Christopher Bellona

Rejection of emerging organic micropollutants in nanofiltration-reverse osmosis membrane applications

The rejection of emerging trace organics by a variety of commercial reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), and ultra-low-pressure RO (ULPRO) membranes was investigated using TFC-HR, NF-90, NF-200, TFC-SR2, and XLE spiral membrane elements (Koch Membrane Systems, Wilmington, Massachusetts) to simulate operational conditions for drinking-water treatment and wastewater reclamation. In general, the presence of effluent organic matter (EfOM) improved the rejection of ionic organics by tight NF and RO membranes, as compared to a type-II water matrix (adjusted by ionic strength and hardness), likely as a result of a decreased negatively charged membrane surface. Rejection of ionic pharmaceutical residues and pesticides exceeded 95% by NF-90, XLE, and TFC-HR membranes and was above 89% for the NF-200 membrane. Hydrophobic nonionic compounds, such as bromoform and chloroform, exhibited a high initial rejection, as a result of both hydrophobic-hydrophobic solute-membrane interactions and steric exclusion, but rejection decreased significantly after 10 hours of operation because of partitioning of solutes through the membranes. This resulted in a partial removal of disinfection byproducts by the RO membrane TFC-HR. In a type-II water matrix, the effect of increasing feed water recoveries on rejection of hydrophilic ionic and nonionic compounds was compound-dependent and not consistent for different membranes. The presence of EfOM, however, could neutralize the effect of hydrodynamic operating condition on rejection performance. The ULPRO and tight NF membranes were operated at lower feed pressure, as compared to the TFC-HR, and provided a product water quality similar to a conventional RO membrane, regarding trace organics of interest.

Comprehensive Bench- and Pilot-Scale Investigation of Trace Organic Compounds Rejection by Forward Osmosis

Forward osmosis (FO) is a membrane separation technology that has been studied in recent years for application in water treatment and desalination. It can best be utilized as an advanced pretreatment for desalination processes such as reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) to protect the membranes from scaling and fouling. In the current study the rejection of trace organic compounds (TOrCs) such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, plasticizers, and flame-retardants by FO and a hybrid FO-RO system was investigated at both the bench- and pilot-scales. More than 30 compounds were analyzed, of which 23 nonionic and ionic TOrCs were identified and quantified in the studied wastewater effluent. Results revealed that almost all TOrCs were highly rejected by the FO membrane at the pilot scale while rejection at the bench scale was generally lower. Membrane fouling, especially under field conditions when wastewater effluent is the FO feed solution, plays a substantial role in increasing the rejection of TOrCs in FO. The hybrid FO-RO process demonstrated that the dual barrier treatment of impaired water could lead to more than 99% rejection of almost all TOrCs that were identified in reclaimed water.

Nanofiltration and granular activated carbon treatment of perfluoroalkyl acids.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are of concern because of their persistence in the environment and the potential toxicological effects on humans exposed to PFAAs through a variety of possible exposure routes, including contaminated drinking water. This study evaluated the efficacy of nanofiltration (NF) and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption in removing a suite of PFAAs from water. Virgin flat-sheet NF membranes (NF270, Dow/Filmtec) were tested at permeate fluxes of 17-75 Lm(-2)h(-1) using deionized (DI) water and artificial groundwater. The effects of membrane fouling by humic acid on PFAA rejection were also tested under constant permeate flux conditions. Both virgin and fouled NF270 membranes demonstrated >93% removal for all PFAAs under all conditions tested. GAC efficacy was tested using rapid small-scale columns packed with Calgon Filtrasorb300 (F300) carbon and DI water with and without dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM effects were also evaluated with F600 and Siemens AquaCarb1240C. The F300 GAC had <20% breakthrough of all PFAAs in DI water for up to 125,000 bed volumes (BVs). When DOM was present, >20% breakthrough of all PFAAs by 10,000 BVs was observed for all carbons.

Nanofiltration technology in water treatment and reuse: applications and costs

Nanofiltration (NF) is a relatively recent development in membrane technology with characteristics that fall between ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis (RO). While RO membranes dominate the seawater desalination industry, NF is employed in a variety of water and wastewater treatment and industrial applications for the selective removal of ions and organic substances, as well as certain niche seawater desalination applications. The purpose of this study was to review the application of NF membranes in the water and wastewater industry including water softening and color removal, industrial wastewater treatment, water reuse, and desalination. Basic economic analyses were also performed to compare the profitability of using NF membranes over alternative processes. Although any detailed cost estimation is hampered by some uncertainty (e.g. applicability of estimation methods to large-scale systems, labor costs in different areas of the world), NF was found to be a cost-effective technology for certain investigated applications. The selection of NF over other treatment technologies, however, is dependent on several factors including pretreatment requirements, influent water quality, treatment facility capacity, and treatment goals.

