocomposite membranes exhibited superior separation performance and interfacial properties relative to hand-cast TFC analogs including: (1) smoother, more hydrophilic surfaces (2) higher water permeability and salt rejection, and (3) improved resistance to physical compaction. Less compaction occurred for membranes with nanoparticles embedded in interfacially polymerized coating films, which adds further proof that flux decline associated with physical compaction is influenced by coating film properties in addition to support membrane properties. The new classes of nanocomposite membrane materials continue to offer promise of further improved RO membranes for use in desalination and advanced water purification. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Minimising reversion, using seawater and magnesium chloride, caused by the dissolution of tricalcium aluminate hexahydrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Sara J; Frost, Ray L; Smith, Matthew K

2011-01-15

The increase in pH and aluminium concentration after the neutralisation of bauxite refinery residues is commonly known as reversion. This investigation reports the extent of reversion in synthetic supernatant liquor and possible methods to reduce reversion. This work is based on bauxite refinery residues produced from alumina refineries, where reversion is a real life situation in neutralised refinery residues. Tricalcium aluminate hexahydrate, a common phase in bauxite refinery residues, has been found to cause reversion. It has been established that reductions in both pH and aluminium from the seawater neutralisation process are due to the formation of 'Bayer' hydrotalcite Mg(7)Al(2)(OH)(18)(CO(3)(2-),SO(4)(2-))·xH(2)O. This is the primary mechanism involved in the removal of aluminium from solution. Increasing the volume of seawater used for the neutralisation process minimises the extent of reversion for both synthetic supernatant liquor and red mud slurry. The addition of MgCl(2)·6H(2)O also showed a reduction in reversion and confirmed that the decrease in aluminium and hydroxyl ions is due to the formation of Bayer hydrotalcite and not simply a dilution effect. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Forward osmosis applied to evaporative cooling make-up water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicoll, Peter; Thompson, Neil; Gray, Victoria [Modern Water plc, Guildford (United Kingdom)

2012-11-15

Modern Water is in the process of developing a number of forward osmosis based technologies, ranging from desalination to power generation. This paper outlines the progress made to date on the development and commercial deployment of a forward osmosis based process for the production of evaporative cooling tower make-up water from impaired water sources, including seawater. Evaporative cooling requires significant amounts of good quality water to replace the water lost by evaporation, drift and blowdown. This water can be provided by conventional desalination processes or by the use of tertiary treated sewage effluent. The conventional processes are well documented and understood in terms of operation and power consumption. A new process has been successfully developed and demonstrated that provides make-up water directly, using a core platform 'forward osmosis' technology. This new technology shows significant promise in allowing various raw water sources, such as seawater, to be used directly in the forward osmosis step, thus releasing the use of scarce and valuable high grade water for other more important uses. The paper presents theoretical and operational results for the process, where it is shown that the process can produce make-up water at a fraction of the operational expenditure when compared to conventional processes, in particular regarding power consumption, which in some cases may be as low as 15 % compared to competing processes. Chemical additives to the cooling water (osmotic agent) are retained within the process, thus reducing their overall consumption. Furthermore the chemistry of the cooling water does not support the growth of Legionella pneumophila. Corrosion results are also reported. (orig.)

Impact of spacer thickness on biofouling in forward osmosis

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo

2014-06-01

Forward osmosis (FO) indirect desalination systems integrate wastewater recovery with seawater desalination. Niche applications for FO systems have been reported recently, due to the demonstrated advantages compared to conventional high-pressure membrane processes such as nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO). Among them, wastewater recovery has been identified to be particularly suitable for practical applications. However, biofouling in FO membranes has rarely been studied in applications involving wastewater effluents. Feed spacers separating the membrane sheets in cross-flow systems play an important role in biofilm formation. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of feed spacer thickness (28, 31 and 46mil) on biofouling development and membrane performance in a FO system, using identical cross-flow cells in parallel studies. Flux development, biomass accumulation, fouling localization and composition were determined and analyzed. For all spacer thicknesses, operated at the same feed flow and the same run time, the same amount of biomass was found, while the flux reduction decreased with thicker spacers. These observations are in good agreement with biofouling studies for RO systems, considering the key differences between FO and RO. Our findings contradict previous cross-flow studies on particulate/colloidal fouling, where higher cross-flow velocities improved system performance. Thicker spacers reduced the impact of biofouling on FO membrane flux. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Impact of spacer thickness on biofouling in forward osmosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Valladares Linares, R; Bucs, Sz S; Li, Z; AbuGhdeeb, M; Amy, G; Vrouwenvelder, J S

2014-06-15

Forward osmosis (FO) indirect desalination systems integrate wastewater recovery with seawater desalination. Niche applications for FO systems have been reported recently, due to the demonstrated advantages compared to conventional high-pressure membrane processes such as nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO). Among them, wastewater recovery has been identified to be particularly suitable for practical applications. However, biofouling in FO membranes has rarely been studied in applications involving wastewater effluents. Feed spacers separating the membrane sheets in cross-flow systems play an important role in biofilm formation. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of feed spacer thickness (28, 31 and 46 mil) on biofouling development and membrane performance in a FO system, using identical cross-flow cells in parallel studies. Flux development, biomass accumulation, fouling localization and composition were determined and analyzed. For all spacer thicknesses, operated at the same feed flow and the same run time, the same amount of biomass was found, while the flux reduction decreased with thicker spacers. These observations are in good agreement with biofouling studies for RO systems, considering the key differences between FO and RO. Our findings contradict previous cross-flow studies on particulate/colloidal fouling, where higher cross-flow velocities improved system performance. Thicker spacers reduced the impact of biofouling on FO membrane flux. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of spacer thickness on biofouling in forward osmosis

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Bucs, Szilard; Li, Z.; AbuGhdeeb, M.; Amy, Gary L.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.

2014-01-01

Forward osmosis (FO) indirect desalination systems integrate wastewater recovery with seawater desalination. Niche applications for FO systems have been reported recently, due to the demonstrated advantages compared to conventional high-pressure membrane processes such as nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO). Among them, wastewater recovery has been identified to be particularly suitable for practical applications. However, biofouling in FO membranes has rarely been studied in applications involving wastewater effluents. Feed spacers separating the membrane sheets in cross-flow systems play an important role in biofilm formation. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of feed spacer thickness (28, 31 and 46mil) on biofouling development and membrane performance in a FO system, using identical cross-flow cells in parallel studies. Flux development, biomass accumulation, fouling localization and composition were determined and analyzed. For all spacer thicknesses, operated at the same feed flow and the same run time, the same amount of biomass was found, while the flux reduction decreased with thicker spacers. These observations are in good agreement with biofouling studies for RO systems, considering the key differences between FO and RO. Our findings contradict previous cross-flow studies on particulate/colloidal fouling, where higher cross-flow velocities improved system performance. Thicker spacers reduced the impact of biofouling on FO membrane flux. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Characterization and Evaluation of the Improved Performance of Modified Reverse Osmosis Membranes by Incorporation of Various Organic Modifiers and SnO2 Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kh. M. AL-Sheetan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Reverse osmosis (RO membranes modified with SnO2 nanoparticles of varied concentrations (0.001–0.1 wt.% were developed via in situ interfacial polymerization (IP of trimesoyl chloride (TMC and m-phenylenediamine (MPD on nanoporous polysulfone supports. The nanoparticles dispersed in the dense nodular polyamide on the polysulfone side. The effects of IP reaction time and SnO2 loading on membrane separation performance were studied. The modified reverse osmosis membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, X-ray diffractometer (XRD, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, contact angle measurement, and atomic force microscopy (AFM. The synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles size varies between 10 and 30 nm. The results exhibited a smooth membrane surface and average surface roughness from 31 to 68 nm. Moreover, hydrophilicity was enhanced and contact angle decreased. The outcomes showed that an IP reaction time was essential to form a denser SnO2-polyamide layer for higher salt rejection, the developed reverse osmosis membranes with the incorporation of the SnO2 nanoparticles were examined by measuring permeate fluxes and salt rejection, and the permeate flux increased from 26 to 43.4 L/m2·h, while salt rejection was high at 98% (2000 ppm NaCl solution at 225 psi (1.55 MPa, 25°C.

Forward Osmosis System And Process

KAUST Repository

Duan, Jintang

2013-08-22

A forward osmosis fluid purification system includes a cross-flow membrane module with a membrane, a channel on each side of the membrane which allows a feed solution and a draw solution to flow through separately, a feed side, a draw side including a draw solute, where the draw solute includes an aryl sulfonate salt. The system can be used in a process to extract water from impure water, such as wastewater or seawater. The purified water can be applied to arid land.

Forward Osmosis System And Process

KAUST Repository

Duan, Jintang

2013-01-01

A forward osmosis fluid purification system includes a cross-flow membrane module with a membrane, a channel on each side of the membrane which allows a feed solution and a draw solution to flow through separately, a feed side, a draw side including a draw solute, where the draw solute includes an aryl sulfonate salt. The system can be used in a process to extract water from impure water, such as wastewater or seawater. The purified water can be applied to arid land.

The pre-treatment of water in a reverse osmosis system. Its significant importance in the design and management of the process; Pretratamiento del agua en un sistema de osmosis inversa. Su significada importancia dentro del diseno y gestion del proceso

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pujadas, A.

2001-07-01

The practical application of reverse osmosis technology is really easy and facilities should function without serious problems. The real difficulty is presented by the pre-treatment and conditioning of water before entering the membrane system. The present article enumerates the series of most habitual problems presented by medium or low-saline water for its correct treatment in a reverse osmosis system, also enumerating the most habitual pre-treatments for overcoming them. The conclusion of all of this is that it is necessary to haven a good laboratory available, one that allows for a complete analysis of the water to be treated and a system for tracking the systems once they are in operation. (Author)

Full utilization of silt density index (SDI) measurements for seawater pre-treatment

KAUST Repository

Wei, Chunhai

2012-07-01

In order to clarify the fouling mechanism during silt density index (SDI) measurements of seawater in the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination process, 11 runs were conducted under constant-pressure (207kPa) dead-end filtration mode according to the standard protocol for SDI measurement, in which two kinds of 0.45μm membranes of different material and seawater samples from the Mediterranean including raw seawater and seawater pre-treated by coagulation followed by sand filtration (CSF) and coagulation followed by microfiltration (CMF) technologies were tested. Fouling mechanisms based on the constant-pressure filtration equation were fully analyzed. For all runs, only t/(V/A)∼t showed very good linearity (correlation coefficient R 2>0.99) since the first moment of the filtration, indicating that standard blocking rather than cake filtration was the dominant fouling mechanism during the entire filtration process. The very low concentration of suspended solids rejected by MF of 0.45μm in seawater was the main reason why a cake layer was not formed. High turbidity removal during filtration indicated that organic colloids retained on and/or adsorbed in membrane pores governed the filtration process (i.e., standard blocking) due to the important contribution of organic substances to seawater turbidity in this study. Therefore the standard blocking coefficient k s, i.e., the slope of t/(V/A)∼t, could be used as a good fouling index for seawater because it showed good linearity with feed seawater turbidity. The correlation of SDI with k s and feed seawater quality indicated that SDI could be reliably used for seawater with low fouling potential (SDI 15min<5) like pre-treated seawater in this study. From both k s and SDI, the order of fouling potential was raw seawater>seawater pre-treated by CSF>seawater pre-treated by CMF, indicating the better performance of CMF than CSF. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Evaluation of the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrates from municipal wastewater reclamation by coagulation and granular activated carbon adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ying-Xue; Yang, Zhe; Ye, Tao; Shi, Na; Tian, Yuan

2016-07-01

Reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from municipal wastewater reclamation reverse osmosis (mWRRO) contains elevated concentrations of contaminants which pose potential risks to aquatic environment. The treatment of ROC from an mWRRO using granular activated carbon (GAC) combined pretreatment of coagulation was optimized and evaluated. Among the three coagulants tested, ferric chloride (FeCl3) presented relatively higher DOC removal efficiency than polyaluminium chloride and lime at the same dosage and coagulation conditions. The removal efficiency of DOC, genotoxicity, and antiestrogenic activity concentration of the ROC could achieve 16.9, 18.9, and 39.7 %, respectively, by FeCl3 coagulation (with FeCl3 dosage of 180.22 mg/L), which can hardly reduce UV254 and genotoxicity normalized by DOC of the DOM with MW activity were completely eliminated by the GAC adsorption. The results suggest that GAC adsorption combined pretreatment of FeCl3 coagulation as an efficient method to control organics, genotoxicity, and antiestrogenic activity in the ROC from mWRRO system.

Fungal treatment for the removal of endocrine disrupting compounds from reverse osmosis concentrate: Identification and monitoring of transformation products of benzotriazoles.

Science.gov (United States)

Llorca, Marta; Badia-Fabregat, Marina; Rodríguez-Mozaz, Sara; Caminal, Glòria; Vicent, Teresa; Barceló, Damià

2017-10-01

The removal of 27 endocrine-disrupting compounds and related compounds (suspect effect) from a reverse osmosis concentrate using an alternative decontamination method based on a fungal treatment involving Trametes versicolor was assessed. In addition to chemical analysis, the toxicity of the treated water during the treatment was monitored using a bioluminescence inhibition test and estrogenic and anti-estrogenic tests. The compounds 1H-benzotriazole (BTZ) and two tolyltriazoles (TTZs), 4-methyl-1H-benzotriazole (4-MBTZ) and 5-methyl-1H-benzotriazole (5-MBTZ), were present in the reverse osmosis concentrate at the highest concentrations (7.4 and 12.8 μg L -1 , respectively) and were partially removed by the fungal treatment under sterile conditions (58% for BTZ and 92% for TTZs) and non-sterile conditions, although to lesser extents (32% for BTZ and 50% for TTZs). Individual biotransformation studies of BTZ and the TTZs by T. versicolor in a synthetic medium and further analysis via on-line turbulent flow chromatography coupled to an HRMS-Orbitrap allowed the tentative identification of the transformation products (TPs). Six TPs were postulated for BTZ, two TPs were postulated for 4-MBTZ, and four TPs were postulated for 5-MBTZ. Most of these TPs are suggested to have been generated by conjugation with some sugars and via the methylation of the triazole group. Only TP 148 A, postulated to be derived from the biotransformation of BTZ, was observed in the effluent of the bioreactor treating the reverse osmosis concentrate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy recovery by pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) in SWRO–PRO integrated processes

KAUST Repository

Wan, Chun Feng

2015-11-11

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to reduce the specific energy consumption of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. In this study, it is projected that 25.6-40.7millionkWh/day of energy can be recovered globally, if the brines from SWRO are used as the draw solution and diluted to the seawater level in a PRO system. Detailed integrated SWRO-PRO processes are developed in this study with the option to form a closed-loop SWRO-PRO process that can substantially reduce the pretreatment cost of desalination. The governing mathematical models that describe both the transport phenomena on a module level and the energy flow on a system level are developed to evaluate the performances of the SWRO-PRO processes. The model aims to investigate the performance of the hollow fibers as dilution occurs and provides guidelines on hollow fiber module design and process operation. Determining the dilution factor and the corresponding operating pressure of PRO is the key to optimize the integrated process. The specific energy consumptions of three SWRO-involved processes; namely, (1) SWRO without a pressure exchanger, (2) SWRO with a pressure exchanger, and (3) SWRO with pressure exchangers and PRO are compared. The results show that the specific energy consumptions for the above three processes are 5.51, 1.79 and 1.08kWh/(m of desalinated water) for a 25% recovery SWRO plant; and 4.13, 2.27 and 1.14kWh/(m of desalinated water) for a 50% recovery SWRO plant, using either freshwater or wastewater as the feed solution in PRO.

Summary of the ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and adsorbents project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colvin, C.M.; Roberts, R.C.; Williams, M.K.

1983-01-01

The design for a medium-size (40 gal/min) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane unit includes a schematic diagram, capital and operating costs, a list and discussion of the radioisotopes tested and the results achieved, operating parameters, and characteristics of the available membrane configurations. The plant design for a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane unit includes a conceptual diagram, specifications for a RO unit producing 40 gal/min of permeated product, a list of radioisotopes tested on RO units and the rejections achieved, a discussion of the principal of RO, a discussion of the upper limits of cation and anion concentrations (there are no lower limits), a discussion of membrane configurations and porosities, a discussion of factors affecting membranes, a section on calculating the membrane area needed for a particular application, and capital and operating cost calculations. The design for an ion-exchange pilot plant includes a schematic diagram; flow, resin, and column specifications; impurity limits; and operating and capital costs. A short theoretical discussion and process description are also included. The design retains flexibility so that application to a specific stream can be determined

Reverse osmosis for wash water recovery in space vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, R. W.; Saltonstall, C. W., Jr.

1973-01-01

Tests were carried out on both synthetic and real wash water derived from clothes laundry to determine the utility of reverse osmosis in recovering the water for recycle use. A blend membrane made from cellulose di- and triacetates, and a cross-linked cellulose acetate/methacrylate were evaluated. Both were found acceptable. A number of detergents were evaluated, including a cationic detergent, sodium dodecyl sulfate, potassium palmitate, and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate. The tests were all made at a temperature of 165 F to minimize microbial growth. Long-term (15 to 30 day) runs were made at 600 and 400 psi on laundry water which was pretreated either by alum addition and sand filtration or by filtration only through 0.5 micron filters. A 30-day run was made using a 2-in. diameter by 22-in. long spiral module at 400 psig with filtering as the pretreatment. The membrane fouling by colloidal matter was found to be controllable. The unit produced initially 55 gal/day and 27 gal/day after 30 days.

Changes in the components and biotoxicity of dissolved organic matter in a municipal wastewater reclamation reverse osmosis system.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ying-Xue; Hu, Hong-Ying; Shi, Chun-Zhen; Yang, Zhe; Tang, Fang

2016-09-01

The characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the biotoxicity of these components were investigated in a municipal wastewater reclamation reverse osmosis (mWRRO) system with a microfiltration (MF) pretreatment unit. The MF pretreatment step had little effect on the levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the secondary effluent, but the addition of chlorine before MF promoted the formation of organics with anti-estrogenic activity. The distribution of excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence constituents exhibited obvious discrepancies between the secondary effluent and the reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate. Using size exclusion chromatography, DOM with low molecular weights of approximately 1.2 and 0.98 kDa was newly formed during the mWRRO. The normalized genotoxicity and anti-estrogenic activity of the RO concentrate were 32.1 ± 10.2 μg4-NQO/mgDOC and 0.36 ± 0.08 mgTAM/mgDOC, respectively, and these values were clearly higher than those of the secondary effluent and MF permeate. The florescence volume of Regions I and II in the EEM spectrum could be suggested as a surrogate for assessing the genotoxicity and anti-estrogenic activity of the RO concentrate.

Resonance – Journal of Science Education | Indian Academy of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

article/fulltext/reso/012/05/0037-0040. Keywords. Osmosis; reverse osmosis; desalinatiion; seawater; water purification. Author Affiliations. Sudhakar M Rao1. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.

Water Diffusion Mechanism in Carbon Nanotube and Polyamide Nanocomposite Reverse Osmosis Membranes: A Possible Percolation-Hopping Mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Araki, Takumi; Cruz-Silva, Rodolfo; Tejima, Syogo; Ortiz-Medina, Josue; Morelos-Gomez, Aaron; Takeuchi, Kenji; Hayashi, Takuya; Terrones, Mauricio; Endo, Morinobu

2018-02-01

This paper is a contribution to the Physical Review Applied collection in memory of Mildred S. Dresselhaus. The mechanism of water diffusion across reverse osmosis nanocomposite membranes made of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and aromatic polyamide is not completely understood despite its high potential for desalination applications. While most of the groups have proposed that superflow inside the CNT might positively impact the water flow across membranes, here we show theoretical evidence that this is not likely the case in composite membranes because CNTs are usually oriented parallel to the membrane surface, not to mention that sometimes the nanotube cores are occluded. Instead, we propose an oriented diffusion mechanism that explains the high water permeation by decreasing the diffusion path of water molecules across the membranes, even in the presence of CNTs that behave as impermeable objects. Finally, we provide a comprehensive description of the molecular dynamics occurring in water desalination membranes by considering the bond polarizability caused by dynamic charge transfer and explore the use of molecular-dynamics-derived stochastic diffusion simulations. The proposed water diffusion mechanism offers an alternative and most likely explanation for the high permeation phenomena observed in CNTs and PA nanocomposite membranes, and its understanding can be helpful to design the next generation of reverse osmosis desalination membranes.

On the optimal design of forward osmosis desalination systems with NH3-CO2-H2O solutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gazzani, Matteo; Pérez-Calvo, José Francisco; Sutter, Daniel; Mazzotti, Marco

2017-01-01

Membrane-based forward osmosis, especially when NH3-CO2-H2O mixtures are adopted as draw solutions, is a promising new process for clean water production, including seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. In such a process, water is first removed from the feed (e.g. seawater) by exploiting

Economic competitiveness of seawater desalinated by nuclear and fossil energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Li; Wang Yongqing; Guo Jilin; Liu Wei

2001-01-01

The levelized discounted production water cost method and the new desalination economic evaluation program (DEEP1.1) were used to compare the economics of desalination using nuclear or fossil energy. The results indicate that nuclear desalination is more economic than fossil desalination with reverse osmosis (RO), multi-effect distillation (MED) and multi-stage flash (MSF). The desalination water cost varies depending on the desalination technology and the water plant size from 0.52-1.98 USD·m -3 with the lowest water price by RO and the highest by MSF. The sensitivity factors for the economic competitiveness increases in order of the discounted rate, desalination plant scale, fossil fuel price, specific power plant investment, seawater temperature and total dissolve solid (TDS). The highest water cost is about 22.6% more than the base case

Theoretical and experimental studies of reverse osmosis separation of inorganic salts in aqueous solutions; Estudio teorico y experimental de parametros de transporte a traves de membranas de osmosis inversa : Efecto de varios tipos de sales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khavet, M.; Mengual, J. I.

