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Statistical Simulation, a Tool for the Process Optimization of Oily Wastewater by Crossflow Ultrafiltration
Hajer Aloulou1, Afef Attia1, Wala Aloulou1
1Research Unit "Advanced Technologies for Environment and Smart Cities", Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia.
Membranes
|July 25, 2022
Summary
Optimized ultrafiltration effectively treats electroplating wastewater, removing over 95% of heavy metals and oil for industrial water reuse. Cake filtration models membrane fouling, with effective chemical cleaning restoring performance.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Electroplating industries generate wastewater containing oil and heavy metals, posing environmental risks and limiting water reuse.
- Effective treatment methods are crucial for sustainable industrial practices and resource recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To optimize ultrafiltration conditions for treating industrial wastewater laden with oil and heavy metals.
- To enable water reuse in industrial processes by achieving high pollutant removal rates.
- To investigate the performance of ceramic multitubular membranes in oil and heavy metal removal.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a ceramic multitubular membrane for ultrafiltration.
- Employed Box-Behnken design (BBD) with response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize operating parameters.
- Investigated effects of oil concentration, feed temperature, and transmembrane pressure on COD removal and permeate flux.
- Applied Hermia's model to analyze membrane fouling mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Achieved high removal rates for oil (>95% for oil and turbidity) and heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu >95%).
- Optimized conditions identified: 117 g/L oil concentration, 60 °C feed temperature, and 3.5 bar transmembrane pressure.
- COD removal and permeate flux showed high correlation coefficients (0.985 and 0.901, respectively).
- Cake filtration model accurately described membrane fouling; chemical cleaning effectively regenerated membrane permeability.
Conclusions:
- Ultrafiltration is a viable technology for treating electroplating wastewater, enabling water reuse.
- Optimized operating conditions maximize treatment efficiency and permeate flux.
- Understanding fouling mechanisms and effective regeneration are key to long-term membrane performance.
