Wall-mounted ultrafine hollow fiber membrane module for purification of domestic surface water

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that around 844 million people worldwide lack safe drinking water, including 159 million who are dependent only on surface water. Investing in a practical, sustainable, and cost-effective treatment process is indispensable to alleviating the effect of water shortage. Besides water treatment, ultrafiltration (UF) membranes are broadly used in protein fractionation and clarification of fruit juices. The hollow fiber (HF) membrane configuration has a much larger surface area per unit volume, resulting in higher productivity than the flat-sheet membrane. A spinneret was developed with a provision for altering the fiber's inner diameter from 1000 µm to 150 µm and outer dimension from 1500 µm to 350 µm, respectively, using an inbuilt detachable needle arrangement. The ultrathin hollow fiber produced by the indigenously designed spinnerets has a high surface area and packing density, which makes it useful for surface water treatment. A wall-mounted module was designed for direct connection to the tap to obtain a purified water flow of 30–40 liter per hour (LPH) for domestic use, operated with or without electricity. The fabricated ultrafine HF module (ID: 150–200 µm; OD: 350–450 µm) removes complete bacterial contamination and turbidity up to 95–100 %, making the quality of processed water potable. The developed membrane module is durable due to its large membrane area per unit volume, enhancing productivity, high packing density, good fouling resistance, easy handling, and self-supporting structure for backwashing. The present research article paves the way forward to investing in a practical, sustainable, and economical treatment process that is indispensable to alleviating the effect of water shortage.