This paper discusses a 13-month pilot test of four different filtration systems to determine the
optimum pretreatment approach to minimize fouling on seawater desalination reverse osmosis (RO)
membranes. Of the nine major project investigations that were done, this paper focuses on a comparison of pretreatment alternatives that include: slow sand filters;
conventional treatment - coagulation and
clarification + granular media filters;
immersed ultrafiltration (UF) membranes;
pressure UF membranes;
UF operated with and without coagulation and
clarification; and,
each pretreatment system is followed by a
separate RO train. Background on a red tide simulation event is presented, along with results of pretreatment testing, and RO fouling trends. Study conclusions indicate that: both biological filtration and ultrafiltration can
provide successful pretreatment for seawater RO
desalination;
granular media filters require more careful
optimization than UF or slow sand filters;
effective removal of algal cells upstream of
granular media filters or UF will reduce
biofouling; and,
slow sand filters are simple and effective, but
require a 50% larger footprint. Includes tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 2.1 MB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 44 |
| Published : | 11/01/2009 |
