USE OF MICELLAR-ENHANCED ULTRAFILTRATION FOR REMOVAL/RECOVERY OF DISSOLVED ORGANICS AND METALS FROM WATER

ECONOMICAL METHODS OF REMOVING AND/OR RECOVERING DISSOLVED ORGANICS OR METALS FROM WATER ARE NECESSARY FOR US INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS. ALSO, FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL AND POLLUTION CONTROL WILL BE A MAJOR AREA OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN THE US. MICELLAR-ENHANCED ULTRAFILTRATION (MEUF) IS A NEW PROCESS WHICH CAN REMOVE DISSOLVED ORGANICS AND MULTIVALENT METAL IONS FROM WATER. IN MEUF, AN IONIC SURFACTANT, WHICH FORMS AGGREGATES CALLED MICELLES, IS ADDED TO WATER. ORGANIC AND METALLIC SPECIES ASSOCIATE OR BIND WITH THE MICELLES. THE SOLUTION IS THEN TREATED IN AN ULTRAFILTRATION DEVICE WITH MEMBRANE PORE SIZES SMALL ENOUGH TO BLOCK THE PASSAGE OF MICELLES AND THE ASSOCIATED TARGET SOLUTES. THE RESULT IS AN EXTREMELY PURE PERMEATE, AND A VERY CONCENTRATED, LOW-VOLUME RETENTATE FOR DISPOSAL OR MUCH MORE ECONOMICAL ULTIMATE RECOVERY OF THE SOLUTES. UNLIKE MOST ALTERNATIVE METHODS, MEUF CAN SIMULTANEOUSLY REMOVE BOTH ORGANICS AND METALS. REDUCTIONS IN CONCENTRATION OF TWO ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE IN ONE PASS HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN PRELIMINARY WORK. THE PERCENTAGE REDUCTION DOES NOT DECREASE AS THE FEED SOLUTE CONCENTRATION DECREASES, MAKING THIS TECHNIQUE PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE IN THE REDUCTION OF VERY TOXIC CHEMICALS FROM LOW CONCENTRATIONS TO ULTRALOW CONCENTRATIONS.