DESALINATION

ELSEVIER Desalination 158 (2003) 79-85

www.elsevier.comAocate/desal

Concentration of mineral suspensions and industrial effluents

using a rotating disk dynamic filtration module

Roger Bouzerar, Patrick Paullier, Michel Y. Jaffrin*

UMR CNRS 6600, Technological University of Compisgne, BP 20529, 60205 Compisgne, France
Tel. * 33 (3) 44 23 43 98; Fax + 33 (3) 44 20 48 13; email: michel.jafSrin@utc.$

Received 3 February 2003; accepted 10 February 2003

Abstract

We have investigated the performance of two rotating disk prototypes for dynamic filtration designed in our
laboratory for the treatment of various industrial effluents by micro- (MF), ultra- (UF) and nanofiltration (NF). The
larger unit was built in stainless steel and could be equipped with two circular membranes of460 cm* area. Permeate
fluxes were compared with those obtained on the same effluents using a vibrating shear-enhanced filtration system
(VSEP) equipped with the same membrane or with regular crossflow filtration in tubular membranes. Permeate
fluxes obtained with the rotating disk fitted with vanes were consistently higher than those of the VSEP, by 80% in
MF and by up to 45% in NF at high pressures. Anionic effluents from a detergent plant, with 81,000 mg/l initial
chemical oxygen demand (COD), were treated using a 150-D NF membrane (DSS-DL). The permeate flux from the
disk unit increased linearly with transmembrane pressure to reach 200 I h-l m-* at 40 bar with a COD of 730 mg/l vs.
130 1h-’m-’for the VSEP equipped with the same membrane at its maximum frequency. These good performances
in UF and NF can be attributed to the very high shear rates, up to 220,000 s-’ at the membrane rim at 1500 rpm,
which reduce concentration polarization to much lower levels than in conventional crossflow filtration.

Ke_vvwords: Dynamic filtration; Ultrafiltration; Nanofiltration; Mineral suspensions

1. Introduction or an impeller. In these systems, it is possible to

obtain very high membrane shear rates with low
Dynamic or shear-enhanced filtration consists
inlet flows, resulting in low pressure drop and
of creating the shear rate at the membrane by a
transmembrane pressure (TMP). There are many
moving part such as a disk rotating at high speed
advantages in comparison with conventional
-
crossflow filtration. First, a low and more uniform
*Corresponding author.
Presented at the European Conference on Desalination and the Environment: Fresh Waterfor All, Malta, 4-8 May 2003.
Etwopenn Desalination Society International Water Association.

