No abstract

The effects of membrane fouling on the performance of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes with respect to boron rejection and permeate flux were investigated in this study. A nanofiltration (NF270) membrane and a reverse osmosis (BW30) membrane were used in this investigation. Four typical membrane fouling conditions were simulated under controlled laboratory conditions in a cross-flow membrane system using four model foulants including humic acid, sodium alginate, colloidal silica and CaSO 4. Among these model foulants, humic acid was found to increase boron rejection whereas the other foulants led to a decrease in boron rejection. Properties of foulants were found to be an important factor that determined the transport of boron through the fouling layer. Results reported in this study also indicate that the extent of flux decline caused by different model foulants differed substantially from one another. The impact of membrane fouling on permeate flux decline was found to be dependent on the initial permeate flux and hydrophobicity of the foulant. On the other hand, membrane scaling was found to be governed by the salt rejection efficiency of the membrane. Cake-enhanced concentration polarisation appears to be a major mechanism that affects boron rejection efficiency of fouled membranes.

a b s t r a c tThe coupling effects of solution pH and ionic strength on boron rejection by nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were investigated. Two NF membranes (namely NF270 and NF90) and three RO membranes (namely BW30, SW30 and UTC80) were used to provide a full spectrum of NF/RO membranes. The rejection of boron by all five membranes was pH-dependent. The dependency of boron rejection on the feed solution pH became much more substantial as the nominal salt (sodium or calcium) rejection value of the membrane decreased. At pH 11, boron rejections by the NF90 and the NF270 membranes were only 10% and 30% lower than those by the other three RO membranes, respectively. On the other hand, the permeabilities of the two NF membranes investigated here were 3-11 times higher than those of the RO membranes. The reported data suggest a possibility of using NF membranes for the second pass in seawater desalination applications to avoid over-demineralisation of the final product water. The reported results also reveal an intricate interplay among the feed solution pH, ionic strength and their effects on the rejection of boron by NF/RO membranes. At pH 10, which is immediately above the intrinsic pK a value (9.23) of boric acid, as the feed solution ionic strength increased up to 42.5 mM, a considerable increase in boron rejection by both the NF270 and the BW30 membranes was observed. This phenomenon could be attributed to the reduction in the apparent pK a of boric acid as the ionic strength increased, which possibly resulted in the observed increase in boron rejection at pH 10. Results reported here suggest that the rejection of boron in the second pass could be further optimised by increasing the feed solution pH and allowing for a marginally higher salt passage in the first pass.Crown

Boron rejection by nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in the presence of glycerol, mannitol and sorbitol was investigated as a function of feed solution pH and boron:polyol molar ratio. In the presence of polyols, significant boron rejection improvement was obtained and the extent of the impact was directly related to the stability constant of the boron-polyol complex. Polyols could complex with boron in either the boric acid or borate anion forms; however the complexation between polyol and boric acid appeared to be incomplete. With and without the presence of polyols, boron rejection was strongly pH dependent. The increase in boron rejection due to polyol addition was higher for the NF membrane compared to the RO membrane. A boron:polyol molar ratio of 1:1 appeared to be adequate. The presence of polyols did not cause any observable membrane fouling. Results reported here suggest that the addition of polyols could allow NF membranes to be effectively used for boron removal. AbstractBoron rejection by nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in the presence of glycerol, mannitol and sorbitol was investigated as a function of feed solution pH and boron:polyol molar ratio. In the presence of polyols, significant boron rejection improvement was obtained and the extent of the impact was directly related to the stability constant of the boron-polyol complex. Polyols could complex with boron in either the boric acid or borate anion forms; however the complexation between polyol and boric acid appeared to be incomplete.With and without the presence of polyols, boron rejection was strongly pH dependent. The increase in boron rejection due to polyol addition was higher for the NF membrane compared to the RO membrane. A boron:polyol molar ratio of 1:1 appeared to be adequate. The presence of polyols did not cause any observable membrane fouling. Results reported here suggest that the addition of polyols could allow NF membranes to be effectively used for boron removal.

a b s t r a c tThis study investigates the impacts of chemical preservation on the performance of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes with respect to water permeability and solute rejection. Three preservative chemicals, namely formaldehyde, sodium metabisulfite, and 2,2-Dibromo-3-Nitrilopropionamide, were evaluated for membrane preservation at pH 3 and 7. Experimental data show that chemical preservation may change the membrane surface properties, and consequently water permeability and solute rejection efficiency of the membrane are negatively impacted. The impacts of preservation on boron rejection and sodium rejection are similar in magnitude and more significant than those on water permeability. The results indicate that the impact of chemical preservation on the membrane depends on both the preserving chemicals used and the solution pH value. More importantly, the undesirable impacts of chemical preservation can be minimised by appropriate selection of the preservatives and by preserving the membrane in a reducing condition. A near-neutral pH (i.e., pH 7) is necessary to avoid any significant negative impacts on membrane performance due to chemical preservation using either formaldehyde or sodium metabisulfite. Results reported here suggest that the previously recommended minimum pH value of 3 of the preservative solution may be inadequate.Crown