2004-07-01

Theoretical and experimental studies of reverse osmosis separation of inorganic salts in aqueous solutions have been carried out. In this study, a polyamide thin film composite membrane in spiral wound configuration was used. The free energy of different inorganic monovalent (LiCl, NaCl, KCl, NaBr, NaI, LiBr, KBr) and divalent (MgCl2, MnCl2, CaCl2, MgBr2) salts has been calculated. The solute transport parameters were related to the free energy of the corresponding cations and anions. The mass transfer coefficient at the high pressure feed side of the spiral wound module was determined for each type of salt. The obtained theoretical values were compared to the experimental ones. The good agreements observed between the experimental and theoretical results confirm the validity of the theoretical procedure, which may be applied in modelling solar reverse osmosis plants for the prediction of the separation factor of various types of inorganic salts. (Author)

Ceramic membrane as a pretreatment for reverse osmosis: Interaction between marine organic matter and metal oxides

KAUST Repository

Dramas, Laure

2013-02-01

Scaling and (bio)fouling phenomena can severely alter the performance of the reverse osmosis process during desalination of seawater. Pretreatments must be applied to efficiently remove particles, colloids, and also precursors of the organic fouling and biofouling. Ceramic membranes offer a lot of advantages for micro and ultrafiltration pretreatments because their initial properties can be recovered using more severe cleaning procedure. The study focuses on the interaction between metal oxides and marine organic matter. Experiments were performed at laboratory scale. The first series of experiments focus on the filtration of different fractions of natural organic matter and model compounds solutions on flat disk ceramic membranes (47 mm of diameter) characterized with different pore size and composition. Direct filtration experiments were conducted at 0.7 bar or 2 bars and at room temperature (20 ± 0.5 °C). The efficiency of backflush and alkaline cleaning were eval, and titanium oxides. Each metal oxide corresponds to a specific pore size for the disk ceramic membranes: 80, 60, and 30 nm. Different sizes of metal oxide particles are used to measure the impact of the surface area on the adsorption of the organic matter. Seawaters from the Arabian Gulf and from the Red Sea were collected during algal blooms. Cultures of algae were also performed in the laboratory and in cooperation with woods hole oceanographic institute. Solutions of algal exudates were obtained after a couple of weeks of cultivation followed by sonication. Solutions were successively filtered through GFF (0.7 lm) and 0.45 lm membrane filters before use. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of final solution was between 1 and 4 mg/L and showed strong hydrophilic character. These various solutions were prepared with the objective to mimic the dissolved organic matter composition of seawater subjected to algal bloom. Characterization of the solutions of filtration experiments (feed

Forward osmosis for oily wastewater reclamation: Multi-charged oxalic acid complexes as draw solutes

KAUST Repository

Ge, Qingchun

2017-06-11

Forward osmosis (FO) has demonstrated its merits in hybrid FO seawater desalination. However, FO may have a potential for other applications if suitable draw solutes are available. In this study, a series of novel draw solutes based on oxalic acid (OA)-transitional metal complexes are presented. Influential factors of FO performance have been systematically investigated by varying the transitional metals, cations of the complex draw solutes as well as the experimental conditions. Compared to NaCl and other recently synthesized draw solutes, the OA complexes show superior FO performance in terms of high water fluxes up to 27.5 and 89.1 LMH under the respective FO and PRO (pressure retarded osmosis) modes, both with negligible reverse solute fluxes. The features of octahedral geometry, abundant hydrophilic groups and ionic species are crucial for the OA complexes as appropriate draw solutes with satisfactory FO performance. Among the synthesized OA complexes, the ammonium salt of chromic complex (NH4-Cr-OA) outperforms others due to the presence of more ionic species in its complex system. NH4-Cr-OA also performs better than the typical NaCl draw solute in FO oily wastewater treatment with higher water recovery and negligible reverse fluxes. Dilute solutions of OA complexes have been reconcentrated through membrane distillation (MD) and reused to new round of FO processes. The OA complexes have demonstrated their suitability and superiority as a novel class of draw solutes for the FO process in this study.

Removal of radionuclides in drinking water by membrane treatment using ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and electrodialysis reversal.

Science.gov (United States)

Montaña, M; Camacho, A; Serrano, I; Devesa, R; Matia, L; Vallés, I

2013-11-01

A pilot plant had been built to test the behaviour of ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), and electrodialysis reversal (EDR) in order to improve the quality of the water supplied to Barcelona metropolitan area from the Llobregat River. This paper presents results from two studies to reduce natural radioactivity. The results from the pilot plant with four different scenarios were used to design the full-scale treatment plant built (SJD WTP). The samples taken at different steps of the treatment were analysed to determine gross alpha, gross beta and uranium activity. The results obtained revealed a significant improvement in the radiological water quality provided by both membrane techniques (RO and EDR showed removal rates higher than 60%). However, UF did not show any significant removal capacity for gross alpha, gross beta or uranium activities. RO was better at reducing the radiological parameters studied and this treatment was selected and applied at the full scale treatment plant. The RO treatment used at the SJD WTP reduced the concentration of both gross alpha and gross beta activities and also produced water of high quality with an average removal of 95% for gross alpha activity and almost 93% for gross beta activity at the treatment plant. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rejection of Emerging Organic Contaminants by Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes: Effects of Fouling, Modelling and Water Reuse

OpenAIRE

Yangali Quintanilla, V.

2010-01-01

The book contains a description of the presence of micropollutants (medicines, hormones, pesticides) in surface water and shows that conventional water treatment poorly removes micropollutants. Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are more appropriate technologies; however removals can vary depending on the properties of compounds and types of membranes. Thus, quantification of removals is studied by means of multivariate data analysis techniques and more understanding of the separation of micr...

Brackish and seawater desalination for process and demineralised water production for large power plants in the North Sea region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagel, Rolf [Hager + Elsaesser GmbH, Stuttgart (Germany); Brinkmann, Juergen [RWE Technology GmbH, Essen (Germany)

2010-06-15

Large power plants for power generation from fossil fuels are constantly being optimised in order to improve their efficiency. One element of the overall considerations is once-through cooling with brackish or seawater on sites near the sea. In addition to the higher overall efficiency, such sites - thanks to their connection to ocean shipping - also offer infrastructural advantages regarding fuel supply and residual material disposal compared to inland sites. Because the cooling water intake and discharge structures have to be built anyway, they lend themselves to also producing the process and demineralised water from the brackish or seawater. In this case, the use of fresh or drinking water as resources can be minimised. In the following report, we present a pilot study using ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis on a North Sea site with raw water intake from a seaport basin. (orig.)

Effects of Fining Agents, Reverse Osmosis and Wine Age on Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys Taint in Wine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pallavi Mohekar

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Trans-2-decenal and tridecane are compounds found in wine made from brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB-contaminated grapes. The effectiveness of post-fermentation processes on reducing their concentration in finished wine and their longevity during wine aging was evaluated. Red wines containing trans-2-decenal were treated with fining agents and put through reverse osmosis filtration. The efficacy of these treatments was determined using chemical analysis (MDGC-MS and sensory descriptive analysis. Tridecane and trans-2-decenal concentrations in red and white wine were determined at bottle aging durations of 0, 6, 12 and 24 months using MDGC-MS. Reverse osmosis was found to be partially successful in removing trans-2-decenal concentration from finished wine. While tridecane and trans-2-decenal concentrations decreased during bottle aging, post-fermentative fining treatments were not effective at removing these compounds. Although French oak did not alter the concentration of tridecane and trans-2-decenal in red wine, it did mask the expression of BMSB-related sensory characters. Because of the ineffectiveness of removing BMSB taint post-fermentation, BMSB densities in the grape clusters should be minimized so that the taint does not occur in the wine.

Osmosis process for leachate treatment in industrial platform: Economic and performances evaluations to zero liquid discharge.

Science.gov (United States)

Cingolani, Diego; Eusebi, Anna Laura; Battistoni, Paolo

2017-12-01

The industrial processes require large quantities of water. The presence of discharges results not only in significant environmental impact but implies wastage of water resources. This problem could be solved treating and reusing the produced wastewaters and applying the new zero liquid discharge approach. This paper discusses the design and the performances of reverse osmosis membranes for the upgrading of full scale platform for industrial liquid wastes. The final effluent from the ultrafiltration unit of the full scale plant was monitored to design the reverse osmosis unit. Previous modelling phase was used to evaluate the specific ordinary and maintenance costs and the final effluent quality (2.7 €/m 3 ). The system was designed in triple stages at different operative pressures. The economic feasibility and the payback period of the technology at different percentages of produced permeate were determined. The recovery of 90% was identified as profitable for the reverse osmosis application. One experimental pilot plant applying the reverse osmosis was used to test the final effluent. Moreover, the same flow was treated with second pilot system based on the forward osmosis process. The final efficiencies were compared. Removals higher than 95% using the reverse system were obtained for the main macropollutants and ions. No sustainable applicability of the forward osmosis was determined. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of applicability of a reverse osmosis system in the treatment of waste liquids (RAD-WASTE); Estudio de aplicabilidad de un sistema de osmosis inversa en el tratamiento de residuos liquidos (RAD-WASTE)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hortiguela Martinez, R.; Ruiz Garcia, P.; Saiz Cuesta, A.

2013-07-01

Study of alternatives to the current system of water treatment line of soils of the refueling (evaporation followed by a demineralization with ion exchange resins), with a technique more respectful with the environment as it is reverse osmosis. This process removed the soluble salts through semi-permeable membranes. These membranes are permeable to water but impermeable to most ions.

Continuous processing of Aloe Vera juice in Reverse Osmosis integrated plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasim, H.; Younas, M.; Feroz, N.; Swati, I.K.

2012-01-01

Membrane technology is being applied in the food and beverages industry particularly in fruit juice concentration all over the world. The major advantages are lesser use of energy, better taste of products, and recovery of pure aroma/flavor and ease of operation. The current study is focused on the experimental investigation of clarification and concentration of Aloe juice through membrane separation technique. The experimental procedure consists of Aloe gel followed by pulping, a clarification by filtration and the concentration by reverse osmosis (RO). Experimental rig was integrated with spiral wound TFM-50 membrane, pre-treatment filters, pumps, rota meter and pressure sensors. The effect of feed pressure and temperature was studied on the dynamic behavior of RO integrated plant for water removal and permeate flux. It was found that Aloe juice was concentrated at optimum pressure and temperature of 40 bar and 40 degree C, respectively. (author)

Reverse osmosis, the solution for producing steam from highly saline water; Osmosis inversa, la solucion para la produccion de vapor con aguas de alta salinidad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pujadas, A.

2003-07-01

Based on an exhaustive description of a particular example, the costs of installing an implementing various water treatment solutions for feeding a steam boiler are examined. When the characteristics of the water available indicate that it has a high saline content, i is possible to demonstrate the enormous technical, economic and environmental advantages of reducing its saline level by a system of reverse osmosis compared to the classical ion exchange resins. A list is given of the features to be taken into account in defining the equipment involved in treating the water for feeding steam boilers. (Author)

Data on daily fluoride intake based on drinking water consumption prepared by household desalinators working by reverse osmosis process.

Science.gov (United States)

Karbasdehi, Vahid Noroozi; Dobaradaran, Sina; Esmaili, Abdolhamid; Mirahmadi, Roghayeh; Ghasemi, Fatemeh Faraji; Keshtkar, Mozhgan

2016-09-01

In this data article, we evaluated the daily fluoride contents in 20 household desalinators working by reverse osmosis (RO) process in Bushehr, Iran. The concentration levels of fluoride in inlet and outlet waters were determined by the standard SPADNS method using a spectrophotometer (M501 Single Beam Scanning UV/VIS, UK). The fluoride content in outlet waters were compared with EPA and WHO guidelines for drinking water.

Modelamento of osmosis system reverse set in motion by a photovoltaic generator; Modelamento de sistema de osmose reversa acionado por um gerador fotovoltaico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fraidenraich, N.; Vilela, O. C.; Lima, G. A.

2008-07-01

A theoretical model to study the operational conditions of Reverse Osmosis systems (RO) is presented. The model is applied to simulate the behavior of a Photovoltaic-Powered Reverse Osmosis System (PV-RO) monitored with sensors for measuring water flow, salinity, pressure voltage and current of operation. the system is powered by a PV generator with peak power of 0.81 kW. The interface of the PV generator and the motor-pump is a frequency converter, programmed to maintain the array working at a fixed voltage, chosen within the region of the maximum power. Considering the relation given by the load curve (pressure vs. feed flow rate) the permeated flow rate was determined theoretically for a given membrane length. The deviation between calculated and experimental results is smaller than 14.5%. The model can be used to determine parameters important in the sizing of those systems. (Author)

Environmental and economic impacts of fertilizer drawn forward osmosis and nanofiltration hybrid system

KAUST Repository

Kim, Jung Eun; Phuntsho, Sherub; Chekli, Laura; Hong, Seungkwan; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Leiknes, TorOve; Choi, Joon Yong; Shon, Ho Kyong

2017-01-01

Environmental and economic impacts of the fertilizer drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) and nanofiltration (NF) hybrid system were conducted and compared with conventional reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid scenarios using microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration

Theory of Ion and Water Transport in Reverse-Osmosis Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Oren, Y. S.; Biesheuvel, P. M.

2018-02-01

We present a theory for ion and water transport through reverse-osmosis (RO) membranes based on a Maxwell-Stefan framework combined with hydrodynamic theory for the reduced motion of particles in thin pores. We take into account all driving forces and frictions both on the fluid (water) and on the ions including ion-fluid friction and ion-wall friction. By including the acid-base characteristic of the carbonic acid system, the boric acid system, H3O+/OH- , and the membrane charge, we locally determine p H , the effective charge of the membrane, and the dissociation degree of carbonic acid and boric acid. We present calculation results for an experiment with fixed feed concentration, where effluent composition is a self-consistent function of fluxes through the membrane. A comparison with experimental results from literature for fluid flow vs pressure, and for salt and boron rejection, shows that our theory agrees very well with the available data. Our model is based on realistic assumptions for the effective size of the ions and makes use of a typical pore size of a commercial RO membrane.

Ferric and cobaltous hydroacid complexes for forward osmosis (FO) processes

KAUST Repository

Ge, Qingchun; Fu, Fengjiang; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

2014-01-01

Cupric and ferric hydroacid complexes have proven their advantages as draw solutes in forward osmosis in terms of high water fluxes, negligible reverse solute fluxes and easy recovery (Ge and Chung, 2013. Hydroacid complexes: A new class of draw solutes to promote forward osmosis (FO) processes. Chemical Communications 49, 8471-8473.). In this study, cobaltous hydroacid complexes were explored as draw solutes and compared with the ferric hydroacid complex to study the factors influencing their FO performance. The solutions of the cobaltous complexes produce high osmotic pressures due to the presence of abundant hydrophilic groups. These solutes are able to dissociate and form a multi-charged anion and Na+ cations in water. In addition, these complexes have expanded structures which lead to negligible reverse solute fluxes and provide relatively easy approaches in regeneration. These characteristics make the newly synthesized cobaltous complexes appropriate as draw solutes. The FO performance of the cobaltous and ferric-citric acid (Fe-CA) complexes were evaluated respectively through cellulose acetate membranes, thin-film composite membranes fabricated on polyethersulfone supports (referred as TFC-PES), and polybenzimidazole and PES dual-layer (referred as PBI/PES) hollow fiber membranes. Under the conditions of DI water as the feed and facing the support layer of TFC-PES FO membranes (PRO mode), draw solutions at 2.0M produced relatively high water fluxes of 39-48 LMH (Lm-2hr-1) with negligible reverse solute fluxes. A water flux of 17.4 LMH was achieved when model seawater of 3.5wt.% NaCl replaced DI water as the feed and 2.0M Fe-CA as the draw solution under the same conditions. The performance of these hydroacid complexes surpasses those of the synthetic draw solutes developed in recent years. This observation, along with the relatively easy regeneration, makes these complexes very promising as a novel class of draw solutes. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Ferric and cobaltous hydroacid complexes for forward osmosis (FO) processes

KAUST Repository

Ge, Qingchun

2014-07-01

Cupric and ferric hydroacid complexes have proven their advantages as draw solutes in forward osmosis in terms of high water fluxes, negligible reverse solute fluxes and easy recovery (Ge and Chung, 2013. Hydroacid complexes: A new class of draw solutes to promote forward osmosis (FO) processes. Chemical Communications 49, 8471-8473.). In this study, cobaltous hydroacid complexes were explored as draw solutes and compared with the ferric hydroacid complex to study the factors influencing their FO performance. The solutions of the cobaltous complexes produce high osmotic pressures due to the presence of abundant hydrophilic groups. These solutes are able to dissociate and form a multi-charged anion and Na+ cations in water. In addition, these complexes have expanded structures which lead to negligible reverse solute fluxes and provide relatively easy approaches in regeneration. These characteristics make the newly synthesized cobaltous complexes appropriate as draw solutes. The FO performance of the cobaltous and ferric-citric acid (Fe-CA) complexes were evaluated respectively through cellulose acetate membranes, thin-film composite membranes fabricated on polyethersulfone supports (referred as TFC-PES), and polybenzimidazole and PES dual-layer (referred as PBI/PES) hollow fiber membranes. Under the conditions of DI water as the feed and facing the support layer of TFC-PES FO membranes (PRO mode), draw solutions at 2.0M produced relatively high water fluxes of 39-48 LMH (Lm-2hr-1) with negligible reverse solute fluxes. A water flux of 17.4 LMH was achieved when model seawater of 3.5wt.% NaCl replaced DI water as the feed and 2.0M Fe-CA as the draw solution under the same conditions. The performance of these hydroacid complexes surpasses those of the synthetic draw solutes developed in recent years. This observation, along with the relatively easy regeneration, makes these complexes very promising as a novel class of draw solutes. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Sensory quality of drinking water produced by reverse osmosis membrane filtration followed by remineralisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Vingerhoeds, Monique H; Nijenhuis-de Vries, Mariska A; Ruepert, Nienke; van der Laan, Harmen; Bredie, Wender L P; Kremer, Stefanie

2016-05-01

Membrane filtration of ground, surface, or sea water by reverse osmosis results in permeate, which is almost free from minerals. Minerals may be added afterwards, not only to comply with (legal) standards and to enhance chemical stability, but also to improve the taste of drinking water made from permeate. Both the nature and the concentrations of added minerals affect the taste of the water and in turn its acceptance by consumers. The aim of this study was to examine differences in taste between various remineralised drinking waters. Samples selected varied in mineral composition, i.e. tap water, permeate, and permeate with added minerals (40 or 120 mg Ca/L, added as CaCO3, and 4 or 24 mg Mg/L added as MgCl2), as well as commercially available bottled drinking waters, to span a relevant product space in which the remineralised samples could be compared. All samples were analysed with respect to their physical-chemical properties. Sensory profiling was done by descriptive analysis using a trained panel. Significant attributes included taste intensity, the tastes bitter, sweet, salt, metal, fresh and dry mouthfeel, bitter and metal aftertaste, and rough afterfeel. Total dissolved solids (TDS) was a major determinant of the taste perception of water. In general, lowering mineral content in drinking water in the range examined (from water from fresh towards bitter, dry, and rough sensations. In addition, perceived freshness of the waters correlated positively with calcium concentration. The greatest fresh taste was found for water with a TDS between 190 and 350 mg/L. Remineralisation of water after reverse osmosis can improve drinking quality significantly. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Particle count monitoring of reverse osmosis water treatment for removal of low-level radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moritz, E.J.; Hoffman, C.R.; Hergert, T.R.

1995-01-01

Laser diode particle counting technology and analytical measurements were used to evaluate a pilot-scale reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment system for removal of particulate matter and sub-picocurie low-level radionuclides. Stormwater mixed with Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) effluent from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), formerly a Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons production facility, were treated. No chemical pretreatment of the water was utilized during this study. The treatment system was staged as follows: multimedia filtration, granular activated carbon adsorption, hollow tube ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis membrane filtration. Various recovery rates and two RO membrane models were tested. Analytical measurements included total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), gross alpha (α) and gross beta (β) activity, uranium isotopes 233/234 U and 238 U, plutonium 239/240 Pu, and americium 241 Am. Particle measurement between 1--150 microns (μ) included differential particle counts (DPC), and total particle counts (TPC) before and after treatment at various sampling points throughout the test. Performance testing showed this treatment system produced a high quality effluent in clarity and purity. Compared to raw water levels, TSS was reduced to below detection of 5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) and TDS reduced by 98%. Gross α was essentially removed 100%, and gross β was reduced an average of 94%. Uranium activity was reduced by 99%. TPC between 1-150μ were reduced by an average 99.8% to less than 1,000 counts per milliliter (mL), similar in purity to a good drinking water treatment plant. Raw water levels of 239/240 Pu and 241 Am were below reliable quantitation limits and thus no removal efficiencies could be determined for these species

Application of reverse osmosis membrane technology for liquid radioactive waste processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Juan

2010-01-01

Liquid radioactive waste (LRW) processing should bear an acceptable level of residual radioactivity for discharge and meet the request of energy saving and waste minimization. Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology has been developed as a novel process for LRW processing. Five basic operating parameters of flux, recovery factor, rejection factor, concentration factor and decontamination factor were described, and the latter two parameters were the most important. Concentration factor and decontamination factor should be as high as possible and simultaneously the operating cost for membrane filtration should be low. Technical design considerations for membrane process were discussed and optimized from the aspects of pretreatment, membrane module choice and arrangement and membrane clear out. Application and investigation of RO membrane technology for LRW processing were introduced and it should be noted that the RO membrane technology has been introduced into overseas nuclear power plants for LRW processing and interiorly in the stage of investigation. (authors)

Novel Fouling-Reducing Coatings for Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration, and Reverse Osmosis Membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benny Freeman

2008-08-31

Polymeric membranes could potentially be the most flexible and viable long-term strategy for treatment of produced water from oil and gas production. However, widespread use of membranes, including reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, for produced water purification is hindered due to fouling caused by the impurities present in the water. Fouling of RO membranes is likely caused by surface properties including roughness, hydrophilicity, and charge, so surface modification is the most widely considered approach to improve the fouling properties of current RO membranes. This project focuses on two main approaches to surface modification: coating and grafting. Hydrophilic coating and grafting materials based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) are applied to commercial RO membranes manufactured by Dow FilmTec and GE. Crossflow filtration experiments are used to determine the fouling resistance of modified membranes, and compare their performance to that of unmodified commercial RO membranes. Grafting and coating are shown to be two alternative methods of producing modified membranes with improved fouling resistance.

