Results of a hybrid microfiltration-powdered activated carbon (MF-PAC) system for the treatment of synthetic oily wastewaters with mullite and mullite-alumina (50 % alumina content) ceramic membranes are presented. The experiments were conducted to determine the effects of the presence of PAC on MF process performance in terms of flux decline, membrane fouling, and total organic carbon (TOC) rejection. The experimental results demonstrate that PAC addition at low concentration (200-400 ppm) increases permeate flux by 19.6 % for mullite and 61 % for mullite-alumina MF membranes. However, high PAC concentration (1200 ppm) decreases the permeate flux by 22 % for mullite and 25 % for mullitealumina MF membranes. Also, TOC rejection increases from 93.8 to 97.4 % for mullite and from 89.6 to 92.4 % for mullite-alumina MF membranes.
IntroductionLow pressure driven membrane separation techniques such as microfiltration (MF) have been considered as indispensable treatment methods in water and wastewater treatment applications to remove specific pollutants which are not normally removed by conventional processes. MF is excellent in removing microparticles, microorganisms, macromolecules, and most bacteria [1]. Ceramic membranes have numerous advantages: stability at high temperature and pressure resistance, good chemical stability, high mechanical resistance, long life, and good antifouling properties. Ceramic MF membranes can be made from alumina, mullite, cordierite, silica, spinel, zirconia, and other refractory oxides. Among these membranes, mullite ceramic membranes have very high chemical and thermal stability, and are very cheap because they can be prepared by extruding and calcining kaolin clay [2].Membrane fouling is characterized, in general, as the reduction of permeate flux through the membrane and, hence, leads to an irreversible loss of system productivity over time, caused by interactions between the membrane and the various components in the process stream. To reduce membrane fouling, some methods can be used. Using adsorbents as pretreatment is one way to minimize membrane fouling. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) 1) has the ability to adsorb primarily the lower molecular weight organic compounds and shows more affinity towards the hydrophobic components. Adsorption using PAC in combination with the membrane MF process can be used as a hybrid system for removing organic materials and improving permeate flux. PAC is generally used as a pretreatment step prior to the membrane operation or in combination with the membrane in a feed tank [3].PAC has been used as membrane pretreatment for both water and wastewater treatment. Kim et al. [4] showed that using PAC with polymeric MF membranes to treat lake water reduces the fouling rate by removing natural organic matter (NOM), compared with the system with no adsorbent. Ince et al. [5] used PAC and polymer membranes in a hybrid system to further reduce the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of the jet-loop membrane bioreactor effluent to meet the COD disc...