Distillery wastewater treatment by the membrane-based nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes

A hybrid nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) pilot plant was used to remove the color and contaminants of the distillery spent wash. The feasibility of the membranes for treating wastewater from the distillery industry by varying the feed pressure (0-70 bar) and feed concentration was tested on the separation performance of thin-film composite NF and RO membranes. Color removal by NF and a high rejection of 99.80% total dissolved solids (TDS), 99.90% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 99.99% of potassium was achieved from the RO runs, by retaining a significant flux as compared to pure water flux, which shows that membranes were not affected by fouling during wastewater run. The pollutant level in permeates were below the maximum contaminant level as per the guidelines of the World Health Organization and the Central Pollution Control Board specifications for effluent discharge (less than 1,000 ppm of TDS and 500 ppm of COD).