Our wastewater treatment services help reduce your costs and environmental impact.
Membranes for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
Membranes are an essential part of wastewater treatment processes. They are used to remove dissolved substances from wastewater, as well as insoluble solids.
Membrane technologies have been successfully applied in many different types of water and wastewater treatment plants. However, despite their benefits, there are still challenges that need to be addressed.
Cost-effectiveness
Industrial wastewater treatment costs can be a major driver of an industry’s water efficiency. There are many factors that drive these costs, including the availability of water, effluent disposal, and compliance with ever-stricter environmental regulations.
When the potato starch producer KMC decided to replace its existing activated sludge system with a membrane bioreactor (MBR), they wanted to reduce their water usage and operating costs while still meeting their municipality’s effluent quality requirements. The company found that Alfa Laval’s MBR membranes were a cost-effective choice.
Another cost-effective approach is to use a combination of ultrafiltration (UF) and membrane desalination to remove salts from the wastewater. In addition to reducing municipal water consumption, this approach can also lower the cost of effluent disposal.
Our team can help you reduce your costs and improve your environmental performance with our advanced wastewater treatment technologies.
Energy-efficiency
Treatment of wastewater is a significant energy consumption process and it is estimated that around three per cent of global energy output is used to treat wastewater. Thus, introducing energy-efficient wastewater treatment technology is an excellent solution for reducing the carbon footprint of the industry.
In this context, membrane technology has become a popular choice for water reuse and desalination. It offers a number of benefits such as low energy requirement, small footprint and minimal capital cost.
Membrane technologies like microfiltration (MF), nano filtration (NF), ultra filtration (UF), and reverse osmosis (RO) are widely used for reclaiming water from different wastewater streams for re-use. Among them, RO is considered to be one of the most efficient processes for removing dissolved solids, bacteria and monovalent ions.
However, these pressure driven membrane processes are susceptible to fouling, especially for high flux applications. Fouling occurs when suspended solids, bacteria and other materials are deposited on the surface or inside of the pores of the membrane, which causes decreased permeate flux and increases the need for higher transmembrane pressure to keep the membrane operating at its full potential.
Environmental friendliness
Industrial wastewater is a huge environmental problem, as it contains numerous hazardous organic chemicals and heavy metals at extremely high concentrations. Treatment methods are available, but efficient technological improvements are required over conventional methods to effectively remove these harmful pollutants before they can harm the environment.
Membranes are a great choice for industrial wastewater treatment because they can eliminate many harmful chemicals and impurities. They can also reduce the amount of energy needed to treat the water, making them a great choice for environmentally friendly systems.
Despite their efficiency, membranes can have problems with fouling and clogging when they are used in filtration processes. Deposition of particles like colloids, oils, bacteria, and proteins can cause these problems.
The use of various types of membranes in the treatment of wastewater has increased over the past few years. However, it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of these membranes before deciding on a specific system.
Zero-waste
Membrane technology is a versatile technique used in water treatment and other separation processes. It separates fluid mixtures based on size, electrical nature, physical properties, or other factors.
There are many benefits of membrane technology for wastewater treatment, such as cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. It can also help reduce the amount of waste disposed in landfills and create more sustainable wastewater streams for reuse.
One of the most common applications of membrane technology is for treating industrial wastewater. Using a membrane bioreactor (MBR), organic and suspended solids are removed from the water stream without settling, making it safe for discharge pints.
The process can be automated to minimize maintenance and operating costs, resulting in a fraction of the personnel required for a conventional system. This can be a significant advantage in wastewater treatment plants where personnel is scarce or expensive to hire and maintain.