Preparation of Pt deposited nanotubular TiO2 as cathodes for enhanced photoelectrochemical hydrogen production using seawater electrolytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Wonsik; Oh, Seichang; Joo, Hyunku; Yoon, Jaekyung

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop effective cathodes to increase the production of hydrogen and use the seawater, an abundant resource in the earth as the electrolyte in photoelectrochemical systems. In order to fabricate the Pt/TiO 2 cathodes, various contents of the Pt precursor (0-0.4 wt%) deposited by the electrodeposition method were used. On the basis of the hydrogen evolution rate, 0.2 wt% Pt/TiO 2 was observed to exhibit the best performance among the various Pt/TiO 2 cathodes with the natural seawater and two concentrated seawater electrolytes obtained from single (nanofiltration) and combined membrane (nanofiltration and reverse osmosis) processes. The surface characterizations exhibited that crystal structures and morphological properties of Pt and TiO 2 found the results of XRD pattern and SEM/TEM images, respectively. - Graphical abstract: On the basis of photoelectrochemical hydrogen production, 0.2 wt% Pt/TiO 2 was observed to exhibit the best performance among the various Pt/TIO 2 cathodes with natural seawater. In comparison of hydrogen evolution rate with various seawater electrolytes, 0.2 wt% Pt/TiO 2 was found to show the better performance as cathode with the concentrated seawater electrolytes obtained from membrane. Highlights: → Pt deposited TiO 2 electrodes are used as cathode in PEC H 2 production. → Natural and concentrated seawater by membranes are used as electrolytes in PEC. → Pt/TiO 2 shows a good performance as cathode with seawater electrolytes. → H 2 evolution rate increases with more concentrated seawater electrolyte. → Highly saline seawater is useful resource for H 2 production.

Forward osmosis for oily wastewater reclamation: Multi-charged oxalic acid complexes as draw solutes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Qingchun; Amy, Gary Lee; Chung, Tai-Shung

2017-10-01

Forward osmosis (FO) has demonstrated its merits in hybrid FO seawater desalination. However, FO may have a potential for other applications if suitable draw solutes are available. In this study, a series of novel draw solutes based on oxalic acid (OA)-transitional metal complexes are presented. Influential factors of FO performance have been systematically investigated by varying the transitional metals, cations of the complex draw solutes as well as the experimental conditions. Compared to NaCl and other recently synthesized draw solutes, the OA complexes show superior FO performance in terms of high water fluxes up to 27.5 and 89.1 LMH under the respective FO and PRO (pressure retarded osmosis) modes, both with negligible reverse solute fluxes. The features of octahedral geometry, abundant hydrophilic groups and ionic species are crucial for the OA complexes as appropriate draw solutes with satisfactory FO performance. Among the synthesized OA complexes, the ammonium salt of chromic complex (NH 4 -Cr-OA) outperforms others due to the presence of more ionic species in its complex system. NH 4 -Cr-OA also performs better than the typical NaCl draw solute in FO oily wastewater treatment with higher water recovery and negligible reverse fluxes. Dilute solutions of OA complexes have been reconcentrated through membrane distillation (MD) and reused to new round of FO processes. The OA complexes have demonstrated their suitability and superiority as a novel class of draw solutes for the FO process in this study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Desalination of seawater: a nuclear solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basta, H.

2003-01-01

1,4 milliard human beings do not benefit of sufficient clean water supply. The desalting of seawater is a valid and tested solution in terms of technology but the 2 physical processes involved, evaporation and reverse osmosis are energy-greedy. Only rich countries like Kuwait or Saudi-Arabia can afford producing massive volumes of fresh water from seawater. Today the total world capacity of desalting reaches 30 milliard m 3 a day with 10.000 operating units, half of which installed in middle-east countries. The use of nuclear energy is a solution to lower costs. In Aktau (Kazakhstan) a BN-350 fast reactor has been producing a 135 MW electrical output and 80.000 m 3 of fresh water a day for 27 years. In Japan about 10 desalting units have been coupled to nuclear power plants. A company (Eskom) based in South-Africa is developing a new concept of high temperature reactor: the PBMR (pebble bed modular reactor). The suitability of this reactor has been assessed for desalting and it appears that its main assets are its size: 165 MW electrical output (400 MW thermal output) and its Brayton cycle. Other characteristics such as the coolant (helium), the type of fuel (8% enriched uranium encapsulated in carbon), the low design and maintenance costs, the short building time (2 years) are important when considering issues like nuclear safety, non-proliferation and profitability. (A.C.)

Study on photovoltaic power systems. Development of dispersed stand-alone system (seawater desalination system for remote island areas-osmosis)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1987-09-01

This study deals with development of a system of seawater osmosis desalination for remote island areas and agricultural-process water-supply. The demonstration system, installed in Hosojima, was simulated for examination. The yearly-averaged generated electric energy was 76 kWh/day, and the consumed energy 72 kWh/day. The calculated water productivity was 5.5 m/sup 3//day in the first step, and 4.9 m/sup 3//day in the second. This amount had a high balance with that required for hydropholic water of 4.5 m/sup 3//day. The generated output was 30.8 kWp (power range of 10-100 kW) for the solar cells, and 840 Ah for the electric batteries. The generated direct-current power was supplied to the loads without use of a DA converter, which contributes to the high energy efficiency and the inexpensiveness of the system. This system can be unattendantly operated in the normal conditions. After construction of the demonstration plant, the respective units and the total system were adjusted to give good results. (1 fig, 1 tab)

Seawater-driven forward osmosis for enriching nitrogen and phosphorous in treated municipal wastewater: effect of membrane properties and feed solution chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Wenchao; Tobino, Tomohiro; Nakajima, Fumiyuki; Yamamoto, Kazuo

2015-02-01

Seawater-driven forward osmosis (FO) is considered to be a novel strategy to concentrate nutrients in treated municipal wastewater for further recovery as well as simultaneous discharge of highly purified wastewater into the sea with low cost. As a preliminary test, the performance of FO membranes in concentrating nutrients was investigated by both batch experiments and model simulation approaches. With synthetic seawater as the draw solution, the dissolved organic carbon, phosphate, and ammonia in the effluent from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater were 2.3-fold, 2.3-fold, and 2.1-fold, respectively, concentrated by the FO process with approximately 57% of water reduction. Most of the dissolved components, including trace metals in the MBR effluent, were highly retained (>80%) in the feed side, indicating high water quality of permeate to be discharged. The effect of membrane properties on the nutrient enrichment performance was investigated by comparing three types of FO membranes. Interestingly, a polyamide membrane possessing a high negative charge demonstrated a poor capability of retaining ammonia, which was hypothesized because of an ion exchange-like mechanism across the membrane prompted by the high ionic concentration of the draw solution. A feed solution pH of 7 was demonstrated to be an optimum condition for improving the overall retention of nutrients, especially for ammonia because of the pH-dependent speciation of ammonia/ammonium forms. The modeling results showed that higher than 10-fold concentrations of ammonia and phosphate are achievable by seawater-driven FO with a draw solution to feed solution volume ratio of 2:1. The enriched municipal wastewater contains nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations comparable with typical animal wastewater and anaerobic digestion effluent, which are used for direct nutrient recovery. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of energy efficiency and power density in pressure retarded osmosis and reverse electrodialysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yip, Ngai Yin; Elimelech, Menachem

2014-09-16

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) and reverse electrodialysis (RED) are emerging membrane-based technologies that can convert chemical energy in salinity gradients to useful work. The two processes have intrinsically different working principles: controlled mixing in PRO is achieved by water permeation across salt-rejecting membranes, whereas RED is driven by ion flux across charged membranes. This study compares the energy efficiency and power density performance of PRO and RED with simulated technologically available membranes for natural, anthropogenic, and engineered salinity gradients (seawater-river water, desalination brine-wastewater, and synthetic hypersaline solutions, respectively). The analysis shows that PRO can achieve both greater efficiencies (54-56%) and higher power densities (2.4-38 W/m(2)) than RED (18-38% and 0.77-1.2 W/m(2)). The superior efficiency is attributed to the ability of PRO membranes to more effectively utilize the salinity difference to drive water permeation and better suppress the detrimental leakage of salts. On the other hand, the low conductivity of currently available ion exchange membranes impedes RED ion flux and, thus, constrains the power density. Both technologies exhibit a trade-off between efficiency and power density: employing more permeable but less selective membranes can enhance the power density, but undesired entropy production due to uncontrolled mixing increases and some efficiency is sacrificed. When the concentration difference is increased (i.e., natural → anthropogenic → engineered salinity gradients), PRO osmotic pressure difference rises proportionally but not so for RED Nernst potential, which has logarithmic dependence on the solution concentration. Because of this inherently different characteristic, RED is unable to take advantage of larger salinity gradients, whereas PRO power density is considerably enhanced. Additionally, high solution concentrations suppress the Donnan exclusion effect of the

Water permeability of nanoporous graphene at realistic pressures for reverse osmosis desalination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cohen-Tanugi, David; Grossman, Jeffrey C. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

2014-08-21

Nanoporous graphene (NPG) shows tremendous promise as an ultra-permeable membrane for water desalination thanks to its atomic thickness and precise sieving properties. However, a significant gap exists in the literature between the ideal conditions assumed for NPG desalination and the physical environment inherent to reverse osmosis (RO) systems. In particular, the water permeability of NPG has been calculated previously based on very high pressures (1000–2000 bars). Does NPG maintain its ultrahigh water permeability under real-world RO pressures (<100 bars)? Here, we answer this question by drawing results from molecular dynamics simulations. Our results indicate that NPG maintains its ultrahigh permeability even at low pressures, allowing a permeate water flux of 6.0 l/h-bar per pore, or equivalently 1041 ± 20 l/m{sup 2}-h-bar assuming a nanopore density of 1.7 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2}.

High pressure membrane foulants of seawater, brackish water and river water: Origin assessed by sugar and bacteriohopanepolyol signatures

KAUST Repository

Mondamert, Leslie

2011-01-01

The present work aimed to study the origin of foulant material recovered on membranes used in water treatment. Firstly, sugar signatures were assessed from the monosaccharide composition. As results were not conclusive, a statistical approach using discriminant analysis was applied to the sugar data set in order to predict the origin of the foulant material. Three groups of various origins (algal, microbial, continental dissolved organic matter) were used as sugar references for the prediction. The results of the computation showed that the origin of reverse osmosis (RO) seawater foulant material is influenced by both the location of the water sources and the season. RO brackish water and nanofiltration river water foulant materials had a terrestrial origin. Secondly, bacteriohopanepolyol signatures indicated that RO seawater foulant material had a marine signature, RO brackish water foulant material had both a marine and a terrestrial origin and the nanofiltration river water foulant material contained only a terrestrial signature. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.

High-performance multi-functional reverse osmosis membranes obtained by carbon nanotube·polyamide nanocomposite

Science.gov (United States)

Inukai, Shigeki; Cruz-Silva, Rodolfo; Ortiz-Medina, Josue; Morelos-Gomez, Aaron; Takeuchi, Kenji; Hayashi, Takuya; Tanioka, Akihiko; Araki, Takumi; Tejima, Syogo; Noguchi, Toru; Terrones, Mauricio; Endo, Morinobu

2015-01-01

Clean water obtained by desalinating sea water or by purifying wastewater, constitutes a major technological objective in the so-called water century. In this work, a high-performance reverse osmosis (RO) composite thin membrane using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and aromatic polyamide (PA), was successfully prepared by interfacial polymerization. The effect of MWCNT on the chlorine resistance, antifouling and desalination performances of the nanocomposite membranes were studied. We found that a suitable amount of MWCNT in PA, 15.5 wt.%, not only improves the membrane performance in terms of flow and antifouling, but also inhibits the chlorine degradation on these membranes. Therefore, the present results clearly establish a solid foundation towards more efficient large-scale water desalination and other water treatment processes. PMID:26333385

Obtaining high quality water by reverse osmosis. A comparison of the appropriate systems to be applied depending on the quality of the input water; Osmosis inversa para obtener agua de alta calidad. Comparacion de propuestas de sistemas de aplicacion en funcion de la calidad del agua de entrada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pujadas Nino, A.

2004-07-01

This article first takes a brief look at the historical development of reverse osmosis systems. It then used several actual examples to compare the water quality that can be obtained using osmosis membranes and ion exchange resin demineralisation systems. It concludes with a number of recommendations regarding the solutions to be adopted in order to obtain water of a specific quality depending on the quality of the available water. (Author) 6 refs.

The effect of feed salinity on the biofouling dynamics of seawater desalination.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui-Ling; Pan, Jill R; Huang, Chihpin; Lin, Justin Chun-Te

2011-05-01

A persistent cell labeling dye and a novel microbial counting method were used to explore the effects of salinity on a microbial population in a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system, and these clearly distinguished microbial cell multiplication from cell adherence. The results indicated that microbial multiplication is more active at the front of a seawater RO pressure vessel, while adhesion dominates the back of the vessel. A severe reduction in RO permeate flux and total dissolved solid (TDS) rejection were detected at low salinity, attributed to marked cell multiplication and release of extracellular polymeric substances, whilst a relatively stable flux was observed at medium and high salinity. The results from PCR-DGGE revealed the variation in microbial species distribution on the membrane with salinity. The results imply the critical role of membrane modification in biofouling mitigation in the desalination process.

Rejection of pharmaceuticals in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane drinking water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Radjenović, J; Petrović, M; Ventura, F; Barceló, D

2008-08-01

This paper investigates the removal of a broad range of pharmaceuticals during nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) applied in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) using groundwater. Pharmaceutical residues detected in groundwater used as feed water in all five sampling campaigns were analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs such as ketoprofen, diclofenac, acetaminophen and propyphenazone, beta-blockers sotalol and metoprolol, an antiepileptic drug carbamazepine, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, a lipid regulator gemfibrozil and a diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. The highest concentrations in groundwater were recorded for hydrochlorothiazide (58.6-2548ngL(-1)), ketoprofen (85%). Deteriorations in retentions on NF and RO membranes were observed for acetaminophen (44.8-73 %), gemfibrozil (50-70 %) and mefenamic acid (30-50%). Furthermore, since several pharmaceutical residues were detected in the brine stream of NF and RO processes at concentrations of several hundreds nanogram per litre, its disposal to a near-by river can represent a possible risk implication of this type of treatment.

Reverse Osmosis Filter Use and High Arsenic Levels in Private Well Water

Science.gov (United States)

George, Christine M.; Smith, Allan H.; Kalman, David A.; Steinmaus, Craig M.

2013-01-01

Inorganic arsenic causes cancer, and millions of people worldwide are exposed to arsenic-contaminated water. Regulatory standards for arsenic levels in drinking water generally do not apply to private domestic wells. Reverse osmosis (RO) units commonly are used by well owners to reduce arsenic concentrations, but may not always be effective. In a survey of 102 homes in Nevada, 19 used RO devices. Pre- and post-RO filtration arsenic concentrations averaged 443 μg/l and 87 μg/l, respectively. The average absolute and percent reductions in arsenic concentrations after filtration were 356 μg/l and 79%, respectively. Postfiltration concentrations were higher than 10 μg/l in 10 homes and higher than 100 μg/l in 4 homes. These findings provide evidence that RO filters do not guarantee safe drinking water and, despite regulatory standards, some people continue to be exposed to very high arsenic concentrations. PMID:17867571

Fuzzy logic: applications to the pretreatment of brackish feed water in reverse osmosis treatment plants; Logica difusa: aplicaciones al pretratamiento del agua salobre de elimentacion de plantas desalladoras por osmosis inversa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pluss Contino, J.; Simon Ruiz, J. L.; Hernandez, A.; Menendez Martinez, A.; Yaglian Steiner, E.; Menendez Fernandez, A.; Marcelo Cano, F.

2004-07-01

Frequently physical and chemical alteration that can suffer feed water composition and membranes behaviour of reverse osmosis desalination plants (RODP), define a vague nature system from the point of view of decision make process. In this work, we proposes the utilization of the approximate reasoning associated with the fuzzy logic, as an alternative to approach this problem and to make possible early corrective actions, that is, to do a proactive maintenance with Condition-based maintenance (CBM) technology. (Author) 21 refs.

A comparison of the performance of aromatic polyamide and cellulose acetate reverse osmosis membrane on the regeneration of secondary effluents; Comparacion del funcionamiento de membranas de osmosis inversa de poliamida aromatica y acetato de celulosa en la regeneracion de efluentes secundarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez Ramirez, J. A.; Carrasco Vega, M.; Sales Marquez, D.; Quiroga Alonso, J. M.

2002-07-01

The application of reverse osmosis in regenerating waste waters has aroused a great deal of interest, although relatively few experiments using this technique have so far been carried out in Spain. In 1994, an experimental pilot plant was built at the La Barrosa waste water treatment plant in Chiclana de la Frontera in the province of Cadiz. This pilot plant with a capacity of 100 m''3/day, was equipped with various advanced treatments, most notably reverse osmosis, for treating urban waste waters for re-use. Since this pilot plant was built, various experiments have been carried out employing cellulose acetate (Hydranautics) and different types of Spanish-made aromatic polyamide membranes (Pridesa). Each type of membrane proposed different operating characteristics and feed-water requirements making each one suitable for a particular purpose. In this study, the secondary effluents was subjected to different kinds of treatment-called intense treatment, moderate treatment and minimum treatment-before reaching the reverse osmosis unit, which influenced the conditions in which the membranes operated. Following each type of treatment, the waters entering and leaving the installation were analysed to evaluate the quality of the final effluent and the effectiveness of the treatment carried out. The quality was extremely good in all the permeate samples analysed, almost irrespective of the type of treatment applied. It was also found that the cellulose acetate membranes tended to become less dirty than the aromatic polyamide membranes,due to their surface morphology. Nevertheless, the polyamide membranes have various advantages allowing them to be used in a wide range of applications at a lower energy cost. (Author) 8 refs.

Impact of reverse nutrient diffusion on membrane biofouling in fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis

KAUST Repository

Li, Sheng

2017-05-31

Biofouling in fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) for water reuse was investigated by spiking pure bacteria species Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1+GFP and using three different fertilizers KNO3, KCl and KH2PO4 as draw solutions. The performance of FO process for treating synthetic wastewater was assessed and their influence on the membrane fouling and in particular biofouling was evaluated relative to the type of different fertilizers used and their rates of reverse diffusion. FO performances using KNO3 as draw solute exhibited severer flux decline (63%) than when using KCl (45%) and KH2PO4 (30%). Membrane autopsy indicated that the mass of organic foulants and biomass on fouled membrane surface using KNO3 as draw solute (947.5mg/m2 biopolymers, 72µm biofilm thickness and 53.3mg/m2 adenosine triphosphate) were significantly higher than that using KCl (450mg/m2 biopolymers, 33µm biofilm thickness and 28.2mg/m2 ATP) and KH2PO4 (440mg/m2 biopolymers, 35µm biofilm thickness and 33.5mg/m2 ATP). This higher flux decline is likely related to the higher reverse diffusion of KNO3 (19.8g/m2/h) than KCl (5.1g/m2/h) and KH2PO4 (3.7g/m2/h). The reverse diffused potassium could promote the organics and bacterial adhesion on FO membrane via charge screening effect and compression of electrical double layer. Moreover, reverse diffused nitrate provided increased N:P nutrient ratio was favorable for the bacteria to grow on the feed side of the FO membrane.

The seawater desalination needs of Tunisia after the year 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben-Kraiem, H.

