MUNICIPAL WASTE WATER RECLAMATION WITH ULTRAFILTRATION

THE PROGRAM WILL DEVELOP AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR TREATMENT AND/OR RECLAMATION OF MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER. THIS WILL BE DONE BY DEVELOPMENT OF A SPIRAL WOUND ULTRAFILTRATION ELEMENT TO RECLAIM SECONDARY EFFLUENT OR TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF SECONDARY EFFLUENT FORM INADEQUATE, SMALL TREAT- MENT PLANTS. THE SPIRAL WOUND ELEMENT IS UNIQUE IN THAT IT WILL IN CORPORATE A MEMBRANE THAT APPEARS TO HAVE A MUCH LOWER FOULING RATE THAN OTHER MEMBRANES SUCH AS CELLULOSE ACETATE OR POLYSULFONE. IN ADDITION, THE ELEMENT WILL UTIL IZE A BRINE SPACER THAT ELIMINATES ENTRAPMENT OF SOLIDS WHICH IS THE DISADVANTAGE OF CONVENTIONAL BRINE SPACERS. THE MEMBRANE AND ELEMENTS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED IN THE LAB- ORATORY AND THEN TESTED INTHE FIELD ON SECONDARY EFFLUENT FOR A TWO MONTH PERIOD. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PRO- GRAM WILL DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A COST EFFECTIVE TERNATIVE IN MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND RECLAMTATIONTHE IMPORRVED PROCESS CAN BE USED ALONE OR AS PRETREATMENT FOR REVERSE OSMOSIS IN THE RECOVERY OF MUNICIPAL AND INDUS- TRIAL WASTES OR TO ENHANCE THE RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE OF EXISTING WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS. IN ADDITION, IT COULD BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH MOBILE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS BEING DEVELOPED BY THE U.S. ARMY.