00 I l-91 64/03/$- See front matter 0 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
PII: SOOll-9164(03)00436-3
80 Ii. Bourerar et al. I Desalination
TMP in microfiltration (MF) avoids packing the
layer of deposited particles on the membrane,
which limits the transmission. Consequently, these
systems have proved to be very effective in macro-
molecular recovery from cellular suspensions [l-
31. Second, the high shear rates on the membrane
prevent cake formation, at least in the peripheral
part of the membrane, and produce a large
permeate flux enhancement, especially in MF.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the
performance of rotating disk filtration prototypes
designed in our laboratory for the concentration
of mineral suspensions by MF and in the treatment
of various types of industrial effluents by ultra-
filtration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF). To this
effect we have compared the permeate fluxes
obtained with our rotating disk device with those
obtained on the same test fluids with tubular
mineral membranes of same pore size and cut-off
and in some cases with fluxes obtained with another
dynamic filtration device, the vibrating shear-
enhanced filtration system (VSEP), featuring a
vibrating membrane generating shear rates of the
same order of magnitude as our rotating disk
device [4]. The selected applications were the
concentrations of ferric hydroxide suspensions in
saline, representative of nuclear plant effluents
[5], and of CaCO, suspensions for MF, the con-
centration of silica suspensions representative of
electronic plant process waters for UF and the
depollution of cationic and anionic effluents from
the detergent industry for NF.
2. Material and methods
A first prototype was built in PVC in our
laboratory, with an internal diameter of 15.4 cm
(Fig. I). The axial gap between the membrane
and the disk was varied between 5 and 18 mm by
using disks of different thicknesses and the radial
gap between disk and housing was 4.5 mm.
Several types of organic membranes (area =
187 cm’) were used in the tests. In MF the mem-
158 (2003) 7945
ClPC lnlet
Permeate
Retentate
MembranG
Rotating disk
Bleed
Fig. 1. Schematic of rotating disk module showing internal
fluid circulation.
brane was a symmetric nylon one (Ultipor, PALL.
East Hills, USA) with 0.2 pm pores and a filtration
resistance R,,, of 52x IO” n-‘. The membrane was
supported by a polypropylene grid 0.3 mm thick
to leave space for permeate, which was collected
at the top of the front plate. The unit was con-
nected with its axis horizontal to an electrical motor
with a speed that could be varied from 500 to
2000 RPM. Fluid inlet and outlet locations are
indicated in Fig. I. The chamber peripheral pressure
was measured by a Validyne DP 15 pressure trans-
ducer at the housing periphery and was regulated
by a valve at the fluid outlet. The inlet flow rate
was set at 1 I/min in most tests. Permeate fluxes
were measured by collecting the permeate in a
beaker placed on an electronic scale (Sartorius
BP 3 100) connected to a computer. This unit was
used in the ferric hydroxide tests.
A larger module was built in stainless steel
with a 26 cm i.d. housing receiving a 460 cm2
annular membrane (inner radius, R, = 4.7 m, outer
radius R, = 13.0 cm) and was used in all the tests
reported in this paper except those of ferric hydro-
xide. III some tests a second identical membrane
was placed on the other side of the disk. Due to
technical constraints, only inlet and outlet fluid
 R. Bowerar et al. / Desalination 158 (2003) 79-85
pressure were measured in this unit, but the inlet
pressure was shown to be close to the trans-
membrane pressure since permeate was atmo-
spheric. The maximum rotation speed was 1500
rpm and the feed flow 180 I II-‘. Polyethersulfone
(PES) Nadir membranes of 150, 50,20 and 10 kD
cut-off were used in UF, while an Osmonics Desal
DS5 DL membrane was used in NF.
Two types of disks were used in these units.
Initial disks (denoted as smooth) were flat on both
sides. Subsequent disks were equipped with radial
vanes of 2 mm height, which permitted to increase
the core fluid velocity and the shear rate for the
same rotation speed of the disk by 37% compared
to smooth disks. All tests were performed at 20°C
with a thermostated tank.
The VSEP (New Logic International, USA)
unit used in some comparative tests was a single
compartment pilot equipped with a 500 cm?
circular membrane. The vertical shaft supporting
the steel housing is vibrated by an eccentric drive
motor and, acting as a torsion spring, induces
azimuthal oscillations ofthe membrane in its own
plane. At the resonant frequency of 60.75 Hz, the
displacement amplitude at the membrane rim was
measured to be 30 mm, corresponding to a
maximum shear rate at the membrane of about
IO5 s-‘.
;;‘
800
700 1 -_“____.__” _.-._...._-.___.
Nylon membrane 0.2 pm
RPM : 1500
__._”
c 600 ) [Fe3’]=9g/L
5 T=25”C
500
2
; 400
g 300
z
p 200
100 gap
-D-18mm + 10mm
0 ‘-
20 30
Peripheral pressure (kPa)
81
3. Results
3.1. Concentration offerric hydroxide in saline
medium by MF
The variation of stabilized permeate flux with
peripheral pressure measured using the PVC unit
is shown in Fig. 2 for a rotation speed of 1500
RPM, a gap of 18 mm and an Fe3+ concentration
of 9 g/l. Peripheral pressure was varied by a valve
on the retentate. Since permeate was collected at
atmospheric pressure, the peripheral pressure
represents the maximum TMP at the disk edge.
The flux rises continuously with pressure without
reaching a plateau up to 65 kPa. We have added
on the graph two other data at smaller gaps, 5 and
10 mm. The flux hardly varies with the gap, con-
firming that the device operates in the boundary
layer regime.
3.2. Concentration of CaCO, suspension by MF
Fig. 3 represents the variation of permeate flux
and inlet pressure with concentration using a
0.2 mm nylon membrane and a disk equipped with
2 mm vanes. Due to the large particle size (50 mm),
the permeate fluxes are very large, even at the
maximum concentration of 700 g/l, where it is
still equal to 950 l/hm*. At the end of the test, the
.._.
_____.
_____.__.___,__~
Fig. 2. Variation of permeate flux with
peripheral pressure in MF of ferric
A 5mm hydroxide suspension in saline medium
using a smooth disk rotating at
40 50 60 ‘, ”
1500 ‘pm.
82 R. Bouzerar et al. ,, Desalination 1.58 (2003) 7945