Experimental and density functional theoretical study of the effects of Fenton's reaction on the degradation of Bisphenol A in a high voltage plasma reactor.

A novel electrical discharge plasma reactor configuration with and without iron ions was evaluated for the degradation of 0.02 mM Bisphenol A (BPA). The pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant calculated for the plasma treatment of BPA with a stainless steel electrode in the presence of dissolved ferrous ion (Fe(2+)) salts (termed plasma/Fenton treatment) was higher than in the plasma treatment in the absence of iron salts. At the optimal ferrous ion concentration, longer plasma treatment times resulted in higher BPA degradation rates, likely due to increased hydroxyl (OH) radical concentration formed through the decomposition of H2O2. Replacing the stainless steel with a carbon steel grounded electrode resulted in the release of iron ions from the carbon steel thereby increasing the rate of BPA removal and eliminating the need for iron salts. After the plasma/Fenton treatment, >97% of the residual iron salts were removed by coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation. Byproduct identification coupled with density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that OH radical attack on BPAs hydroxyl group is the primary pathway for byproduct formation.

Plasma-Based Water Treatment: Efficient Transformation of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Prepared Solutions and Contaminated Groundwater

A process based on electrical discharge plasma was tested for the transformation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The plasma-based process was adapted for two cases, high removal rate and high removal efficiency. During a 30 min treatment, the PFOA concentration in 1.4 L of aqueous solutions was reduced by 90% with the high rate process (76.5 W input power) and 25% with the high efficiency process (4.1 W input power). Both achieved remarkably high PFOA removal and defluorination efficiencies compared to leading alternative technologies. The high efficiency process was also used to treat groundwater containing PFOA and several cocontaminants including perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), demonstrating that the process was not significantly affected by cocontaminants and that the process was capable of rapidly degrading PFOS. Preliminary investigation into the byproducts showed that only about 10% of PFOA and PFOS is converted into shorter-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). Investigation into the types of reactive species involved in primary reactions with PFOA showed that hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, which are typically the primary plasma-derived reactive species, play no significant role. Instead, scavenger experiments indicated that aqueous electrons account for a sizable fraction of the transformation, with free electrons and/or argon ions proposed to account for the remainder.

Plasma based water treatment: Design guidelines for controlling interface dynamics

Summary form only given. Electrical discharge plasma is an effective and versatile advanced oxidation process due to the formation of reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals and hydroperoxyl radicals. The technology requires no chemical additions, can degrade a broad range of contaminants, and produces no residual waste. Plasma treatment also includes a broad range of other treatment mechanisms, including electron-based reduction, UV radiation, cavitation, and thermal degradation. Despite the obvious benefits and advantages of Plasma-based Water Treatment (PWT), the technology has not yet reached a level of development where it can be commercially used. This study determined the main obstacles hindering the implementation of PWT and developed design principles for overcoming the process limitations through control of the plasma-liquid interphase dynamics. We have determined the efficacy of the plasma process for treatment of a wide range of different compounds and used the results of this investigation to construct a model to predict the approximate treatability of any compound based on just a few of the compounds physical properties. Using particle imaging velocimetry we have further characterized the dynamic nature of the plasma-liquid interface and bulk liquid flow as a function of selected design and process parameters. Insights gained from this part of the study provided design guidance in scaling up of the plasma reactor, which features several novel design aspects to exploit bulk liquid and interfacial flow phenomena to enhance the exposure of chemical contaminants to the plasma. The scaled-up reactor was then tested on a few of the compounds deemed most treatable by the predictive model, including perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. The efficiency and relative competitiveness of the scaled-up plasma process.

Evaluation of a bench-scale membrane fouling protocol to determine fouling propensities of membranes during full-scale water reuse applications

There is increasing interest in recycling wastewater effluents for augmentation of existing water supplies. The treatment of wastewater effluents by an integrated membrane system, such as microfiltration pre-treatment followed by reverse osmosis, is the industry standard for groundwater recharge or reservoir augmentation projects. Membrane fouling, especially effluent organic matter fouling, is a major challenge for water reuse applications employing high-pressure membranes. While fouling control through pre-treatment is an important aspect in membrane system design and operation, selecting low fouling membranes is an equally important aspect. Although recent research has begun to elucidate fouling mechanisms, little work has been performed to develop methods to pre-determine the effluent organic matter fouling propensities of high-pressure membranes so that low-fouling membranes can be pre-selected for reuse applications. The purpose of this study was to utilize a bench-scale testing protocol to test the relative effluent organic matter fouling propensities of commercially available NF and RO membranes when treating wastewater effluents. Bench-scale fouling test results were then compared to operational data generated during pilot- and full-scale membrane testing. Pilot- and full-scale testing using recycled water demonstrated that membranes foul at significantly different rates and that the extent of fouling could be estimated utilizing the proposed bench-scale testing protocol.