Desalination for the Environment

Clean Water and Energy

3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

CONTENTS
1 Fluoride,copper and combined fluoride-copper removals from semiconductor wastewater
by electrocoagulation
N. Drouiche, S. Aoudj, T.Ouslimane (Algeria) ............................................................................................................................... 1
2 A novel liquid pressure energy recovery device of high-efficiency
for seawater reverse osmosis desalination
Zhongliang Liu, Ning Liu, Yanxia Li, Yuanying Chi (China) ...................................................................................................... 1
3 Desalination by forward osmosis: failure, success, and future research focus
Ali Altaee, John Zhou, Adnan Alhathal (Australia) ................................................................................................................... 2
4 The role of desalination in water-energy-food nexus: an opportunity for Algeria
Nadjib Drouiche, Rafika Khacheba (Algeria) ............................................................................................................................... 3
5 Water-energy-food nexus approach: motivations, challenges and policies in Algeria
Nadjib Drouiche (Algeria) ................................................................................................................................................................ 4
6 Adsorption, catalytic and membrane distillation processes for refinery wastewater treatment
Fawzi Banat, Munirasu Selvaraj, Mohammad Abu Haija (UAE) ............................................................................................. 4
7 Dual stage pressure retarded osmosis: potential and feasibility
Ali Altaee (Australia) .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
8 Sequence of optimized predictive models for forecast of global wastewater treatment plant
performance
Bharat B. Gulyani (UAE), Arshia Fathima (Saudi Arabia) .......................................................................................................... 6
9 Improved desalination using a three-layer OTMS based superhydrophobic membrane
for a membrane distillation process
Saikat Sinha Ray, Shiao-Shing Chen (Taiwan) ............................................................................................................................ 7
10 Metagenomic analysis of microbial communities in seawater reverse osmosis plant
Rehman Zu, M. Ali, T. Leiknes (Saudi Arabia) ............................................................................................................................... 8
11 The pollution load of wastewater and the performances of the sewage treatment plant
of Skhirat city in Morocco
Mehdi Bouhafa, Omar El Rhaouat, Sakina Belhamidi, Mostapha Lakhlifi,
Mohammed Chahid El Hachmi, Fatima Elhannouni, Azzedine Elmidaoui (Morocco)...................................................... 9
12 Nanofiltration membrane autopsy of decentralized desalination plant
S. El-Ghzizel, H. Jalté, M. Zait, S. Belhamidi, F. Tiyal, M. Hafsi, M. Taky, A. Elmidaoui (Morocco) .................................. 10
13 The first experience of brackish surface water reverse osmosis demineralization in Morocco
Hicham Boulahfa, Sakina Belhamidi, Hanane Ekhdime, Fatima Elhannouni, Taky Mohamed,
Azzedine.Elmidaoui (Morocco)......................................................................................................................................................10
14 Decentralized emerging solar desalination technologies as a feasible replacement
of medium and large plants: Saudi Arabia as a case study
Othman Y. Al-Najdi, John Kaiser Calautit, YuPeng Wu (UK) .................................................................................................. 11
15 A novel high-efficiency energy recovery device for seawater reverse osmosis desalination
Zhongliang Liu, Ning Liu, Zhongliang Liu,Yanxia Li,Lixia Sang (China) ............................................................................ 11
16 Integration of vacuum multi effect membrane distillation driven by solar linear Fresnel collector
with adsorption/cooling system
Ashraf Sadik Hassan (Qatar), Hassan Fath (Egypt) ................................................................................................................. 12
Desalination for the Environment CONTENTS
Clean Water and Energy
3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

17 Integration of multiple effect distillation and membrane distillation desalination processes

Jamel Orfi , Emad Ali, Hany AlAnsary, Jung-Gil Lee, Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder,
Noreddine Ghaffour (Saudi Arabia) ........................................................................................................................................... 13
18 Comparison between experimental and theoretical data for the design
of atmospheric limestone contactors for permeate post treatment
Giorgio Migliorini (Italy) ................................................................................................................................................................. 14
19 Performance of an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor (UMBR) in wastewater treatment
Sarra Kitanou, Hajar Qabli, Abdelali Zdeg, Mohamed Taky, Azzedine Elmidaoui (Morocco) ...................................... 14
20 A feasibility study and optimization of energy-efficient reverse osmosis (EERO) process:
numerical modeling and simulation
Kwanho Jeong, Tzyy Haur Chong (Singapore) ......................................................................................................................... 15
21 Dynamic modelling and analysis of the coupling between CSP and MED plant
Laura Guimard (France), Andrea Cipollina (Italy), Françoise Couenne, Philippe Bandelier,
Christian Jallut (France) ................................................................................................................................................................. 16
22 Development of sustainable development of decision support framework
for assessing the sustainability of different seawater desalination technologies:
United Arab Emirates case study
Yazan Ibrahim, Toufic Mezher, Hassan Arafat, Faisal AlMarzooqi (UAE) ........................................................................... 17
23 Recycling municipal wastewater for industrial applications – The MULTI-ReUse research project
C. Starke, A. Schweiger, D. Vial, P. Buchta, P. Berg (Germany) ................................................................................................ 18
24 Coating of ultrafiltration membranes the solution to improve the efficiency of the pretreatment
Alexandra Schweiger, Patrick Buchta, Denis Vial, Peter Berg (Germany) ........................................................................... 19
25 Membrane distillation biofouling: Impact of feed water temperature on biofilm characteristics
and membrane performance
Anne Bogler, Edo Bar-Zeev (Israel) ............................................................................................................................................... 19
26 Expansion of product range of spiral wound filtering elements production
for desalination of seawater and brackish water
Viatcheslav Dzyubenko (Russia) .................................................................................................................................................. 20
27 Experimental study on the performance of modified double slope solar still
Wissam H. Alawee, Hayder A. Dahad, Thamer A. Mohammad, Suha Abdulelah Mohammed (Iraq) ........................ 22
28 Superhydrophobic co-axial electrospun nanofiber membranes for the treatment
of seawater desalination by membrane distillation
Yun Chul Woo (Korea), Minwei Yao, Leonard D. Tijing (Australia), June-Seok Choi (Korea),
Ho Kyong Shon (Australia), Min Joo ........................................................................................................................................... 22
29 Study on the fouling crystallization characteristics of hypersaline seawater
Bing Ni, Shengqiang Shen, Shi Chen, Xiaohua Liu (China) .................................................................................................... 23
30 Use of marble and iron waste additives for enhancing structure and water filtering capacity
of salty clay ceramics
Amrita Kauwar, Ankisha Vijay, Ajay Kumavat, Sandeep Gupta, Raj Kumar Satankar,
Anand Plappally (India) ................................................................................................................................................................. 24
32 Preparation and characterization of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer/chitosan polymer
membrane for water applications
Hamad S AlRomaih, Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Fahad S Al-Mubaddel, Maher M. Alrashed,
Nabeel H AlHarti, Hamad F Alharbi (Saudi Arabia) ................................................................................................................ 24
33 Arabian Gulf seawater desalination using forward osmosis membrane technology
and polyelectrolyte draw solution: a pilot scale study
Mansour Ahmed, Rajesha Kumar, B. Garudachari, Jibu P. Thomas (Kuwait) .................................................................... 25
34 A pilot scale study on reverse osmosis brine concentration
using falling film crystallisation process
Mansour Ahmed, Yousef Al-Wazzan, Jibu Thomas (Kuwait) ................................................................................................ 26

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Clean Water and Energy
3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

35 Impact of the geometric parameters on the thermal performance of a large-scale falling film
evaporator for desalination
Luyuan Gong, Yali Guo, Shengqiang Shen, Xingsen Mu (China) ......................................................................................... 27
36 Technoeconomic analysis of advanced multi-effect distillation technology
for seawater desalination plants: novel evaporator design
Abdelnasser Mabrouk, Ahmed Abotaleb, Abdulsattar Al-Rashid (Qatar) ......................................................................... 27
37 Long-term operating data of a full-scale SWRO desalination plant. Performance analysis
A. Ruiz-García, F.A. León, A. Ramos-Martín, C.A. Mendieta-Pino (Spain) .......................................................................... 28
38 Water production by RO for the manufacture of paint in the automotive industry
A. Ruiz-García, F.A. León, A. Ramos-Martín (Spain) ................................................................................................................. 29
39 Forward osmosis for wastewater treatment and energy recovery: a techno-economic analysis
Patrick Buckwalter, Andrea Achilli, Kerri Hickenbottom (USA) ............................................................................................. 30
40 Sustainability of water resources management in Gaza Strip, Palestine
Mohammed R. Ahmed, Alaa M. Ahmed (Palestinian Authority) ......................................................................................... 30
41 An experimental study on performance and quality aspects of solar domestic
wastewater distillation for reuse and resource conservation
H. Sharon, D. Krithika, K.S. Reddy, Ligy Philip (India) .............................................................................................................. 31
42 Commercial reality of pressure-assisted forward osmosis (PAFO) - reverse osmosis (RO)
hybrid process: economics and applications
In S. Kim, Seungho Kook (Korea) .................................................................................................................................................. 32
43 Biofouling control by membrane and feed spacer surface modifications
P.A. Araújo (Saudi Arabia), D.J. Miller (USA), P.B. Correia, M.C.M. van Loosdrecht,
J.C. Kruithof (The Netherlands), B.D. Freeman, D.R. Paul (USA),
J.S. Vrouwenvelder (Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands)................................................................................................................33
44 Health risks with drinking desalinated water
Ingegerd Rosborg (Sweden) .......................................................................................................................................................... 34
45 Development and analysis of a floating solar distillation device
Luca Caruana, Paul Refalo, Stephen Abela, Luciano Mule` Stagno, Daniel Micallef (Malta) ....................................... 35
46 Development of a high-efficiency, pressure-resistant, and large-capacity cartridge
filter module for low energy SWRO plant
Sung-Jo Kim, Doseon Han, Tae-un Jeong, SangKwang Park, Moonhyun Hwang (Korea) ............................................ 35
47 Membrane desalination of mine water
M. Bodzek, M. Rajca, M. Tytła, B. Tomaszewska (Poland) ...................................................................................................... 36
48 Effect of structural biofilm changes under different feed water substrate concentrations
on RO performance parameters and cleanability
N.M. Farhat, L. Javier (Saudi Arabia), M.C.M. Van Loosdrecht, J.C. Kruithof (The Netherlands),
J.S. Vrouwenvelder (Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands) .............................................................................................................. 38
49 ZERO BRINE - Reusing resources from industrial wastewater
L.C. Rietveld, J.R. Moll, Dimitris Xevgenos, Vanessa Wabitsch (Belgium) ........................................................................... 40
50 Measuring the bacterial growth potential of drinking water after reverse osmosis
and remineralization
Mohaned Sousi, Gang Liu, Sergio G. Salinas-Rodriguez, Bastiaan Blankert, Jan C. Schippers,
Walter van der Meer, Maria D. Kennedy (The Netherlands)....................................................................................................41
51 Modelling thermal and geometric effects on non-condensable gas desorption
in horizontal-tube bundles of falling film evaporation
Luopeng Yang, Jinyan Wu, Hongyou Li, Yang Liu, Shengqiang Shen (China) .................................................................. 43
52 Ultrafiltration performance in seawater industrial cooling towers for biofouling control
Mohammed Al-Bloushi, Kim Choon Ng, TorOve Leiknes (Saudi Arabia) ........................................................................... 44
53 CO2 mineralization as a method for reducing the salinity of brine and the emission of CO2
from seawater desalination
Jun-Hwan Bang, Soochun Chae, Seung-Woo Lee, Kyungsun Song (Korea) ..................................................................... 45

