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Removing Trace Organics by Reverse Osmosis Using Cellulose Acetate and Polyamide Membranes
Author(s) -
Reinhard Martin,
Goodman Naomi L.,
McCarty Perry L.,
Argo David G.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1986.tb05728.x
Subject(s) - membrane , reverse osmosis , cellulose acetate , chemistry , polyamide , chromatography , cellulose , total organic carbon , environmental chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry
A full‐scale (8‐cfs [0.22‐m 3 /s]) reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant equipped with conventional cellulose acetate membranes, and two pilot RO plants, equipped with polyamide membranes, were tested for their ability to remove total organic carbon and a broad range of trace organics, including volatiles, purgeables, neutrals, bases, phenols, and acids from lime‐clarified secondary municipal wastewater. The full‐scale RO system removed total organic carbon (TOC) by 89 percent to 0.95 mg/L at 84‐percent water recovery, and the pilot RO systems removed TOC by 99 percent to 0.1 mg/L at water recoveries of 52 and 67 percent, respectively. The two membranes tested showed significant differences in their ability to reject trace organics. All membranes rejected branched, complex molecules but varied in their rejection characteristics for smaller molecules, such as chlorinated solvents. The latter group was rejected to a varying degree by polyamide membranes but passed through cellulose acetate membranes. The use of RO for trace organics removal is evaluated by comparing cumulative removals of different treatment schemes with and without RO treatment.