Using loose nanofiltration membrane for lake water treatment: A pilot study

doi:10.1007/s11783-020-1362-6

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2021, Vol. 15

Issue (4) : 69 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1362-6

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Using loose nanofiltration membrane for lake water treatment: A pilot study

Danyang Liu¹, Johny Cabrera¹, Lijuan Zhong², Wenjing Wang², Dingyuan Duan², Xiaomao Wang¹(

), Shuming Liu¹, Yuefeng F. Xie^1,³

¹. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
². Chengdu Xingrong Environmental Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610041, China
³. Civil and Environmental Programs, Penn State University, Middletown, PA 17057, USA

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Abstract

• A pilot study was conducted for drinking water treatment using loose NF membranes.

• The membranes had very high rejection of NOM and medium rejection of Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺.

• Organic fouling was dominant and contribution of inorganic fouling was substantial.

• Both organic and inorganic fouling had spatial non-uniformity on membrane surface.

• Applying EDTA at basic conditions was effective in removing membrane fouling.

Nanofiltration (NF) using loose membranes has a high application potential for advanced treatment of drinking water by selectively removing contaminants from the water, while membrane fouling remains one of the biggest problems of the process. This paper reported a seven-month pilot study of using a loose NF membrane to treat a sand filtration effluent which had a relatively high turbidity (~0.4 NTU) and high concentrations of organic matter (up to 5 mg/L as TOC), hardness and sulfate. Results showed that the membrane demonstrated a high rejection of TOC (by>90%) and a moderately high rejection of two pesticides (54%–82%) while a moderate rejection of both calcium and magnesium (~45%) and a low rejection of total dissolved solids (~27%). The membrane elements suffered from severe membrane fouling, with the membrane permeance decreased by 70% after 85 days operation. The membrane fouling was dominated by organic fouling, while biological fouling was moderate. Inorganic fouling was mainly caused by deposition of aluminum-bearing substances. Though inorganic foulants were minor contents on membrane, their contribution to overall membrane fouling was substantial. Membrane fouling was not uniform on membrane. While contents of organic and inorganic foulants were the highest at the inlet and outlet region, respectively, the severity of membrane fouling increased from the inlet to the outlet region of membrane element with a difference higher than 30%. While alkaline cleaning was not effective in removing the membrane foulants, the use of ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA) at alkaline conditions could effectively restore the membrane permeance.

Keywords Nanofiltration Drinking water Membrane fouling Aluminum carryover Chemical cleaning

Corresponding Author(s): Xiaomao Wang

Issue Date: 13 November 2020

Cite this article:

Danyang Liu,Johny Cabrera,Lijuan Zhong, et al. Using loose nanofiltration membrane for lake water treatment: A pilot study[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(4): 69.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-020-1362-6
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2021/V15/I4/69

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of the nanofiltration system for the pilot study.

Fig.2 Comparison of rejections of organic matter, total dissolved solids and various cations and anions by the loose nanofiltration membrane.

Fig.3 Variation of membrane inlet pressure and membrane permeance in the first 85 days of operation of the nanofiltration system.

Fig.4 Accumulation of various elements onto the membrane from the feed water.

Fig.5 Comparison of organic foulants content (as TOC and UV₂₅₄) and resistance to filtration of fouled membrane in the inlet, middle and outlet regions of membrane element.

Fig.6 Comparison of the FTIR spectra of fouled membrane in the inlet, middle and outlet regions of membrane element.

Fig.7 Effects of various chemical cleaning methods in reducing resistance to filtration of the fouled membrane.

Fig.8 Effects of various chemical cleaning methods in changing FTIR spectra of the fouled membrane.

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