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3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

54 An innovative hollow fiber air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) process

with internal heat recovery and reduced footprint
A. Alpatova, A. Alsaadi, J.G. Lee, M. Alharthi, N. Ghaffour (Saudi Arabia) ......................................................................... 45
55 Thermodynamic model for a reversible desalination cycle using weak polyelectrolyte hydrogels
O. Rud (Czech Republic, Russia), P. Košovan (Czech Republic), O. Borisov (Russia) ......................................................... 46
56 Forward osmosis with upper critical solution temperature-like inorganic salt as draw solute
Chia-Hua Ho, Mao-Sung Yeh, Tsui-Jung Yang, Hsin Shao, Meng-Shun Huang,
Teh-Ming Liang, Ren-Yang Horng (Taiwan) .............................................................................................................................. 47
57 Isolation and identification of antiscalant degrading seawater microorganisms
and investigation of their interactions within RO membrane systems
M.Y. Ashfaq, M. Al-Ghouti, N. Zouari, H. Qiblawey (Qatar)......................................................................................................48
58 A fouling comparison study of algal, bacterial, and humic organic matters
in seawater desalination pretreatment using UF ceramic membranes
Mohammed A. Namazi, Sheng Li, S. Assiyeh A. Tabatabai ,Gary L. Amy, Noreddine Ghaffour,
TorOve Leiknes (Saudi Arabia).......................................................................................................................................................49
59 Recent developments in desalination technology in Saudi Arabian context
Ahmed Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia) ............................................................................................................................................... 50
60 3D printed triply periodic minimal surfaces as spacers for enhanced heat and mass transfer
in membrane distillation
N. Sreedhar, N. Thomas, O. Al-Ketan, R. Rowshan, H. Hernandez, R. Al-Rub, H.A. Arafat (UAE) ................................... 51
61 Improvement of a bio-inspired solar stills system for land regeneration in drylands
Alessandro Bianciardi (Cyprus, Italy), Alessandro Zecca (Cyprus), Alessandro Villa (Chile),
Francisca Carvaja (Cyprus), Camila Hernandez (Chile), Alessio Bernesco (Italy) ............................................................. 52
62 Experimental investigations of a solar operated HDH system with modified air heating layout
Khalid Al-Mutairi, Mohammed Antar, Atia Khalifa (Saudi Arabia) ..................................................................................... 52
63 Numerical simulation of the convection and diffusion process of the discharge
of hot concentrated brine in desalination
Shenglin Quan, Pengda Zhao, Qinggang Qiu, Shengqiang Shen (China) ........................................................................ 53
64 Renewable energy for desalination process: efficiency and environmental impact
in tropical island using numerical modeling
Zachary Williams (Jamaica), Jean-François Marc Dorville (Guadeloupe), Michael Taylor (Jamaica) ........................ 54
65 Performance assessment of membrane distillation (MD) configurations
using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling tools
Pelin Yazgan-Birgi, Mohamed I. Hassan Ali (UAE), Jaichander Swaminathan, John H. Lienhard V (USA),
Hassan A. Arafat (UAE) ................................................................................................................................................................... 55
66 WRDC approach for MSF distillers inspection
Abdullah A. Aladwani, Naser B. Boftain (Kuwait) .................................................................................................................... 56
67 Neutral pH cleaner to remove metal fouling from membranes
Nuria Peña García, Victoria Velasco, Javier Rodriguez, Fernando del Vigo (Spain),
Max Fazel, Stephen Chesters (UK) ................................................................................................................................................ 57
68 Drinking water from brackish groundwater without disposal (zero discharge)
Ron C.M. Jong (The Netherlands) ................................................................................................................................................ 58
69 Desalination and renewable energy in Brazil
Antonio José Juliani (Brazil) .......................................................................................................................................................... 59
70 A global analysis of five years management of slurry with natural treatment systems
for wastewater (NTSW) in Gran Canaria using a pilot plant
C.A. Mendieta-Pino, S.O. Pérez-Báez, A. Ramos-Martín, F. León-Zerpa, A. Ruíz-García (Spain) ................................... 61
71 Colloidal fouling mitigation and energy saving potentials of pulsating flows
in osmotic membrane processes
A. Kastl, A. Präbst, F. Kiefer, T. Sattelmayer (Germany) ............................................................................................................ 62
72 Opportunities for solar desalination: U.S. R&D status
Vasilis Fthenakis, Adam Atia (USA) .............................................................................................................................................. 63

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3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

73 A numerical study on flow characteristics of horizontal tube falling film with column flow
Jie Wang, Tao Lu, Shengqiang Shen, Xue Chen, Bo Liu (China) ............................................................................................ 65
74 Long term boron rejection of thin-film nanocomposite membrane
at Pembroke desalination plant in Malta: a case study
Alvaro Lagartos, Metin Oruc, Eugene Rozenbaoum, Hoon Hyung,
Juan Carlos de Armas, David Sacco (Spain)...............................................................................................................................66
75 Advantages and disadvantages of reverse osmosis hybrid membrane configuration in seawater
for different water treatment plant sizes
Alvaro Lagartos (Spain) ................................................................................................................................................................. 68
76 Photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis desalination: Optimum technical and economic
configuration of system components in autonomous operation mode
C.S. Karavas, K.G. Arvanitis, G. Papadakis (Greece) ................................................................................................................. 69
77 The management of desalination impacts in Spain
Iván Sola Macia, Domingo Zarzo Martínez, Adoración Carratalá,
Yolanda Fernández Torquemada, José Luis Sánchez Lizaso (Spain)....................................................................................72
78 Impacts of natural pore-water and offshore aquifer chemistry on the operation and economics
of some subsurface intakes types for SWRO plants
Thomas M. Missimer, Ian Watson, Robert G. Maliva, Noreddine Ghaffour,
Abdullah A. H. Dehwah, John Woolschlager, Michael Hegy (USA).......................................................................................73
79 Chitosan microparticles as a new filler for alginate mixed matrix membranes MMMs
Krystyna Konieczny, Gabriela Dudek, Roman Turczyn (Poland) .......................................................................................... 74
80 Computational study on fluid behavior by inlet distributor within the inflow part
of a pressurized module
Changkyoo Choi, Chulmin Lee, In S. Kim (Korea) .................................................................................................................... 75
81 Study on the seawater fouling during the horizontal-tube falling film evaporation
under vacuum
Xiaohua Liu, Shubo Sun, Bing Ni, Shengqiang Shen (China) ................................................................................................ 79
82 Cost analysis in SWRO desalination plants productions lines of 750, 1500 and 3000 m3/d:
mathematical model and simulation
J. Feo-García (Spain) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 79
83 Energy consumption assessment of 5000 m3/d SWRO desalination plants
J.Feo-García (Spain)..........................................................................................................................................................................80
84 Energy consumption assessment of 300 m3/d SWRO desalination plants.
Comparison with production 600, 4000 and 5000 m3/d
J. Feo-García (Spain) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 81
85 Energy cost analysis in SWRO desalination plants productions lines
of 2500, 7500 and 15000 m3/d
J. Feo-García (Spain) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 81
86 Biological and membrane-based pretreatment processes
Juan Arévalo, Patricia Zamora, José M. Viñas, Damián Amador, Marcelino Burgos,
Victor M. Monsalvo, Frank Rogalla (Spain) ............................................................................................................................... 82
87 Determination of the optimal intake points for a PRO power plant in the Magdalena River
based on experimental and simulated data
Jacobo M. Salamanca, Óscar Álvarez-Silva, Fernando Tadeo (Spain) ............................................................................... 83
88 Hexavalent chromium removal from tunneling wastewater
using chemical and electrochemical techniques
Joan A. Salvadó, Enrique Ferrero, Susana Navea, Carme Repollés, Lidia Jimenez,
Ana M. Climente, Jorge Malfeito (Spain) ................................................................................................................................... 84
89 Study of adsorption mechanisms of free amino acid l-tryptophan on chemically activated
porous carbons derived from biomass wastes date pits
Badreddine Belhamdi, Zoulikha Merzougui, Hamza Laksaci, Mohamed Trari (Algeria) ............................................... 85

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90 Inhibition of CaCO3 scaling by humic substances in a reverse osmosis system treating anaerobic
groundwater
M.N. Mangal, S.G. Salinas-Rodriguez, B. Blankert (The Netherlands), V. Yangali-Quintanilla (Denmark),
J.C. Schippers, W.G.J. Van der Meer, M.D. Kennedy (The Netherlands) ............................................................................... 86
91 Investigating seawater scaling potential in single pass SWRO desalination plants
with relation to boron removal at moderate pH conditions
Stephan Nied, Parisa Shaheen, Matthias Kellermeier (Germany) ........................................................................................ 87
92 Influence of an innovative biodegradable foam control agent
on the operation of thermal desalination plants
Stephan Nied, Lisa Winzen, Helena Kondardi, Karine Odiot (Germany) ............................................................................ 88
93 Development of novel materials and process control system in MIDES project
A.M.M. Alhadidi, Maarten Meijlink (The Netherlands), Martí Aliaguilla, Pau Bosch-Jimenez,
Diego Morillo, Marcel Boerrigrer, Eduard Borràs (Spain), Stefan Bergmann, Erhard Perz (Austria) ............................ 89
94 An innovative approach to enhance tube wetting and scale inhibition
in falling film evaporators for seawater desalination
Maximilian Waack, Alexander Stärk, Heike Glade, Stephan Nied (Germany) .................................................................. 91
95 Crystallization fouling propensity of novel polymer composite heat exchanger tubes
compared to metal tubes
Sebastian Schilling, Heike Glade, Dirk Moses, Thomas Orth (Germany) ........................................................................... 92
96 A supercapacitor charge for a photovoltaic-powered desalination system
Sheying Li, Andrea Schäfer, Bryce Richards (Germany) .......................................................................................................... 93
97 A kinetic approach to corrosion control by CaCO3 films
David Hasson, Raphael Semiat, Hilla Shemer (Israel) ............................................................................................................ 95
98 Utilization of calcined gypsum in water and wastewater treatment: removal of ibuprofen
Aiman Eid Al-Rawajfeh, Betty Al-Saqarat, Alaa Al-Ma’abreh, Hossam Itawi,
Albara I. Alrawashdeh, Ehab AlShamaileh (Jordan), Mika Sillanpaa (Finland)................................................................ 96
99 The effect of some green inhibitors on the corrosion rate of Cu, Fe and Al metals
Aiman Eid Al-Rawajfeh, Ghassab M. Al-Mazaideh, Hosam Itawi, Ali Marashdeh (Jordan) .......................................... 96
100 Development of a dashboard for energy consumption management
in activated sludge treatment plants using analytic hierarchy process
Rafik Oulebsir, Abdelouahab Lefkir, Abdelmalek Bermad, Abdelhamid Safri (Algeria) ................................................. 97
101 Emerging technologies for next generation low carbon power-desal plant configurations
Thomas Altmann (UAE) .................................................................................................................................................................. 98
102 Novel feed spacers design for fouling mitigating in membrane filtration
Sarah Kerdi, Adnan Qamar, Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder, Noreddine Ghaffour (Saudi Arabia) .................................. 98
103 Novel VMD configuration for water vapor flux enhancement
Ahmad S. Alsaadi, Alla Alpatova, Jung-Gil Lee, Lijo Francis, Noreddine Ghaffour (Saudi Arabia) ............................. 99
104 Performance of acacia gum as a novel additive in thin film composite polyamide
RO membranes
Yehia Manawi, Viktor Kochkodan, Abdul Wahab Mohammad, Muataz Ali Atieh (Qatar) ......................................... 100
105 Surface coating of polymer membranes for water treatment:
a new approach to mitigate fouling
Viktor Kochkodan (Qatar) ........................................................................................................................................................... 100
106 Optimization of the sequence of cleaning and replacement of reverse osmosis membranes
Seung Ji Lim, Jihye Kim, Joon Ha Kim (Korea) ........................................................................................................................ 101
107 The design of a unit sweeping gas membrane distillation:
experimental study on a membrane and operating parameters
Mokhlesss Boukhriss, Sami Mejbri, Kamel Zarzoum, Khalifa Zhani, Habib Ben Bacha (Tunisia) .............................. 102
108 Experimental performance investigation of a silica gel-based adsorption desalination system:
Effect of brine salinity and vapor pressure
Young-Deuk Kim, Seong-Yong Woo, Woo-Seung Kim (Korea) ........................................................................................... 103

