Membrane Technology Test

Question 1
a) 3 similarities and differences between CONVENTIONAL FILTRATION PROCESS and
MEMBRANE FILTRATION PROCESS hence discuss its application in water and
wastewater treatment.

Conventional Filtration Process

Membrane Filtration Process

Similarities

Conventional
Filtration
Process

Both are filtration

process

Differences

Applications in water
treatment and wastewater
treatment

CFP provide only one level

of filtration but membrane
provides different range of
pore size for filtration.
Depend on the application
and quality.

- Ultrapure Water
Production.
Reverse Osmosis (RO)
systems are the preferred
method for ultrapure water
production for numerous
applications. With up to
99.5% rejection of all nonwater molecules. The
systems are custom
designed based on a water
analyses and can be
customized to your
specifications in
construction materials,
power requirements,
specific components and
instrumentation, and control
system complexity.

Both has activated

sludge as a byproduct to
remove.

-CFP cleaning processes

require labor intensive and
can involve direct contact
with processes fluid. But for
Membrane, it provide a
better contained system

-both are important to

maintain water supply

MBR RO has higher

energy costs than
conventional wastewater
treatment followed by
UF/MF RO

Membrane
Filtration
Process

Surface & Groundwater

Treatment.
A primary problem
consistently faced in surface
and groundwater treatment,
is the inherent fluctuations
in the composition of feed
streams. The membrane
process system is
specifically designed to
handle a wide range of Total
Suspended Solids (TSS),
BOD, COD, and Turbidity
(NTU). The consistent and
exceptional permeate
quality makes it the ideal

UF treatment technology for

surface water where
efflluentconsistancy and
flux are non-negotiable.
Nanofiltration membrane
offers high rejection rates of
multivalent and divalent
ions. By eliminating odors,
colors, and nanofiltration is
a favorable alternative to
RO membranes for use in
groundwater filtration for
groundwaters that do not
require salt removal.
Municipal Wastewater
Treatment & Reuse, UF
system technology is greatly
reducing the need for dosing
Reverse Osmosis feed
streams with chemicals for
pretreatment. The
membrane filtration can
handle high spikes in
turbidity, TDS, TSS, and TS
commonly seen in
municipal water feeds,
while preserving the high
effulent quality required for
an RO system feed. This
increases the life of RO
membranes and greatly
helps to ensure optimal
performance of the system.

b) Distinguish between structural characteristics and application of Hollow fibre and Flat
sheet membranes.
Structural Characteristics
Hollow
Fibre

Flat Sheet
Membranes

Applications

Gas Separation
Due to the differences
among gases in their
ability to permeate
through the silicone
membrane (not based
on their molecular
sizes). The driving
force of the gas transfer
is the gas partial
Hollow fiber membranes are membranes with a
pressure differential
diameter of below 0.1 m.
across the membrane.
consequentially, the chances of plugging of a
Landfill &
hollow fiber membrane are very high.
biogas
The membranes can only be used for the treatment
upgrading
of water with a low suspended solids content.
CO2 capture
The packing density of a hollow fiber membrane is
very high.
VOC removal

Application areas
include:
Tertiary
Treatment of
Municipal
Waste Water

Spiral membranes consist of two layers of

membrane, placed onto a permeate collector
fabric.
This membrane envelope is wrapped around a
centrally placed permeate drain.
This causes the packing density of the membranes
to be higher.
The feed channel is placed at moderate height, to
prevent plugging of the membrane unit.

Industrial waste
water streams

Question 2
a) Discuss the characteristics and differences between passive and active transport that
happen during membrane filtration process.
Passive transport occurs when no energy is required to move a substance, such as water
or carbon dioxide, from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
until the concentration is equal, sometimes across a membrane. The high-to-low
concentration gradient is the driving force for passive transport because it fulfills a
fundamental law of nature: Things tend to move from a high-energy, ordered structure to
a lower-energy, increasing randomness, or increasing entropy state of being.
The following are the classes of passive transport:
1.Diffusion
2.Facilitated Diffusion
3.Osmosis
4.Ion channels
Active transport is the process by which dissolved molecules move across a cell
membrane from a lower to a higher concentration. In active transport, particles
move against the concentration gradient - and therefore require an input of energyfrom
the cell.
In a separation process using a membrane one particular component to be isolated will be
allowed to permeate through the membrane while undesired components stay intact in the
media. A membrane can be homogenous or heterogeneous, symmetric or asymmetric in
structure, solid or liquid

b) Explain the selection criteria to be looked into when it is required to decide on the
suitable type of membrane processes.

