1 9 9 2 / 1 2 An International Newsletter

ISSN 0958-2118

Number 32

Membrane Technology

T r e a t i n g w a s t e w a t e r s w i t h h i g h s u r f a c t a n t c o n t e n t

E L S E V | E R ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

H y d r o Air R e s e a r c h , a n I t a l y - b a s e d e n g i n e e r i n g a n d p r o c e s s i n g c o m p a n y , h a s d e v e l o p e d a n a d v a n c e d m e m b r a n e s y s t e m for t r e a t i n g w a s t e w a t e r s c o n t a i n i n g h igh c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of s u r f a c t a n t s .

The s y s t e m Is b a s e d on s u b - m i c r o n c ross f low f i l t ra t ion u s i n g s o p h i s t i c a t e d m u l t i - c h a n n e l f i l ter ing m e d i a w i th h igh c h e m i c a l a n d p h y s i c a l r e s i s t a n c e .

The p e c u l i a r p r o p e r t i e s of t h e f i l te r ing m a t e r i a l s a l low the c o n c e n t r a t i o n of s u r f a c t a n t s a n d o t h e r p o l l u t a n t s , s u c h a s p a r t i c u l a t e s , co l lo ids a n d emul s i f i ed s u b s t a n c e s - - s t r o n g r e d u c t i o n of COD a n d BOD a n d r ecyc l ing of pu r i f i ed w a t e r a r e poss ib l e .

The s u b - m i c r o n f i l t ra t ion u n i t is e q u i p p e d wi th a p a t e n t e d s y s t e m w h i c h a u t o m a t i c a l l y k e e p s t he f i l te r ing s u r f a c e c lean , w i t h o u t o p e r a t o r ' s i n t e r v e n t i o n or s tops .

The m a i n a d v a n t a g e s of t h i s s y s t e m are:

• r e l i ab l e p e r f o r m a n c e a l so w i th v a r y i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e feed water ;

• l ong life of t h e f i l te r ing m e d i a wi th exce l l en t r e g e n e r a t i o n abi l i ty ;

• p o s s i b l e r ecove ry of s u r f a c t a n t s a n d r ecyc l i ng of pur i f i ed water ;

• low s p a c e a n d ope ra t i ve cos t r e q u i r e m e n t s ;

• no u s e of c h e m i c a l s or p h a s e t r a n s i t i o n s for t h e r e m o v a l of p o l l u t a n t s , w h i c h i s d u e to t h e se lec t ive p e r m e a b i l i t y of t h e f i l te r ing su r f ace ;

• t he p o l l u t a n t s a r e c o n c e n t r a t e d in a m i n i m u m vo lume , wi th c o n s i d e r a b l e r e d u c t i o n of d i s p o s a l cos t s . Further Informatlon from: Dr Marlo Ramplchlnl,

Hydro Afr Research Srl, Via Cesare Pavese 5 /7 , 20090 Zerbo dl Opera, Milan, Italy. Tel: +39 2 5760 6489. Fax: +39 2 5760 6571.

© 1993 Bisevier Sc ience Publishers Ltd., E n g l a m i . / 9 3 / 6 6 . 0 0 per i t e m No part of this publication may ~ reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic, mecnanlca..t, photocopying, recoromgor otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. (Readers in the U.S.A. - - please see special regulations listed on back cover.)

N e w s a n d V i e w s

Pollutant type Typical removal (%)

Anionic a n d nontonic su r f ac t an t s 99 Colloids and d i spers ions 100 Emuls ions 100 Chemical oxygen d e m a n d 98 Dry ma t t e r 96

Purification results for the main pollutant types

clean room condi t ions in the same polypropylene hous ing mater ia l . Each one conta ins a 0.2 ~m PTFE m e m b r a n e a n d is totally blosafe.

As PolyVENT filters are in tended to protect vessel contents from externa l c o n t a m i n a n t s (or to protect the envi ronment from c on t a m i na n t s in the vessel), they will be especial ly useful in the biotechnology, pharmaceu t i ca l , food a n d beverage Industr ies .