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109 The values of water

M. Kevin Price (USA) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 104
110 Dynamic modelling and analysis of an industrial reverse osmosis plant
for scheduling and control with renewable energy power input
Mohamed T. Mito, Philip Davies, Xianghong Ma (UK), Hanan Al-Buflasa (Bahrain) .................................................... 105
111 Application of a model-based method for hydrodynamic processes in constructed wetland
to management of livestock wastewater based on finite element method
S. Brito Espino, C.A. Mendieta Pino, S.O. Pérez Báez, A. Ramos Martín (Spain) .............................................................. 105
112 Application of the ADM1 model in a batch multi-chamber anaerobic digester
C.A. Mendieta-Pino, S.O. Pérez-Báez, A. Ramos-Martín, S. Brito-Espino, P. Hernández-Melián (Spain) ................... 107
113 Effect of pressure on feed solution at hollow fiber FO process
Bongchul Kim, Yunchul Woo, Min Ju, June-Seok Choi (Korea) ........................................................................................... 107
114 Study on liquid film thickness and flow characteristics of falling film outside an elliptical tube
Xiaocui∙Zhang, Qinggang Qiu, Xiaojing∙Zhu, Benwen Li (China) ...................................................................................... 108
115 Mechanisms and control of scale formation in FO membrane under low temperature conditions
Juyoung Lee, Yongjun Choi, Hyeongrak Cho, Jihyeok Choi, Sangho Lee (Korea) .......................................................... 109
116 Performance of ceramic membrane for closed hydroponic system
Sungyun Lee, Yu Chang Kim (Korea) ......................................................................................................................................... 110
117 Power generation and performance enhancement of energy recovery turbine
Youhwan Shin, In Hyuk Jung, Young Soo Kim (Korea) .......................................................................................................... 110
118 Recovery of magnesium with high purity from seawater desalination brine
using an organic solvent
Hye-Rim Na, Myoung-Jin Kim (Korea) ...................................................................................................................................... 111
119 Cloud-based design optimization based on simulation of desalination systems
powered by renewables
George Kyriakarakos, Essam Sh. Mohamed, Evangelos Dimitriou,
Christos-Spyridon Karavas, George Papadakis (Greece) ...................................................................................................... 112
120 High performance RO membranes comprising cucurbit[6]uril
as a selective water transport channel
Tae-Hyun Bae, Jaewoo Lee (Singapore) ................................................................................................................................... 113
121 Sensitivity analysis of a forward osmosis-reverse osmosis hybrid process
for seawater desalination
Jangwon Seo, Young Mi Kim, Sung Ho Chae, Joon Ha Kim (Korea) .................................................................................. 114
122 Microbial desalination (MIDES) cells: an innovative solution
for low energy drinking water production
Victor Monsalvo, Juan Arevalo (Spain), Sergio Salinas, Maria Kennedy (The Netherlands),
Abraham Steve-Nuñez, Frank Rogalla (Spain) ....................................................................................................................... 115
123 High-pressure reverse osmosis for industrial water reuse –
evaluation of factors reducing the effective driving pressure
Ch. Kleffner, G. Braun (Germany) ............................................................................................................................................... 117
124 Inhibitors for CaCO3-scaling in reverse osmosis-plants –
influence of suspended matter on membrane clogging
Kirstin Zimmer, Wolfgang Hater, Jolanthe Jaworski, Nicolas Kruse, Gerd Braun (Germany) ..................................... 118
125 Studies on the recovery of calcium and magnesium from Red Sea water by NF membrane
Mohammed H. Sorour, Hayam F. Shaalan, Heba A. Hani, Mahmoud A. El-Toukhy (Egypt) ........................................ 119
126 Development of measurement techniques for wetting potential of hydrophobic membranes
in membrane distillation
Bomin Kim, Hyeongrak Cho, Jihyeok Choi, Jinsik Sohn, Sangho Lee (Korea) ................................................................. 120
127 A liquid desiccant cycle for sustainable water use in controlled environment agriculture
Ryan Lefers, Srivatsa Betthalli, Nina Fedoroff, Philip Davies, Suzana Nunes,
TorOve Leiknes (Saudi Arabia) ................................................................................................................................................... 121

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128 Development and investigation of a new submerged low-pressure spiral-wound-element

for micro- and ultrafiltration
Gerd Braun, Paul Steinle (Germany) .......................................................................................................................................... 122
129 Functionalized graphene oxide-gadolinium based composites
for adsorption removal of radionuclides
Janardhan Reddy Koduru, Lakshmi Prasanna Lingamdinne, Jong-Soo Choi, Yu-Lim Choi ,
Yoon-Young Chang, Jae-Kyu Yang (Korea) ............................................................................................................................. 123
130 Lanthanum-graphene oxide hybride composite for adsorption removal of heavy metals
Lakshmi Prasanna Lingamdinne, Janardhan Reddy Koduru, Yu-Lim Choi, Jong-Soo Choi,
Yoon-Young Chang, Jae-Kyu Yang (Korea) .............................................................................................................................. 124
131 Performance assessment of a full-scale BWRO desalination plant.
Influence of the RO system design and operating conditions
A. Ruiz-García, B. Del Río-Gamero, I. Nuez (Spain) ................................................................................................................ 125
132 Off-grid desalination for irrigation in the Jordan Valley
Philip A. Davies, Liam Burlace, Tim Naughton (UK), Clive Lipchin (Israel), Suleiman Halasah (Israel, Jordan),
Hala Abu Ali, Maya Mark, Areen Majali (Israel), Monther Hind (Palestinian Authority) .............................................. 126
133 Removal of chromium from aqueous system using synthesized and characterized
encapsulated zero-valent iron by polymer
Jong-Soo Choi, Yu-Rim Choi, Lakshmi Prasanna Lingamdinne, Janardhan Reddy Koduru,
Jae-Kyu Yang, Yoon-Young Chang (Korea) .............................................................................................................................. 126
134 Retrofitting assessment of a full-scale BWRO desalination plant
A. Ruiz-García, B. Del Río-Gamero, E. Dimitriou, I. Nuez (Spain) ........................................................................................ 128
135 Optimization of configuration and operation of remote water and electricity
cogeneration plants (PV/WT/BS/RO systems)
Julian Fleischmann (Germany) .................................................................................................................................................. 128
136 Economical and ecological advantages of nanofiltration techniques
over different conventional well water treatment
Alexei Pervov, Alexei Andrianov, Vladimir Golovesov, Galina Rudakova (Russia) ......................................................... 129
137 Monitoring adenosine triphosphate and bacterial regrowth potential
along the pre-treatment of a seawater reverse osmosis plant
Almotasembellah Abushaban, Sergio. G. Salinas-Rodriguez(The Netherlands), Delia Pastorelli (France),
Subhanjan Mondal (USA), Jan C. Schippers, Maria D. Kennedy (The Netherlands) ...................................................... 130
138 Limitation of reverse osmosis system projection program
Jaehak Jung, Minseok Kim, Suhan Kim (Korea) ..................................................................................................................... 131
139 Agenda for simultaneous enhancement of the performance and environmental soundness
of pressure retarded osmosis hybridized with seawater reverse osmosis
Sung Ho Chae, Jihye Kim, Joon Ha Kim (Korea) ..................................................................................................................... 132
140 Does phosphate limitation control biofouling in membrane systems?
Luisa Javier, Nadia Farhat (Saudi Arabia), Peter Desmond(Switzerland), Rodrigo Valladares (Mexico),
Johannes Vrouwenvelder(Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands) ................................................................................................ 134
141 Autonomous reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system powered
by a small photovoltaic (PV) system at an isolated Greek Islet - The Strongili Island Project
Ntavou Erika, Kologios Zois (Greece) ........................................................................................................................................ 137
142 Brackish water desalination in the Gaza Strip. Case study: Rafah small scale RO plant
Mohammed R. Ahmed, Alaa M. Ahmed (Palestinian Authority) ....................................................................................... 138
143 Molecular composition studies on membrane biofilms
M.F. Nava-Ocampo, Sz.S. Bucs, A.S. Farinha, J.S. Vrouwenvelder (Saudi Arabia) .......................................................... 138
144 Non-rectangular flow-paths for brackish water electrodialysis
Sahil R. Shah, Amos G. Winter, V (USA) ..................................................................................................................................... 139

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145 Establishing correlations between pore structure, surface roughness, compressive strength,
and fracture toughness of ceramic water filters local to Rajasthan, India
Amrita Kaurwar, Ashish Kumar Agrawal, Balwant Singh, Sandeep Gupta, Raj Kumar Satankar,
Jerry Mathew Oommen, Lovelesh Dave, Muhammad Ali Rob Sharif, A.B.O Soboyejo,
Anand Krishnan Plappally (India) ............................................................................................................................................. 141
146 Optimized fit-for-use reclaimed oil and gas wastewater treatment
by means of a smart decision support system
Cosmin Koch, Clara Sanromà, Carlos Bayona, Olga Ferrer, Ana Jiménez, Jorge Malfeito (Spain) ............................ 141
147 Interactions between inorganic and organic fouling in forward osmosis process:
impact on crystal formation and boron rejection
Lan Hee Kim, Szilárd S. Bucs (Saudi Arabia), Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder(Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands) ........... 142
148 Demonstration of the efficiency and reliability of a seawater desalination pilot plant
in the Arabian Gulf in views of a subsequent full-scale plant construction
Carlos Bayona, Clara Sanromà, Olga Ferrer, Jorge Malfeito (Spain) ................................................................................ 143
149 Methodology to design cost-effective and sustainable solutions
for reverse osmosis membranes cleaning
Núria Adroer, Oscar Villanueva, Jordi Aumatell, Eduard Cortada, Aurélie Biurrarena,
Alejandro Vega (Spain)..................................................................................................................................................................144
150 Auto-adaptive fouling control in UF during algal blooms
L.O. Villacorte, R.E. Gissel, D.M. Dominiak (Denmark), C. San Roma Flores (Spain) ...................................................... 145
151 Limiting phosphate to control biofouling in seawater reverse osmosis
Mamoun Althuluth, Nirajan Dhakal, Sergio Salinas-Rodríguez, Maria D. Kennedy (The Netherlands) .................. 146
152 Real-time fouling visualization in spacer-filled reverse osmosis channel
under intermittent operation
Nitish Ranjan Sarker, Youngmok Ko, Amy Bilton (Canada) ................................................................................................. 147
153 Early non-destructive fouling detection in spiral-wound and hollow fiber membranes
using high magnetic field and portable low magnetic field NMR and MRI
Einar O. Fridjonsson (Australia) .................................................................................................................................................. 148
154 MRI and NMR investigation of the flow field in spiral wound reverse osmosis membrane modules
during biofouling
N.W. Bristow, S.J. Vogt (Australia), Sz.S. Bucs (Saudi Arabia),
J.S.Vrouwenvelder (Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands), E.O. Fridjonsson, M.L. Johns (Australia) ................................... 148
155 Applying the new MFI0.45 method and SDI in monitoring of seawater
Sergio G. Salinas Rodriguez, Nizordinah Sithole, Nirajan Dhakal, Jan C. Schippers,
Maria D. Kennedy (The Netherlands) ........................................................................................................................................ 149
156 Short-term energy storage in reverse osmosis desalination systems – theoretical investigation
and experimental validation
Evangelos Dimitriou (Greece), Essam Sh. Mohamed (Egypt), Alejandro Ruiz-Garcia (Spain),
Christos-Spyridon Karavas, George Papadakis (Greece) ...................................................................................................... 150
157 High recovery in SWRO using a multi-stage multi turbo (MSMT) configuration:
CAPEX, OPEX and SEC analysis for the concept and the case study of an early adopter
Giancarlo Barassi, Eli Oklejas, Radu Danila, Alisha Cooley, Rafal Ashkuri, Mike Gisclair (USA) ................................. 151
158 Combined membrane and thermal desalination processes for the treatment
of ion exchange resins spent brine
M. Micari, M. Moser (Germany), A. Cipollina(Italy), B. Fuchs(Germany), M. Bevacqua,
A. Tamburini, G. Micale (Italy) ..................................................................................................................................................... 152
159 Adsorption of phenol with resin technology: phenol removal and resin recovery
M. Àngels Tejero, Das Supriyo, Verónica Gómez, Javier Villa, Blanca Salgado (Spain) ................................................ 153
160 Direct renewable energy powered desalination (DrepD)
Mercedes Kovacsics, Matt Folley, David Rooney, Trevor Whittaker (UK) .......................................................................... 154
161 Impact of permeate flux on biofilm development in forward osmosis membrane systems
Szilard Bucs, Lan Hee Kim (Saudi Arabia), Johannes Vrouwenvelder (Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands) .................. 154

