Membrane Biological Reactor using Amphiphilic Comb Copolymer

Deepak*

Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science & Technology, Murthal, Haryana-39

Wastewater produced in oil industries are mainly from water brought to the surface during oil drilling & refinery wastewater.

Ultrafiltration membrane and MBR, both are very promising for removal of oil, but fouling is a major problem in the large scale viability of Ultrafiltration membranes. To counter this problem of fouling, we are using a system which pre-treats the feed using traditional sludge process and Ultrafiltration membranes.

Our study has shown that fouling resistance membranes made up of Comb shaped Amphiphilic copolymers i.e. those copolymers having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic ends like PAN-g-PEO (Polyacrylonitrile-graft-polyethylene oxide) are completely resistant to irreversible fouling.

These membranes can remove contaminants of over 96% based on COD .PAN-g-PEO can be cleaned completely by physical methods alone, thus extending membrane lifetimes substantially. A continuous aeration is provided for MBR to limited membrane fouling.

PARAMETERS INFLUENT DISCHARGECOD(mg/l) 650 50Phenol(mg/l) 70 0.28Benzene(mg/l) 26 0.2Ammonia(mg/l) 40 0.5

In this system, MBR was filled with activated sludge from oil refinery water treatment plant. The waste water is readily degradable after one week so that acclimation proceeded very rapidly and already after one week of the process above 93% of COD was removed.

In a nutshell, we aimed to show the advantages of a novel, fouling-resistant UF membrane i.e. Amphiphilic comb copolymer membrane for treatment of oil industry wastewaters We limited our study to PAN UF membranes incorporating 20 wt. % of the amphiphilic comb copolymer PAN-g-PEO which were shown to

better maintain and recover their flux while providing separation ability. The results suggest that PAN-g-PEO blend UF membranes could be very promising for the treatment of oil industry wastewaters. Due to their ability to resist adsorptive fouling, these membranes should sustain higher fluxes, require less frequent backwashes, eliminate the need for chemical cleanings, and achieve longer membrane lifetimes, translating to reduced energy consumption during operation and better process economics.

Rough Diagram of Process:

REFERENCES

Churchouse S. (1997). Membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment - operating experiences with the Kubota submerged membrane activated sludge process. Membrane Technology 83, 5-9,

Cheryan, M.; Rajagopalan, N. Membrane processing of oily streams. Wastewater treatment and waste reduction. J. Membr.Sci. 1998, 151, 13–28.

Protection of the environment, oil and gas extraction point source category. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 435, 2001.

Key words: Bio-reactors, MBR, Membrane, Pan-g-PEOCorresponding Author: Deepak,dcrust.deepak@gmail.comPrefer mode of presentation: ORALThrust Area Code: NT