Groundwater nanofiltration process efficiency improvement with additional concentrate membrane treatment

Abstract

Nanofiltration (NF) of waste water originated from nanofiltration drinking water plant stationed in town of Kikinda (Northern Serbia) was investigated. Experiments on removal characteristics of nanofiltration membranes when exposed to influent rich in arsenic and natural organic matter under different flux and transmembrane pressure (TMP) conditions were conducted in order to obtain drinking water from waste water and reduce total amount of waste water. Applied NF membranes showed remarkable removal characteristic. Also, obtained result for concentrate yield, an indicator of reduced concentrate amount, of 8.89% under optimum flux value presents considerable amount of reclamated drinking water. Calculated empirical and theoretical concentration factors quotients were indicated to probable accumulation of some inlet water components at NF membrane surface. Based on the obtained results that nanofiltration membranes remove natural organic matter, arsenic, ammonia and sodium with high efficiencies of 98%, 96%, 80% and 93% respectively, conceptual design of drinking water plant for City of Kikinda was defined and presented.

Keywords

• nanofiltration
• water reclamation
• concentrate yield
• arsenic
• humic matter
• concentration factor