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162 The impact of geothermal water RO concentrate volume minimization

on the possibility of comprehensive further use
Barbara Tomaszewska, Magdalena Tyszer (Poland) ........................................................................................................... 155
163 Mechanical properties of microorganisms that comprise membrane biofouling
using bio-force spectroscopy
Edo Bar-Zeev, Mihal Blaschkauer, Yair Kaufman (Israel) ...................................................................................................... 156
164 New approach for concentrate utilisation obtained during geothermal water desalination
Barbara Tomaszewska (Poland) ................................................................................................................................................ 157
165 CFD study of the vapor route within MED evaporator for seawater desalination plants
Abdelnasser Mabrouk, Ahmed Abotaleb (Qatar) .................................................................................................................. 158
166 The change of membranes properties during desalination of water
Mariola Rajca (Poland) ................................................................................................................................................................. 158
167 Design of experiments in water treatment processes — data reliability
Ewa Kmiecik (Poland) ................................................................................................................................................................... 159
168 Experimental and theoretical investigations on performance evaluation of different spacers
on a DCMD process
Lijo Francis (Qatar), Young-Deuk Kim (Korea) , Jung-Gil Lee (Saudi Arabia),
Min-Gyu Ham (Korea), Noreddine Ghaffour (Saudi Arabia) ............................................................................................... 160
169 Effect of size and concentrations of bead immobilized Chlorella vulgaris on wastewater nutrients
removal
H.K Lee, Dawoon Jeong, Am Jang (Korea) ............................................................................................................................. 161
170 Degradation of triclosan and reducing by-products formation using non-transfer arc plasma
Hyeonho Lee, Sanghyun Jeong, Am Jang (Korea) ................................................................................................................. 162
171 Identification of major factors affecting the fouling in cartridge filters
prior to SWRO membrane
Minhyung Song, Dawoon Jeong, Am Jang (Korea) .............................................................................................................. 162
172 Effect of charged surfactants on nanoparticles in feed solution
of forward osmosis membrane system
Sang-Hun Oh (Korea), Kyung-Jo Kim (Hong Kong), Am Jang (Korea) .............................................................................. 163
173 Fouling mitigation on municipal water reuse applications
using advanced reverse osmosis elements with ultrafiltration pre-treatment
Gerard Massons, Guillem Gilabert, Sonia Vila, Claudia Niewersch (Spain) .................................................................... 164
174 Decomposition of phenol from aqueous media by electrocoagulation technique
using bi-polar aluminum electrodes: investigation of adsorption isotherm and kinetic models
Manal M. El-Sadaawy, Abeer A. Moneer, Ghada F. El-Said, Fadia A.M. Morsy (Egypt) ................................................. 165
175 Water Master Plan. The San Luis Case
Lucas Caymes, Gabriela Puerto Mestre (Argentina) .............................................................................................................. 166
176 Role of non-Newtonian behavior in effecting complete desalination of simulated seawater
by the emulsion liquid membrane technique
M.M. Naim, A.A. Moneer, A.A. El-Shafei, M.M. Elewa (Egypt) .............................................................................................. 166
177 Different membrane technologies for potable water production from surface water
Frans Knops, Sergi Lluch (The Netherlands) ............................................................................................................................ 167
178 Designer probiotics model: novel strategies for controlling and
membrane biofouling by using beneficial bugs
Reyed M. Reyed (Egypt) ................................................................................................................................................................ 169
179 Comparison of scale formation between inside-out and outside-in
hollow fiber membrane distillation (MD) modules
Youngkyu Park, Yongjun Choi, Jihyeok Choi, Dongha Kim, Sangho Lee (Korea) ........................................................... 169
180 Understanding oily wastewater treatment via membrane distillation
Le Han, Yong Zen Tan, Tanmay Netke, Anthony G. Fane, Jia Wei Chew (Singapore) .................................................... 170

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181 Application of nanomaterials in desalination, agriculture and wastewater remediation:

A review
Mona M. Naim, Mahmoud M. Elewa. Ahmed A. El Shafei (Egypt) .................................................................................... 171
182 Desalination by sweeping-air pervaporation with modified cellulose-based membranes
Ahmed A. El-Shafei, Mona M. Naim, Mahmoud M. Elewa, Rana S. Atito (Egypt) .......................................................... 172
183 Desalination by humidification-dehumidification using a novel green packing material
Mona M. Naim, Mahmoud M. Elewa, Ahmed A. El Shafei (Egypt) ..................................................................................... 173
184 Shifting the discharge mind-set from harmful to habitat: Exploring inventive designs
and benefits of underwater discharge structures
Riaan van der Merwe(UAE), Robin Morelissen (The Netherlands) ..................................................................................... 174
185 A smart and innovated membrane distillation crystallization technique for zero liquid discharge
Mona M. Naim, Mahmoud M. Elewa, Shaaban A. Noseir, Ahmed A. El-Shafei, Mahmoud A. Mahmoud,
Mohamed R. Lofty, Mostafa I. Mohamed, Ghada Z. Qutit (Egypt) ..................................................................................... 175
186 Ultrasonic-assisted cleaning for inorganic scales on high salinity wastewater treatment
using membrane distillation
Hyeongrak Cho, Jihuck Choi, Yongjun Choi, Sangho Lee (Korea) ...................................................................................... 176
187 Voltage regulation of solar-powered EDR systems for brackish water desalination
Anne-Claire Le Henaff, Wei He, Amos G. Winter V (USA) ...................................................................................................... 177
188 Renewable energy powered desalination in SIDS – opportunities and challenges
in the Caribbean Region
Monica K. Boodhan (Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies) ..................................................................................................... 179
189 MPPT with robust fuzzy control of squirrel-cage induction generator
Samir Bellarbi, A. Djoudi (Algeria) ............................................................................................................................................. 179
190 Nanofiltration polishing membrane process for fluoride removal
N. Meftah, A.Mejdi, A. Ezzeddine, A.Bedoui, A. Hannachi (Tunisia) ................................................................................... 180
191 Influence of vapor compression cooling with packing on the dehumidifier performance
in (HDH) desalination process
S.E. AbdElhafez, A.H. El-Shazly, A.H. El-Maghraby (Egypt) .................................................................................................. 181
192 Microbial desalination cell: the golden MIDES low energy desalination technology
Marina Ramírez, Pau Rodenas, Juan M. Ortiz, Abraham Esteve-Núñez, Eduard Borràs, Martí Aliaguilla,
Pau Bosch, Patricia Zamora, Juan Arevalo, Víctor M. Monsalvo, Frank Rogalla (Spain) ............................................. 181
193 Performance evaluation of a novel vacuum-enhanced air-gap membrane distillation module for
regeneration of salinity gradients
J.A. Andrés-Mañas, F.G. Acién, G. Zaragoza (Spain) .............................................................................................................. 183
194 Membrane processes for valorization of agro-industrial effluents including water recycling
S.I. Patsios, K.N. Kontogiannopoulos, A.J. Karabelas (Greece) ............................................................................................ 184
195 Novel methodology for RO membrane fouling and scaling predictions and monitoring -
Beyond indices
Anastasios J. Karabelas (Greece) ............................................................................................................................................... 185
196 Polishing membrane process for fluoride removal: nanofiltration vs. reverse osmosis
N. Meftah, A. Ezzeddine, A.Bedoui, A. Hannachi (Tunisia) ................................................................................................... 186
197 Ceramic filtration as a pretreatment for reverse osmosis
in industrial wastewater treatment and reuse
Elena Meabe, Jaione Ollo, Javier Lopetegui (Spain) .............................................................................................................. 187
198 Development of a new integrated textile wastewater treatment and hydrogen production system
with bipolar membrane
B. Yuzer, H. Selcuk (Turkey), I. Dincer (Canada) ....................................................................................................................... 188
199 The miracle of chitosan as a biosorpent in desalination, wastewater treatment
and biomedical engineering—a review
Mona M. Naim, Mervette El-Batouti, Micheal E.G.Tawadrous (Egypt) .............................................................................. 190
200 Role of tight ultrafiltration on reducing fouling potential of SWRO feed water
Nirajan Dhakal, Sergio Salinas, Jan C. Schippers, Maria Kennedy (The Netherlands) .................................................. 191

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201 Alternative energies in desalination – present status and future prospects

