This study aimed to enhance boron removal through powdered activated carbon adsorption (PAC) and application of a micro-filtration (MF) process as a pretreatment of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) process. Batch and continuous experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of membrane filtration as well as PAC addition on boron removal in reconstituted seawater. In batch test, two kinds of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane, Module A and Module B, were used to assess the influence of pH and PAC on boron removal, whereas in continuous mode, two MF systems with submerged PVDF flat-sheet membrane were run in parallel. Modules A and B obtained the highest percentage boron removal at pH 9 in the batch experiment with an average value of 47.33%, and their concentration of boron was further reduced after addition of PAC increasing the removal to 51.33 and 69.33%, respectively. For the continuous operation, PAC addition decreased the boron concentration by 20–30 and 40% in the reactor and effluent, respectively. On the other hand, only 5% reduction was obtained inside the reactor and 30–40% in the effluent for the system without PAC. Thus, operating the system at high pH with PAC addition could enhance the performance of the adsorption-MF system, which can be used as a pretreatment for the SWRO process.
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Research Article|
December 01 2011
Boron removal by activated carbon and microfiltration for pre-treatment of seawater desalination Available to Purchase
Joon-Seok Kang;
Joon-Seok Kang
1Department of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, Myongji University, 38-2 Namdong, Cheoingu, Yongin, Kyonggido 449-728, Korea
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Ramon Christian Eusebio;
Ramon Christian Eusebio
1Department of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, Myongji University, 38-2 Namdong, Cheoingu, Yongin, Kyonggido 449-728, Korea
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Han-Seung Kim
1Department of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, Myongji University, 38-2 Namdong, Cheoingu, Yongin, Kyonggido 449-728, Korea
E-mail: [email protected]
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Water Supply (2011) 11 (5): 560–567.
Article history
Received:
February 01 2011
Accepted:
August 17 2011
Citation
Joon-Seok Kang, Ramon Christian Eusebio, Han-Seung Kim; Boron removal by activated carbon and microfiltration for pre-treatment of seawater desalination. Water Supply 1 December 2011; 11 (5): 560–567. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2011.086
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