Research Abstracts

The composition and structure of membrane biofouling in water treatment can be studied using specific stains (fluorochromes) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). An image analysis program (CMem) has been developed to quantify parameters describing the biofilm structure on curved membrane s

In vacuum salt production sulfate is an important impurity, but it is also used to remove other cationic impurities from the raw brine. Removal of excess sulfate is currently done by purging salt crystallizer mother liquor from the brine plant, or crystallizing sodium sulfate through evaporative or

A pre-industrial scale experimentation aimed at the demonstration of a system for purification and reuse of wastewater from an industrial laundry was carried out by means of a prototype plant installed in situ, fed with 15 m3/h of untreated wastewater. The tested treatment system consisted of: (i) p

In this paper, the viability of emulsion pertraction technology (EPT) for phenol recovery from the aqueous condensates obtained in the manufacturing of phenolic resins is described. This waste is highly concentrated in phenol (15–25 wt%) and formaldehyde (10–15 wt%). The experimental work was perfor

Phosphates removal from aqueous solutions was investigated using three different inorganic materials: laboratory synthesized goethite, commercial alumina and commercial hydrotalcite. Equilibrium and kinetic studies were carried out to determine their sorption capacity and the rate of phosphate ions

Zeolite MFI crystal layers were grown on different α-alumina supports. Permeation and separation characteristics of selected zeolite MFI composite membranes were measured for the system of butane isomers. Flux, permeation and separation factors were measured as a function of feed pressure, temperatu

Mathematical models have been developed to calculate the mass transfer rates through catalytic membrane layer and through the concentration boundary layer by means of explicit, closed expressions for first-order and zeroorder bioreactions as well as even in the case of the nonlinear Michaelis–Menten

Premix membrane emulsification (ME) is a specific ME process that combines low energy requirements with high permeate fluxes. Process conditions such as membrane type (polycarbonate, Nylon, polyethersulfone and cellulose mixed esters), transmembrane pressure (1–9 bar), number of emulsification cycle

Fixed electric charge is believed to play an important role in the transfer of charged solutes in nanofiltration. Electrochemical measurements are useful tools for the determination of electrochemical perm-selectivity, which can be related to the fixed charge density by using a model. In the case of

Data are presented from a series of laboratory experiments designed to evaluate separation performance and humic acid fouling for two RO membranes treating brackish water at temperatures of 15, 25, and 35°C. A model is proposed that considers changes only to solute and solvent properties. Model resu