Loading…

Performance evaluation of a pilot-scale membrane filtration system for oily wastewater treatment: CFD modeling and scale-up design

The discharge of oily wastewater into the environment adversely impacts the ecosystem and human health due to the existence of toxic and carcinogenic compounds in oil. To decrease the destructive environmental impacts, membrane filtration technology has been used because it can remove emulsified oil...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of water process engineering 2023-04, Vol.52, p.103570, Article 103570
Main Authors: Keyvan Hosseini, Mahsa, Liu, Lei, Keyvan Hosseini, Parisa, Lee, Kenneth, Miao, Jiahe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The discharge of oily wastewater into the environment adversely impacts the ecosystem and human health due to the existence of toxic and carcinogenic compounds in oil. To decrease the destructive environmental impacts, membrane filtration technology has been used because it can remove emulsified oil with droplet sizes ranging from 1 to 10 μm which is a challenging issue for other types of treatment methods. In this research, a comprehensive 3D CFD model was developed to investigate the oily wastewater treatment process in a pilot-scale membrane filtration system. The model was validated using available data in experimental runs such as oil removal efficiency and average transmembrane pressure (TMP) for two types of oily wastewater containing heavy and light crude oils. Following that, the hydrodynamic condition of the pilot-scale unit was analyzed which is difficult to be investigated in a real condition. The impacts of inlet oil concentration, permeate, and aeration flow rates on permeate oil concentration and TMP were also evaluated. Results revealed when the inlet oil concentration was at the threshold of 270 and 330 mg/L containing heavy and light crude oil, respectively, the system met the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) 73/78 regulation. Additionally, the model was capable of predicting TMP changes under constant flux. Finally, the validated model was used to upscale the pilot-scale system to achieve a permeate production rate of 10,000 L/h for larger capacities. Based on the results, the oil removal efficiency was above 88 % in pilot and upscaled systems. [Display omitted] •A comprehensive model of a pilot-scale membrane filtration system was developed.•The effect of operational parameters on oily wastewater treatment was investigated.•The model was used for upscaling the system for larger-scale field applications.•Simulated results were in good agreement with the experimental data.•Oil removal efficiency was above 91 % in the upscaled system.
ISSN:2214-7144
2214-7144
DOI:10.1016/j.jwpe.2023.103570