2000-01-01

The supply of drinking water for north and central Tunisia is guaranteed from surface water resources in the north and other subsurface resources. These resources will satisfy the water demand in this region until the year 2010 and 100000 m 3 /d by the year 2015. In the south of Tunisia, the water supply comes from local subsurface resources, including the lake water of the chotts. Maximum exploitation of these lakes, whose average salinity exceeds 2 g/l, has already been reached. Therefore, non-conventional resources such as desalination have become unavoidable if the water quality is to be improved and the resources are to be maximized. The needs of this region will reach 80000 m 3 /d by the year 2010. This deficit can only be met by the desalination of seawater. At present, about 60000 m 3 /d of water is desalinated in the country using the reverse osmosis process and electric energy. (author)

Removal of fouling species from brackish water reverse osmosis reject stream.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayoub, G M; Korban, L; Al-Hindi, M; Zayyat, R

2018-03-01

Brine disposal from reverse osmosis (RO) systems remains a major challenge for the desalination industry especially in inland areas where discharge options are very limited. Solutions will entail the introduction of economic treatment processes that will alleviate the brine's negative impact on the environment and reduce its discharge volume. Such processes could act as an intermediary treatment process for the recycling of the brine through an additional RO stage which, for brackish water (BW) desalination, could lead to saving valuable water while reducing the amount of brine discharge. In this context, the study at hand attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of a one-step chemical process for the treatment of BWRO brine. This study seeks to determine optimal operating conditions relative to type, ratio, and dosage of alkalizing chemicals, pH and temperature, for substantially reducing the concentrations of scaling parameters such as calcium, magnesium, silica, and strontium. The results indicate that precipitation softening at pH = 11.5 using combined chemical dosages of NaOH and Na 2 CO 3 in a ratio of 2:1 leads to substantial removal of calcium and magnesium (>95%) and moderately high removal of strontium and silica (>71%).

Energy efficient and adiabatic humidification. Reversed osmosis principle purifies water; Energiezuinig en adiabatisch bevochtigen. Omgekeerd-osmose principe zuivert water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brands, R. [Cumulus Nederland, Cuijk (Netherlands)

2006-11-15

For decades air conditioners are equipped with humidifiers. A large number of humidifier types are available. Adiabatic humidification is an energy efficient technique, although it is important to control the installation conditions, water treatment (reversed osmosis) and the risk of legionella. [Dutch] Al decennia lang worden er luchtbehandelingkasten gebouwd met een bevochtigingssectie. Door de jaren heen is een enorme verscheidenheid ontstaan van bevochtigingssystemen. Adiabatische bevochtiging staat in de belangstelling vanwege het lagere energiegebruik. Hierbij moeten de installatievoorwaarden, de waterbehandeling (omgekeerde osmose) en het legionellarisico goed in de gaten worden gehouden.

Using reverse osmosis to remove natural organic matter from power plant makeup water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattaraj, S.; Kilduff, J.E.

2003-01-01

A field-scale reverse osmosis (RO) system was used to remove salts and natural organic matter (NOM) from a surface water source. The RO membrane exhibited an NOM solution hydraulic permeability of 8.33 x 10 -9 m x s -1 x kPa -1 , about 6% less than the clean water value, over pressures ranging from 414 to 1 000 kPa (60 to 145 psi). The rejection of salt and NOM were greater than 98% and 99%, respectively. Under controlled laboratory conditions, greater than 99% mass recovery of NOM could be obtained. A small fraction of NOM was not recovered using hydrodynamic cleaning but could be recovered with chemical cleaning (NaOH wash solution). The mass recovered in the NaOH solution increased from 6% with increasing transmembrane pressures from 414 kPa to 1 000 kPa, respectively. This is consistent with fouling that results from an increase in solution flux, and a concomitant decrease in tangential crossflow velocity. (orig.)

Corrosion Inhibition of the Galvanic Couple Copper-Carbon Steel in Reverse Osmosis Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Carrillo

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the electrochemical behaviour of corrosion inhibition of the copper-carbon steel galvanic couple (Cu-CS, exposed to reverse osmosis water (RO used for rinsing of heat exchangers for heavy duty machinery, during manufacture. Molybdate and nitrite salts were utilized to evaluate the inhibition behaviour under galvanic couple conditions. Cu-CS couple was used as working electrodes to measure open circuit potential (OCP, potentiodynamic polarization (PP, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS. The surface conditions were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS. The most effective concentration ratio between molybdate and nitrite corrosion inhibitors was determined. The morphological study indicated molybdate deposition on the anodic sites of the galvanic couple. The design of molybdate-based corrosion inhibitor developed in the present work should be applied to control galvanic corrosion of the Cu-CS couple during cleaning in the manufacture of heat exchangers.

Reverse osmosis treatment of wastes from the textile industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Audran, J. [Electricite de France (EDF), 75 - Paris (France); Frizzarin, L.

1995-09-01

Reserve osmosis has been used in the textile industry for cleaning up effluent before sending it to the treatment plant. This process was preceded by a combination of flocculation and sedimentation. This system reduced water consumption since part of the water was reused, and also reduced the quantity of effluent to be dealt with by the treatment plant. (authors). 2 figs.

The impact of chemical cleaning on separation efficiency and properties of reverse osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Baatiyyah, Hani

2018-04-01

One of most major concerns from both cost-effective and technical point of view in membrane process industry is membrane cleaning. The aim of the project was to investigate the variations in membrane surface properties and separation efficiency of reverse osmosis membrane. Compativtive analysis have to be performed on four RO membrane before and after exposing the virgin membrane into chemical cleaning to identify and analysis the impact of the chemical cleaning on the performance of RO membrane. Commerical chemical cleaning used in this project were caustic and acidic cleaning agent. The project’s aim is the investigation of simulation software’s precision for the four membranes performance projection at different conditions of the feed water. The assessment of the membranes performance was done in the Innovation Cluster at pilot plant that was industrial in size. The main commercial elements used were the thin-film composite membranes with a spiral-wound of 8-inch polyamide. Ultrafiltration (UF) and seawater RO membrane pretreatment process was done for the red sea sourced feed water. A pressure vessel dimensioned at 8-inch was operated in conjunction with an individual element at 8 -20 m3/hr feed flow rate, with an 8 to 12 % recovery and an average 35,000-42,000 mg/L of total dissolved solids (TDS) composition for the feed water. To achieve the project’s aim in assessing the membranes, three phase experimental stages were completed. The membranes performance was assessed in terms of their water flux, salt rejection, boron rejection, bicarbonate rejection and permeate quality. In addition, the membrane surfaces were characterized after exposing the fresh membranes with a chemical cleaning reagent. The experimental results showed an increase in both permeate flow and salt passage for all studied elements. The changes in the membranes performance were systematically explained based on the changes in the charge density and chemical structure of the membranes

Chlorine-Resistant Polyamide Reverse Osmosis Membrane with Monitorable and Regenerative Sacrificial Layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hai; Lin, Saisai; Zhang, Lin; Hou, Li'an

2017-03-22

Improving chlorine stability is a high priority for aromatic polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes especially in long-term desalination. In this Research Article, PA RO membranes of sustainable chlorine resistance was synthesized. Glycylglycine (Gly) was grafted onto the membrane surface as a regenerative chlorine sacrificial layer, and the zeta-potential was used to monitor the membrane performance and to conduct timely regeneration operations for chlorinated Gly. The Gly-grafted PA membrane exhibited ameliorative chlorine resistance in which the N-H moiety of glycylglycine served as sacrificial pendants against chlorine attacks. Cyclic chlorination experiments, combined with FT-IR and XPS analysis, were carried out to characterize the membrane. Results indicated that the resulting N-halamines could be fast regenerated by a simple alkaline reduction step (pH 10). A synchronous relationship between the zeta-potential and the chlorination extent of the sacrificial layer was observed. This indicated that the zeta-potential can be used as an on-site sensor to conduct a timely regeneration operation. The intrinsic mechanism of the surface sacrificial process was also studied.

A Well Water Reverse Osmosis Desalination Unit Diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elfil, H.; Hila, M.; Hannachi, A.; Yeza, A.

2009-01-01

In this present work the diagnosis results of a reverse osmosis desalination unit are reported. Since 1997, the desalination unit was supplying a 1200 bed hotel. The feed water was driven from a well situated 300 m away form the sea. The water has an approximate salinity of 6gg.L -1 . The unit was producing 600 m 3 per day of desalinated water with a Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) of nearly 400 mg.L -1 . The desalination unit has two stages with 67 pour cent and 42 pour cent yields respectively giving an average yield of 81 pour cent. The behavior of all water streams with respect to aggressiveness and scaling tendency was assessed. The 2nd stage reject water was shown to exhibit a very high scaling behavior with an instantaneous precipitation in the absence of feed water chemical treatment. The analyses have shown that the produced water was very aggressive. The second stage module autopsy has revealed a sharp decrease of the membrane performances because of mineral as well as organic fooling buildup. The inorganic scale was essentially made of coesite and calcite and kaolinite clay. The presence of silica and clay could be attributed to an inadequate filtration pre-treatment process that was not able to retain all the suspended matter in the feed water. Whereas the presence calcite crystals at the membrane surface, reveals that the chemical inhibition performed at the pre-treatment process without adjusting the water pH was not able to prevent calcium carbonate precipitation. A periodic acid wash of the 2nd stage membranes is then necessary to guarantee this stage desired objectives.

Desalting sea water and brackish waters: a cost update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, S.A.; Wilson, J.V.

1977-01-01

This report, based on first-quarter 1977 dollars, is an update of costs presented in ORNL/TM-5070 (Rev.), which gave cost estimates for desalting seawater and brackish waters based on first-quarter 1975 financial parameters. Cost estimates are given for desalting seawater by distillation and reverse osmosis and for brackish waters using reverse osmosis and electrodialysis. Cost data were computed as a function of plant size and energy cost. The cost of generating steam and electrical energy on-site using coal-fired boilers as well as oil-fired boilers and dual-purpose electric/seawater distillation plants is included. While the costs of energy, equipment and labor have continued to rise, they have increased at a relatively modest rate compared with the two years prior to 1975. On an average, the cost of desalting seawater by distillation has increased approximately 15%. Costs for desalting brackish waters by the membrance processes have increased about 7%

Aquifer composition and the tendency toward scale-deposit formation during reverse osmosis desalination - Examples from saline ground water in New Mexico, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Huff, G.F.

2006-01-01

Desalination is expected to make a substantial contribution to water supply in the United States by 2020. Currently, reverse osmosis is one of the most cost effective and widely used desalination technologies. The tendency to form scale deposits during reverse osmosis is an important factor in determining the suitability of input waters for use in desalination. The tendency toward scale formation of samples of saline ground water from selected geologic units in New Mexico was assessed using simulated evaporation. All saline water samples showed a strong tendency to form CaCO3 scale deposits. Saline ground water samples from the Yeso Formation and the San Andres Limestone showed relatively stronger tendencies to form CaSO4 2H2O scale deposits and relatively weaker tendencies to form SiO2(a) scale deposits than saline ground water samples from the Rio Grande alluvium. Tendencies toward scale formation in saline ground water samples from the Dockum Group were highly variable. The tendencies toward scale formation of saline waters from the Yeso Formation, San Andres Limestone, and Rio Grande alluvium appear to correlate with the mineralogical composition of the geologic units, suggesting that scale-forming tendencies are governed by aquifer composition and water-rock interaction. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DESSALEMENT DE L’EAU DE MER ET IMPACTS ENVIRONNEMENTAUX : CAS DE LA STATION D’EL-MACTAÂ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdellah KARA OMAR

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Population expansion, urbanization, pollution, climate change and vegetation destruction are the main reasons for water scarcity, forcing most countries around the world to rely on new resources of providing drinking water. The most widely used alternative resource is seawater desalination. In this paper, the distribution of El-Mactaâ (Willaya of Mostaganem reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant is described and its environmental impact considered. Sea water treatment in the EL-MACTAÂ station takes place in three stages. The process starts with a pretreatment by coarse filtration, followed by low-pressure membrane ultrafiltration. Pretreated water passes through reverse osmosis and finally via a treatment station which guarantees both the adjustment of the pH and the disinfection of the treated water. Despite its advantages seawater desalination is a major cause of damage to the environment.

Co-generation project for the Combined Cycle Power Plant President Juarez Rosarito and a reverse osmosis desalting plant; Proyecto de cogeneracion para la planta de ciclo combinado Presidente Juarez Rosarito y una planta desaladora de osmosis inversa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beltran Mora, Hector; Espindola Hernandez, Salvador [Universidad NAcional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2006-11-15

In this work a technical and economical analysis of the installation of a reverse osmosis desalting plant connected to a power station that uses the combined cycle technology under a co-generation scheme is presented: production of electricity and water. The operation program of the desalting power station will be determined by the demand of energy of the combined cycle power station; the proposal is that the desalting plant operates in the hours of low load of the power station and shuts down at the peak hours of electrical energy demand. So that this study is representative, the demand curves of electric energy of the units of combined cycle of Central President Juarez Rosarito of the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) have been taken and updated the data of the reverse osmosis desalting plants that are available at the moment in the market. As basis of the study the level costs will be determined so much as the electrical energy generated by the power station of combined cycle, operating inside and outside of a co-generation scheme and the costs made level for the water produced by the reverse osmosis plant under two assumptions: the first one is buying the electrical energy from CFE and the second one considering that the CFE is the owner of the desalting plant and therefore the cost of electrical energy to desalting the plant is zero. This work shows the economic impacts on the costs of the generation of electrical energy and on those of the desalted water in a co-generation scheme. The results shown in this study can be considered for the future planning in the construction of desalting plants to supply of water in the Northwestern zones of the country where serious problems of water shortage exist. [Spanish] En este trabajo se presenta un analisis tecnico y economico de la instalacion de una planta desaladora de osmosis inversa acoplada a una central de generacion de energia electrica que utiliza la tecnologia de ciclo combinado bajo un esquema de

Modification of PSf/SPSf Blended Porous Support for Improving the Reverse Osmosis Performance of Aromatic Polyamide Thin Film Composite Membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li-Fen Liu

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, modification of polysulfone (PSf/sulfonated polysulfone (SPSf blended porous ultrafiltration (UF support membranes was proposed to improve the reverse osmosis (RO performance of aromatic polyamide thin film composite (TFC membranes. The synergistic effects of solvent, polymer concentration, and SPSf doping content in the casting solution were investigated systematically on the properties of both porous supports and RO membranes. SEM and AFM were combined to characterize the physical properties of the membranes, including surface pore natures (porosity, mean pore radius, surface morphology, and section structure. A contact angle meter was used to analyze the membrane surface hydrophilicity. Permeate experiments were carried out to evaluate the separation performances of the membranes. The results showed that the PSf/SPSf blended porous support modified with 6 wt % SPSf in the presence of DMF and 14 wt % PSf had higher porosity, bigger pore diameter, and a rougher and more hydrophilic surface, which was more beneficial for fabrication of a polyamide TFC membrane with favorable reverse osmosis performance. This modified PSf/SPSf support endowed the RO membrane with a more hydrophilic surface, higher water flux (about 1.2 times, as well as a slight increase in salt rejection than the nascent PSf support. In a word, this work provides a new facile method to improve the separation performance of polyamide TFC RO membranes via the modification of conventional PSf porous support with SPSf.

Contribution of assimilable organic carbon to biological fouling in seawater reverse osmosis membrane treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinrich, Lauren; LeChevallier, Mark; Haas, Charles N

2016-09-15

Biological fouling occurs on RO membranes when bacteria and nutrients are present in conditions that are conducive to growth and proliferation of the bacteria. Controlling microbial growth on the membranes is typically limited to biocide application (i.e., disinfectants) in seawater RO plants. However, biological growth and subsequent fouling has not been well-managed. Pretreatment has not been focused on nutrient limitation. This project used a biological assay, the assimilable organic carbon (AOC) test to evaluate pretreatment effects on the nutrient supply. The AOC test provided a useful surrogate measurement for the biodegradability or biofouling potential of RO feed water. Biofouling observed in controlled conditions at the bench- and pilot-scale resulted in statistically significant correlations between AOC and the operational effects caused by biofouling. Membrane fouling rates are observed through operational changes over time such as increased differential pressure between the membrane feed and concentrate locations and decreased permeate flux through the membrane. In full scale plants there were strong correlations when AOC was used as a predictor variable for increased differential pressure (0.28-0.55 bar from September-December 2012) and decreased specific flux (1.40 L per hour/(m(2) · bar)). Increased differential pressure was associated with RO membrane biological fouling when the median AOC was 50 μg/L during pilot testing. Conditions were also evaluated at the bench-scale using a flat sheet RO membrane. In a comparison test using 30 and 1000 μg/L AOC, fouling was detected on more portions of the membrane when AOC was higher. Biofilm and bacterial deposits were apparent from scanning electron microscope imaging and biomass measurements using ATP. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

INFLUENCE AT DIFFERENT OPERATION CONDITIONS ON THE ACEROLA JUICE CONCENTRATION BY REVERSE OSMOSIS, USING SPIRAL MEMBRANE OF COMPOSITE FILM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. R.S. GOMES

2009-03-01

Full Text Available

The concentration of acerola juice, involves removal of water with the objective of reducing packing, storage and transport costs. The reverse osmosis (RO is a process of increasing interest in food industry and among the advantages they stand out: the low consumption of energy and the minimum thermal damages is caused to the products. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of different operation conditions in relation to the permeate flux, in the concentration process of the acerola juice by RO. All the RO experiments were carried out with retentate recycling. The concentration by RO, were carried on the transmembrane pressures of 20, 30 and 40 bar and at 23ºC and 40ºC, being used a membrane of composite film in spiral module (99% NaCl rejection. The acerola pulp was defrosted and treated with Citrozym Ultra L enzyme (100 ppm, 45ºC ,1 hour, then it was ultrafiltrated at 3 bar at the same temperature, in 0.1 µm ceramic membrane, and so it was concentrated by RO. It was verified that the pressure and the temperature influenced the concentration and the permeate flux obtained in the RO process. The flux decreased along the processing, once the feeding becomes more concentrate, increasing the viscosity, osmotic pressure and retained sugar. KEYWORDS: Acerola juice concentration; reverse osmosis; membrane of composite film.

Production of grape juice powder obtained by freeze-drying after concentration by reverse osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poliana Deyse Gurak

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the freeze-drying process for obtaining grape juice powder by reverse osmosis using 50% grape juice pre-concentrated (28.5 °Brix and 50% hydrocolloids (37.5% maltodextrin and 12.5% arabic gum. The morphology of the glassy food showed the absence of crystalline structure, which was the amorphous wall that protected the contents of the powder. The samples were stored in clear and dark containers at room temperature, evaluated for their physical (X-ray diffraction for 65 days and chemical (polyphenol content stability for 120 days. During the storage time in plastic vessels, samples remained physically stable (amorphous and the phenolic concentration was constant, indicating the potentiality of this technique to obtain a stable product with a high concentration of phenolic compounds. Therefore, the freeze-drying process promoted the encapsulation of concentrated grape juice increasing its stability and shelf life, as well as proving to be an applicable process to food industry

Nanofiltration vs. reverse osmosis for the removal of emerging organic contaminants in water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor

2011-10-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) in existing water reuse facilities is a water industry standard. However, that approach may be questioned taking into consideration that "tight" NF can be equal or "better" than RO. NF can achieve the same removals of RO membranes when dealing with emerging organic contaminants (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, endocrine disruptors and others). Experiments using 18 emerging contaminants were performed using membranes NF200 and NF90 at bench-scale units, and for a more complete study, results of NF and RO pilot and full-scale experiments where compared to our experimental results. The removal results showed that NF can remove many emerging contaminants. The average removal by tight NF was 82% for neutral contaminants and 97% for ionic contaminants. The average removal by RO was 85% for neutral contaminants and 99% for ionic contaminants. Aquifer recharge and recovery (ARR) followed by NF can effectively remove emerging contaminants with removals over 90% when loose NF membranes are used.

Nanofiltration vs. reverse osmosis for the removal of emerging organic contaminants in water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor

2011-01-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) in existing water reuse facilities is a water industry standard. However, that approach may be questioned taking into consideration that "tight" NF can be equal or "better" than RO. NF can achieve the same removals of RO membranes when dealing with emerging organic contaminants (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, endocrine disruptors and others). Experiments using 18 emerging contaminants were performed using membranes NF200 and NF90 at bench-scale units, and for a more complete study, results of NF and RO pilot and fullscale experiments where compared to our experimental results. The removal results showed that NF can remove many emerging contaminants. The average removal by tight NF was 82% for neutral contaminants and 97% for ionic contaminants. The average removal by RO was 85% for neutral contaminants and 99% for ionic contaminants. Aquifer recharge and recovery (ARR) followed by NF can effectively remove emerging contaminants with removals over 90% when loose NF membranes are used. © 2011 2011 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Polishing Step Purification of High-Strength Wastewaters by Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinxiang Zhou

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This article reports findings on the use of nanofiltration (NF and reverse osmosis (RO for secondary treatment of high-strength rendering facility wastewaters following an ultrafiltration step. These wastewaters present significant challenges to classical treatment technologies. Constant-pressure, direct-flow membrane filtration experiments were done to screen for flux and effluent water permeate quality of ten commercial NF and RO membranes. All membranes tested were effective in reducing total dissolved salts (TDS and chemical oxygen demand (COD; however, only two membranes (Koch MPF-34 and Toray 70UB gave sufficiently stable flux values to warrant longer term cross-flow filtration studies. Cross-flow flux measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, X-ray dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR indicated that both membranes were eventually fouled by organic and inorganic foulants; however, the Toray 70UB RO membrane yielded a capacity of 1600 L/m2 prior to cleaning. A preliminary economic analysis compared the estimated costs of energy and consumables for a dual-stage UF/RO membrane process and dissolved air floatation (DAF and found membrane process costs could be less than about 40% of the current DAF process.

