Cleaning of Ultrafiltration Membranes: Long-Term Treatment of Car Wash Wastewater as a Case Study

Wirginia Tomczak; Piotr Woźniak; Marek Gryta; Joanna Grzechulska-Damszel; Monika Daniluk

doi:10.3390/membranes14070159

Membranes (Jul 2024)

Cleaning of Ultrafiltration Membranes: Long-Term Treatment of Car Wash Wastewater as a Case Study

Wirginia Tomczak,
Piotr Woźniak,
Marek Gryta,
Joanna Grzechulska-Damszel,
Monika Daniluk

Affiliations

Wirginia Tomczak: Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 3 Seminaryjna Street, 85-326 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Piotr Woźniak: Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, 10 Pułaskiego Street, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland
Marek Gryta: Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, 10 Pułaskiego Street, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland
Joanna Grzechulska-Damszel: Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, 10 Pułaskiego Street, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland
Monika Daniluk: Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 3 Seminaryjna Street, 85-326 Bydgoszcz, Poland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14070159
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 7
p. 159

Abstract

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Car wash wastewaters (CWWs) contain various pollutants with different contents. Hence, selecting an appropriate process for their treatment is a great challenge. Undoubtedly, the ultrafiltration (UF) process is one of the most interesting and reliable choices. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to investigate the performance of the UF membranes used for the long-term treatment of real CWWs. For this purpose, two polyethersulfone (PES) membranes with molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) values equal to 10 and 100 kDa were applied. As expected, a significant decrease in the permeate flux during the UF run was observed. However, it was immediately demonstrated that the systematic cleaning of membranes (every day) with Insect agent (pH = 11.5) prevented a further decline in the process’s performance. In addition, this study focused on the relative flux during the process run with breaks lasting a few days when the UF installation was filled with distilled water. The results of this research indicated that aqueous media favor microorganism adherence to the surface which leads to the formation of biofilms inside processing installations. As a consequence, many attempts have been made to restore the initial membrane performance. It has been found that the application of several chemical agents is required. More precisely, the use of an Insect solution, P3 Ultrasil 11 agent, and phosphoric acid increases the relative flux to a value of 0.8. Finally, it has been indicated that the membranes used in this work are resistant to the long-term exposure to bacteria and chemical agents. However, during the separation of CWWs for the membrane with an MWCO of 10 kDa, a lesser fouling influence and higher effectiveness of cleaning were obtained. Finally, the present study demonstrates a novel analysis and innovative implications towards applying the UF process for the CWW treatment.

Published in Membranes

ISSN: 2077-0375 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Chemical technology: Chemical engineering
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/membranes

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