Further Informatlon from: Helen Evans, Whatman Scientific Ltd, Whatman House, St. Leonard's Road, 2 0 / 2 0 Maidstone, Kent ME16 OLS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)622 676670. Fax: +44 (0)622 677011.

US Fi l ter Corporat ion r e p o t s record prof i ts The US Filter Corp h a s a n n o u n c e d tha t revenues for i ts th i rd quar te r ended 31 December 1992, were a record US$23.2 million, u p from 87 mill ion for the same per iod las t year, a n increase of 231%.

Net income for the quar te r was also a record at $1.42 million, compared to a loss of $337 000 a year ago.

NIne m o n t h r e su l t s inc luded revenues of $71.2 million, ve r sus $19 mill ion for a year ago, an 806% increase.

Further Informatlon from: US Filter Corporation, 73-710 Fred Warlng Drive - Suite 222, Palm Desert, CA 92260, USA. Tel: +1 619 340 0098. Fax: +1 619 341 9368.

Air and gas v e n t i n g f i l trat ion range The PolyVENT range from W h a t m a n Scientific is a new family of mlcrof l l t ra t ion devices for sterile vent ing and in-l ine gas a n d al r f i l t rat ion over a very wide range (3 to 540 s t a n d a r d l i t res per minute) of air flow rates .

In addi t ion, all m e m b e r s of th is ful ly- integrated family are m a n u f a c t u r e d from exact ly the same polypropylene hous ing and PTFE m e m b r a n e mater ia ls . Scale u p from vent ing a smal l l abora tory f lask to ma in t a in ing steri l i ty in an indus t r i a l fermenter is a s imple process .

Every PolyVENT device is m a n u f a c t u r e d under

Seawater t r e a t m e n t c o n t r a c t on p la t form US Fil ter Corp has been selected by Mara thon Oil Company to supply a mul t i -mi l l ion dollar sea water flood t r ea tmen t sys tem for a Gulf of Mexico offshore dril l ing a n d p roduc t ion platform, which will reduce opera t ing costs and e l iminate a potent ia l source of haza rdous waste and assoc ia ted d i sposa l problems.

The 40 000-BWPD (barrels of water per day) sys tem will be engineered a n d fabr icated at US Filter 's facilities In Rockford, minois, and Whittier, California.

Designed for the Mara thon-opera ted Ewing Bank 873, Platform A, which will be ins ta l led In the second quar te r of 1994, the sys tem fea tures a selective nanofl l t ra t ion m e m b r a n e process to remove su lpha te ions from inject ion sea water. This will v i r tual ly e l iminate b a r i u m su lpha te (barite} prec ip i ta t ion a t the p roduc ing wells and p l a t f o r m / p r o d u c t i o n facilities, on water-f lood front b r e a k t h r ough in the producing wells.

Bari te scale can be devas ta t ing to a producIng platform. A mere 100 ppm of precipi ta t ion, from 10 000 BPD of brine, p roduces 57 tons per year of tenacious , plugging scale deposit . These scales are frequently radioact ive and are not economical ly dissolved. Instead, well work-over and mechan ica l removal are often required, resu l t ing in a par t icu la r ly cost ly a n d h a z a r d o u s decon tamina t ion and d isposa l problem. Removing su lpha te ions also reduces reservoir sourIng by su lpha t e - r educ ing bac te r ia tha t would otherwise feed on them.

Convent ional water-f lood methods , such as pu rpose -b r ine source wells a n d / o r re-Injected p roduced water, would not have met the Injection ra tes required for the project and would have added expense; hence the decis ion to use sea water injection.

Further Informatlon from: US Filter Corporation, 73-710 Fred Waring Drive - Suite 222, Palm Desert, CA 92260, USA. Tel: +1 619 340 0098. Fax: +1 619 341 9368.

2 M e m b r a n e Technology No. 32