Membrane distillation for wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate treatment with water reuse potential

KAUST Repository

Naidu, Gayathri; Jeong, Sanghyun; Choi, Youngkwon; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu

2016-01-01

Membrane distillation (MD) was evaluated as a treatment option of wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate (WWROC) discharged from wastewater reclamation plants (WRPs). A direct contact MD (DCMD), at obtaining 85% water recovery of WWROC showed only 13–15% flux decline and produced good quality permeate (10–15 µS/cm, 99% ion rejection) at moderate feed temperature of 55 °C. Prevalent calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposition on the MD membrane occurred in treating WWROC at elevated concentrations. The combination of low salinity and loose CaCO3 adhesion on the membrane did not significantly contribute to DCMD flux decline. Meanwhile, high organic content in WWROC (58–60 mg/L) resulted in a significant membrane hydrophobicity reduction (70% lower water contact angle than virgin membrane) attributed to low molecular weight organic adhesion onto the MD membrane. Granular activated carbon (GAC) pretreatment helped in reducing organic contents of WWROC by 46–50%, and adsorbed a range of hydrophobic and hydrophilic micropollutants. This ensured high quality water production by MD (micropollutants-free) and enhanced its reuse potential. The MD concentrated WWROC was suitable for selective ion precipitation, promising a near zero liquid discharge in WRPs.

Membrane distillation for wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate treatment with water reuse potential

KAUST Repository

Naidu, Gayathri

2016-11-29

Membrane distillation (MD) was evaluated as a treatment option of wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate (WWROC) discharged from wastewater reclamation plants (WRPs). A direct contact MD (DCMD), at obtaining 85% water recovery of WWROC showed only 13–15% flux decline and produced good quality permeate (10–15 µS/cm, 99% ion rejection) at moderate feed temperature of 55 °C. Prevalent calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposition on the MD membrane occurred in treating WWROC at elevated concentrations. The combination of low salinity and loose CaCO3 adhesion on the membrane did not significantly contribute to DCMD flux decline. Meanwhile, high organic content in WWROC (58–60 mg/L) resulted in a significant membrane hydrophobicity reduction (70% lower water contact angle than virgin membrane) attributed to low molecular weight organic adhesion onto the MD membrane. Granular activated carbon (GAC) pretreatment helped in reducing organic contents of WWROC by 46–50%, and adsorbed a range of hydrophobic and hydrophilic micropollutants. This ensured high quality water production by MD (micropollutants-free) and enhanced its reuse potential. The MD concentrated WWROC was suitable for selective ion precipitation, promising a near zero liquid discharge in WRPs.

Development of ultra-low pressure reverse osmosis membranes; Choteiatsu gyakushintomaku no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirose, M.; Ito, H.; Ohara, T. [Nitto Denko Corp., Osaka (Japan)

1998-06-05

Described herein is development of ultra-low pressure reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. The composite RO membrane, which is now widely used, has a cross-sectional structure consisting of an ultrafilter membrane as the support and a very thin skin layer responsible for filtration. It is confirmed that the skin layer is of a pleated structure. Growing this structure can greatly accelerate permeation of water without damaging arresting and durability characteristics of the membrane, and hence is a desired approach. Utilization of molecular structure simulation of the skin layer materials is investigated by the molecular dynamics. The results show that the stable structure of the material for the skin layer in the RO membrane is a network structure with regularly arranged honeycombs, when it should arrest at least 99% of salt. These techniques serve as the bases for development of the ultra-low pressure RO membranes (ES Series), where the skin layer is made of cross-linked, totally aromatic polyamide. The membrane passes twice as large a quantity of water as the conventional one, is highly resistant to chemicals, and arrests 99.7% of salt. 3 refs., 4 figs.

Kinetic study of seawater reverse osmosis membrane fouling

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad; De, Carmemlara; Aubry, Cyril; Gutié rrez, Leonardo A.; Croue, Jean-Philippe

2013-01-01

population in all the membrane samples was dominated by specific groups/species belonging to Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria phyla; however, similar to abiotic foulant, their relative abundance also changed with the biofilm age. © 2013 American Chemical

Post-Digestion Liquor Treatment in the Method Combining Chemical Precipitation with Reverse Osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuglarz Mariusz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to develop an effective treatment of post-digestion liquors highly-loaded with biogenic and organic substances. The scope of the research project encompassed: mesophilic anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS as well as the treatment of post-digestion liquors, coming from the most appropriate HRT value of 25 days, in the process of ammonium magnesium phosphate (struvite precipitation targeted at ammonia nitrogen binding and a subsequent reverse osmosis (RO process. It was established that the method combining chemical precipitation and high-pressure filtration ensures a high degree of contaminants removal allowing for a direct release of treated liquors into the natural reservoir. However, in order to decrease the residual NH4+ concentration (6.1 mg NH4+/dm3 in the purified post-digestion liquors below the level allowing for a direct release to the natural reservoir, it turned out to be necessary to apply increased molar ratio of magnesium and phosphates (Mg:NH4+: PO43-= 1.5:1:1.5.

International Conference on water reuse and desalination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The International conference on water reuse and desalination was held on the 13 November 1984 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Papers delivered on this conference covered the following aspects: desalination technology, industrial effluent control, economics of desalination of wastewaters, consumable supplies in desalination, the world market for seawater desalination equipment, reverse osmosis, evaporation and ultrafiltration, treatment of hazardous wastes, role of reverse osmosis in waste water treatment, as well as the desalination, recovery and recycle of water with high efficiency. A paper was also delivered on the mechanical vapour compression process applied to seawater desalination - as an example the paper presents the largest unit so far constructed by SIDEM using this process: a 1,500 mz/day unit installed in the Nuclear power plant of Flamanville in France

Nuclear energy for seawater desalination - options in future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, M.K.; Murugan, V.; Balasubramaniyan, C.; Nagaraj, R.; Dangore, Y.

2010-01-01

Full text: With ever increasing water scarcity, many alternatives are being tried to supplement the existing water resources. There are regions where water is scarce and population is growing and is at the mercy of inadequate supplies. Seawater constitutes a practically unlimited source of saline water. When desalted, it can augment the existing potable water resources for the people in nearby area and also meet the increasing demand. BARC has been engaged in the field of desalination and developed expertise in both thermal and membrane technologies. It has setup 6300 M 3 /D Nuclear Desalination Demonstration Project (NDDP) at Kalpakkam, where both membrane and thermal technologies have been used for sea water desalination. Desalination process needs energy and nuclear energy is strong option in view of limited fossil fuels and environmental concerns. Multi Stage Flash (MSF) plant based on thermal technology has been coupled to MAPS Reactors and Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant is based on membrane technology. This paper discusses various aspects of coupling of desalination plant with nuclear reactors and also discusses salient features of hybridization of thermal and membrane technologies

Characterization and biotoxicity assessment of dissolved organic matter in RO concentrate from a municipal wastewater reclamation reverse osmosis system.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ying-Xue; Gao, Yue; Hu, Hong-Ying; Tang, Fang; Yang, Zhe

2014-12-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate from municipal wastewater reclamation reverse osmosis (mWRRO) system containing organic compounds may associate with toxic risk, and its discharge might pose an environmental risk. To identify a basis for the selection of feasible technology in treating RO concentrates, the characteristics and biotoxicity of different fractions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in RO concentrates from an mWRRO system were investigated. The results indicated that the hydrophilic neutrals (HIN), hydrophobic acids (HOA) and hydrophobic bases (HOB) accounted for 96% of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of the total DOM in the RO concentrate. According to the SEC chromatograph detected at 254 nm wavelength of UV, the DOM with molecular weight (MW) 1-3 kDa accounted for the majority of the basic and neutral fractions. The fluorescence spectra of the excitation emission matrix (EEM) indicated that most aromatic proteins, humic/fulvic acid-like and soluble microbial by-product-like substances existed in the fractions HOA and hydrophobic neutrals (HON). The genotoxicity and anti-estrogenic activity of the RO concentrate were 1795.6 ± 57.2 μg 4-NQOL(-1) and 2.19 ± 0.05 mg TAM L(-1), respectively. The HIN, HOA, and HOB contributed to the genotoxicity of the RO concentrate, and the HIN was with the highest genotoxic level of 1007.9 ± 94.8 μg 4-NQOL(-1). The HOA, HON, and HIN lead to the total anti-estrogenic activity of the RO concentrate, and HOA occupied approximately 60% of the total, which was 1.3 ± 0.17 mg TAM L(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Calcium carbonate scaling in seawater desalination by ammonia-carbon dioxide forward osmosis: Mechanism and implications

KAUST Repository

Li, Zhenyu; Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Bucs, Szilard; Aubry, Cyril; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.; Amy, Gary L.

2015-01-01

Forward osmosis (FO) is an osmotically driven membrane process, where the membrane separates a draw solution (DS) with high salinity from a feed solution (FS) with low salinity. There can be a counter direction flow of salt (i.e., salt leakage

Reverse osmosis brine for phosphorus recovery from source separated urine.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Xiujun; Wang, Guotian; Guan, Detian; Li, Jiuyi; Wang, Aimin; Li, Jin; Yu, Zhe; Chen, Yong; Zhang, Zhongguo

2016-12-01

Phosphorus (P) recovery from waste streams has recently been recognized as a key step in the sustainable supply of this indispensable and non-renewable resource. The feasibility of using brine from a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane unit treating cooling water as a precipitant for P recovery from source separated urine was evaluated in the present study. P removal efficiency, process parameters and precipitate properties were investigated in batch and continuous flow experiments. More than 90% of P removal was obtained from both undiluted fresh and hydrolyzed urines by mixing with RO brine (1:1, v/v) at a pH over 9.0. Around 2.58 and 1.24 Kg of precipitates could be recovered from 1 m 3 hydrolyzed and fresh urine, respectively, and the precipitated solids contain 8.1-19.0% of P, 10.3-15.2% of Ca, 3.7-5.0% of Mg and 0.1-3.5% of ammonium nitrogen. Satisfactory P removal performance was also achieved in a continuous flow precipitation reactor with a hydraulic retention time of 3-6 h. RO brine could be considered as urinal and toilet flush water despite of a marginally higher precipitation tendency than tap water. This study provides a widely available, low - cost and efficient precipitant for P recovery in urban areas, which will make P recovery from urine more economically attractive. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research and development of utilization system of photovoltaic power generation. R and D of stand-alone system (desalination system for remote island-reverse osmosis)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1986-08-01

This system is an independent system which utilizes DC power obtained by a solar cell for the power source for a sea water desalination plant. The system is constructed of 2 series of a reverse osmosis membrane module system by which the power storage requirement in the battery is minimized by storing in the form of water instead. Effective battery capacity is 46.2 KWH which corresponds to the operation of 0.7 days. Hoso-jima in the central part of the Seto Inland Sea is estimated as the plant location and satisfies the conditions of this verification test. It is being examined to use the solar cells of single and poly crystal types as they have been often practically used to a considerable extent, because the test plant is going to be used as a commercial plant after the test operation is completed. Nominal capacity of 0.55 m/sup 2//h was set for the reverse osmosis sea water desalination unit on the basis of 4.5 m/sup 2//d (a daily average for the agricultural water required for 1,000 m/sup 2/ hydroponic area). Annual average water production is roughly 5.3 m/sup 2//d. (2 figs, 1 tab)

Effectiveness of Subsidies in Technology Adoption: A Case Study Involving Reverse Osmosis (RO Membrane Technology

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Nur Laili

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Adoption of new technologies is a process that involves technological learning and penetration of new products into the market. Within the process of new technologies adoption, government usually intervened by providing incentives, in order to support the technology adoption to be succeed. This paper examines the effectiveness of incentives for the sustainability of reverse osmosis (RO membrane technology adoption. The study conducted through single case study on SWRO installation in Mandangin Island, East Java, Indonesia. Results of case study indentify the existence of government incentive in the form of direct subsidies to decrease the price of clean water. Although successful in reducing the price of water, but effectiveness of the subsidy on the sustainability of SWRO is still low, which is operates only 30% in a year. Further analysis shows that these subsidies actually be counter-productive to the sustainability of SWRO installation.

Thermodynamic, energy efficiency, and power density analysis of reverse electrodialysis power generation with natural salinity gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

Yip, Ngai Yin; Vermaas, David A; Nijmeijer, Kitty; Elimelech, Menachem

2014-05-06

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) can harness the Gibbs free energy of mixing when fresh river water flows into the sea for sustainable power generation. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of RED power generation, and assess the membrane power density. First, we present a reversible thermodynamic model for RED and verify that the theoretical maximum extractable work in a reversible RED process is identical to the Gibbs free energy of mixing. Work extraction in an irreversible process with maximized power density using a constant-resistance load is then examined to assess the energy conversion efficiency and power density. With equal volumes of seawater and river water, energy conversion efficiency of ∼ 33-44% can be obtained in RED, while the rest is lost through dissipation in the internal resistance of the ion-exchange membrane stack. We show that imperfections in the selectivity of typical ion exchange membranes (namely, co-ion transport, osmosis, and electro-osmosis) can detrimentally lower efficiency by up to 26%, with co-ion leakage being the dominant effect. Further inspection of the power density profile during RED revealed inherent ineffectiveness toward the end of the process. By judicious early discontinuation of the controlled mixing process, the overall power density performance can be considerably enhanced by up to 7-fold, without significant compromise to the energy efficiency. Additionally, membrane resistance was found to be an important factor in determining the power densities attainable. Lastly, the performance of an RED stack was examined for different membrane conductivities and intermembrane distances simulating high performance membranes and stack design. By thoughtful selection of the operating parameters, an efficiency of ∼ 37% and an overall gross power density of 3.5 W/m(2) represent the maximum performance that can potentially be achieved in a seawater-river water RED system with low

Effects of transmembrane hydraulic pressure on performance of forward osmosis membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Coday, Bryan D; Heil, Dean M; Xu, Pei; Cath, Tzahi Y

2013-03-05

Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging membrane separation process that continues to be tested and implemented in various industrial water and wastewater treatment applications. The growing interests in the technology have prompted laboratories and manufacturers to adopt standard testing methods to ensure accurate comparison of membrane performance under laboratory-controlled conditions; however, standardized methods might not capture specific operating conditions unique to industrial applications. Experiments with cellulose triacetate (CTA) and polyamide thin-film composite (TFC) FO membranes demonstrated that hydraulic transmembrane pressure (TMP), common in industrial operation of FO membrane elements, could affect membrane performance. Experiments were conducted with three FO membranes and with increasing TMP up to a maximum of 50 psi (3.45 bar). The feed solution was a mixture of salts and the draw solution was either a NaCl solution or concentrated seawater at similar osmotic pressure. Results revealed that TMP minimally affected water flux, reverse salt flux (RSF), and solute rejection of the CTA membrane. However, water flux through TFC membranes might slightly increase with increasing TMP, and RSF substantially declines with increasing TMP. It was observed that rejection of feed constituents was influenced by TMP and RSF.

Successful cleaning concept for Germany's biggest reverse osmosis plant; Ein erfolgreiches Reinigungskonzept fuer die groesste Umkehrosmoseanlage Deutschlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kempen, Hermann [Kurita Europe GmbH, Viersen (Germany); Zierau, Ronald [Zellstoff-Stendal GmbH, Arneburg (Germany)

2012-07-01

During the last years, new developments for membrane material and also for treatment chemicals have resulted in higher efficiency and reliability of reverse osmosis (RO) plants. Nevertheless, especially RO plants receiving raw water from surface waters with open intake or from waste water streams are facing problems with fouling on membranes during operation. In such cases, the efficient cleaning of membranes is mandatory to ensure long-term supply of permeate in high quality and sufficient quantity. New cleaning concepts with proprietary cleaning products are gaining in importance. The successful application of such a cleaning concept at Germany's biggest RO plant is described in this paper. (orig.)

Removal of organic micro-pollutants (phenol, aniline and nitrobenzene) via forward osmosis (FO) process: Evaluation of FO as an alternative method to reverse osmosis (RO)

KAUST Repository

Cui, Yue

2016-01-05

In this study, we have explored and compared the effectiveness of using (1) lab-fabricated forward osmosis (FO) membranes under both FO and reverse osmosis (RO) modes and (2) commercially available RO membranes under the RO mode for the removal of organic micro-pollutants. The lab-fabricated FO membranes are thin film composite (TFC) membranes consisting of a polyamide layer and a porous substrate cast from three different materials; namely, Matrimid, polyethersulfone (PESU) and sulfonated polyphenylene sulfone (sPPSU). The results show that the FO mode is superior to the RO mode in the removal of phenol, aniline and nitrobenzene from wastewater. The rejections of all three TFC membranes to all the three organic micro-pollutants under the FO processes are higher than 72% and can be even higher than 90% for aniline when a 1000 ppm aromatic aqueous solution and 1 M NaCl are employed as feeds. These performances outperform the results obtained from themselves and commercially available RO membranes under the RO mode. In addition, the rejection can be maintained even when treating a more concentrated feed solution (2000 ppm). The removal performance can be further enhanced by using a more concentrated draw solution (2 M). The water flux is almost doubled, and the rejection increment can reach up to 17%. Moreover, it was observed that annealing as a post-treatment would help compact the membrane selective layer and further enhance the separating efficiency. The obtained organic micro-pollutant rejections and water fluxes under various feasible operating conditions indicate that the FO process has potential to be a viable treatment for wastewater containing organic micro-pollutants.

Waste water regeneration technologies: the experience of a pilot plant using an MBR process and micro-ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis in the waste water treatment plant at Canals-Lucidol de Cre spins (Valencia, Spain); Tecnologias para la regeneracion de aguas residuales: experiencia con planta piloto mediante un proceso MBR y membranas de micro-ultrafiltracion y osmosis inversa en la EDAR de Canals-L' Alcudia de Crespins (Valencia)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez Muro, J. L.; Garcia Garcia, J. J.; Morenilla Martinez, J. J.; Bernacer Bonora, I.; Lloret Salinas, R.; Pascual Garrido, J.; Escribano Romero, F.; Zarzo Martinez, D.

2006-07-01

This article looks at membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology and the use of micro-ultrafiltration membranes systems for treating sewage prior to reverse osmosis to desalinate sewage plant affluent. MBR technology ensures stable effluent quality (it is not affected by problems of sedimentation of the biological sludge in the clarifier) and practical disinfecting of the sludge. Micro-ultra-filtration technologies, either as treatment prior to reverse osmosis, or as independent tertiary treatment systems, generally guarantee extremely demanding permeate characteristics: SDI15 < 3-fouling index-, absence of microbiological organisms, and cloudines < 1 NTU. (Author)

Nuclide separation modeling through reverse osmosis membranes in radioactive liquid waste

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byung-Sik Lee

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is to investigate the transport mechanism of radioactive nuclides through the reverse osmosis (RO membrane and to estimate its effectiveness for nuclide separation from radioactive liquid waste. An analytical model is developed to simulate the RO separation, and a series of experiments are set up to confirm its estimated separation behavior. The model is based on the extended Nernst–Plank equation, which handles the convective flux, diffusive flux, and electromigration flux under electroneutrality and zero electric current conditions. The distribution coefficient which arises due to ion interactions with the membrane material and the electric potential jump at the membrane interface are included as boundary conditions in solving the equation. A high Peclet approximation is adopted to simplify the calculation, but the effect of concentration polarization is included for a more accurate prediction of separation. Cobalt and cesium are specifically selected for the experiments in order to check the separation mechanism from liquid waste composed of various radioactive nuclides and nonradioactive substances, and the results are compared with the estimated cobalt and cesium rejections of the RO membrane using the model. Experimental and calculated results are shown to be in excellent agreement. The proposed model will be very useful for the prediction of separation behavior of various radioactive nuclides by the RO membrane.

Nuclide separation modeling through reverse osmosis membranes in radioactive liquid waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Byung Sik [KEPCO Engineering and Construction, Gimcheon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-12-15

The aim of this work is to investigate the transport mechanism of radioactive nuclides through the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and to estimate its effectiveness for nuclide separation from radioactive liquid waste. An analytical model is developed to simulate the RO separation, and a series of experiments are set up to confirm its estimated separation behavior. The model is based on the extended Nernst-Plank equation, which handles the convective flux, diffusive flux, and electromigration flux under electroneutrality and zero electric current conditions. The distribution coefficient which arises due to ion interactions with the membrane material and the electric potential jump at the membrane interface are included as boundary conditions in solving the equation. A high Peclet approximation is adopted to simplify the calculation, but the effect of concentration polarization is included for a more accurate prediction of separation. Cobalt and cesium are specifically selected for the experiments in order to check the separation mechanism from liquid waste composed of various radioactive nuclides and nonradioactive substances, and the results are compared with the estimated cobalt and cesium rejections of the RO membrane using the model. Experimental and calculated results are shown to be in excellent agreement. The proposed model will be very useful for the prediction of separation behavior of various radioactive nuclides by the RO membrane.

