NSF Award
9360331
9360331 Higgins The objective of this project is to evaluate a physical wastewater treatment process applicable to such waste streams; namely, crossflow ultrafiltration (UF) using novel ceramic membranes that are treated to have low-surface-free-energy, "non- fouling" surfaces. Processing of metastable oil-in-water emulsions with conventional UF membranes leads to rapid membrane fouling and flux decline and is generally uneconomic because of this problem. Ceramic UF membranes with modified, low-energy surfaces will be evaluated using low-cost, high-surface-area supports. The resulting membrane modules will be evaluated for filtration properties using different types of synthetic metastable oil-in-water emulsions. The objectives of these experiments will be definition of preferred membrane modification techniques and demonstration of the capability of surface- modified membranes to maintain high, stable permeate flux levels while producing a substantially hydrocarbon-free permeate. This is a Phase I award based on a proposal submitted in response to NSF 93-18, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Solicitation, addresses a class of wastewaters, metastable oil/water emulsions and similar waste streams for which a need exists for more cost-effective treatment and for which the flows on a national scale are large. Current treatment technologies for metastable oil/water emulsions are often ineffective, and substantial impairment of water resources results from disposal of such inadequately treated waste streams. The membranes to be evaluated, if developed and integrated within a production scale membrane module would be the key element in an oily wastewater treatment system with low capital and operating costs. Applications for this technology include those with extremely high waste flows, such as produced water from oil wells and desalter bottoms from crude oil washing at refineries.