1600
CaC03 50 pm
Nylon O.Z~m,1500 rpm 0
1400 L
1200

;;‘ 1000
E
2
800
a
5
600

400 Fig. 3. Variation of permeate flux with

0.5
concentration in MF of CaCO,
200 j Jf disk(L/h/mz) Q. JtVsep (L/h/m*) suspension with a 0.2 pm membrane.
--P Pdisk (bar) 0 PVsep (bar)
0 0
Comparison between the rotating disk
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 module at 1.500 rpm and the VSEP
c klw system at 60.75 Hz.

concentration was restored to the initial value of the end ofthe test, there is an important hysteresis.
200 g/l by dilution and the final permeate flux was
at 1I40 I/hm’ lower than the initial one (I 400 I/hmz).
3.3. Concentration of silica suspension by UF at
Corresponding results obtained with a VSEP
150 kD
equipped with the same membrane are also shown
in Fig. 3 for comparison. VSEP fluxes, obtained The variation of permeate flux and inlet
at the resonant frequency of 60.75 Hz, are much pressure with silica concentration in percent of
lower (600 I/hm2) but drop very little at the mass is presented in Fig. 4, using a disk equipped
maximum concentration due to an increase in with vanes and rotating at 1500 rpm. The permeate
TMP from 1.4 to 2.3 bar caused by the increase fluxes, although high, are lower than in Fig. 3
in density and viscosity. However, when the because of the lower membrane permeability and
concentration is restored to 200 g/l by dilution at the much lower particle size (50 nm), which

400 .^..^^. . ,“.“.”

UF Silica, 1500 rpm, PES 150 kD ..__ 1.8

350 1.6

1.4
300

I.2 f
;;‘ 250
.C 1 k
._
f 200 0.
0.8
‘5 150
0.6 Fig. 4. Variation of permeate flux

100 with silica con-centration in UF at

0.4
1.50 kD of silica suspension with
50 0.2 the rotating disk (d) at 1.500 rpm.
+Jft (L/h/m’) d Jfd (L/h/m*) :. Pit (bar) A Pid (bar) Comparison with a similar test
0 ,. 4 0
using a Kerasep ceramic tubular
0 5 IO 15 20 25 30 35 membrane (t) of same cut-off.
% Si
 R. Bouzerar et al. / Desalination 1.58(2003) 79-85
results in a more compact layer on the membrane.
Here again, the reduction in permeate flux, when
silica concentration increases from 5 to 32%, is
relatively small, from 300 to 245 l/hm2. Also shown
for comparison are the permeate fluxes collected
in a similar test using a ceramic tubular membrane
with same cut-off and an axial fluid velocity of
5 m/s. These permeate fluxes are much lower than
for the rotating disk and decay by SO%, from 125
to 60 l/hm? during the concentration test.
3.4. Concentration by UF at 50 kD of silica
suspended in a Klebosol solution
In these experiments dealing with a typical
effluent of a semiconductor plant (silica particles
suspended in a 2% ammoniac solution), the stain-
less steel rotating disk module was fitted with a
second membrane identical to the first on the
lower side of the disk, and the permeate fluxes
on each membrane were measured separately. A
flat disk, smooth on both sides, was used in these
tests. The variation of these permeate fluxes,
together with that of inlet pressure, is plotted as a
function of silica percent mass concentration in
Fig. 5. The flux collected from the upper
membrane remains slightly higher than that from
the lower one. Since the hydraulic permeabilities
of these two membranes were measured to be the
same before the test, and transmembrane pressure
was not higher on the upper membrane, we can
attribute the higher flux on the upper membrane
Rotating disk with 2 membranes
2 smooth disks, s,=sf8.5 mm
160 -
140
120 1
g 100
z2 80
5 60
Concentration 1 : 12% -> 30%
40
20 o Jf_Lower (L/h/m2) a Jf_Upper
0 -0
10 20
%Si
83
to a more favorable internal flow. Since the flow
induced by the pump is directed from the lower
compartment to the upper one, it will be, on the
lower membrane, opposite to the inward radial
velocity induced by the disk rotation on the mem-
brane due to the recirculation between the disk
and the membrane. On the contrary, on the upper
membrane, the radial velocity induced by the
pump, and that of the recirculation induced by
the disk rotation, will be in the same direction.
Thus, the radial velocity component will be higher
on the upper membrane than on the lower one,
resulting in a slightly higher radial shear stress
and a higher permeate flux.
3.5. Depollution of effluents from detergent
industry by UF and NF
3.5. I. Ultrafiltration at 5 and 5 kD
These effluents have large chemical oxygen
demand (COD) contents, generally in excess of
15,000 mg/l, and the purpose of the membrane
filtration is to reduce the COD in the permeate to
acceptable levels. Tests were conducted on cationic
effluents with an initial COD of 17,300 mg/l and
a 5 kD PES membrane at constant concentration,
recycling both permeate and retentate and in-
creasing inlet pressures to 30 bar. Results of these
tests conducted with a disk equipped with vanes
and rotating at 1500 rpm are shown in Fig. 6. The
permeate flux keeps increasing with pressure to
T2
1~ 1.8
I 1.6
I.4
’ 1.2T
1, 3
L 0.8 h
0.6 Fig. 5. Comparison between permeate
, 0.4 fluxes of lower and upper membranes
(L/hlmz) A Pi (bar)
/ 0.2 in a concentration test of silica suspen-
sion in Klebosol with a 50 kD PES
35
25 membrane.
84 R. Bouzemr et al. ’Desalination I58 (2003) 79-85

