DepartmentofCivilEngineeringI.I.T.

Delhi
CEL795:WaterandWastewaterTreatmentProcesses(1stSemester201415)
Dr.SubhankarBasu(TERIIndia)(Nov24th,2014)

Membrane Technology

1.

(a) A feed solution with a solute concentration of 3% (w/v) is treated by reverse

osmosis. The permeate contains 150 ppm of solute. Calculate the retention in
percentage.
(b) A drawer contains two unknown membranes A and B. The determination of the
pure water flux in a filtration cell with an area of 50 sq. cm at 3 bars of pressure
and 20 0C is used to identify the origin of these membranes. For membrane A 12
mL of water is collected in 80 min while for membrane B 125 mL of water has
been collected in 30 min. Determine the water permeability and indicate whether
these are typical reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), Ultrafiltration (UF) or
microfiltration (MF).
2+4

2.

What is membrane bioreactor process? For decentralized wastewater treatment

system, which process will you suggest to your client (i) membrane bioreactor, (ii)
activated sludge process, (iii) aerated lagoon, (iv) root-zone wastewater treatment, and
why?. What is membrane fouling and how is it possible to remove?
2+2

Ans. 1 a. Feed solution concentration (Cf) = 3% = 3g/100mL = 3 x 104 ppm

Permeate concentration (Cp) = 150 ppm
Solute retention (%) = (Cf-Cp) x 100/ Cp
= 99.5%

1 b. Area of the membrane = 50 x 10-4 m2

Transmembrane pressure (P) = 3 bars
Permeate volume of membrane A is 12 mL in 80 min
Permeability of membrane A (L/m2 h bar) = (12 x 10-3 L x 60)/ 80 h x 3 bar x 50 x 10-4 m2

= 0.6

L/m2 h bar

Permeate volume of membrane B is 125mL in 30 min

Permeability of membrane B (L/m2 h bar) = (125 x 10-3 L x 60)/ 30 h x 3 bar x 50 x 10-4 m2
= 16.7

L/m2 h bar

Considering the table for pure water flux, membrane A is Reverse Osmosis membrane and
membrane B is Ultrafiltration membrane.

Ans.2. Membrane bioreactor is a combination of biological and membrane filtration process

for wastewater treatment.
For decentralized wastewater treatment system, membrane bioreactor will be better compared
to activated sludge process, aerated lagoon and root-zone wastewater treatment because it has
smaller footprint, better effluent quality, modular, longer sludge retention time (20-30 days),
higher concentration of sludge retention (MLSS 12-15 mg/L).
Decrease in flux through the membrane over time results in membrane fouling. For example,
in a solid- liquid separation, the deposition of the solids on the membrane surface reduces the
flow rate. It could be removed by physical cleaning e.g. back flushing, water jets etc. and
chemical cleaning e.g. NaOCl, NaOH, H2O2.