Filtration analysis and fouling mechanisms of PVDF membrane for POME treatment

Abstract

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a hazardous wastewater which contains high organic constituents and salt concentrations. The ultrafiltration (UF) process is a promising treatment design used for secondary treatment such as POME. However, membrane fouling is the major problem which limits the performance of the UF. This paper describes a detailed investigation of polyvinylidiene fluoride (PVDF) membrane for the treatment of POME. The fouling behavior was analyzed by water flux, fouling mechanism, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size distribution (PSD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). It was found that a significant reduction in the permeate flux was caused by the build up of a fouling layer. Study on the fouling mechanism shows that cake filtration dominated the fouling activities on the membrane surface, compared to standard blocking, intermediate blocking, and complete blocking. This result is supported by membrane autopsy through SEM, PSD and EDX. HIGHLIGHTS The treatment of palm oil mill effluent via PVDF membrane was discussed.; Membrane fouling was investigated by the fouling model, SEM, PSD and EDX.; Cake filtration was the main fouling model compared with standard, intermediate and complete blocking.;

Keywords

• blocking mechanism
• palm oil mill effluent
• polyvinylidiene fluoride
• ultrafiltration