The cost and performance of an MF-RO/NF plant for trace metal removal

作者：Garcia N; Moreno J; Cartmell E; Rodriguez Roda I; Judd S^*

来源：Desalination, 2013, 309: 181-186.

DOI：10.1016/j.desal.2012.10.017

• Metals
• Reverse osmosis
• Wastewater
• Micropollutants
• Cost

The performance of a membrane system based on microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis/nanofiltration (RO/NF) has been examined with reference to the removal of trace metals from classically-treated municipal wastewater, and associated costs determined. Metals fate was assessed both at full and pilot scale. Metals rejection was found to be 94.5-99% on average; permeate metal concentrations were between 0.01 and 0.7 mu g/L for Cu and Ni and 0.7-5.7 mu g/L for Zn, and largely unaffected both by feed concentration and membrane type. The operational expenditure (OPEX) was calculated from information from the full-scale plant, primarily comprised energy demand (47%) and membrane replacement (37%) and was largely independent of plant size for flow rates from 1 to 100 megalitres per day (MW). Results confirmed the membrane-based process to reliably remove metals down to levels below 6 mu g/L, but only at a cost (similar to 18 p/m(3) OPEX) which makes the process untenable for this duty exclusively. Moreover, a further cost would be incurred from the management of the concentrate stream. However, the reliably high levels of removal permit possibility of employing RO or NF technology for treating only a fraction of the wastewater and blending with the untreated stream, depending on the required discharged wastewater quality.

• 出版日期2013-1-15