Ultrafiltration of humic acid and surface water with tubular ceramic membrane

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, the ceramic membrane filtration has become increasingly attractive for drinking water production. The flux evolution and retention performance of a tubular ceramic membrane with nominal pore size of 0.01 μm was systematically investigated. Filtration experiments were carried out on a pilot-scale crossflow unit using humic acid (HA) solution and surface water as feed by varying transmembrane pressure (TMP). Measurements such as total organic carbon (TOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV254), fluorescence excitation emission matrices (EEMs), pH, and conductivity were made on both raw water and the permeate. During filtration, flux declined drastically in the beginning stage due to fouling and proceeded to a pseudostable flux. In the low HA concentration, the flux decreased in the first 30 min for about 36, 48, 50 and 51% with the TMP of 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 bar, respectively, while it came to 47, 52, 57, and 65%, respectively for relatively high concentrations; the steady fl...