120 , ,,,” _.,.,.__, .,,, .,_,

Catlontc effluent
100 Membrane POO5F5 kD _,_ ”

Fig. 6. Variation of permeate flux with

TMP in UF at 5 kD of a cationic effluent
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
with a disk equipped with vanes rotating
P (bar) at 1500 rpm.

its maximum of 30 bar, where it reaches 110 I/hm’.
The COD in permeate was reduced to 2700 mg/l
and its conductivity, proportional to ionic content,
to 95 pS/cm at 22 bar, from a feed value of
500 ps/c111.
Similar tests were performed
effluent ofthe same origin, but with an initial
of33,200 mg/l, using a 10 kD PES membrane under
the same experimental conditions. The permeate
flux increased linearly with inlet pressure up to
12 bar and reached 300 I/hm’ at the maximum
pressure of 20 bar. The permeate COD was
reduced to 5400 mg/l.
3.5. ,7. NmoJiltrution at I50 D
Other anionic effluents from the detergent
industry, but with an initial COD of 8 1,600 mg/l,
were filtrated using a DESAL DS DL membrane
of 150 D equivalent cut-off and a disk equipped
with vanes and rotating at 1.500 rpm. The variation
of permeate flux with inlet pressure is represented
in Fig. 7 together with data obtained on a similar
on an anionic effluent, but with an initial COD of 49,500 mg/l,
COD using the VSEP equipped with the same mem-
brane and operated at resonant frequency. The
permeate flux provided by the rotating disk
increases linearly with inlet pressure up to 40 bar
and is higher than that of the VSEP (200 I/hm’
for the disk at 40 bar vs. 139 I/hm? for the VSEP
at the same pressure). Permeate CODS were
similar in both systems (730 mg/l at 20 bar for
the rotating disk vs. 760 for the VSEP at the same
pressure).

250

Nanofiltration anionic effluent

200 : Membrane DESAL DS5 DL
VSEP : F= 60.75 Hz
Disk with vanes : N = 1500 rpm
g 150
z
3
g100

Fig. 7. Variation of permeate flux with

50 inlet pressure in NF of an anionic
A Jf_Vsep (L/h/m’) Jf_Disk (L/h/m’)
effluent with a disk rotating at I500 rpm.
0 b Comparison with the permeate flux
0 5 IO 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 obtained from the VSEP using the same
P (bar) membrane and same effluent.
 R. Bowerw et al. i Desalination 158 (2003) 7945
4. Conclusion
The high performance of rotating disk filtra-
tion devices, which has been widely reported in
MF, subsists also in UF and NF. The reason is
that the very high shear rates (up to 150,000 s?
for water at 20°C in our module at 1500 rpm, when
averaged over the membrane area, or 220,000 s-’
at membrane rim, depending upon speed and disk
geometry) reduce concentration polarization to
much lower levels than in conventional crossflow
filtration, especially when disks are equipped with
radial vanes that increase fluid velocity for the
same disk rotation speed. We estimate from tests
conducted at 3000 rpm in the small unit that even
higher permeate fluxes could be obtained by
increasing the rotation speed in the large device
and using higher vanes.
85
Acknowledgment
The financial support of R. Bouzerar by the
Valorisation Dept of CNRS is acknowledged.
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[3] C. Harscoat, M.Y. Jaffrin, R. Bouzerar, and J. Courtois,
Biotech. Bioeng., 65 (1999) 50&5 11.
[4] 0. Al-Akoum, M.Y. Jaffrin, L.H. Ding, P. Paullier and
C. Vanhoutte, J. Membr. Sci., 197 (2002) 37-52.
[5] R. Bouzerar, M.Y. Jafii-in, A. Lefevre and P. Paullier,
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