Journal
WATER RESEARCH
Volume 81, Issue -, Pages 167-177Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.05.042
Keywords
Membrane distillation; Dairy salts; Pressure drop; Fouling
Funding
- Dairy Innovation Research Hub, an Industrial Transformation Research Hub of the Australian Research Council [IH120100005]
- Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award [DE120101567]
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The ability of direct contact membrane distillation to concentrate the waste effluent from salty whey, a by-product from the cheese making industry has been investigated. The effect of trace protein in the feed, cross-flow velocity and feed acidity were the factors examined. Flat Sheet PTFE membranes of nominal pore sizes 0.05, 0.22 and 0.45 mu m were utilised. A decline in feed flux in the presence of trace protein in the feed was observed, but liquid penetration through the membrane could still be prevented by utilization of a membrane of smaller pore size, to achieve a final total solids concentration of +/- 30% w/w with water recovery from 37 to 83 %. The pressure-drop across the channel length was also predicted accounting for the feed spacer. To increase the channel length up to 1 m will require operation using the smallest pore size of 0.05 mu m, unless very low cross-flow velocities are used. The fouling of the membrane is primarily governed by precipitation of a calcium phosphate salt. However, operation at low pH does not improve the flux or the final salt concentration significantly. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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