Mona M. Naim, Mervette El Batouti, Mahmoud M. Elewa, Ahmed A. El-Shafei,
Micheal E. Tawadrous (Egypt) ......................................................................................................................................................192
202 Solar-powered desalination for irrigation in the Jordan Valley
Liam Burlace, Tim Naughton (UK), Hala Abu Ali, Maya Mark, Areen Majali (Israel),
Suleiman Halasah(Israel, Jordan), Clive Lipchin (Israel), Monther Hind (Palestinian Authority) ............................... 193
203 Multi-stage analysis of pressure retarded osmosis for scale up operation
Samira Soltani, Henning Struchtrup (Canada) ...................................................................................................................... 193
204 One year operation of integrated ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system
for challenging industrial wastewater from chemical industry
Claudia Niewersch, Lorena Barbera, Javier Suarez Martin, Oscar Ruzafa, Luis Carod,
Patricia Carmona (Spain), Jozef Kochan (Germany), Jan Koppe (The Netherlands),
Lex van Dijk, Christian Kazner (Switzerland) .......................................................................................................................... 194
205 Continuous solar desalination unit (CSDU): design and performance investigation
Mays Shadeed, Lama A’raj, Reem Ashqar (Palestinian Authority) ..................................................................................... 195
206 Process modeling and simulation of a SWRO desalination plant:
Case study of Gijang SWRO desalination plant in Korea
Younggeun Lee, Yongjung Lee, Kwanghee Shin, Jungjune Lee, Seokho Choi, Jungwon Park,
Hyungkeun Roh (Korea) ............................................................................................................................................................... 196
207 Performance evaluation of a multi-effect distillation unit with a polymer tube heat exchanger
Patricia Palenzuela (Spain), Thomas Orth (Germany), Diego C. Alarcón-Padilla,
Guillermo Zaragoza (Spain) ........................................................................................................................................................ 196
208 Spiral wound electrolysis modules of Archimedean and non-Archimedean form
Natasha C. Wright, Amos G. Winter, V (USA) ........................................................................................................................... 198
209 Membrane technology for water treatment in Malaysia – a new entry point
Mohmad Asari Daud, Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor, Zaini Ujang (Malaysia) .......................................................... 199
210 Water security in Libya and the ability of the Man Mad River Project
to provide Libya›s water needs
Hamza Goumma El Nawal (Libya) ............................................................................................................................................ 200
211 Coagulation effectiveness comparison for turbid water treatment using Medicago sativa
and its blended mixture
Arfa Iqbal, Nayab Zahra (Pakistan) ........................................................................................................................................... 200
212 Temperature and thermal stress distribution of high concentrator solar cell
under different environmental conditions
Essam M. Abo-Zahhad, A. H. El-Shazly (Egypt), Shinichi Ookawara (Japan),
Ali Radwan, M. F. El-Kady (Egypt) ............................................................................................................................................... 201
213 The REvivED water project: Electrodialysis for advanced desalination concepts
N. Tiggelman (The Netherlands), M. Papapetrou (Italy) ...................................................................................................... 202
214 Impact of pretreatment of seawater and impaired water on fouling
of ionic exchange membranes in reverse electrodialysis systems
Leo Gutierrez, Marjolein Vanoppen, Lingshan Ma, Arne Verliefde (Belgium) ................................................................. 203
215 Donnan dialysis for tap-water softening
A. Brys, L. Pinoy (Belgium), A.M.M. Alhadidi (The Netherlands), R. Gueccia, A. Cipollina (Italy),
J.W. Post (The Netherlands) ......................................................................................................................................................... 206
216 RevivED Water: Small-scale ED desalination systems for brackish water
Experiences from field test in Somaliland
T. Zwirner, H-J. Rapp (Germany), A. Al Habibi (The Netherlands), L. Gutierrez (Belgium), A. Cipollina (Italy) ......... 207
217 Fluid-structure interaction in electromembrane processes: modelling of membrane deformation,
fluid dynamics and mass transfer
G. Battaglia, L. Gurreri, A. Tamburini, A. Cipollina, M. Ciofalo, G. Micale (Italy) ............................................................. 208

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218 New innovative thermal system for improving the performance of HCPV cell
and its application in solar desalination system
Essam M. Abo-Zahhad(Egypt), Shinichi Ookawara (Japan), Ali Radwan , A.H. El-Shazly,
M.F. El-Kady (Egypt) ........................................................................................................................................................................209
219 Operational efficiency and benefits of using positive displacement pumps and isobaric energy
recovery devices for SWRO
J. Lorenzo (Denmark) .............................................................................................................................................................. 210
220 The application of composite GO/PAN membranes for removing surfactants
from laundry wastewater
Beata Fryczkowska, Lucyna Przywara (Poland) ..................................................................................................................... 211
221 Electrophoretic deposition of graphene oxide on copper pipe for corrosion prevention
EssamEldin Mahmoud, A.H. Elshazly, M.F. Elkady, A.S. Hammad (Egypt) ........................................................................ 212
222 The fallacy of energy efficiency for desalination processes comparison
Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, Muhammad Burhan, Doskhan Ybyraimkul, Kim Choom Ng (Saudi Arabia) ............ 213
223 Evaluating desalination’s sustainability under the ecosystems approach
Nikolaos Voulvoulis (UK) ............................................................................................................................................................... 213
224 Multi-stage filtration in Iraqi drinking water plants
Jasim Mohammed Salman, Abed Jawad Kadhim (Iraq) ...................................................................................................... 214
225 Development of standard protocol for MFI-UF method to assess particulate fouling
in RO systems
Mohanad Abunada, Nirajan Dhakal, Noreddine Ghaffour, Jan C. Schippers,
Maria Kennedy (The Netherlands) ............................................................................................................................................. 214
226 Operating experience and process optimization to maintain the low energy consumption
for a 15 MiGD SWRO plant in UAE
Larry Millar (USA) ........................................................................................................................................................................... 215
227 Thermodynamic characterisation of novel solutions for closed-loop reverse electrodialysis
F. Giacalone (UK, Italy), C. Olkis, G. Santori (UK), A. Cipollina (Italy), S. Brandani (UK), G. Micale (Italy) .................. 216
228 Experimental assessment of reverse electrodialysis in closed loop configuration
fed by NH4HCO3-water solutions
F. Giacalone, F. Vassallo, F. Scargiali, A. Tamburini, A. Cipollina, G. Micale (Italy) ........................................................... 217
229 Techno-economic evaluation of reverse electrodialysis process in different real environments
F. Giacalone (Italy), G. Kosmadakis (Germay), M. Papapetrou, A. Tamburini, A. Cipollina, G. Micale (Italy) ............ 218
230 Performance analysis of RED-MED heat engine with non-conventional solutions
B. Ortega-Delgado, F. Giacalone, A. Cipollina, A. Tamburini, G. Micale (Italy) ................................................................ 218
231 Modeling and design of membrane process recovery of HCl and metals from pickling solutions
S. Randazzo, A. Culcasi, R. Gueccia, A. Cipollina, G. Micale (Italy) ..................................................................................... 219
232 Experimental investigation and modelling for sulphuric acid recovery by diffusion dialysis
S. Randazzo, A. Ruiz Aguirre, J. Lopez Rodriguez, R. Gueccia, A. Cipollina, G. Micale (Italy) ....................................... 220
233 Modelling hybrid systems for seawater desalination:
electromembrane processes (RED, ARED and ED) coupled with RO
Mariagiorgia La Cerva, Luigi Gurreri, Andrea Cipollina, Alessandro Tamburini,
Michele Ciofalo, Giorgio Micale (Italy) ...................................................................................................................................... 221
234 Problems associated with fluctuations in potable water quality —
The Cyprus experience during the last 3 decades and the role of reverse osmosis desalination
Erineos Koutsakos, Aristos Loucaides, Louisa Christodoulou, Christie Stylianou (Cyprus) .......................................... 222
235 Renewable energy powered nanofiltration and reverse osmosis:
experience with fluctuating energy
Andrea I. Schäfer, Bryce S. Richards (Germany).......................................................................................................................223
236 How to select the correct cartridge element to achieve the best membrane performance
and lowest operating costs
O. Sallangos, C. Christodoulou, P. Plakotas (Cyprus) ............................................................................................................ 225

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237 Biological membrane for treatment of wastewater

Pak Chol Hyok (DPRK) ................................................................................................................................................................... 226
238 Water treatment (filtration) by bedrock
Ro Nam Ik (DPRK) .......................................................................................................................................................................... 226
239 Journey to brine solution
Seung-Hyun Kim, Junesoek Choi, Taeshin Park, Jeyong Yoon (Korea) ............................................................................. 227
240 Optimization of commercial scale hollow fiber membrane distillation module
Yongjun Choi, Yonghyun Shin, Sangho Lee, Min Soo Park, Ji Hee Min, Juneseok Choi,
Seung-Hyun Kim (Korea)...............................................................................................................................................................228
241 Design and operation of a 400 m3/d membrane distillation plant
for management of seawater reverse osmosis brine
Juneseok Choi, Yongjun Choi, Yonghyun Shin, Sangho Lee, Min Soo Park, Ji Hee Min,
Seung-Hyun Kim (Korea)...............................................................................................................................................................229
242 Performance evaluation of a vacuum membrane distillation pilot plant with solar heat
Minsuk Kong, HeeYoul Kwak (Korea) ........................................................................................................................................ 230

Author Index to Abstracts ............................................................................................................................................................... 231

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1
Fluoride,copper and combined fluoride-copper removals from
semiconductor wastewater by electrocoagulation
N. Drouichea, S. Aoudj a,b, T.Ouslimanea

a
Centre de Recherche en Technologie des Semi-conducteurs pour l’Energétique (CRTSE),
2, Bd Dr. Frantz Fanon P.O. Box 140, Algiers-7 merveilles, Algiers 16038, Algeria
b
Laboratoire de génie chimique, Département de Chimie Industrielle, Université Saad Dahlab,
B.P. 270, Route de Soumaa 09000, Blida, Algeria

Treatments of fluoride (F), copper (Cu) and F-Cu from semiconductor-based silicon etching
rinse baths by electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum plate electrodes were investigated in this
study. The effects of important process variables such as current intensity, initial pH and initial
concentration on the removal efficiencies of F and Cu were evaluated. Removal efficiencies for F
and Cu in the single system were found at about 99% at optimum operating conditions.The high-
est removal efficiencies were achieved at pH 3 for F and between pH 3 and 5 for Cu containing
synthetic wastewaters. Experiments were conducted with different F/Cu ratio when Cu concen-
tration was kept constant and F concentration was increased, the highest removal efficiency was
observed at lower concentrations. EC study provided high removal efficiencies of F and Cu from
semiconductor synthetic wastewater.
Keywords: Semiconductor wastewater, Copper, Fluoride, Electrocoagulation.

2
A novel liquid pressure energy recovery device of high-efficiency
for seawater reverse osmosis desalination
Zhongliang Liu1*, Ning Liu1,Yanxia Li1,Yuanying Chi2
Beijing Municipal Key Lab of Heat Transfer and Energy Utilization,
1

College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
2
Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Internet Technology, Beijing University of Technology,
Beijing 100124, China

Desalination is an effective measure easing freshwater scarcity. Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)
is gaining rapidly acceptance among various desalination technologies and become a leading technol-
ogy worldwide. The rapid development of SWRO benefits greatly from isobaric energy recovery
devices (ERDs) that could significantly reduce specific energy consumption in desalination plants.
A novel high-efficiency ERD called ‘fully-rotary valve energy recovery device (FRV-ERD)’ is
developed aiming at providing a high-efficiency energy recovery technology. The energy recovery
process and device structure are different from current ERDs. The FRV-ERD which is simple in
structure only consists of two identical FRVs and pipelines. Two phases repeat periodically in the
energy recovery process by switching the two FRVs simultaneously. High pressure brine and low-
pressure sea flow into one FRV, while low pressure brine and high-pressure seawater flow out
from the other FRV.
As the key component of FRV-ERD, the fully-rotary valve (FRV) mainly consists of a rotor and a

