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Herein, the effects of cleaning with sodium hydroxide and citric acid solutions as cleaning reagents on the changes in the properties of two hollow-fiber PVDF microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes fouled with organic and inorganic matter were investigated. Accelerated membrane ageing was induced by use of high concentrations of tannic acid and iron oxide (Fe2O3) particles in the feed water; these conditions were kept with different membrane soaking times to observe temporal effects. It was found that tannic acid molecules adsorb onto the membrane surface that results in changes in surface characteristics, particularly surface functional groups that are responsible for enhancing membrane’s hydrophilicity. Experimental results demonstrate that NaOH had a stronger effect on the tensile strength and surface chemistry of the fouled MF and UF membranes than citric acid. Prediction of lifetime by an exponential (decay) model confirmed that the UF membrane cleaned with NaOH would be aged within about 1.8 years and the MF membrane after about 5 years, at cleaning every 15 days, downtime 2 h per cleaning, when a 10% tensile strength decrease against the original membrane is allowed.

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The research aims to study the different flexible rubber tube diffusers used in urban wastewater treatment processes and aquaculture systems. The experiment was conducted in small-scale aeration tank with different physical properties of the tubes that were used as aerators. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient (kLa), oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE) and aeration efficiency (AE) were measured and determined to compare the diffusers. Moreover, the bubble hydrodynamic parameters were analyzed in terms of bubble diameter (dB) and rising velocity (UB) by a high speed camera (2,000 frames/s). Then the interfacial area (a) and liquid-side mass transfer coefficient (kL) can be calculated. The physical properties (tube wall thickness, tensile strength, orifice size, hardness and elongation) have been proven to be the key factor that controls the performance (kLa and OTE). The effects of hardness and elongation on bubble formation, orifice size and a-area were clearly proved. It is not necessary to generate too much fine bubbles to increase the a-area: this relates to high power consumption and the decrease of the kL. Finally, the wall thickness, elongation and hardness associated of the flexible tube diffuser (tube No. 12) were concluded, to be the suitable properties for practically producing, in this research.

Abstract. Aeration system is extensively applied in aquaculture and waste water treatment. It provides oxygen for organism living and mixing while consumes colossal amounts of energy for operating. Hence, the improvement of aeration system is not only providing enough oxygen and mixing but also concerning to the energy saving. Liquid film forming apparatus (LFFA) is a simple equipment that itself does not consume any power. It can be installed in existing conventional aeration system without large-scale retrofitting. Laboratory scale experiment was performed in a 190-litre aeration tank. The different types of air diffuser providing different bubble aspects were installed at the bottom of the aeration tank as the conventional diffused aeration systems. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient ( ) of the aeration systems with LFFA are higher than the conventional systems notably. The mechanism of oxygen transfer in LFFA system can be summarized into 4 patterns: 1) Conventional mechanism, 2) Bubble collection mechanism, 3) Bubble recirculation mechanism and 4) Bubble-Liquid Foam mechanism. Then, the interfacial area (a) is improved comparing with the conventional diffused aeration system. The LFFA system should be operated with small bubble diameter generation (< 3 mm). The can be increased 11 -37 % depending on generated bubble size. By determining the additional interfacial area (a+), the bubble collection phenomena, as well as, the proper superficial gas velocity (>0.13 m/s) can be defined and provided a better understanding on oxygen transfer mechanism in LFFA system.