Feasibility Analysis of a Seabed Filtration Intake System for the Shoaiba III Expansion Reverse Osmosis Plant

KAUST Repository

Rodríguez, Luis Raúl

2012-06-01

The ability to economically desalinate seawater in arid regions of the world has become a vital advancement to overcome the problem on freshwater availability, quality, and reliability. In contrast with the major capital and operational costs for desalination plants represented by conventional open ocean intakes, subsurface intakes allow the extraction of high quality feed water at minimum costs and reduced environmental impact. A seabed filter is a subsurface intake that consists of a submerged slow sand filter, with benefits of organic matter removal and pathogens, and low operational cost. A site investigation was carried out through the southern coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology down to 370 kilometers south of Jeddah. A site adjacent to the Shoaiba desalination plant was selected to assess the viability of constructing a seabed filter. Grain sieve size analysis, porosity and hydraulic conductivity permeameter measurements were performed on the collected sediment samples. Based on these results, it was concluded that the characteristics at the Shoaiba site allow for the construction of a seabed filtration system. A seabed filter design is proposed for the 150,000 m3/d Shoaiba III expansion project, a large-scale Reverse Osmosis desalination plant. A filter design with a filtration rate of 7 m/d through an area of 6,000 m2 is proposed to meet the demand of one of the ten desalination trains operating at the plant. The filter would be located 90 meters offshore where hydraulic conductivity of the sediment is high, and mud percentage is minimal. The thin native marine sediment layer is insufficient to provide enough water filtration, and consequently the proposed solution involves excavating the limestone rock and filling it with different layers of non-native sand and gravel of increasing grain size. An initial assessment of the area around Shoaiba showed similar sedimentological conditions that could

Pushing desalination recovery to the maximum limit: Membrane and thermal processes integration

KAUST Repository

Shahzad, Muhammad Wakil; Burhan, Muhammad; Ng, Kim Choon

2017-01-01

The economics of seawater desalination processes has been continuously improving as a result of desalination market expansion. Presently, reverse osmosis (RO) processes are leading in global desalination with 53% share followed by thermally driven

Evaluation the potential and energy efficiency of dual stage pressure retarded osmosis process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altaee, Ali; Zaragoza, Guillermo; Drioli, Enrico; Zhou, John

2017-01-01

Highlights: •Single and dual stage PRO was evaluated at different membrane configurations. •Impact of increasing module area or numbers on the power efficiency was studied. •DSPRO reduced the impact of CP & restored the osmotic potential of salinity gradient. •DSPRO outperforms single stage PRO process but depends on salinity gradient type. -- Abstract: Power generation by means of Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) has been proposed for harvesting the energy of a salinity gradient. Energy recovery by the PRO process decreases along the membrane module due to depleting of the chemical potential across the membrane and concentration polarization effects. A dual stage PRO (DSPRO) design can be used to rejuvenate the chemical potential difference and reduce the concentration polarization on feed solution. Several design configurations were suggested for the membrane module arrangements in the first and second stage of the PRO process. PRO performance was evaluated for a number of salinity gradients proposed by coupling Dead Sea water or Reverse Osmosis (RO) brine with seawater or wastewater effluent. Maximum specific energy of inlet and outlet feeds was calculated using a developed computer model to identify the amount of recovered and remaining energy. Initially, specific power generation by the PRO process increased by increasing the number of modules of the first stage. Maximum specific energy is calculated along the PRO module to understand the degradation of the maximum specific energy in each module before introducing a second stage PRO process. Adding a second stage PRO process resulted in a sharp increase of the chemical potential difference and the specific energy yield of the process. Between 10% and 13% increase of the specific power generation was achieved by the DSPRO process for the Dead Sea-seawater salinity gradient depending on the dual stage design configuration. For Dead Sea-RO brine, 12–16% increase of the specific power generation was

Massive arrival of desalinated seawater in a regional urban water cycle: A multi-isotope study (B, S, O, H).

Science.gov (United States)

Kloppmann, W; Negev, Ido; Guttman, Joseph; Goren, Orly; Gavrieli, Ittai; Guerrot, Catherine; Flehoc, Christine; Pettenati, Marie; Burg, Avihu

2018-04-01

"Man-made" or unconventional freshwater, like desalinated seawater or reclaimed effluents, is increasingly introduced into regional water cycles in arid or semi-arid countries. We show that the breakthrough of reverse osmosis-derived freshwater in the largely engineered water cycle of the greater Tel Aviv region (Dan Region) has profoundly changed previous isotope fingerprints. This new component can be traced throughout the system, from the drinking water supply, through sewage, treated effluents, and artificially recharged groundwater at the largest Soil-Aquifer Treatment system in the Middle East (Shafdan) collecting all the Dan region sewage. The arrival of the new water type (desalinated seawater) in 2007 and its predominance since 2010 constitutes an unplanned, large-scale, long-term tracer test and the monitoring of the breakthrough of desalination-specific fingerprints in the aquifer system of Shafdan allowed to get new insights on the water and solute flow and behavior in engineered groundwater systems. Our approach provides an investigation tool for the urban water cycle, allowing estimating the contribution of diverse freshwater sources, and an environmental tracing method for better constraining the long-term behavior and confinement of aquifer systems with managed recharge. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Evaluation of potential for reuse of industrial wastewater using metal-immobilized catalysts and reverse osmosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jeongyun; Chung, Jinwook

2015-04-01

This report describes a novel technology of reusing the wastewater discharged from the display manufacturing industry through an advanced oxidation process (AOP) with a metal-immobilized catalyst and reverse osmosis (RO) in the pilot scale. The reclaimed water generated from the etching and cleaning processes in display manufacturing facilities was low-strength organic wastewater and was required to be recycled to secure a water source. For the reuse of reclaimed water to ultrapure water (UPW), a combination of solid-phase AOP and RO was implemented. The removal efficiency of TOC by solid-phase AOP and RO was 92%. Specifically, the optimal acid, pH, and H2O2 concentrations in the solid-phase AOP were determined. With regard to water quality and operating costs, the combination of solid-phase AOP and RO was superior to activated carbon/RO and ultraviolet AOP/anion polisher/coal carbon. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using nanocomposite materials technology to understand and control reverse osmosis membrane compaction

KAUST Repository

Pendergast, Mary Theresa M.; Nygaard, Jodie M.; Ghosh, Asim K.; Hoek, Eric M.V.

2010-01-01

Composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were formed by interfacial polymerization of polyamide thin films over pure polysulfone and nanocomposite-polysulfone support membranes. Nanocomposite support membranes were formed from amorphous non-porous silica and crystalline microporous zeolite nanoparticles. For each hand-cast membrane, water flux and NaCl rejection were monitored over time at two different applied pressures. Nanocomposite-polysulfone supported RO membranes generally had higher initial permeability and experienced less flux decline due to compaction than pure polysulfone supported membranes. In addition, observed salt rejection tended to increase as flux declined from compaction. Crosssectional SEM images verified significant reduction in thickness of pure polysulfone supports, whereas nanocomposites better resisted compaction due to enhanced mechanical stability imparted by the nanoparticles. A conceptual model was proposed to explain the mechanistic relationship between support membrane compaction and observed changes in water flux and salt rejection. As the support membrane compacts, skin layer pore constriction increased the effective path length for diffusion through the composite membranes, which reduced both water and salt permeability identically. However, experimental salt permeability tended to decline to a greater extent than water permeability; hence, the observed changes in flux and rejection might also be related to structural changes in the polyamide thin film. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular cloning of Brevundimonas diminuta for efficacy assessment of reverse osmosis devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Donofrio, Robert; Saha, Ratul; Bestervelt, Lori; Bagley, Susan

2012-06-01

Brevundimonas diminuta is the test organism specified in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) reverse osmosis (RO) treatment device verification protocol. As non-selective growth medium is employed, enumeration of B. diminuta may be impaired due to interference by indigenous heterotrophic bacteria. Thus the microbial removal capability of the filtration system may be incorrectly assessed. As these treatment devices are used in emergency situations, the health of the public could be compromised. The objective of this study was to develop selective approaches for enumerating viable B. diminuta in test water. Two molecular approaches were investigated: expression of a kanamycin resistance gene and expression of a fluorescent protein gene. The USEPA protocol specifies a 0.3 μm cell size, so the expression of the selective markers were assessed following growth on media designed to induce this small cell diameter. The kan(R) strain was demonstrated to be equivalent to the wild type in cell dimension and survival following exposure to the test water. The kan(R) strain showed equivalent performance to the wild type in the RO protocol indicating that it is a viable alternative surrogate. By utilizing this strain, a more accurate validation of the RO system can be achieved.

Using nanocomposite materials technology to understand and control reverse osmosis membrane compaction

KAUST Repository

Pendergast, Mary Theresa M.

2010-10-01

Composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were formed by interfacial polymerization of polyamide thin films over pure polysulfone and nanocomposite-polysulfone support membranes. Nanocomposite support membranes were formed from amorphous non-porous silica and crystalline microporous zeolite nanoparticles. For each hand-cast membrane, water flux and NaCl rejection were monitored over time at two different applied pressures. Nanocomposite-polysulfone supported RO membranes generally had higher initial permeability and experienced less flux decline due to compaction than pure polysulfone supported membranes. In addition, observed salt rejection tended to increase as flux declined from compaction. Crosssectional SEM images verified significant reduction in thickness of pure polysulfone supports, whereas nanocomposites better resisted compaction due to enhanced mechanical stability imparted by the nanoparticles. A conceptual model was proposed to explain the mechanistic relationship between support membrane compaction and observed changes in water flux and salt rejection. As the support membrane compacts, skin layer pore constriction increased the effective path length for diffusion through the composite membranes, which reduced both water and salt permeability identically. However, experimental salt permeability tended to decline to a greater extent than water permeability; hence, the observed changes in flux and rejection might also be related to structural changes in the polyamide thin film. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of SWRO Process Based on Simultaneous Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aipeng Jiang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Reverse osmosis (RO technique is one of the most efficient ways for seawater desalination to solve the shortage of freshwater. For prediction and analysis of the performance of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO process, an accurate and detailed model based on the solution-diffusion and mass transfer theory is established. Since the accurate formulation of the model includes many differential equations and strong nonlinear equations (differential and algebraic equations, DAEs, to solve the problem efficiently, the simultaneous method through orthogonal collocation on finite elements and large scale solver were used to obtain the solutions. The model was fully discretized into NLP (nonlinear programming with large scale variables and equations, and then the NLP was solved by large scale solver of IPOPT. Validation of the formulated model and solution method is verified by case study on a SWRO plant. Then simulation and analysis are carried out to demonstrate the performance of reverse osmosis process; operational conditions such as feed pressure and feed flow rate as well as feed temperature are also analyzed. This work is of significant meaning for the detailed understanding of RO process and future energy saving through operational optimization.

Exceptionally fast water desalination at complete salt rejection by pristine graphyne monolayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, Minmin; Qiu, Hu; Guo, Wanlin

2013-01-01

Desalination that produces clean freshwater from seawater holds the promise of solving the global water shortage for drinking, agriculture and industry. However, conventional desalination technologies such as reverse osmosis and thermal distillation involve large amounts of energy consumption, and the semipermeable membranes widely used in reverse osmosis face the challenge to provide a high throughput at high salt rejection. Here we find by comprehensive molecular dynamics simulations and first principles modeling that pristine graphyne, one of the graphene-like one-atom-thick carbon allotropes, can achieve 100% rejection of nearly all ions in seawater including Na + , Cl − , Mg 2+ , K + and Ca 2+ , at an exceptionally high water permeability about two orders of magnitude higher than those for commercial state-of-the-art reverse osmosis membranes at a salt rejection of ∼98.5%. This complete ion rejection by graphyne, independent of the salt concentration and the operating pressure, is revealed to be originated from the significantly higher energy barriers for ions than for water. This intrinsic specialty of graphyne should provide a new possibility for the efforts to alleviate the global shortage of freshwater and other environmental problems. (paper)

Exceptionally fast water desalination at complete salt rejection by pristine graphyne monolayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Minmin; Qiu, Hu; Guo, Wanlin

2013-12-20

Desalination that produces clean freshwater from seawater holds the promise of solving the global water shortage for drinking, agriculture and industry. However, conventional desalination technologies such as reverse osmosis and thermal distillation involve large amounts of energy consumption, and the semipermeable membranes widely used in reverse osmosis face the challenge to provide a high throughput at high salt rejection. Here we find by comprehensive molecular dynamics simulations and first principles modeling that pristine graphyne, one of the graphene-like one-atom-thick carbon allotropes, can achieve 100% rejection of nearly all ions in seawater including Na(+), Cl(-), Mg(2+), K(+) and Ca(2+), at an exceptionally high water permeability about two orders of magnitude higher than those for commercial state-of-the-art reverse osmosis membranes at a salt rejection of ~98.5%. This complete ion rejection by graphyne, independent of the salt concentration and the operating pressure, is revealed to be originated from the significantly higher energy barriers for ions than for water. This intrinsic specialty of graphyne should provide a new possibility for the efforts to alleviate the global shortage of freshwater and other environmental problems.

Liquid radwaste processing with spiral wound reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, S.K.; Buckley, L.P.; Rimpelainen, S.; Tremblay, A.Y.

1996-05-01

Two different reverse osmosis systems were investigated. The first was a 50-element plant-scale system that is used to treat 2200 m 3 of AECL liquid radwastes annually.It uses thin-film composite (TFC) membranes and operates at an applied pressure of 2760 kPa, with a fixed crossflow of about 40 L/min. The other system uses the same thin-film composite membranes for waste processing but is a two-element pilot-scale system. It is operated at pressures m ranging between 1500 and 7000 kPa, at a fixed crossflow of 55 L/min. The average lifetime of the thin-film composite membranes in the plant-scale processing application at AECL is about 3000 h. After this service life has expired the rejection efficiency declines rapidly from 99.5% to about 95% as the membranes become impaired from chemical cleaning procedures that are required after each 100 m 3 of waste is treated. The permeation flux for the plant-scale system decreases from about 2.2 L/min/element to below 0.5 L/min/element at the end of the membrane's useful service life. The plant-scale membrane elements, fouled by an assortment of chemicals including calcium phosphate and various organics, were successfully regenerated by exposing them to a threestep chemical cleaning procedure, using detergent, HCI, and an alkaline-based cleaning with EDTA. The three-step procedure was successful in elevating the flux from 0.5 L/min for the spent membrane to 1.2 L/min after cleaning. The 1.2-L/min postcleaning flux could be maintained provided that the crossflow velocity remained high. The decontamination factor (DF) for cesium for the plant-scale system, decreased from about 100 when the membranes were new, to about 30 after they were replaced. The strontium DF was unaffected by the applied pressure. 9 refs., 1 tab., 6 figs

Layer-by-Layer Assembly for Preparation of High-Performance Forward Osmosis Membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Libin; Zhang, Jinglong; Song, Peng; Wang, Zhan

2018-01-01

Forward osmosis (FO) membrane with high separation performance is needed to promote its practical applications. Herein, layer-by-layer (LbL) approach was used to prepare a thin and highly cross-linked polyamide layer on a polyacrylonitrile substrate surface to prepare a thin-film composite forward osmosis (TFC-FO) membrane with enhanced FO performance. The effects of monomer concentrations and assembly cycles on the performance of the TFC-FO membranes were systematically investigated. Under the optimal preparation condition, TFC-FO membrane achieved the best performance, exhibiting the water flux of 14.4/6.9 LMH and reverse salt flux of 7.7/3.8 gMH under the pressure retarded osmosis/forward osmosis (PRO/FO) mode using 1M NaCl as the draw against a DI-water feed, and a rejection of 96.1% for 2000 mg/L NaCl aqueous solution. The result indicated that layer-by-layer method was a potential method to regulate the structure and performance of the TFC-FO membrane.

Thin-Film Composite Pressure Retarded Osmosis Membranes for Sustainable Power Generation from Salinity Gradients

KAUST Repository

Yip, Ngai Yin

2011-05-15

Pressure retarded osmosis has the potential to produce renewable energy from natural salinity gradients. This work presents the fabrication of thin-film composite membranes customized for high performance in pressure retarded osmosis. We also present the development of a theoretical model to predict the water flux in pressure retarded osmosis, from which we can predict the power density that can be achieved by a membrane. The model is the first to incorporate external concentration polarization, a performance limiting phenomenon that becomes significant for high-performance membranes. The fabricated membranes consist of a selective polyamide layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer made by phase separation. The highly porous support layer (structural parameter S = 349 μm), which minimizes internal concentration polarization, allows the transport properties of the active layer to be customized to enhance PRO performance. It is shown that a hand-cast membrane that balances permeability and selectivity (A = 5.81 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, B = 0.88 L m-2 h-1) is projected to achieve the highest potential peak power density of 10.0 W/m2 for a river water feed solution and seawater draw solution. The outstanding performance of this membrane is attributed to the high water permeability of the active layer, coupled with a moderate salt permeability and the ability of the support layer to suppress the undesirable accumulation of leaked salt in the porous support. Membranes with greater selectivity (i.e., lower salt permeability, B = 0.16 L m-2 h-1) suffered from a lower water permeability (A = 1.74 L m-2 h-1 bar-1) and would yield a lower peak power density of 6.1 W/m2, while membranes with a higher permeability and lower selectivity (A = 7.55 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, B = 5.45 L m-2 h-1) performed poorly due to severe reverse salt permeation, resulting in a similar projected peak power density of 6.1 W/m2. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Bounding the marginal cost of producing potable water including the use of seawater desalinization as a backstop potable water production technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dooley, James J.

2014-04-01

The analysis presented in this technical report should allow for the creation of high, medium, and low cost potable water prices for GCAM. Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) based desalinization should act as a backstop for the cost of producing potable water (i.e., the literature seems clear that SWRO should establish an upper bound for the plant gate cost of producing potable water). Transporting water over significant distances and having to lift water to higher elevations to reach end-users can also have a significant impact on the cost of producing water. The three potable fresh water scenarios describe in this technical report are: low cost water scenario ($0.10/m3); medium water cost scenario ($1.00/m3); and high water cost scenario ($2.50/m3).

Comparative productivity of distillation and reverse osmosis desalination using energy from solar ponds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tleimat, B.W.; Howe, E.D.

1982-11-01

This paper presents comparative analyses of two methods for producing desalted water using the heat collected by a solar pond - the first by distillation, and the second by reverse osmosis. The distillation scheme uses a multiple-effect distiller supplied with steam generated in a flash boiler using heat from a solar pond. Solar pond water passes through a heat exchanger in the water system ahead of the flash boiler. The second scheme uses a similar arrangement to generate hydrocarbon vapor which drives a Rankine cycle engine. This engine produces mechanical/ electrical power for the RO plant. The analyses use two pond water temperatures -82.2/sup 0/C (180/sup 0/F) and 71.1/sup 0/C (160/sup 0/F) -- which seem to cover the range expected from salt-gradient ponds. In each case, the pond water temperature drops by 5.56/sup 0/C (10/sup 0/F) while passing through the vapor generator system. Results of these analyses show that, based on the assumptions made, desalted water could be produced by distillation at productivity rates much greater than those estimated for the RO plant.

Comparative productivity of distillation and reverse osmosis desalination using energy from solar ponds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tleimat, B.W.; Howe, E.D.

1982-11-01

This paper presents comparative analyses of two methods for producing desalted water using the heat collected by a solar pond - the first by distillation, and the second by reverse osmosis. The distillation scheme uses a multiple-effect distiller supplied with steam generated in a flash boiler using heat from a solar pond. Solar pond water passes through a heat exchanger in the water system ahead of the flash boiler. The second scheme uses a similar arrangement to generate hydrocarbon vapor which drives a Rankine cycle engine. This engine produces mechanical/ electrical power for the RO plant. The analyses use two pond water temperatures 82.2/sup 0/C (180/sup 0/F) and 71.1/sup 0/C (160/sup 0/F) - which seem to cover the range expected from salt-gradient ponds. In each case, the pond water temperature drops by 5.56/sup 0/C (10/sup 0/F) while passing through the vapor generator system. Results of these analyses show that, based on the assumptions made, desalted water could be produced by distillation at productivity rates much greater than those estimated for the RO plant.

Use of water processed by reverse osmosis For vapor generation in tobacco industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Alberto Klimeck Gouvea

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This article presents a study due to the technical use of reverse osmosis to treat the boiler water for steam generation in a plant of tobacco processing in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The monitoring was conducted between the years 2006 to 2008, presenting the results concerning the improvement of water quality with emphasis on environmental and financial gains. Water quality can be observed by the reduction of 90% in silica content and 100% hardness, leading to a reduction of incrustation and corrosion of the system. Moreover, a reduction in the discharges water from the boiler volume reduced the water consumption by approximately 6,000 m3/year and also the consumption of chemicals used in wastewater treatment plant, with a reduction of 32.76 m3/day of effluents to treatment. The reducing of energy with natural gas for water heating replacement was almost 900,000 m3/year (19.45%, because of increased in heat exchange efficiency. The reducing in the CO2 emissions was in order of 1215,65 t/year. Finally, based on the achieved results obtained, can be possible to assume a reducing costs of production as a whole.

Reverse osmosis desalination of chitosan cross-linked graphene oxide/titania hybrid lamellar membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Hui; Sun, Penzhan; Zhang, Yingjiu; Zhu, Hongwei

2016-07-08

With excellent mass transport properties, graphene oxide (GO)-based lamellar membranes are believed to have great potential in water desalination. In order to quantify whether GO-based membranes are indeed suitable for reverse osmosis (RO) desalination, three sub-micrometer thick GO-based lamellar membranes: GO-only, reduced GO (RGO)/titania (TO) nanosheets and RGO/TO/chitosan (CTS) are prepared, and their RO desalination performances are evaluated in a home-made RO test apparatus. The photoreduction of GO by TO improves the salt rejection, which increases slowly with the membrane thickness. The RGO/TO/CTS hybrid membranes exhibit higher rejection rates of only about 30% (greater than threefold improvement compared with a GO-only membrane) which is still inferior compared to other commercial RO membranes. The low rejection rates mainly arise from the pressure-induced weakening of the ion-GO interlayer interactions. Despite the advantages of simple, low-cost preparation, high permeability and selectivity of GO-based lamellar membranes, as the current desalination performances are not high enough to afford practical application, there still remains a great challenge to realize high performance separation membranes for water desalination applications.