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stator. The stator is a cylinder with some inlets and outlets. The rotor which is composed of two
symmetrical semi-cylinders with flow channels can rotate freely inside the stator. Two cavities are
formed inside the FRV after the rotor and the stator are assembled together. The inlets/outlets
on the stator will be open or closed according to the location of the semi-cylinders: if it is at the
opening, then it acts as a sluice gate plate and the inlets/outlets are closed, otherwise they are open.
In this way, the rotor can supply the pressure exchanging pipes with seawater and brine alternately
depending on its phase positions.
As the main seal technology in current isobaric ERDs, clearance seal suffers some problems, such
as high machining requirement, low seal tightness, scraping and abrasion between key components,
etc. For the FRV, there is no reciprocating motion in the FRV and the rotor is the only moving part.
For the FRV-ERD, the sealing is not from close contact between the rotor and the stator, so the
abrasion and wear are successfully eliminated. Special seal structure has been designed to achieve
higher seal performance instead of hard wear-resisting materials and precision machining, easing
machining difficulty and capital costs greatly. Once the seal performance could not meet the op-
eration requirement after long-term running, the only part that needs to be replaced is its sealing
elements. The replacement is as easy as changing an O-ring.
According our test, the FRV-ERD can obtain high and stable seal performance. The leakage in
this ERD is not detectable by flow meter with the accuracy of 0.5%. The efficiency is over 98%.
Besides, the FRV-ERD is reliable in operation due to the cancel of physical piston which is used to
separate brine and sea. The control system of FRV-ERD is hence simplified greatly. The switching
period of FRV-ERD can be adjusted to control the device mixing in a reasonable range.The overall
performance of this device is competitive among current ERDs.
Keywords: Energy recovery device; Liquid pressure; Positive displacement; Desalination; Fully-rotary
valves

3
Desalination by forward osmosis: failure, success,
and future research focus
Ali Altaee*, John Zhou, Adnan Alhathal
University of Technology Sydney, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
*Corresponding Author: Ali Altaee email: [email protected]; Tel. +61 420606500

Water scarcity is an emerging problem, which has affected most countries worldwide due to
population growth, contamination of groundwaters, and increasing demands on freshwater resources.
Desalination becomes the alternative source for freshwater supply using thermal and membrane
technologies. Most of the current desalination technologies are unable to meet future sustainable
development of modern societies. Energy-efficiency is one aspect that has been taken against ther-
mal and membrane technologies besides the growing concerns about the environmental pollution.
Reverse Osmosis, the most common desalination method, has been criticized for being an energy
intensive process and desalination energy should be reduced in future for sustainable water sup-
ply. Forward Osmosis has been identified as an emerging energy-efficient technology that has the
potential for scale-up and commercialization. The process has been under intensive investigation
in the last 10 years or more, but yet there is not a commercial plant for seawater desalination.
Pilot plant tests to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of forward osmosis process have

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failed to highlight the significance of the process. Some of the drawbacks of forward osmosis de-
salination studies are i) lack of comprehensive technoeconomic field studies that can be used for
comparison purpose with current technologies ii) coordination between academic and industries
iii) overestimation the potential of the forward osmosis process that have not backed up by field
results and/or failure to understand the market demands iv) stereotyping instead of critique studies.
The current study tries to identify a number of past experiences in forward osmosis desalina-
tion and their academic and industrial impacts and evaluates potential applications. It also provides
some data on energy efficiency of forward osmosis-reverse osmosis system for desalination and
its potential use. Finally, it provides some information about commercial FO membranes that are
readily available for technology testing.
Keywords: Desalination, Forward osmosis, Desalination energy

4
The role of desalination in water-energy-food nexus:
an opportunity for Algeria
Nadjib Drouiche*, Rafika Khacheba
* Centre de Recherche en Technologie des Semi-conducteurs pour l’Energetique,
2, Bd Frantz Fanon BP140 Alger-7-merveilles, 16038 Algiers, Algeria
Email :[email protected]

In Algeria, water resources are limited and often of low quality, fragile and unevenly distributed
in space and time. Industrial development, population growth, and irrigation requirements are ex-
asperating pressure on water resources by generating competition for water between agriculture,
drinking water, and other uses.As for the future impact of climate change on the water-energy-food
(WEF) nexus, the climate change is placing increasing stress on this nexus. Desalination technolo-
gies could play an increasing role in the country’s linkages between water, food, and energy and
contribute to the national economy. Demand for desalination will likely grow in the country due
to limiting water resources and even changing preferences for food and consumption in general.The
water reuse and desalination in agriculture also offer an opportunity to expand significantly imple-
menting WEF nexus integration when meeting health standards, thus providing access to healthy
foods and a subsequent way allowing stakeholders to optimize their water supply resources. Even
though desalination can ensure efficiency and sustainability of the water, food, and energy nexus
and mitigate the impact of climate change.
Keywords: Desalination, Mitigation, Climate change, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s)

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5
Water-energy-food nexus approach: motivations, challenges and policies
in Algeria
Nadjib Drouiche*
* Centre de Recherche en Technologie des Semi-conducteurs pour l’Energetique,
2, Bd Frantz Fanon BP140 Alger-7-merveilles, 16038 Algiers, Algeria
Email :[email protected]

The water energy food (WEF) nexus approach seeks to assess relevant and consistent strategies
to address challenges to the development of the three sectors, to meet the demand and achieve
sustainable development. They are the most indispensable elements for life and development re-
spectively. Besides that, the production and cost of one depend highly on the performance of each
other. Not any country could attain a sustainable development without first developing the three
sectors and satisfy the demand. Most of developing countries face the challenges in handling the
management of these resources due to different reasons. Among those reasons, the most pre-
dominant are high population growth, lack of skills in water management, low use efficiency and
energy resources management and impact of climate change. This research seeks to find out the
best ways to handle barriers to WEF nexus development with the target to satisfy the need in a
sustainable way.
Keywords: Water – Energy Food Nexus; Nexus strategy; Policies; Sustainable development

6
Adsorption, catalytic and membrane distillation processes
for refinery wastewater treatment
Fawzi Banat*, Munirasu Selvaraj, Mohammad Abu Haija
Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and
Technology, SAN Campus, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
*Email: [email protected] Tel. +971552640865

A three-step combination of adsorption, catalytic degradation, and membrane distillation has

been applied for the refinery wastewater treatment. The copper ferrites (CuFe2O4) was used as a
heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of phenol in the water. The graphene-based materials
have been used for the adsorption of phenols and heavy metal ions removal.As prepared graphene
sheets have been used for the phenol removal from the wastewater and the removal efficiency and
recyclability were studied. In order to improve the recyclability, mechanical stability and further
adsorption of soluble heavy metal ions from the wastewater, the graphene oxide (GO) has been
embedded in the sodium alginate biopolymer matrix.The GO has been further functionalized with

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polyamines for the effective crosslinking and further improvements in the adsorption of metal ions.
The functionalized GO-alginate beads showed high adsorption for Cd, Hg, and Pb ions. As a final
tertiary water polishing step, a new superhydrophobic membrane was developed and used for the
membrane distillation (MD).The detailed MD studies, utilizing the superhydrophobic nature of the
surface, proved that the newly developed membrane is capable of desalinating high saline water
(more than 200,000 ppm of NaCl) and continues operation of MD for more than one week showed
stable water vapor flux with excellent salt rejection. The results are compared with conventional
membrane and found to be highly superior in terms of water vapor flux and salt rejection.
Keywords: Membrane distillation, Catalytic degradation, Adsorption, Refinery, Wastewater

7
Dual stage pressure retarded osmosis: potential and feasibility
Ali Altaee
University of Technology Sydney 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007-Australia
e-mail: [email protected],Tel: +61 420606520

A dual stage PRO process has been proposed for power generation from a salinity gradient
across a semi-permeable membrane. Both closed-loop and open-loop dual stage PRO system were
evaluated using 2 M NaCl and Dead Sea as draw solutions, whereas the feed solution was either
fresh water or seawater.The impact of feed salinity gradient resource and feed pressure on the net
power generation and water flux were evaluated. The results showed that power density in stage
one reached a maximum amount at DP = p/2, but the maximum net power generation occurred
at DP = p/2. This result was mainly attributed to the variation of net driving pressure in stage one
and two of the PRO process. The dual stage PRO process was found to perform better at high
osmotic pressure gradient across the PRO membrane, for example when Dead Sea brine or highly
concentrated NaCl was the draw solution. Total power generation in the dual stage PRO process
was up to 40% higher than that in the conventional PRO process. This outcome was achieved
through harvesting the rest of the energy remaining in the diluted draw solution. Therefore, a
dual stage PRO process has the potential of maximizing power generation from a salinity gradient
resource by 20%.

DSPRO can be combined with desalination plant using seawater brine as the draw solution
either in closed-loop or open-loop. This hybridization has multiple applications such as reducing
the impact of discharging concentrated brine to sea, energy storage, and increase the recovery
rate of the desalination. Power generation by DSPRO will reduce the energy consumption by the
desalination processes.Waste heat from power plants can be used for the regeneration of the draw
solution in the closed-loop DSPRO. Process modelling has been performed and shown promising
results for DSPRO application for power generation. The impact of module configuration, area
and length, with relation to draw solution concentration have shown to have significant impact on
osmotically driven processes and should be counted for.

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8
Sequence of optimized predictive models for forecast of global
wastewater treatment plant performance
Bharat B. Gulyani1, Arshia Fathima2
1.
Department of Chemical Engineering, BITS Pilani Dubai Campus, /
Dubai 345055, UAE
Email: [email protected] ,Tel. +971 44200700 Ext. 448
2.
Independent Researcher, Riyadh, KSA (Alumna BITS Pilani Dubai Campus)
Email: [email protected]

The process control of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) using data analytics is one of
the research focus areas to improve the process efficiency and economics. According to literature,
machine-learning models such as neural network models (ANN) were developed for WWTP pro-
cess control. The models simulated plant performance, predicted water quality parameters such
biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) and provided predictive
control on process parameters such as coagulant dosage. Other machine learning models such as
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fuzzy networks and self-organizing maps (SOM) used in conjunction with ANN predicted plant
performance in terms of organic matter removal. Ensemble models such as bagging and rotation
forest have shown to be more stable than single classifiers (like ANN) with lower tendency for
overfitting. The ensemble models have not been used widely to simulate or predict wastewater
treatment plant performance. This paper highlights the development of a sequence of predictive
models to provide forecasts on global plant performance. The predictive models will be a mixture
of data mining models such as bagging, ANN or SVM. Each individual model in the sequence will
predict the performance of a unit (such as primary clarifier or secondary clarifier) based on basic
input quality parameters. The prediction of global performance will employ the combination of
individual unit performance forecasts.Thereby the global model will be providing a feedback control
model based on current input quality parameters and estimated performances.
Keywords: Wastewater treatment, Plant performance prediction, Ensemble model, Data mining

9
Improved desalination using a three-layer OTMS based
superhydrophobic membrane for a membrane distillation process
Saikat Sinha Ray, Shiao-Shing Chen
Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management,
National Taipei University of Technology,
No.1, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao E. Rd.Taipei- 10608,Taiwan

Graphical Abstract

Abstract
Superhydrophobic membranes are essential for improved seawater desalination. This study
presents the successful casting of a three-layered membrane composed of a top superhydrophobic
coating onto a polypropylene (PP) mat through simple sol–gel processing of Octadecyltrimethoxysi-
lane (OTMS), and the bottom layer was casted with hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by using
a knife casting technique; this membrane represents a novel class of improved-performance mem-
branes consisting of a top superhydrophobic coating onto a hydrophobic PP mat and hydrophilic
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layer (PVA) at the bottom. OTMSs are well known low-surface-energy materials that enhance
superhydrophobicity, and they were observed to be the ideal chemical group for increasing the
hydrophobicity of the PP mat. The PVA layer acted as base layer absorbing the condensed vapor
and thus enhancing the vapor flux across the membrane. The hybrid three-layered membrane ex-
hibited superhydrophobicity, with an average contact angle of more than 160°, and demonstrated
high performance in terms of rejection and water flux. This study also examined the pore size
distribution, surface roughness, surface area, tensile strength, water flux, and salt rejection of the
fabricated membrane.The salt rejection level was calculated to be 99.7%, and a high permeate flux
of approximately 6.7 LMH was maintained for 16 h.
Keywords: Polypropylene; Octadecyltrimethoxysilane; Superhydrophobic; Desalination; Membrane
distillation

