Aalborg Universitet
Cross-flow filtration with different ceramic membranes for polishing wastewater
treatment plant effluent
Farsi, Ali; Hammer Jensen, Sofie ; Roslev, Peter; Boffa, Vittorio; Christensen, Morten
Lykkegaard
Publication date:
2014
Document Version
Accepted author manuscript, peer reviewed version
Link to publication from Aalborg University
Citation for published version (APA):
Farsi, A., Hammer Jensen, S., Roslev, P., Boffa, V., & Christensen, M. L. (2014). Cross-flow filtration with
different ceramic membranes for polishing wastewater treatment plant effluent. Abstract from 13th International
Conference on Inorganic Membranes, Brisbane, Australia.
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CROSS-FLOW FILTRATION WITH DIFFERENT
CERAMIC MEMBRANES FOR POLISHING
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
EFFLUENT
A L I FA R S I , S O F I E H . J E N S E N , P E T E R R O S L E V, V I T TO R I O B O F FA , M O R T E N L .
CHRISTENSEN
ICIM 2014, 8 TH JULY, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Outlook
Problem and Hypothesis
Materials and Methods
Results and Discussion
Conclusion
Challenge
 M i c r o / n a n o – p o l l u t a n t s i n wa s t e wa t e r a r e a c h a l l e n g e t o
wa s t e wa t e r p r o f e s s i o n a l s . T h e p r e s e n c e o f c o n t a m i n a n t s i n
w a s t e w a t e r t r e a t m e n t p l a n t ( W W T P ) e ff l u e n t s m a y c a u s e a
s e v e r e r i s k f o r t h e d r i n k i n g wa t e r p r e p a r a t i o n . T h e e ff l u e n t
cannot be simply discharged to environment because it
c o n t a i n s t o x i c i o n s a n d o r g a n i c m i c r o - p o l l u t a n t s wh i c h a r e
harmful for aquatic organism.
Challenge
Compounds
Examples
Detected in
Denmark WWTP*
Detected in
EU/US WWTP**
Organic Contaminants
from Industrial sources
Sulfonated organic
compounds, MTBE
▲
▲
Household and personal
care products
Sunscreen Agents
▲
▲
Pharmaceuticals
Acetaminophen,
Ketoprofen,
Ibuprofen, Diclofenac
Party drugs
Defattening pills,
Viagra, XTC
Pesticides
Glyphosate
Metal Ions
Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg
▲
▲
▲
▲
▲
*Punktkilder 2012, Miljøministeriet, www.nst.dk (in Danish).
** Pollutants in urban waste water and sewage sludge, European
Commission Report 2011, www.europa.eu.int
***Municipal WWTP Effluents, RIWA Report 2007, The Netherland.
▲
Hypothesis
 A p o s s i b l e s t r a t e g y t o a v o i d t h i s i s t o p o l i s h t h e e ff l u e n t b y
membrane processes.
Materials and Methods
 Sample. The samples were taken from Aalborg WWTP which is located
in the west of Aalborg city, Denmark.
 Filtration. The effluent was pumped at 6 bar to a cross-flow filtration.
 Membranes. Various monotube active layers such as on macroporous
α-alumina support (~100nm) were used was used.
 Analysis. The total ions and specified toxic ions rejections were
measured using conductivity measurements respectively. The type and
the molecular size of removed organic compounds were determined
using pH, full spectrum UV and size exclusion HPLC. Inorganic Ncompound rejections were calculated by N-autoanalyzer. Bioassays
were done with Daphnia magna method.
 MBR. The MBR Pilot plant is already working in the WWTP site.
Material
Type
α-alumina
MF- Macroporous
TiO2
UF-Mesoporous
15 nm
γ-alumina
NF- Mesoporous
5 nm
TiO2
NF- Microporous
1 nm
Hybrid silica
RO-Microporous
<1nm
Before the test
Size: 1.022 mm
Nominal Main Pore size
Water, after 21days
Size: 3.132 mm (A0)
~100nm
Sample after 21days
Size: 3.8 mm (A1)
100
Water
Effluent
90.73
46.36
Permeability [L/m2/h/bar]
26.28
14.70
10
12.79
11.52
6.78
3.60
1
α-alumina
0.1
Mesoporous
TiO2
γ-alumina Microporous Hybrid silica
TiO2
0.06
0.03
0.01
0.5
0.45
Effluent
MBR
Alpha alumina
Mesoporous TiO2
gamma alumina
Microporous TiO2
Hybrid Silica
0.4
0.35
Abs.
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
-0.05
200
250
300
350 400 450
Wave Length [nm]
500
550
600
100
1
0.8
10
0.6
0.4
1
0.2
0
0.1
Effluent
MBR
α-alumina Mesoporous TiO2 γ-alumina Microporous TiO2 Hybrid silica
100
Organic molecules
retention [%]
8.5
8
pH
Total ion rejection [%]
Conductivity [ms/cm]
1.2
7.5
7
6.5
10
Effluent
MBR
α-alumina Mesoporous γ-alumina Microporous Hybrid silica
TiO2
TiO2
90
90
80
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
N Concentration [mg/l]
Membrane permeability [L/hr/m2/bar]
6
NH4
NO2
NO3
5
4
3
2
1
0
Effluent
MBR
α-alumina Mesoporous γ-alumina Microporous Hybrid silica
TiO2
TiO2
Total ion rejection [%]
100
Aromatic molecule
retention [%]
100
B C
D
A
Peak
MW
(KDa)
A
100
B
90
C
85
D
90
E
40
E
Toxicity [%]
45
35
25
15
Effluent
MBR
γ-alumina
Microporous
TiO2 13







Hybsi active layer (<1nm, RO) could remove most of inorganic ions and organic
molecules and increase the water quality up to drinkable water. But its
permeability is very low (0.03 LMH/B).
α-alumina (>100 nm, MF) did not shows a better performance for removing
organic compounds and ions rejections.
Mesoporous TiO2 (15nm, UF), γ-alumina (5 nm, NF) and microporous TiO2
(1nm, NF)could remove most of the aromatic organic compounds more than MBR
but their ion rejections are not obvious (less than 10%).
Chromatography results showed that MBR could remove a range of organic
components (around 90 KDa) even better than NF ceramic membrane.
MBR shows a better performance in competition with all ceramic membrane to
remove N-compounds.
Bioassays with Daphnia magna suggested that effluent polishing with γ-alumina
membrane reduced toxicity of the treated water better than MBR and even TiO2
micro porous membrane.
Our study showed that γ-alumina is the optimized membrane for this application.
14
TIPS OF DAY:
“EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN IS
FUNDAMENTAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF NEW MEMBRANE APPLICATION”
T HANK YO U FO R YO U R AT T EN TION.