Abstract
The removal of arsenic (As) from dilute aqueous solutions has become of greater interest as lower drinking standards are implemented. In polyelectrolyte‐enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF), a cationic water‐soluble polyelectrolyte (poly‐diallyldimethylammonium chloride [QUAT]) binds the anionic arsenate species and is rejected by the membrane, which has a 10 kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO). In the research presented in this article, PEUF was used to treat water with As concentrations of 50–100 μg/L. The results demonstrated that PEUF was able to produce treated water that meets the proposed US Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 10 μg/L. In this study, the PEUF process was scaled up with a spiral‐wound ultrafiltration module operated under steady‐state continuous flow conditions (i.e., permeate flux of 80 L/m2‐h, and a pressure drop of 60 psi, which is typical for large‐volume applications). The main process parameters considered in this study were the QUAT‐to‐As ratio, pH, and the presence of background electrolytes (i.e., sulfate). The As removal efficiency improved with increasing pH, which is an advantage when the As‐tainted water is at an elevated pH since most adsorption‐based As removal methods perform better at lower pH levels.
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