10
Metagenomic analysis of microbial communities
in seawater reverse osmosis plant
Rehman Zu*, M. Ali, T. Leiknes*
Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),
Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding authors:Tel. +966 12 808 0192; Email: [email protected]/ Tel. +966 12 808 2193;
Email:[email protected]

Biofouling of RO membrane is a huge problem for water treatment industry. In this study we
applied a culture-independent metagenomic approach to characterize the microbial community
composition and its functional potential in a full-scale RO plant. Samples of intake seawater (raw
seawater), fouled RO membranes (leading and middle RO module) and brine were acquired. We
found that Proteobacteria is the most dominant bacterial phyla in all the samples. Bacteroidetes were
the second most abundant phyla in raw seawater followed by brine. However, for leading RO
module (seven years old) Planctomycetes was the second most abundant bacterial phyla while in
middle RO module (five years old) its abundance was approximately same as Proteobacteria. The
genetic potential of RO membrane microbial community showed the enrichment of genes involved
in biofilm formation, representing the selective pressure of biofilm formation process. Many genes
in metagenome, especially for RO biofilm, showed low similarity to currently sequenced genes/
genome underscoring the need for sequencing more reference genomes from biofilm community
on RO membranes. In total we reconstructed 31 metagenomes assembled genomes (MAGs), of
which 25 of the MAGs were extracted from biofilm samples (leading and middle RO module). Of
all the MAGs from biofilm samples 36% belong to Planctomycetes.We curated the MAGs for genes
(pili, flagella, quorum sensing, quorum quenching) that play an important role in biofilm formation.
We identified that Planctomycetes contain genes for flagella and pili formation and nitrate reduction.
Although, no genes for quorum sensing were detected in biofilm MAGs, genes involved in quorum
quenching were identified. Furthermore, archaeal species that might play a role in ammonia oxi-

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dation were identified. These results show that Planctomycetes along with other microbes play an
important role in formation and sustenance of biofilms on seawater RO membranes.
Keywords: Metagenomics, Reverse osmosis, Seawater desalination, Membrane biofouling, Membrane
based water treatment

11
The pollution load of wastewater and the performances of the sewage
treatment plant of Skhirat city in Morocco
Mehdi Bouhafa1, Omar El Rhaouat2, Sakina Belhamidi1, Mostapha Lakhlifi2,
Mohammed Chahid El Hachmi3, Fatima Elhannouni1, Azzedine Elmidaoui1
1
Laboratory of Separation Processes .Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University
Ibn Tofail. P.O.B: 133, 14000, Kenitra, Morocco.
2
Laboratory of Agro-physiology, Biotechnology, Environment and Quality, Faculty of Science,
University Ibn Tofail. P.O.B: 133, 14000, Kenitra, Morocco.
3
Laboratory of civil engineer and Environment.The School Mohammedia of the Engineers,
Street of Ibn Sina, 10000, Reduction, Morocco.

The Skhirat city is characterized by a sewage treatment plant (STEP) which receives a very
important volume of wastewater about 66473 m3 with a flow about 2173.56 m3/d. The aim of this
research was to evaluate the pollutant load of wastewater and the performances of the sewage
treatment plant of Skhirat city in treating domestic wastewater.
Sampling was carried out on the level of the entry of sewage treatment plant with a monthly
rate. The analyses were carried at the laboratory with the cubic measure of wastewater
received by the sewage treatment plant.
The performances of the sewage treatment plant in treating domestic wastewater of Skhirat
city was investigated.The results showed that the rate of the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)
chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the suspended matter (SM) respectively it’s of the order
90.68%, 87.4% and 79.50%. The got results show that the COD(entry)/BOD5(entry) ratio of
2.08, is lower then 3, which makes it possible to confirm the normal state of the station in bio-
logical treatment.
Globally, the results of the investigation revealed by the test unilateral Student, the test con-
firms this difference between the entry and the exit of this station which significant by p-value
calculated is lower than the level of significance alpha= 0.05.
Keywords: Domestic wastewater, Pollutant load, Performance, STEP

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12
Nanofiltration membrane autopsy of decentralized desalination plant
S. El-ghzizel1*, H. Jalté1, M. Zait1, S. Belhamidi, F. Tiyal1, M. Hafsi2, M. Taky1, A. Elmidaoui1
1
Laboratory of Separation Processes, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences,
IbnTofail University, P. O. Box 1246, Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
Tel./Fax +212 5 37 37 40 52. E-mail: [email protected]
2
International Institute for Water and Sanitation, National Office of Electricity and potable Water ONEE-IEA,
Rabat, Morocco

In 2014 the first decentralized desalination plant, using Nanofiltration (NF) membrane coupled
with renewable energies (Photovoltaic and wind energies) was realized at Al Annouar high school
of Sidi Taibi, Kenitra, Morocco.This project was designed to supply the 1200 students of the school
with potable water, with a production capacity of 500 L/h (3L/d/student). The local underground
water, which is slightly brackish, was treated by Nanofiltration, using an hybrid renewable energy
system, photovoltaic and wind.
Sidi Taibi desalination plant has revealed difficulties related to the loss of membrane performances
(increase of pressure, decrease of flux, poor product quality and increase of energy consumption).
In the aim to solve this problem, foulant layer were analyzed to determine the reason of membrane
fouling, and three cleaning solutions (hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and sulfuric acid) were tested
and compared to find the suitable one for the fouled membrane, to regain its initial permeability.
The membrane autopsy has achieved by two different methods, such as diffraction by X-ray and
optical microscope, and the permeability of the cleaned membrane was calculated.The experimen-
tal results show that the foulant layer composed mostly of calcite (calcium carbonate) and quartz
(silicon dioxide); these are the sources of fouling problem and the permeability is ameliorated by
using both hydrochloric acid (pH 1-2) and nitric acid (pH 1-2) cleaners.
Keywords: Nanofiltration, Desalination plant, Fouling, Autopsy, Demineralization

13
The first experience of brackish surface water reverse osmosis
demineralization in Morocco
Hicham Boulahfa, Sakina Belhamidi, Hanane Ekhdime, Fatima Elhannouni, Taky Mohamed,
Azzedine.Elmidaoui
Laboratory of separation processes, Department of chemistry, Faculty of sciences, Ibn Tofail University
P.O. Box 1246, Kenitra 14000 - Morocco

The desalination plants situated in the south Moroccan provinces progress towards the North.
In addition, seawater desalination is spreading out more and more toward the surface water. This
is the case of Khenifra demineralization station in phase of exploitation by the ONEE (National
Office of Water and Electricity). The brackish water reverse osmosis desalination plant has oper-
ated successfully from the second half of 2013 and is designed to produce 36.290 m3/d of drinking
water at the horizon of the year 2030.The plant consists of unconventional treatment and reverse
osmosis section, containing three trains, each one with two stages and with a production capacity

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of 9850 m3/d. The aim of this paper is to highlight both the design and the performances of the
reverse osmosis unit after nearly one year of operation.
Keywords: Surface water; Brackish water; Reverse osmosis; Desalination

14
Decentralized emerging solar desalination technologies
as a feasible replacement of medium and large plants:
Saudi Arabia as a case study
Othman Y. Al-Najdi*, John Kaiser Calautit,YuPeng Wu
Nottingham University, Nottingham, UK
*Email: [email protected]

Expansion of conventional desalination technologies faces unavoidable economical, technical and

environmental challenges such as high production costs, intensive energy consumption and environ-
mental impact on the air, water and land. In addition to that, the centralization of water production
and transmition of fresh water to the in land cities amplify more these challenges. Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia (KSA) has built more than 7000 Km of transmission systems with pumping stations which
erodes any attempt to optimize the water production cost. However, decentralization of water
production using emerging desalination technologies with solar energy had not been investigated
and compared with Business As Usual (BAU). In this work, decentralized adsorption desorption
desalination (ADD) as an emerging desalination technology coupled with solar energy has been
studied and compared economically and environmentally with BAU of a proposed seawater re-
verse osmosis (SWRO)plant in KSA. The study revealed that, the reduction of the specific energy
consumption (SEC) from 4 kWh/m3 of BAU to 1.38 kWh/m3 of ADD will reduce the desalinated
water production cost and CO2 emission by around 40% and 70% respective.
Keywords: Decentralized desalination technologies; Solar Adsorption desorption desalination
(ADD); Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA); Specific energy consumption; Desalination CO2
emission; Desalinated water production cost

15
A novel high-efficiency energy recovery device
for seawater reverse osmosis desalination
Zhongliang Liu, Ning Liu, Zhongliang Liu,Yanxia Li,Lixia Sang
100 Ping Le Yuan, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100124, China

Desalination is an effective measure easing freshwater scarcity. Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)
is gaining rapidly acceptance among various desalination technologies and become a leading technol-
ogy worldwide. The rapid development of SWRO benefits greatly from isobaric energy recovery
devices (ERDs) that could significantly reduce specific energy consumption in desalination plants.

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A novel high-efficiency ERD called ‘fully-rotary valve energy recovery device (FRV-ERD)’ is
developed aiming at providing a high-efficiency energy recovery technology. The energy recovery
process and device structure are different from current ERDs. The FRV-ERD which is simple in
structure only consists of two identical FRVs and pipelines. Two phases repeat periodically in the
energy recovery process by switching the two FRVs simultaneously. High pressure brine and low
pressure sea flow into one FRV, while low pressure brine and high pressure seawater flow out
from the other FRV.
As the key component of FRV-ERD, the fully-rotary valve (FRV) mainly consists of a rotor and a
stator. The stator is a cylinder with some inlets and outlets. The rotor which is composed of two
symmetrical semi-cylinders with flow channels can rotate freely inside the stator. Two cavities are
formed inside the FRV after the rotor and the stator are assembled together. The inlets/outlets
on the stator will be open or closed according to the location of the semi-cylinders: if it is at the
opening, then it acts as a sluice gate plate and the inlets/outlets are closed, otherwise they are open.
In this way, the rotor can supply the pressure exchanging pipes with seawater and brine alternately
depending on its phase positions.
As the main seal technology in current isobaric ERDs, clearance seal suffers some problems, such
as high machining requirement, low seal tightness, scraping and abrasion between key components,
etc. For the FRV, there is no reciprocating motion in the FRV and the rotor is the only moving part.
For the FRV-ERD, the sealing is not from close contact between the rotor and the stator, so the
abrasion and wear are successfully eliminated. Special seal structure has been designed to achieve
higher seal performance instead of hard wear-resisting materials and precision machining, easing
machining difficulty and capital costs greatly. Once the seal performance could not meet the op-
eration requirement after long-term running, the only part that needs to be replaced is its sealing
elements. The replacement is as easy as changing an O-ring.
According our test, the FRV-ERD can obtain high and stable seal performance. The leakage in
this ERD is not detectable by flow meter with the accuracy of 0.5%. The efficiency is over 98%.
Besides, the FRV-ERD is reliable in operation due to the cancel of physical piston which is used to
separate brine and sea. The control system of FRV-ERD is hence simplified greatly. The switching
period of FRV-ERD can be adjusted to control the device mixing in a reasonable range.The overall
performance of this device is competitive among current ERDs.
Keywords: Energy recovery device; Efficient; Seawater reverse osmosis

16
Integration of vacuum multi effect membrane distillation driven by
solar linear Fresnel collector with adsorption/cooling system
Ashraf Sadik Hassan1, Hassan Fath2
1
Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
2
Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, Alexandria, Egypt

