Abstract
New thin film composite membrane system, designated PEC-1000, formed by the acid catalyzed polymerization on the surface of a reinforced-porous supporting membrane, make it possible to produce potable water from seawater by reverse osmosis in a single-stage with a high recovery operation. TDS rejection over 99.9% and stable water fluxes of 0.20–0.30 m 3/m 2-day (5.0–7.4 gal/ft 2-day) have been attained with 3.5% synthetic seawater at an applied pressure of 56Kg/cm 2(800psi). For brackish water, sodium chloride rejections of 99.6–99.9% and fluxes of 0.61–0.81m 3/m 2-day(15.0-20.0 gal/ft 2-day) have been attained with 5000 ppm sodium chloride feed at an applied pressure of 40Kg/cm 2 (571psi). TDS rejection of 99.8% and water flux of 0.30 m 3/m 2-day (7.4 gal/ft 2-day) have been attained with two- or four-inch diameter PEC-1000 composite membrane elements at an applied pressure of 56Kg/cm 2(800psi) in a single-stage synthetic seawater desalination test. This performance is kept for more than 1500 hours in PEC-1000 thin film composite membrane and two-inch diameter element. 280 ppm in TDS and water flux of 0.11 m 3/m 2 day (2.7 gal/ft 2-day) are observed at an applied pressure of 56Kg/cm 2-40% water recovery with one four-inch diameter spiral-wound PEC-1000 composite membrane element in a single-stage seawater desalination. This membrane shows high selectivity for low molecular weight valuable organic materials such as ϵ-caprolactam, dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide. The thickness of ultrathin salt barrier of the composite membrane is found to be 300Å by the Electron Microscopy with special ultrathin section techniques.
Published Version
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