Abstract
A batch Polyelectrolyte Enhanced Ultrafiltration (PEUF) process with Poly(acrylic acid) sodium salt (PAASS) for the recovery of Cu(II) from industrial wastewaters has been studied. In contrast to previous researches, insertion of an internal steel rod inside tubular ceramic membrane, which implies a decrease of hydraulic diameter, enables to minimize pumping energy (lower feed flow rates are required) and provides high tangential velocities in order to avoid concentration polarization and to lessen fouling. Simultaneously, working at higher temperature improves turbulence conditions over the membrane and makes possible to increase operating polyelectrolyte concentration (maintaining high permeate fluxes) and, subsequently, metal ion concentration in waste stream to treat. Temporal decrease of permeate fluxes has been reproduced with an in-series resistance model. Evolution of metal rejection coefficients is estimated with a model taking into account chemical equilibriums in solution and mass conservation equations. Furthermore, replacement of a polyelectrolyte of analytical grade by an analogous polymer of industrial grade reduces significantly raw material costs.
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