Optimization of Air Backwash Frequency during the Ultrafiltration of Seawater

Type Article
Date 2020-04
Language English
Author(s) Cordier C1, Eljaddi Tarik1, Ibouroihim Nadjim1, Stavrakakis ChristopheORCID2, Sauvade Patrick3, Coelho Franz3, Moulin Philippe1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, M2P2-EPM (UMR 7340), 13545 Aix en Provence, France
2 : Plateforme Expérimentale Mollusques Marins, Station Ifremer de Bouin, Polder des Champs, 85230 Bouin, France
3 : Suez—Aquasource, 20, Avenue Didier Daurat, CEDEX 04, 31029 Toulouse, France
Source Membranes (2077-0375) (MDPI AG), 2020-04 , Vol. 10 , N. 4 , P. 78 (10p.)
DOI 10.3390/membranes10040078
WOS© Times Cited 5
Note This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Membrane Systems and Processes
Keyword(s) ultrafiltration, seawater treatment, air backwash, fouling control
Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to study the effect of new air backwash on dead-end ultrafiltration of seawater with a pilot at semi-industrial scale (20 m3/day). To control membrane fouling, two different backwashes were used to clean the membrane: classical backwash (CB) and new air backwash (AB) that consists of injecting air into the membrane module before a classical backwash. To evaluate the efficiency of AB and CB, a resistance in series model was used to calculate each resistance: membrane (Rm), reversible (Rrev) and irreversible (Rirr). The variation of the seawater quality was considered by integrating the turbidity variation versus time. The results indicate clearly that AB was more performant than CB and frequency of AB/CB cycles was important to control membrane fouling. In this study, frequencies of 1/5 and 1/3 appear more efficient than 1/7 and 1/9. In addition, the operation conditions (flux and time of filtration) had an important role in maintaining membrane performance—whatever the variation of the seawater quality.

Full Text
File Pages Size Access
Publisher's official version 10 2 MB Open access
Top of the page