Industrial Application of Formed-in-Place Membrane Ultrafiltration and Automated Membrane-Forming in the Treatment and Recycle of Rinse-Water during the Scouring of Raw Wool

Abstract

Fresh water consumption in the scouring of raw wool at a Mill in South Africa has been dramatically reduced by a combination of two factors, namely the purification and recycling of some of the wash water for reuse during rinsing, and the recycle of water from the firm's biological degradation ponds for use in the earlier stages of wool washing and in neutralising. Purification is undertaken by means of formed-in-place hydrous zirconium (IV) oxide membranes which are deposited automatically on porous sintered stainless steel supports. While about the same total quantity of water is used to wash the wool as traditionally, fresh water consumption on selected washlines has been reduced by approximately half.

Volatile fatty acids as malodorous compounds in wool scouring water and lanolin. Origin and characterisation

“…For this reason, several methods have been proposed for their treatment (i.e. anaerobic biodegradation [6,7] or sequential anaerobic-aerobic digestion [8] and ultrafiltration [9,10]). In addition, odorous emissions from the wool scouring wastewater could give rise to a serious annoyance at the workplace itself and in its vicinities.…”