DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL REVERSE-OSMOSIS MEMBRANE WITH HIGH REJECTIONS FOR ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

CHEMICAL PROCESS INDUSTRY SEPARATIONS CONSUME AS MUCH AS 4.4 QUADS OF ENERGY ANNUALLY IN THE UNITED STATES. MANY OF THESE SEPARATIONS INVOLVE REMOVING ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM AQUEOUS PROCESS STREAMS. SEVERAL TYPES OF CONVENTIONAL UNIT OPERATIONS ARE USED TO REMOVE OR DESTROY ORGANICS IN AQUEOUS PROCESS STREAMS, OR TO CLEAN UP GROUNDWATER THAT HAS BEEN CONTAMINATED WITH ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. HOWEVER, THESE UNIT OPERATIONS (E.G., CARBON ABSORPTION, STEAM STRIPPING, AND LIQUID/LIQUID EXTRACTION) CAN BE ENERGY INTENSIVE OR PRODUCE A SECONDARY WASTE STREAM (AQUEOUS OR GASEOUS) THAT MUST BE DISPOSED OF. SOME OF THESE PROCESSES ALSO DESTROY THE ORGANIC COMPOUND, PRECLUDING THE POSSIBILITY OF RECOVERING OR RECYCLING THEM. REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO) IS A MEMBRANE-BASED PROCESS THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE AND SIMPLIFY WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY. HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH COMMERCIAL RO MEMBRANES DESALT WATER EFFICIENTLY-A TASK FOR WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN OPTIMIZED-THEY ARE NOT EFFECTIVE AT REMOVING MANY INDUSTRIALLY IMPORTANT ORGANICS FROM WATER. TO CAPITALIZE ON THE POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF RO MEMBRANES FOR ORGANICS REMOVAL, A NEW CLASS OF RO MEMBRANES THAT REMOVE HIGH PERCENTAGES OF ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS MUST BE DESIGNED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROGRAM IS DEMONSTRATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING RO MEMBRANES CAPABLE OF HIGH REJECTIONS OF ORGANIC MOLECULES AND HIGH WATER FLUXES. PHASE I EMPHASIZES PREPARATION OF SMALL MEMBRANE SAMPLES THAT HAVE A WATER FLUX OF 15 L/M2-HR (AT 55 ATM) AND A REJECTION OF PHENOL (THE TARGET ORGANIC CONTAMINANT) OF AT LEAST 98%. PHASE II WOULD CONTINUE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE MEMBRANES, MAXIMIZING THEIR FLUX AND ORGANIC REJECTION. THE MEMBRANES WOULD ALSO BE TESTED ON FEED SOLUTIONS CONTAINING A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIALLY IMPORTANT ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. WE WOULD ALSO MODULARIZE THESE MEMBRANES TO ALLOW TESTING OF LARGER SCALE (E.G., 10FT(2)) MODULES.