Membranes can be of various thickness, with homogeneous or heterogeneous structure.

Membrane can also be classified according to their pore diameter. According to IUPAC,
there are three different types of pore size classifications:

1.microporous (dp < 2nm)

2.mesoporous (2nm < dp < 50nm)
3.macroporous (dp > 50nm)

The parameters available to characterize the complexity of microporous membranes are :

1.Porosity, = the fraction of the total membrane volume that is porous

2.Tortuosity, = membrane tortuosity reflects the length of the average pore compare to
the membrane thickness.
3.Diameter, d = an average value which is usually defined in terms of the largest particle
able to penetrate the membrane

Question 3
a) Define Molecular Weight Cut Off and explain how this criteria assists on suitable
membrane filtration process application.
Molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) is a method of characterization used in filtration to
describe pore size distribution and retention capabilities of membranes. It is defined as
the lowest molecular weight (in Daltons) at which greater than 90% of a solute with a
known molecular weight is retained by the membrane. Dextran, polyethylene glycol, and
proteins of various molecular weights are commonly used to rate the MWCO of
membranes. For example, a membrane that can remove dissolved solids with molecular
weights of 1,000+ has a molecular weight cutoff of 1,000. Membranes with this particular
MWCO would be suitable for applications in dye separation and antibiotic filtration for
sterilization purposes.
When choosing the appropriate molecular weight cut-off for specific applications, many
factors must be considered including sample concentration, composition, molecular
shape, and operating conditions such as temperature, pressure, and cross-flow velocity.
Other variables regarding the flow of molecule passage must also be factored in. For
example, linear molecules, high transmembrane pressure (TMP) and low sample
concentration can increase molecule passage, while low temperature and membrane
fouling can decrease molecule passage. It is also important to keep in mind that
qualification methods for molecular weight are not always comparable, as they vary
across manufacturers. Since there is no set industry standard for MWCO determination,
there may be some limitations to this measurement technique. Therefore, it is advisable to
select a molecular weight cut-off that is at least 2 times smaller than the molecular weight
of the solute that is being retained.

b) Categorize the membrane based on its Molecular Weight Cut Off(MWCO) and suggest
its application to treat the suitable industrial wastewater.
Table Q3 : Percentage Rejection (Removal)
Solvent Molecular
Weight (Daltons)

Percentage Removal

Categorize (MWCO)

Applications (suitable
industrial wastewater)

100000

10

Pervaporation

Treatment of phenol
using pervaporation
(EPE). With a
polyether block amide
(PEBA) membrane,
which is widely
known as aromatic
hydrocarbon selective,
a study on the
removal of phenol
from water by
pervaporation was
performed. In order to
discuss the feasibility
on pervaporation as a
wastewater treatment
process and influence
of impurities in waste
flow to membrane
performance, sorption
and pervaporation
experiments were
carried out with a

50000

35

MF

2000

75

RO

100

85

NF

phenol/water binary
solution and real
industrial wastewater.
Examples of micro
filtration applications
are:
Cold sterilisation of
beverages and
pharmaceuticals
Clearing of fruit
juice, wines and beer
Separation of
bacteria from water
(biological
wastewater treatment)
Effluent treatment
Separation of oil/
water emulsions
the applications of
Reverse Osmosis
application are:
Water softening
Drinking water
production
Process water
production
Ultra pure water
production (electronic
industries)
Concentration of
molecular solvents for
food and dairy
industries
Other applications of
nano filtration are:
The removal of
pesticides from
groundwater
The removal of
heavy metals from
wastewater

50

95

UF

Wastewater
recycling in laundries
Water softening
Nitrates removal
Ultra filtration can
also be applied for
pre-treatment of water
for nano filtration or
Reverse Osmosis.
Pre-treatment of water
is very important
when these filtration
techniques are
applied, because
membrane fouling can
easily disturb the
purification process.
To prevent fouling.

Molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) is a term used to describe a pore size of a membrane. The
smaller the MWCO, the tighter the membrane pore size.

RO elements have ~100 amu (Dalton) molecular weight cut-off.

NF has 200-400 amu (Dalton) molecular weight cut-off.

A membrane with MWCO of 100 means it can reject molecules with the molecular weight of
100 well (i.e. >90%).