ABSTRACT
In pursuit of sustainability, we explored replacing conventional dissolved air floatation (DAF) in poultry processing wastewater (PPW) treatment with a precisely tuned 0.02 µm stainless-steel ultrafiltration (SSUF) membrane. SSUF is a robust, homogenously porous membrane with strong chemical resistance, ease of cleaning, and exceptional resistance to organic fouling. Unlike polymeric membranes, it can be regenerated multiple times, making it a cost-effective choice due to its compatibility with harsh chemical cleaning. The PPW used for the study was untreated wastewater from all processing units and post-initial screening. Our study revealed the SSUF membrane's exceptional efficiency at eliminating contaminants. It achieved an impressive removal rate of up to 99.9% for total suspended solids (TSS), oil, grease, E. coli, and coliform. Additionally, it displayed a notable reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), up to 90%, 76%, and 76%, respectively. Our investigation further emphasized the SSUF membrane's ability in pathogen removal, affirming its capacity to effectively eradicate up to 99.99% of E. coli and coliform. The measured critical flux of the membrane was 48 Lm-2h-1 at 38 kPa pressure and 1.90 m/s cross-flow velocity. In summary, our study highlights the considerable potential of the SSUF membrane. Its robust performance treating PPW offers a promising avenue for reducing its environmental impact and advocating for sustainable wastewater management practices.
ABSTRACT
Produced water (PW) generated from hydraulic fracturing operations was treated using an integrated electrocoagulation, ultrafiltration, membrane distillation, and crystallization process (EC UF MDC). The aim was to determine the viability of this integrated process for maximizing water recovery. The results obtained here indicate that optimizing the various unit operations could lead to increased recovery of PW. Membrane fouling limits all membrane separation processes. A pretreatment step to suppress fouling is essential. Here, removal of total suspended solids (TSS) and total organic carbon (TOC) was achieved by electrocoagulation (EC) followed by ultrafiltration (UF). The hydrophobic membrane used in membrane distillation may be fouled by dissolved organic compounds. Reducing membrane fouling is essential to increase the long-term durability of the membrane distillation (MD) system. In addition, combining membrane distillation with crystallization (MDC) can help reduce scale formation. By inducing crystallization in the feed tank, scale formation on the MD membrane was suppressed. The integrated EC UF MDC process can impact Water Resources/Oil & Gas Companies. Conservation of surface and groundwater is possible by treating and reusing PW. Additionally, treating PW reduces the amount of PW disposed in Class II disposal wells and promotes more environmentally sustainable operations.
ABSTRACT
Water is a very valuable natural resource. As the demand for water increases the presence of emerging contaminants in wastewater has become a growing concern. This is particularly true when one considers direct reuse of wastewater. Obtaining sufficient removal of emerging contaminants will require determining the level of removal for the various unit operations in the wastewater treatment process. Membrane bioreactors are attractive as they combine an activated sludge process with a membrane separation step. They are frequently used in a wastewater treatment process and can operate at higher solid loadings than conventional activated sludge processes. Determining the level of removal of emerging contaminants in the membrane bioreactor step is, therefore, of great interest. Removal of emerging contaminants could be by adsorption onto the biomass or membrane surface, biotransformation, size exclusion by the membrane, or volatilization. Given the fact that most emerging contaminants are low molecule weight non-volatile compounds, the latter two methods of removal are usually unimportant. However, biotransformation and adsorption onto the biomass are important mechanisms of removal. It will be important to determine if the microorganisms present at given treatment facility are able to remove ECs present in the wastewater.