Physical and chemical assessment of MSF distillate and SWRO product for drinking purpose

KAUST Repository

Gacem, Yasmine; Taleb, Safia; Ramdani, Amina; Senadjki, Samia; Ghaffour, NorEddine

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and chemical proprieties of desalinated seawater produced by Multi Stage Flash (MSF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) processes for drinking purpose. The final products, after post

Removal of organic micro-pollutants (phenol, aniline and nitrobenzene) via forward osmosis (FO) process: Evaluation of FO as an alternative method to reverse osmosis (RO).

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Yue; Liu, Xiang-Yang; Chung, Tai-Shung; Weber, Martin; Staudt, Claudia; Maletzko, Christian

2016-03-15

In this study, we have explored and compared the effectiveness of using (1) lab-fabricated forward osmosis (FO) membranes under both FO and reverse osmosis (RO) modes and (2) commercially available RO membranes under the RO mode for the removal of organic micro-pollutants. The lab-fabricated FO membranes are thin film composite (TFC) membranes consisting of a polyamide layer and a porous substrate cast from three different materials; namely, Matrimid, polyethersulfone (PESU) and sulfonated polyphenylene sulfone (sPPSU). The results show that the FO mode is superior to the RO mode in the removal of phenol, aniline and nitrobenzene from wastewater. The rejections of all three TFC membranes to all the three organic micro-pollutants under the FO processes are higher than 72% and can be even higher than 90% for aniline when a 1000 ppm aromatic aqueous solution and 1 M NaCl are employed as feeds. These performances outperform the results obtained from themselves and commercially available RO membranes under the RO mode. In addition, the rejection can be maintained even when treating a more concentrated feed solution (2000 ppm). The removal performance can be further enhanced by using a more concentrated draw solution (2 M). The water flux is almost doubled, and the rejection increment can reach up to 17%. Moreover, it was observed that annealing as a post-treatment would help compact the membrane selective layer and further enhance the separating efficiency. The obtained organic micro-pollutant rejections and water fluxes under various feasible operating conditions indicate that the FO process has potential to be a viable treatment for wastewater containing organic micro-pollutants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping to assess feasibility of using subsurface intakes for SWRO, Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia

KAUST Repository

Dehwah, Abdullah; Almashharawi, Samir; Missimer, Thomas M.

2013-01-01

Use of subsurface intakes for seawater reverse osmosis desalination (SWRO) systems is known to improve raw water quality, reduce use of chemicals, improve operational reliability, and reduce the life cycle cost of desalination. A key issue

Preparation and water desalination properties of POSS-polyamide nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes

KAUST Repository

Duan, Jintang; Litwiller, Eric; Pinnau, Ingo

2015-01-01

osmosis membranes was systematically investigated. Four POSS materials (P-8Phenyl, P-8NH3Cl, P-8NH2 and P-1NH2) were introduced into the selective layer by physical blending or chemical fixation during standard interfacial polymerization. Water flux and Na

Superhydrophilic Thin-Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membranes for Organic Fouling Control: Fouling Behavior and Antifouling Mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Tiraferri, Alberto

2012-10-16

This study investigates the fouling behavior and fouling resistance of superhydrophilic thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes functionalized with surface-tailored nanoparticles. Fouling experiments in both forward osmosis and reverse osmosis modes are performed with three model organic foulants: alginate, bovine serum albumin, and Suwannee river natural organic matter. A solution comprising monovalent and divalent salts is employed to simulate the solution chemistry of typical wastewater effluents. Reduced fouling is consistently observed for the superhydrophilic membranes compared to control thin-film composite polyamide membranes, in both reverse and forward osmosis modes. The fouling resistance and cleaning efficiency of the functionalized membranes is particularly outstanding in forward osmosis mode where the driving force for water flux is an osmotic pressure difference. To understand the mechanism of fouling, the intermolecular interactions between the foulants and the membrane surface are analyzed by direct force measurement using atomic force microscopy. Lower adhesion forces are observed for the superhydrophilic membranes compared to the control thin-film composite polyamide membranes. The magnitude and distribution of adhesion forces for the different membrane surfaces suggest that the antifouling properties of the superhydrophilic membranes originate from the barrier provided by the tightly bound hydration layer at their surface, as well as from the neutralization of the native carboxyl groups of thin-film composite polyamide membranes. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Superhydrophilic thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes for organic fouling control: fouling behavior and antifouling mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiraferri, Alberto; Kang, Yan; Giannelis, Emmanuel P; Elimelech, Menachem

2012-10-16

This study investigates the fouling behavior and fouling resistance of superhydrophilic thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes functionalized with surface-tailored nanoparticles. Fouling experiments in both forward osmosis and reverse osmosis modes are performed with three model organic foulants: alginate, bovine serum albumin, and Suwannee river natural organic matter. A solution comprising monovalent and divalent salts is employed to simulate the solution chemistry of typical wastewater effluents. Reduced fouling is consistently observed for the superhydrophilic membranes compared to control thin-film composite polyamide membranes, in both reverse and forward osmosis modes. The fouling resistance and cleaning efficiency of the functionalized membranes is particularly outstanding in forward osmosis mode where the driving force for water flux is an osmotic pressure difference. To understand the mechanism of fouling, the intermolecular interactions between the foulants and the membrane surface are analyzed by direct force measurement using atomic force microscopy. Lower adhesion forces are observed for the superhydrophilic membranes compared to the control thin-film composite polyamide membranes. The magnitude and distribution of adhesion forces for the different membrane surfaces suggest that the antifouling properties of the superhydrophilic membranes originate from the barrier provided by the tightly bound hydration layer at their surface, as well as from the neutralization of the native carboxyl groups of thin-film composite polyamide membranes.

Biofouling in reverse and forward osmosis membrane systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bucs, S.S.

2017-01-01

Global freshwater demand has significantly increased over the past century and continued growth is expected in the coming century. Since more than 97 percent of the water in the world is seawater, desalination technologies have the potential to solve the fresh water crisis. Currently, the most used

How different is the composition of the fouling layer of wastewater reuse and seawater desalination RO membranes?

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad; Busch, Markus; Molina, Veró nica Garcí a; Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.; Aubry, Cyril; Croue, Jean-Philippe

2014-01-01

To study the effect of water quality and operating parameters on membrane fouling, a comparative analysis of wastewater (WW) and seawater (SW) fouled reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was conducted. Membranes were harvested from SWRO and WWRO pilot plants located in Vilaseca (East Spain), both using ultrafiltration as pretreatment. The SWRO unit was fed with Mediterranean seawater and the WWRO unit was operated using secondary effluent collected from the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Lead and terminal SWRO and WWRO modules were autopsied after five months and three months of operation, respectively. Ultrastructural, chemical, and microbiological analyses of the fouling layers were performed. Results showed that the WWRO train had mainly bio/organic fouling at the lead position element and inorganic fouling at terminal position element, whereas SWRO train had bio/organic fouling at both end position elements. In the case of WWRO membranes, Betaproteobacteria was the major colonizing species; while Ca, S, and P were the major present inorganic elements. The microbial population of SWRO membranes was mainly represented by Alpha and Gammaproteobacteria. Ca, Fe, and S were the main identified inorganic elements of the fouling layer of SWRO membranes. These results confirmed that the RO fouling layer composition is strongly impacted by the source water quality. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

How different is the composition of the fouling layer of wastewater reuse and seawater desalination RO membranes?

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad

2014-08-01

To study the effect of water quality and operating parameters on membrane fouling, a comparative analysis of wastewater (WW) and seawater (SW) fouled reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was conducted. Membranes were harvested from SWRO and WWRO pilot plants located in Vilaseca (East Spain), both using ultrafiltration as pretreatment. The SWRO unit was fed with Mediterranean seawater and the WWRO unit was operated using secondary effluent collected from the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Lead and terminal SWRO and WWRO modules were autopsied after five months and three months of operation, respectively. Ultrastructural, chemical, and microbiological analyses of the fouling layers were performed. Results showed that the WWRO train had mainly bio/organic fouling at the lead position element and inorganic fouling at terminal position element, whereas SWRO train had bio/organic fouling at both end position elements. In the case of WWRO membranes, Betaproteobacteria was the major colonizing species; while Ca, S, and P were the major present inorganic elements. The microbial population of SWRO membranes was mainly represented by Alpha and Gammaproteobacteria. Ca, Fe, and S were the main identified inorganic elements of the fouling layer of SWRO membranes. These results confirmed that the RO fouling layer composition is strongly impacted by the source water quality. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Electro-oxidation of reverse osmosis concentrates generated in tertiary water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, G; Fernández-Alba, A R; Urtiaga, A M; Ortiz, I

2010-05-01

This work investigates the application of the electro-oxidation technology provided with boron doped diamond (BDD), an electrode material which has shown outstanding properties in oxidation of organic and inorganic compounds, for the treatment of reverse osmosis (RO) concentrates generated in tertiary wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium and several anions were measured during the electro-oxidation process, and the influence of the applied current density (20-200A/m(2)) was analysed on process kinetics. Analytical assessment showed that several emerging pollutants (pharmaceuticals, personal care products, stimulants, etc.) were presented both in the effluent of the secondary WWTP as well as in the RO concentrate. For this reason, a group of 10 emerging pollutants, those found with higher concentrations, was selected in order to test whether electro-oxidation can be also applied for their mitigation. In the removal of emerging pollutants the electrical current density in the range 20-100A/m(2) did not show influence likely due to the mass transfer resistance developed in the process when the oxidized solutes are present in such low concentrations. Their removal rates were fitted to first order expressions, and the apparent kinetic constants for the anodic oxidation of each compound were calculated. Finally, the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) has been checked; concluding that after selecting the appropriate operational conditions the attained concentration is lower than the standards for drinking water established in European and EPA regulations. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance of Potassium Bicarbonate and Calcium Chloride Draw Solutions for Desalination of Saline Water Using Forward Osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Nematzadeh

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Forward osmosis (FO has recently drawn attention as a promising membrane based method for seawater and brackish water desalination. In this study, we focus on the use of calciun chloride (CaCl2 and potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3 as inorganic salt draw solution candidates due to their appropriate performance in water flux and reverse salt diffusion as well as reasonable cost. The experiments were carried at 25 °C and cross-flow rate of 3 L min−1.  At the same osmotic pressure, the water flux of CaCl2 draw solution tested against deionized feed water, showed 20% higher permeation than KHCO3, which it was attributed to the lower internal concentration polarization (ICP. The reverse diffusion of CaCl2 was found higher than KHCO3 solution which it would be related to the smaller ionic size and the higher permeation of this salt through the membrane. The water flux for both draw solutions against 0.33 M NaCl feed solution was about 2.8 times lower than deionized feed water because of ICP. Higher concentrations of draw solution is required for increasing the water permeation from saline water feed towards the draw side.

Preventing colloidal fouling in reverse osmosis and nano filtration system. Application of electron beam surface analysis; Prevencion del ensuciamiento coloidal en sistemas de osmosis inversa y nanofiltracion. Aplicacion del analisis de superficies con haces de electrones.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanz Ataz, J.; Guerrero Gallego, L.; Taberna Camprubi, E.; Pena Garcia, N.M; Carulla Contreras, C.; Blavia Bergos, J.

2003-07-01

Particulate matter in natural waters and wastewaters can cause fouling in reverse osmosis and nano filtration membranes. Common foulants includes organic and inorganic colloids; hydrous aluminum and iron silicates, silt, iron and manganese oxides, calcium carbonate, microorganisms, polysaccharides, lipoproteins, biological debris, etc. Predicting fouling of dispersed materials on membrane surface and brine flow channels uses the silt density index (SDI) and modified fouling index (MFI). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy X-ray microanalysis (EDX) of SDI filters contributes to obtain information about shape, size and chemical composition of foulants and cake layer. (Author) 6 refs.

Polymer Coatings Reduce Electro-osmosis

Science.gov (United States)

Herren, Blair J.; Snyder, Robert; Shafer, Steven G.; Harris, J. Milton; Van Alstine, James M.

1989-01-01

Poly(ethylene glycol) film controls electrostatic potential. Electro-osmosis in quartz or glass chambers reduced or reversed by coating inside surface of chambers with monomacromolecular layers of poly(ethylene glycol). Stable over long times. Electrostatic potential across surface of untreated glass or plastic chamber used in electro-phoresis is negative and attracts cations in aqueous electrolyte. Cations solvated, entrains flow of electrolyte migrating toward cathode. Electro-osmotic flow interferes with desired electrophoresis of particles suspended in electrolyte. Polymer coats nontoxic, transparent, and neutral, advantageous for use in electrophoresis.

Energy optimization of Llobregat Desalination Plant by ERD; Optimizacion energetica de la Desalinizadora del Llobregat mediante sistemas de intercambio de presion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miguel, C.; Cazurra, T.; Jurado, J. L.; Orbe, H.; Sanz, M. A.; Icaza, G.; Galtes, J.

2009-07-01

Construction of the Llobregat desalination seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant will represent the guarantee of drinking water supply in the entire network managed by Aigues Ter Llobregat. The biggest cost associated to the drinking water supply produced by means of SWRO is mainly due to the necessary high operating pressures at the inlet of membranes. Due to this reality, Llobregat Desalination Plant incorporates the most state of the art and efficient technologies available, with the aim on minimizing the energy consumption. As a a result, one of the fundamental parts of these technologies are the Energy Recovery Devices (ERD), which recover the remaining energy (as a pressure form) in the brine out from the reverse osmosis, transferring this pressure to part of seawater feed towards the membranes, reducing the needs of energy consumption and the size the high pressure pump. (Author) 6 refs.

Integrated Wireless Monitoring and Control System in Reverse Osmosis Membrane Desalination Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al Haji Ahmad

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The operational processes of the Reverse Osmosis (RO membrane desalination plants require continuous monitoring through the constant attendance of operators to ensure proper productivity and minimize downtime and prevent membrane failure. Therefore, the plant must be equipped with a control system that monitors and controls the operational variables. Monitoring and controlling the affecting parameters are critical to the evaluation of the performance of the desalination plant, which will help the operator find and resolve problems immediately. Therefore, this paper was aimed at developing an RO unit by utilizing a wireless sensor network (WSN system. Hence, an RO pilot plant with a feed capacity of 1.2 m3/h was utilized, commissioned, and tested in Kuwait to assess and verify the performance of the integrated WSN in RO membrane desalination system. The investigated system allowed the operators to remotely monitor the operational process of the RO system. The operational data were smoothly recorded and monitored. Furthermore, the technical problems were immediately determined, which reduced the time and effort in rectifying the technical problems relevant to the RO performance. The manpower requirements of such treatment system were dramatically reduced by about 50%. Based on a comparison between manual and wireless monitoring operational processes, the availability of the integrated RO unit with a wireless monitoring was increased by 10%

Economic advantages to optimising chemical products in pre-treatment in reverse osmosis desalination plants; Ventajas economicas al optimizar los productos quimicos en el pretratamiento de plantas desaladoras por osmosis inversa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Munoz Elguera, A.; Alday Ansola, J.; Perez Baez, S. O.

2001-07-01

This article reports the results of a process of optimising the dosage of Sodium hypochlorite and Metabisulphite, performed on sea water in the pre-treatment division of the Las Palmas III reverse osmosis desalination plant, currently operated by Empresa Mixta de Aguas de las Palmas (EMALSA), responsible for providing drinking water to more than 400.000 people in the city of Las Palmas, capital of Grand Canary Island. The results of this optimisation process, contrary to the opinion of the operators of the plant, after reducing the amount of Metabisulphite normally used in the plant by 70%, and Sodium hypochlorite by 30%, there were no adverse effects on the microbiological quality of the sea water. Moreover, the performance of the membranes was improved (bad odors disappeared, along with organic material sediments, etc.). (Author) 9 refs.

Reverse osmosis membrane composition, structure and performance modification by bisulphite, iron(III), bromide and chlorite exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer, O; Gibert, O; Cortina, J L

2016-10-15

Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane exposure to bisulphite, chlorite, bromide and iron(III) was assessed in terms of membrane composition, structure and performance. Membrane composition was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and membrane performance was assessed by water and chloride permeation, using a modified version of the solution-diffusion model. Iron(III) dosage in presence of bisulphite led to an autooxidation of the latter, probably generating free radicals which damaged the membrane. It comprised a significant raise in chloride passage (chloride permeation coefficient increased 5.3-5.1 fold compared to the virgin membrane under the conditions studied) rapidly. No major differences in terms of water permeability and membrane composition were observed. Nevertheless, an increase in the size of the network pores, and a raise in the fraction of aggregate pores of the polyamide (PA) layer were identified, but no amide bond cleavage was observed. These structural changes were therefore, in accordance with the transport properties observed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of reverse osmosis membranes for the separation of lemongrass essential oil and supercritical CO2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.A.V. Sarmento

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Although it is still used very little by industry, the process of essential oil extraction from vegetable matrices with supercritical CO2 is regarded as a potentially viable technique. The operation of separating the extract from the solvent is carried out by reducing the pressure in the system. Separation by membranes is an alternative that offers lower energy consumption and easier operation than traditional methods of separation. Combining the processes essential oil extraction with supercritical CO2 and separation by membranes permits the separation of solvent and oil without the need for large variations in extraction conditions. This results in a large energy savings in the case of solvent repressurisation and reuse. In this study, the effectiveness of reverse osmosis membranes in separating lemongrass essential oil from mixtures with supercritical CO2 was tested. The effects of feed oil concentration and transmembrane pressure on CO2 permeate flux and oil retention were studied for three membrane models.

Wastewater reclamation using discarded reverse osmosis membranes for reuse in irrigation in Djibouti, an arid country.

Science.gov (United States)

Awaleh, Mohamed Osman; Ahmed, Moussa Mahdi; Soubaneh, Youssouf Djibril; Hoch, Farhan Bouraleh; Bouh, Samatar Mohamed; Dirieh, Elias Said

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to establish the feasibility of recovering discarded reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in order to reduce the salinity of domestic treated wastewater. This study shows that the reuse of RO membranes is of particular interest for arid countries having naturally high mineralized water such as Djibouti. The pilot desalination unit reduces the electrical conductivity, the turbidity and the total dissolved salt respectively at 75-85, 96.7 and 95.4%. The water produced with this desalination unit contains an average of 254 cfu/100 mL total coliforms and 87 cfu/100 mL fecal coliforms. This effluent meets the World Health Organization standards for treated wastewater reuse for agricultural purposes. The annual cost of the desalination unit was evaluated as US $/m(3) 0.82, indicating the relatively high cost of this process. Nevertheless, such processes are required to produce an effluent, with a high reuse potential.

Epithelial Fluid Transport is Due to Electro-osmosis (80%), Plus Osmosis (20%).

Science.gov (United States)

Fischbarg, Jorge; Hernandez, Julio A; Rubashkin, Andrey A; Iserovich, Pavel; Cacace, Veronica I; Kusnier, Carlos F

2017-06-01

Epithelial fluid transport, an important physiological process shrouded in a long-standing enigma, may finally be moving closer to a solution. We propose that, for the corneal endothelium, relative proportions for the driving forces for fluid transport are 80% of paracellular electro-osmosis, and 20% classical transcellular osmosis. These operate in a cyclical process with a period of 9.2 s, which is dictated by the decrease and exhaustion of cellular Na + . Paracellular electro-osmosis is sketched here, and partially discussed as much as the subject still allows; transcellular osmosis is presented at length.

Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ajao, Olumoye; Rahni, Mohamed; Marinova, Mariya; Chadjaa, Hassan; Savadogo, Oumarou

2017-12-15

Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.

Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olumoye Ajao

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.

Using ultra-osmosis to concentrate residues upto 20% solids using 10% of the energy of conventional methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Shea, J A

1990-01-01

In the Food Industry, generally that is, Milk, Beet, Grain and Potato processing the major energy input is the removal of water from the raw material. This is particularly important in the milk Industry where liquid milk has a water content of 88%. When the fat and protein are removed it is only 6% solid or 94% water. The consideration of Ultra-Osmosis is beneficial in its energy efficiency compared to thermal vapour recompression and also has the side benefit as being a demineralisation plant as well. Reverse Osmosis is a unique cross lined polyamide membrane. Its rejection characteristics enable it to discriminate among low molecular weight species. The pore structure of the membrane is such that a separation between sodium chloride and calcium sulphate may be accomplished. Such separations are useful in a variety of applications. The utility of the membrane is further enhanced by the simultaneous ability to concentrate the retained species. The Ultra Osmosis process based on a membrane with rejection characteristics intermediate between those common in Ultra Filtration and Reverse Osmosis opens the road to a whole new spectrum of membrane separations. 3 figs.

Rejection of micropollutants by clean and fouled forward osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo

2011-12-01

As forward osmosis (FO) gains attention as an efficient technology to improve wastewater reclamation processes, it is fundamental to determine the influence of fouling in the rejection of emerging contaminants (micropollutants). This study focuses on the rejection of 13 selected micropollutants, spiked in a secondary wastewater effluent, by a FO membrane, using Red Sea water as draw solution (DS), differentiating the effects on the rejection caused by a clean and fouled membrane. The resulting effluent was then desalinated at low pressure with a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, to produce a high quality permeate and determine the rejection with a coupled forward osmosis - low pressure reverse osmosis (FO-LPRO) system. When considering only FO with a clean membrane, the rejection of the hydrophilic neutral compounds was between 48.6% and 84.7%, for the hydrophobic neutrals the rejection ranged from 40.0% to 87.5%, and for the ionic compounds the rejections were between 92.9% and 96.5%. With a fouled membrane, the rejections were between 44.6% and 95.2%, 48.7%-91.5% and 96.9%-98.6%, respectively. These results suggest that, except for the hydrophilic neutral compounds, the rejection of the micropollutants is increased by the presence of a fouling layer, possibly due to the higher hydrophilicity of the FO fouled membrane compared to the clean one, the increased adsorption capacity of hydrophilic compounds and reduced mass transport capacity, membrane swelling, and the higher negative charge of the membrane surface, related to the foulants composition, mainly NOM acids (carboxylic radicals) and polysaccharides or polysaccharide-like substances. However, when coupled with RO, the rejections in both cases increased above 96%. The coupled FO-LPRO system was an effective double barrier against the selected micropollutants. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Rejection of micropollutants by clean and fouled forward osmosis membrane

KAUST Repository

Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor; Li, Zhenyu; Amy, Gary L.

