Abstract
The effects of ozonation (O3), biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration and combined O3 and BAC (O3-BAC) pre-treatments on the microfiltration (MF) treatment of secondary effluent using a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane were studied. The permeability of the membrane was quantified and compared to the removal of humic substances (HS), biopolymers (BPs), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), absorbance at 254 nm (UVA254), and colour by these pre-treatments. The apparent molecular weight distribution (AMWD) was determined to further characterise the secondary effluent before and after each treatment. The unified membrane fouling indices (UMFI) after O3, BAC and the O3-BAC pre-treatments were also determined to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different pre-treatments on fouling reduction. The overall removal of colour and UVA254 in the MF of the O3 pre-treated secondary effluent was found to be 83% and 52% respectively, compared to 75% and 47% respectively for MF with BAC pre-treatment and 38% and 14% respectively without pre-treatment. The O3-BAC pre-treatment yielded the highest normalized permeability after 100 min of operation (0.76) and the lowest UMFI (1 × 10−3 m2/L). This result indicates that the O3-BAC pre-treatment could reduce the frequency of chemical cleaning and may extend the membrane lifetime.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
