AWWA ACE61686

A reverse osmosis (RO) bench-scale test and feasibility study wascompleted for the city of Hutchinson, Kansas, to evaluate the technical feasibility and costof various RO pretreatment options and to recommend an approach to pilot testing forconverting remediation groundwater into beneficial reuse as a drinking water supply. Useof RO in the remediation treatment process presents a novel approach to solving watersupply and groundwater contamination issues faced by many cities in the Midwest.However, selecting the appropriate RO pretreatment method is considered critical toachieving long-term, reliable, and cost-effective RO operations with minimal membranefouling.The groundwater, which was contaminated by various industrial activities, containslow levels of chlorinated solvents and relatively high concentrations of total dissolvedsolids, chloride, and inorganic membrane foulants. The most common and widely usedmethod for removing chlorinated solvents from contaminated groundwater is air stripping.However, use of an air stripper ahead of RO enhances the potential for iron and biologicalfouling of the membranes. As an alternative, an air stripper could be placed after the ROsystem. In this case, the primary concern is the compatibility of chlorinated solvents onthe membrane surface.To assess RO fouling concerns and assist with pilot test planning, a detailedevaluation and comparison of various RO pretreatment methods and water chemistries forsystems that incorporate air stripping for VOC-removal as both a pre-RO and post-ROtreatment step was completed. The results of this side-by-side comparison of cost andperformance issues, as well as the results of a RO bench-scale test, are presented toshow that RO can be cost-effectively applied in the remediation process for beneficialreuse of contaminated groundwater for drinking water supply. Includes tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

06/17/2005

Number of Pages:

16

File Size:

1 file , 1000 KB