2011-01-01

As forward osmosis (FO) gains attention as an efficient technology to improve wastewater reclamation processes, it is fundamental to determine the influence of fouling in the rejection of emerging contaminants (micropollutants). This study focuses on the rejection of 13 selected micropollutants, spiked in a secondary wastewater effluent, by a FO membrane, using Red Sea water as draw solution (DS), differentiating the effects on the rejection caused by a clean and fouled membrane. The resulting effluent was then desalinated at low pressure with a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, to produce a high quality permeate and determine the rejection with a coupled forward osmosis - low pressure reverse osmosis (FO-LPRO) system. When considering only FO with a clean membrane, the rejection of the hydrophilic neutral compounds was between 48.6% and 84.7%, for the hydrophobic neutrals the rejection ranged from 40.0% to 87.5%, and for the ionic compounds the rejections were between 92.9% and 96.5%. With a fouled membrane, the rejections were between 44.6% and 95.2%, 48.7%-91.5% and 96.9%-98.6%, respectively. These results suggest that, except for the hydrophilic neutral compounds, the rejection of the micropollutants is increased by the presence of a fouling layer, possibly due to the higher hydrophilicity of the FO fouled membrane compared to the clean one, the increased adsorption capacity of hydrophilic compounds and reduced mass transport capacity, membrane swelling, and the higher negative charge of the membrane surface, related to the foulants composition, mainly NOM acids (carboxylic radicals) and polysaccharides or polysaccharide-like substances. However, when coupled with RO, the rejections in both cases increased above 96%. The coupled FO-LPRO system was an effective double barrier against the selected micropollutants. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Potential of dyes as draw solutions in forward osmosis for the South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2University of Maribor, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, ... Forward osmosis (FO) technology has gained substantial interest as a possible lower-energy desalination ...... thesis, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty ... membranes: fouling reversibility and cleaning without chemical reagents.

In-situ Non-destructive Studies on Biofouling Processes in Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems

KAUST Repository

Farhat, Nadia

2016-12-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membrane systems are high-pressure membrane filtration processes that can produce high quality drinking water. Biofouling, biofilm formation that exceeds a certain threshold, is a major problem in spiral wound RO and NF membrane systems resulting in a decline in membrane performance, produced water quality, and quantity. In practice, detection of biofouling is typically done indirectly through measurements of performance decline. Existing direct biofouling detection methods are mainly destructive, such as membrane autopsies, where biofilm samples can be contaminated, damaged and resulting in biofilm structural changes. The objective of this study was to test whether transparent luminescent planar oxygen sensing optodes, in combination with a simple imaging system, can be used for in-situ, non-destructive biofouling characterization. Aspects of the study were early detection of biofouling, biofilm spatial patterning in spacer filled channels, and the effect of feed cross-flow velocity, and feed flow temperature. Oxygen sensing optode imaging was found suitable for studying biofilm processes and gave detailed spatial and quantitative biofilm development information enabling better understanding of the biofouling development process. The outcome of this study attests the importance of in-situ, non-destructive imaging in acquiring detailed knowledge on biofilm development in membrane systems contributing to the development of effective biofouling control strategies.

Development of a simplified treatment for measuring tritium concentration in the environmental water. Removal of dissolved ions by reverse osmosis membrane for electrolysis enrichment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koganezawa, Takayuki; Iida, Takao; Ogata, Yoshimune; Tsuji, Naruhito; Kakiuchi, Masahisa; Satake, Hiroshi; Yamanishi, Hirokuni; Sakuma, Yoichi

2004-01-01

An apparatus for tritium enrichment by electrolysis using solid polymer electrolyte was recently developed. The apparatus has the advantage that is to be electrolyzed without adding electrolyte to the sample water. The new treatment both being replaced the distillation process with filtration before electrolysis and being omitted the distillation process after electrolysis, was proposed. Impurities eluted by the electrolysis of ultra pure water with the device introduced no influence on tritium measurement. As alternative treatment to distillation before enrichment, micro filtration and reverse osmosis was carried out. When the sample water treated by micro filtration was electrolyzed, ions adhered both to the electrodes and the solid polymer electrolyte of the device since micro filtration cannot remove ions in the sample water. Therefore, the sample water treated by micro filtration caused some troubles in the electrolysis device. On the other hand, the sample water treated by reverse osmosis did not cause any troubles because it could remove ions. Applying the new treatment to measure some environmental waters, such as river water, resulted in an effective measurement without any influence to liquid scintillation counting. The results proved that a period of the pretreatment process of the water sample could be decreased from about 2 days to about 1.5 hours by applying the proposed treatment. A simplified treatment on the procedure of electrolysis enrichment was established for tritium measurements in the environmental water samples via liquid scintillation counting. (author)

Impact of reverse nutrient diffusion on membrane biofouling in fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis

KAUST Repository

Li, Sheng; Kim, Youngjin; Chekli, Laura; Phuntsho, Sherub; Shon, Ho Kyong; Leiknes, TorOve; Ghaffour, NorEddine

2017-01-01

Biofouling in fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) for water reuse was investigated by spiking pure bacteria species Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1+GFP and using three different fertilizers KNO3, KCl and KH2PO4 as draw solutions. The performance

Sanitization of an Automatic Reverse-Osmosis Watering System: Removal of a Clinically Significant Biofilm

Science.gov (United States)

Molk, Denise M; Karr-May, Charlene L; Trang, Elaine D; Sanders, George E

2013-01-01

During environmental monitoring of our institution's rodent watering systems, one vivarium was found to have high bacterial loads in the reverse-osmosis (RO) automatic water system. These findings prompted evaluation of the entire RO water production and distribution system. Investigation revealed insufficient rack and RO system sanitization, leading to heavy biofilm accumulation within the system. Approximately 2 wk after discovery in the water system, one of the bacterial organisms isolated in the water supply, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, was isolated from a peritoneal abscess of a severely immunodeficient B6.Cg-Slc11a1r Rag1tm1Mom/Cwi mouse housed in the same vivarium, suggesting that rodents drinking from this system were being exposed randomly to fragments of biofilm. Plans were developed to sanitize the entire system. Hypercholorination was used first, followed by treatment with a combination of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Between system sanitizations, a low-level chlorine infusion was added to the system as a biocide. Heterotrophic plate counts and bacterial isolation were performed on water samples obtained before and after sanitization procedures. We here discuss the process of identifying and correcting this important water-quality issue. PMID:23562105

A novel reverse osmosis membrane by ferrous sulfate assisted controlled oxidation of polyamide layer

Science.gov (United States)

Raval, Hiren D.; Raviya, Mayur R.; Gauswami, Maulik V.

2017-11-01

With growing desalination capacity, it is very important to evaluate the performance of thin film composite reverse osmosis (TFC RO) membrane in terms of energy consumption for desalination. There is a trade-off between salt rejection and water-flux of TFC RO membrane. This article presents a novel approach of analyzing the effect of mixture of an oxidizing agent sodium hypochlorite and a reducing agent ferrous sulfate on virgin TFC RO membrane. Experiments were carried out by varying the concentrations of both sodium hypochlorite and ferrous sulfate. The negative charge was induced on the membrane due to the treatment of combination of sodium hypochlorite and ferrous sulfate, thereby resulting in higher rejection of negative ions due to repulsive force. Membrane treated with 1000 mg l-1 sodium hypochlorite and 2000 mg l-1 ferrous sulfate showed the best salt rejection i.e. 96.23%. The characterization was carried out to understand the charge on the membrane surface by Zeta potential, morphology of membrane surface by scanning electron microscope (SEM), surface roughness features by atomic force microscope (AFM) and chemical structural changes by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis.

Pilot-scale reverse osmosis testing for the F and H Area Effluent Treatment Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kessler, J.L.

1984-01-01

Pilot-scale reverse osmosis (RO) tests were completed with a 10 gpm unit to demonstrate the performance of RO in the F and H Area Effluent Treatment Facility (F/H ETF). RO will be used in the WMETF to remove soluble salts and soluble radioactivity. The advantage of using RO (over ion exchange) is that it is nondescriminanting and removes virtually all dissolved solids species, regardless of ionic charge. RO also generates less than half the waste volume produced by ion exchange. Test results using a 200-Area nonradioactive effluent simulant demonstrated salt rejections of 98% and water recoveries of 94% by using recycle on a single stage pilot unit. For a full-scale, multi-staged unit overall salt rejections will be 95% (DF = 20) while obtaining a 94% water recovery (94% discharge, 6% concentrated waste stream). Identical performance is expected on actual radioactive streams, based on shielded cells testing performed by Motyka and Stimson. Similarly, if the WMETF RO system is configured in the same manner as the SRL ECWPF, a DF of 20 and a water recvery of 94% should be obtained

Coating of reverse osmosis membranes with amphiphilic copolymers for biofouling control

KAUST Repository

Bucs, Szilard

2017-05-30

Surface coating of membranes may be a promising option to control biofilm development and biofouling impact on membrane performance of spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) systems. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of an amphiphilic copolymer coating on biofilm formation and biofouling control. The coating was composed of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFA), respectively. Commercial RO membranes were coated with HEMA-PFA copolymer film. Long and short term biofouling studies with coated and uncoated membranes and feed spacer were performed using membrane fouling simulators (MFSs) operated in parallel, fed with water containing nutrients. For the long-term studies pressure drop development in time was monitored and after eight days the MFSs were opened and the accumulated biofilm on the membrane and spacer sheets was quantified and characterized. The presence of the membrane coating was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results showed that the amphiphilic coating (i) delayed biofouling (a lower pressure drop increase by a factor of 3 and a lower accumulated active biomass amount by a factor of 6), (ii) influenced the biofilm composition (23% lower polysaccharides and 132% higher protein content) and (iii) was still completely present on the membrane at the end of the biofouling study, showing that the coating was strongly attached to the membrane surface. Using coated membranes and feed spacers in combination with advanced cleaning strategies may be a suitable way to control biofouling.

Pseudomonas-related populations associated with reverse osmosis in drinking water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sala-Comorera, Laura; Blanch, Anicet R; Vilaró, Carles; Galofré, Belén; García-Aljaro, Cristina

2016-11-01

Reverse osmosis membrane filtration technology (RO) is used to treat drinking water. After RO treatment, bacterial growth is still observed in water. However, it is not clear whether those microorganisms belong to species that can pose a health risk, such as Pseudomonas spp. The goal of this study is to characterize the bacterial isolates from a medium that is selective for Pseudomonas and Aeromonas which were present in the water fraction before and after the RO. To this end, isolates were recovered over two years and were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. They were then biochemically phenotyped and the population similarity indexes were calculated. The isolates were analysed for their capacity to form biofilms in vitro and antimicrobial susceptibility. There were significant differences between the microbial populations in water before and after RO. Furthermore, the structures of the populations analysed at the same sampling point were similar in different sampling campaigns. Some of the isolates had the capacity to form a biofilm and showed resistance to different antibiotics. A successful level filtration via RO and subsequent recolonization of the membrane with different species from those in the feed water was found. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was not recovered from among the isolates. This study increases the knowledge on the microorganisms present in water after RO treatment, with focus in one of the genus causing problems in RO systems associated with human health risk, Pseudomonas. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coating of reverse osmosis membranes with amphiphilic copolymers for biofouling control

KAUST Repository

Bucs, Szilard; Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Siddiqui, Amber; Matin, Asif; Khan, Zafarullah; van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M.; Yang, Rong; Wang, Minghui; Gleason, Karen K.; Kruithof, Joop C.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.

2017-01-01

Surface coating of membranes may be a promising option to control biofilm development and biofouling impact on membrane performance of spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) systems. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of an amphiphilic copolymer coating on biofilm formation and biofouling control. The coating was composed of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFA), respectively. Commercial RO membranes were coated with HEMA-PFA copolymer film. Long and short term biofouling studies with coated and uncoated membranes and feed spacer were performed using membrane fouling simulators (MFSs) operated in parallel, fed with water containing nutrients. For the long-term studies pressure drop development in time was monitored and after eight days the MFSs were opened and the accumulated biofilm on the membrane and spacer sheets was quantified and characterized. The presence of the membrane coating was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results showed that the amphiphilic coating (i) delayed biofouling (a lower pressure drop increase by a factor of 3 and a lower accumulated active biomass amount by a factor of 6), (ii) influenced the biofilm composition (23% lower polysaccharides and 132% higher protein content) and (iii) was still completely present on the membrane at the end of the biofouling study, showing that the coating was strongly attached to the membrane surface. Using coated membranes and feed spacers in combination with advanced cleaning strategies may be a suitable way to control biofouling.

Proceedings of the international congress on desalination and water reuse: water, the essence of life, 1981

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakish, R. (ed.)

1981-11-01

This conference proceedings contains 112 papers of which 21 appear in abstract form only. 38 papers have been abstracted separately. The papers in volume 1 are arranged in the following sections: thermal processes; scale control; materials; membranes-reverse osmosis: membrane fundamentals, pretreatment and seawater reverse osmosis; and membranes-electrodialysis. The papers in volume 2 are arranged in the following sections: instrumentation; new energy sources; activities in the Middle East; activities in the American continent; activities in Europe and the Mediterranean; activities in Asia and the Far East; role of energy and economics in water conversion; education and management; and related topics.

Forward osmosis :a new approach to water purification and desalination.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, James Edward; Evans, Lindsey R.

2006-07-01

Fresh, potable water is an essential human need and thus looming water shortages threaten the world's peace and prosperity. Waste water, brackish water, and seawater have great potential to fill the coming requirements. Unfortunately, the ability to exploit these resources is currently limited in many parts of the world by both the cost of the energy and the investment in equipment required for purification/desalination. Forward (or direct) osmosis is an emerging process for dewatering aqueous streams that might one day help resolve this problem. In FO, water from one solution selectively passes through a membrane to a second solution based solely on the difference in the chemical potential (concentration) of the two solutions. The process is spontaneous, and can be accomplished with very little energy expenditure. Thus, FO can be used, in effect, to exchange one solute for a different solute, specifically chosen for its chemical or physical properties. For desalination applications, the salts in the feed stream could be exchanged for an osmotic agent specifically chosen for its ease of removal, e.g. by precipitation. This report summarizes work performed at Sandia National Laboratories in the area of FO and reviews the status of the technology for desalination applications. At its current state of development, FO will not replace reverse osmosis (RO) as the most favored desalination technology, particularly for routine waters. However, a future role for FO is not out of the question. The ability to treat waters with high solids content or fouling potential is particularly attractive. Although our analysis indicates that FO is not cost effective as a pretreatment for conventional BWRO, water scarcity will likely drive societies to recover potable water from increasingly marginal resources, for example gray water and then sewage. In this context, FO may be an attractive pretreatment alternative. To move the technology forward, continued improvement and

Performance of electrodialysis reversal and reverse osmosis for reclaiming wastewater from high-tech industrial parks in Taiwan: A pilot-scale study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yen, Feng-Chi; You, Sheng-Jie; Chang, Tien-Chin

2017-02-01

Wastewater reclamation is considered an absolute necessity in Taiwan, as numerous industrial parks experience water shortage. However, the water quality of secondary treated effluents from sewage treatment plants generally does not meet the requirements of industrial water use because of the high inorganic constituents. This paper reports experimental data from a pilot-plant study of two treatment processes-(i) fiber filtration (FF)-ultrafiltration (UF)-reverse osmosis (RO) and (ii) sand filtration (SF)-electrodialysis reversal (EDR)-for treating industrial high conductivity effluents from the Xianxi wastewater treatment plant in Taiwan. The results demonstrated that FF-UF was excellent for turbidity removal and it was a suitable pretreatment process for RO. The influence of two membrane materials on the operating characteristics and process stability of the UF process was determined. The treatment performance of FF-UF-RO was higher than that of SF-EDR with an average desalination rate of 97%, a permeate conductivity of 272.7 ± 32.0, turbidity of 0.183 ± 0.02 NTU and a chemical oxigen demand of <4.5 mg/L. The cost analysis for both processes in a water reclamation plant of 4000 m 3 /d capacity revealed that using FF-UF-RO had a lower treatment cost than using SF-EDR, which required activated carbon filtration as a post treatment process. On the basis of the results in this study, the FF-UF-RO system is recommended as a potential process for additional applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MODIFIED REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM FOR TREATMENT OF PRODUCED WATERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert L. Lee; Junghan Dong

2004-06-03

This final report of ''Modified Reverse Osmosis System for Treatment of Produced Water,'' DOE project No. DE-FC26-00BC15326 describes work performed in the third year of the project. Several good results were obtained, which are documented in this report. The compacted bentonite membranes were replaced by supported bentonite membranes, which exhibited the same salt rejection capability. Unfortunately, it also inherited the clay expansion problem due to water invasion into the interlayer spaces of the compacted bentonite membranes. We noted that the supported bentonite membrane developed in the project was the first of its kind reported in the literature. An {alpha}-alumina-supported MFI-type zeolite membrane synthesized by in-situ crystallization was fabricated and tested. Unlike the bentonite clay membranes, the zeolite membranes maintained stability and high salt rejection rate even for a highly saline solution. Actual produced brines from gas and oil fields were then tested. For gas fields producing brine, the 18,300 ppm TDS (total dissolved solids) in the produced brine was reduced to 3060 ppm, an 83.3% rejection rate of 15,240 ppm salt rejection. For oilfield brine, while the TDS was reduced from 181,600 ppm to 148,900 ppm, an 18% rejection rate of 32,700 ppm reduction, the zeolite membrane was stable. Preliminary results show the dissolved organics, mainly hydrocarbons, did not affect the salt rejection. However, the rejection of organics was inconclusive at this point. Finally, the by-product of this project, the {alpha}-alumina-supported Pt-Co/Na Y catalytic zeolite membrane was developed and demonstrated for overcoming the two-step limitation of nonoxidation methane (CH{sub 4}) conversion to higher hydrocarbons (C{sub 2+}) and hydrogen (H{sub 2}). Detailed experiments to obtain quantitative results of H{sub 2} generation for various conditions are now being conducted. Technology transfer efforts included five manuscripts submitted to

Troubleshooting at Reverse Osmosis performance decrease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soons, Jan [KEMA (Netherlands)

2011-07-01

There are several causes for a decrease in Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane performance each of which requiring actions to tackle the possible cause. Two of the main factors affecting the performance of the system are the feed quality (poor feed quality can lead to fouling of the membranes) and the operational conditions (including the maximum allowed pressure, minimum cleaning frequencies and types, recovery rate etc, which should be according to the design conditions). If necessary, pre-treatment will be applied in order to remove the fouling agents from the influent, reduce scaling (through the addition of anti-scalants) and for the protection of the membranes (for example, sodium metabisulphite addition for the removal of residual chlorine which can harm the membranes). Fouling is not strictly limited to the use of surface water as feed water, also relatively clean water sources will, over time, lead to organic and inorganic fouling when cleaning is not optimum. When fouling occurs, the TransMembrane Pressure (TMP) increases and more energy will be needed to produce the same amount of product water. Also, the cleaning rate will increase, reducing the production rate and increasing the chemical consumption and the produced waste streams. Furthermore, the quality of the effluent will decrease (lower rejection rates at higher pressures) and the lifetime of the membranes will decrease. Depending on the type of fouling different cleaning regimes will have to be applied: acidic treatment for inorganic fouling, the addition of bases against organic fouling. Therefore, it is very important to have a clear view of the type of fouling that is occurring, in order to apply the correct treatment methods. Another important aspect to be kept in mind is that the chemistry of the water - in the first place ruled by the feed water composition - can change during passage of the modules, in particular in cases where the RO system consists of two or more RO trains, and where the

Enhanced Performance of Thin Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane by Chemical Post-Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zheng; Chen, Jiangrong; Cao, Zhen; Wang, Jian; Guo, Chungang

2018-01-01

Forward osmosis is an attractive technique in water purification and desalination fields. Enhancement of the forward osmosis membrane performance is essential to the application of this technique. In this study, an optimized chemical post-treatment approach which was used to improve RO membrane performance was employed for enhancing water flux of thin film composite forward osmosis membrane. Home-made polysulfide-based forward osmosis membrane was prepared and nitric acid, sulfuric acid, ethanol, 2-propanol were employed as post-treatment solutions. After a short-term treatment, all the membrane samples manifested water flux enhancement compared with their untreated counterparts. Over 50% increase of water flux had been obtained by ethanol solution treatment. The swelling, changes of hydrophobicity and solvency in both active layer and substrate were verified as the major causes for the enhancement of the water flux. It is noted that the treatment time and solution concentration should be controlled to get both appropriate water flux and reverse salt flux. The results obtained in this study will be useful for further FO membrane development and application.

Biofouling of reverse osmosis membranes: effects of cleaning on biofilm microbial communities, membrane performance, and adherence of extracellular polymeric substances.

Science.gov (United States)