Carbonate scale reduction in reverse osmosis membrane by CO2 in wastewater reclamation

Abstract

Reverse osmosis technology is being used on large scale for treatment of ground water, brackish water, wastewater and sea water. The most challenging issue in RO process is carbonate scaling which is directly linked with the efficiency and economy. Considering the natural phenomena of carbonate scaling different adaptations have been made to control scaling on the surface of RO membrane including acid dosage and antiscalant addition. As carbonate scaling is directly related with pH level of feed water, present study describes an experimental approach to reduce scaling on RO membrane by lowering the feed water pH by purging CO2. In this comparative study four different conditions including control process (without any scale inhibitor), with dosage of antiscalant, with purging of CO2 and with co addition of antiscalant and CO2 in a feed stream line; it was established that CO2 is a better appliance to reduce carbonate scaling on the membrane surface by reduce pH of feed stream. It was also observed that CO2 and antiscalant mutually function better for scale control.