Analysis of backwash settings to maximize net water production in an engineering-scale ultrafiltration system for water reuse

Alhussaini, Mohammed A.; Binger, Zachary M.; Souza-Chaves, Bianca M.; Amusat, Oluwamayowa O.; Park, Jangho; Bartholomew, Timothy V.; Gunter, Dan; Achilli, Andrea

doi:10.1016/j.jwpe.2023.103761

Analysis of backwash settings to maximize net water production in an engineering-scale ultrafiltration system for water reuse

Journal Article · Wed May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Journal of Water Process Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2023.103761· OSTI ID:2329273

Alhussaini, Mohammed A. ^[1]; Binger, Zachary M. ^[1]; Souza-Chaves, Bianca M. ^[1]; Amusat, Oluwamayowa O. ^[2]; Park, Jangho ^[2]; Bartholomew, Timothy V. ^[3]; Gunter, Dan ^[2]; Achilli, Andrea ^[1]

Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

Ultrafiltration (UF) has been widely utilized as water pretreatment for different applications especially in water reuse. The UF system operation is characterized by a filtration phase, where particles accumulate on the membrane surface resulting in an increase in the transmembrane pressure (TMP) and a cleaning phase, where foulants are removed through cleaning cycles including physical backwash and chemical-enhanced backwash (CEB). In this study, data from an engineering-scale UF system treating reclaimed wastewater were used to assess the impact of backwashing on the filtration process. TMP backwash trigger, backwash duration, and CEB frequency were purposely varied for a cycle-by-cycle investigation on the net water production, water recovery, initial operating TMP, and filtration cycle duration. As the TMP backwash trigger was varied between 62 and 145kPa, the maximum net water production (63 m³/d) was achieved at 103kPa and water recovery remained relatively constant at approximately 92%. Backwash durations of 45, 65, and 85s were performed where both net water production and water recovery yielded similar results (~63 m³/d and ~ 91%) compared with 103kPa TMP backwash trigger. The CEB frequency was also lowered from one every three backwashes (1/3) to 1/6 and 1/12 and resulted in decreased net water production and water recovery while the initial TMP increased. Interestingly, the total number of CEBs remained approximately constant regardless of their frequency. In conclusion, results suggest that CEB is an important fouling control process to maximize water production.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2329273

Journal Information:: Journal of Water Process Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Water Process Engineering Vol. 53; ISSN 2214-7144

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Analysis of backwash settings to maximize net water production in an engineering-scale ultrafiltration system for water reuse

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