As utilities consider nanofiltration (NF) technology, it is important to realize that
membrane selection is a critical factor to ensure proper system operation and cost
effectiveness. However, due to the large variety of membrane manufacturers, types, and
characteristics, pilot-scale testing for selecting the most appropriate membrane can prove
time consuming and costly. Presented in this paper is a short-term bench-scale membrane
screening test (MST) that can be performed within four hours. MST rejection results are
compared with results from more detailed bench- and pilot-scale tests to address scale-up
issues. NF results obtained through MST experiments were compared with results
gathered through longer, more detailed rapid bench-scale membrane tests (RBSMTs) (5
days of operation). The MST protocol provided comparable rejection results to the
RBSMTs. Feed rejection results for the tested parameters differed by an average of 4%.
Bulk rejection data from the MSTs predicted RBSMT membrane performance with an
average difference of about 2%.
In addition to these bench-scale evaluations, this paper compares MSTs with pilot-scale
and RBMST results for three different waters. The data shows comparable bulk rejections
with pilot and RBSMT results differing by less than 10%. Overall, the data show how
results from short-term MSTs can be used to accurately predict membrane performance at
the pilot-scale. By using MSTs for membrane selection, a utility can cost-effectively and
accurately select membranes at an early stage based on constituent rejection. Hydraulic
performance and fouling can then be evaluated the pilot-scale with a limited number of
membranes.
Includes 13 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 370 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 19 |
| Published : | 06/16/2002 |
