Oil Removal in Wastewater Treatment

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The removal of oils present in many industrial wastewater streams has become increasingly necessary in order to accommodate stringent discharge regulations and growing manufacturing costs. The utilization of ultrafiltration is an effective method for achieving this separation, allowing for safe discharge or re-use. The goal of this study was to investigate the performance of Synder’s PX membrane in a representative
feed stream and compare such performance to that of a leading competitor.

Feed Solution, Membrane, & Operating Conditions

Synder’s PX and an oily wastewater treatment membrane from
a leading competitor were tested in flat sheet form. Testing was
performed at 15 psi, at a crossflow rate of 0.5 gpm, and the system
was run in total recirculation mode. Membranes were challenged
with 1000ppm emulsified I-19 paraffinic vacuum pump oil, to which
500ppm sodium dodecyl sulfate was added an emulsifying agent.
Flux performance was evaluated over time, and rejection was
calculated via Abs^531nm.

Results

Flat sheet membranes were tested in a feed stream comprised of emulsified oil, and performance was evaluated by monitoring flux Synder’s PX membrane demonstrated superior clean water flux, and, by the 90-minute mark, both membranes reached an equivalent steady state flux of 61 GFD. Rejection, calculated using UV-Vis, was determined to be >99%
for both membranes.

Conclusion

In this study, Synder’s PX membrane was evaluated for its oil
retention and flux performance characteristics when challenged
with a feed stream comprised of emulsified oil. The membrane of
a leading competitor, designed for oily wastewater separation, was
similarly evaluated. The results obtained indicate that PX is a membrane
well-suited for oil removal in wastewater treatment applications,
given by its competitive steady state flux and high retention
characteristics, which were found to be comparable to that of the
leading competitor.

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Phone: 1 (707) 451-6060
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Email: sales@synderfiltration.com