This paper addresses the solar driven of integration of vacuum multi effect distillation (VMEMD)
with adsorption/cooling unit using metal organic frameworks (MOFs) adsorbent material to pro-
duce potable and cooling water. In the solar system, the linear Fresnel collector (LFC) unit will be
equipped with cooling loop to cool the LFC unit and to recover its thermal energy.
Adsorption is a heat driven technology that can be used to generate potable water and cool-

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ing through adsorption/desorption of water vapor by a porous adsorbent material. Metal organic
framework (MOF) is a new class of porous material with high surface area (5500 m2/g), superior
adsorption characteristics and large porosity. MIL101Cr is an MOF material that was shown to
have water vapor adsorption characteristics superior to those of silica gel and zeolite with up to
1.5 kgwater/kg.
VMEMD is a vacuumed membrane distillation technology where permeate side is vacuumed
yielding lower vapor pressure than in the feed side thus generating the distillation process, such
technology can effectively exploit the vacuum conditions associated with the adsorption process
yielding higher potable water production rate.
The main excepted and calculated results of this project can be summarized as following:
• The pilot plant recovery ratio can be reached to more 50%.
• The power consumption can be lowered to 3.9 kWh/m3
• Cooling water for towers.
• Environmentally friendly, no CO2 emission and no harm upon ecosystems or the environment.
Keywords:Vacuum membrane distillation, Adsorption, Solar linear Fresnel collector

17
Integration of multiple effect distillation and membrane distillation
desalination processes
Jamel Orfi1* , Emad Ali1, Hany AlAnsary1, Jung-Gil Lee 2, Johannes S.Vrouwenvelder2,
Noreddine Ghaffour2
1
College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC),
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE),Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +966 11 467 9798; Fax +966 11 467 662

Conventional desalination processes have been used in several countries particularly in the Gulf
region to provide potable water requirements. Although the concept of hybrid processes is not
new, its implementation is giving more attention in the last period. Compared to the standalone
configuration, it has several important technical and economic advantages. The environmental im-
pacts would be also be reduced.This work focuses specifically on the integration of multiple effect
distillation (MED) and membrane distillation (MD) processes. Different possible configurations of
integration will be assessed and discussed. The results of a theoretical model on the performance
of the hybrid MED-MD unit will be presented and analyzed. The main performance parameters
such as the performance ratio, recovery ratio and specific energy consumption will be investigated.
The benefits and limitations of such an integrated system will also be highlighted.
Keywords: Multiple effect distillation, Membrane distillation, Integrated processes, Performance ratio

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18
Comparison between experimental and theoretical data for the design
of atmospheric limestone contactors for permeate post treatment
Giorgio Migliorini
Research & Development Manager Fisia Italimpianti, Genoa Italy

Atmospheric limestone contactors are more and more widely used for reverse osmosis perme-
ate post treatment.The design approach is in general experimental and derives from data collected
during the limestone contactors operation. Using a classical theoretical approach is possible to
define a universal design criterion to size the filters in correct way taking into account different
media characteristics. In the paper, the different approaches are compared and the theoretical
calculation model is described.
Keywords: Remineralization plant; CO2; Kinetic constants; EBCT; Carbonate system; Atmospheric
contactors; Reverse osmosis

19
Performance of an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor (UMBR)
in wastewater treatment
Sarra Kitanou, Hajar Qabli, Abdelali Zdeg, Mohamed Taky, Azzedine Elmidaoui
Laboratory of Separation Processes, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University,
P.O. Box 1246, Kenitra 14000, Morocco.
[email protected]

In this study, the performance of an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor (UMBR) in treating

domestic wastewater was investigated using laboratory-scale experimental setup at different
operation modes. During the experiments, biological oxygen demand of <11 mg/L and chemical
oxygen demand of <15 mg/L were found in the permeate. No suspended solids were detected in
the effluent during this period. With the domestic wastewater at low carbon/nitrogen ratio, the
influence of hydraulic retention time in the bioreactor on phosphorus and nitrogen removal was
observed.The treated water was fully nitrified and the phosphorus was used wholly in the bioreac-
tor for biological growth. Bacteria and viruses were completely retained by the membrane system,
reducing the extent of the final disinfection required. Metals such as Fe, Zn, and Cu were retained
and accumulated in the system by filtration. In general, the results of the investigation revealed
that external membrane bioreactors are potential alternative wastewater treatment processes,
particularly, when the reuse of wastewater is considered as a vital option.
Keywords: Ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor; Domestic wastewater treatment; Pollution removal.

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20
A feasibility study and optimization of energy-efficient reverse osmosis
(EERO) process: numerical modeling and simulation
Kwanho Jeong, Tzyy Haur Chong*
Singapore Membrane Technology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Techno-
logical University, Singapore 637141, Singapore
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
*Corresponding author:Tel. (65) 6513-8126; Fax. (65) 6791-0676; E-mail: [email protected]

Chong et al. recently proposed a promising membrane system design, named an energy-efficient
reverse osmosis (EERO) process (Fig. 1).The EERO process was configured as multiple stages that
incorporate a single-stage reverse osmosis (SSRO) stage and a countercurrent membrane cascade
with recycle (CMCR). This is an optimization strategy for multistage processing with recycling of
one or both counter-currently flowing streams. A key feature of CMCR is to lower the osmotic
pressure differential (OPD) across membrane by interstage recycling of permeate and retentate,
and thus improve energy efficiency of the system.
The previous studies succeeded to conceptually prove the feasibility of the EERO system, but
there is a controversial issue regarding the system’s applicability for seawater desalination. The
reason is that their analytical models used has limitations that need to be addressed, due to imprac-
tical assumptions: thermodynamic limit operation (∆p=∆π) and no frictional losses in membrane
modules. Their disregard is more likely to highly overestimate the performance of systems with
higher recovery and larger scale such as multistage processes, because of the higher degree of
concentration polarization (CP) and pressure drop.

Fig. 1. A schematic of a 1-2 energy-efficient reverse osmosis (EERO) process where a single-stage reverse
osmosis (SSRO) is combined with a countercurrent membrane cascade with recycle (CMCR) of two
stages: one NF stage + one RO stage. Dotted lines indicate recycle streams of Stage 2.

The primary aims of this study, therefore, are to practically assess energy efficiency of the

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EERO process, and finally determine optimal conditions for such multi-stage process. To this end,
we developed a numerical model for a 1-2 EERO process, and then validated it using performance
data obtained from commercial reverse osmosis (RO) projection software. In simulations, the 1-2
EERO, optimized in this study, exhibited not only greater energy efficiency, but lower potentials
of membrane fouling and concentration polarization (CP) than a standalone SSRO at the overall
water recovery rate greater than 55%. These findings can thus provide insight into optimal design
and operation of the EERO process and guidance of successful practical implementation.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis; Seawater desalination; Energy-efficient; Multistage processing; Specific
energy consumption

21
Dynamic modelling and analysis
of the coupling between CSP and MED plant
Laura Guimarda,b, Andrea Cipollinac, Françoise Couenneb, Philippe Bandeliera, Christian Jallutb
a
Univ Grenoble Alpes, CEA, LITEN, Département Thermique Biomasse et Hydrogène,
Laboratoire des Systèmes Solaires et Thermodynamiques, F-38000 Grenoble, France
b
Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, LAGEP UMR 5007, 43 boulevard du 11 novembre 1918,
F- 69100,VILLEURBANNE, France
c
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID), Università di Palermo (UNIPA) –
viale delle Scienze Ed.6, 90128 Palermo, Italy

Multi-effect distillation (MED) is a mature desalination process with high energetic performances
and a lot of potential. Its main disadvantage is due to the high consumption of thermal energy that
comes from, for instance, fossil fuels. One way to improve the process and make it more sustain-
able would be to associate a MED plant with a Concentrated Solar Power plant (CSP).This means
that the MED plant would be operated under dynamic conditions, therefore it is major to predict
the reaction and the operability of the MED plant when it is submitted to sudden changes of the
operating conditions. Moreover, a control strategy has to be developed in order to counteract the
effects of the input changes that otherwise, lead to great instabilities. Indeed, the brine pool level
in each effect is the main variable driving the plant stability and the smallest incoming perturba-
tion can have a hudge impact on its variations. Therefore, it is important to find a way to stabilize
it if one wants to operate the MED plant under dynamic conditions. In this work, a CSP simplified
model is associated with a dynamic model of a 12-effect MED desalination plant and the results of
the simulations have been analyzed to prove the potential and feasibility of such a coupling.
Keywords: MED, CSP, Dynamic, Transient, Model

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22
Development of sustainable development of decision support
framework for assessing the sustainability of different seawater
desalination technologies: United Arab Emirates case study
Yazan Ibrahim, Toufic Mezher, Hassan Arafat, Faisal AlMarzooqi*
Masdar Institute A Part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology,
Masdar City, PO Box 54224, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
*Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +971 28109128

A full sustainability appraisal of all desalination options is necessary to determine which technolo-
gies perform best. Nevertheless, it is widely recognized and accepted that sustainability assessments
should take a life cycle approach, taking into account all relevant sustainability issues. Therefore,
a framework for assessing the sustainability of desalination in United Arab Emirates will be pre-
sented in this study. This framework integrates the three pillars of sustainability, techno-economic,
environmental and socio-political using different tools of mixed integer linear programming, life
cycle assessment and multi-attribute value theory (MAVT), which will be used for the multi-criterial
decision analysis (MCDA). Moreover, each pillar of the sustainability will be assigned different set
of indicators. The techno-economic framework has been assigned 15 indicators that will allow the
cost assessment to be carried out. Furthermore, the environmental aspect will be assessed through
SimaPro software using TRACI and Eco-Indicator 99 impact categories as the main indicators.

Regarding the socio-political framework, some indicators are accounted quantitatively (for
example, employment opportunities indicator), others are based on individuals’ perceptions and
behavior and will be measured on a qualitative scale. Both expert stakeholders and public will be
engaged in this study using MCDA survey to determine the relative weights of three main sustain-
ability pillars as well as the indicators assigned to each.The usage of MCDA allows to model expert
stakeholder, public opinion and to compare how differing perspectives may affect the choice of
desalination option. Moreover, the decision hierarchy tree will be produced using the Web-HIPRE
that allows the assessment of desalination sustainability based on the basis of each alternative’s

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performance under each sustainability indicator.This framework will be developed primarily to as-
sess the sustainability of the three main desalination methods (MSF, MED, and RO) in the UAE, but
is going to be applicable to other desalination technologies as well as to other countries.
Keywords: Sustainability, Desalination, UAE

23
Recycling municipal wastewater for industrial applications –
The MULTI-ReUse research project
C. Starke*, A. Schweiger, D.Vial, P. Buchta, P. Berg
inge GmbH, Flurstrasse 27, 86926 Greifenberg, Germany
* Corresponding author: [email protected]

The decrease in quantity and quality of groundwater or surface water resources is not only lead-
ing countries in semi-arid and arid countries, where demand for agricultural and industrial water is
increasing, to focus on recycling municipal wastewater or to process seawater. Even certain areas
in countries with above average annual rainfall need to consider the reuse of municipal wastewater
for industrial and agricultural applications, or groundwater recharge.The increasing water demand
by the industry in lower Saxony in Germany, forces municipalities to consider those reuse options
as well. Funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und
Forschung BMBF) of Germany, the MULTI-ReUse Research Project was initiated.The MULTIReUse
Research project has four main objectives: 1/ Provisioning and adaption of innovative, modular
process chains for the production of defined water qualities and volumes, based on regular treated
wastewater, 2/ Monitoring procedures for the quality of the service water regarding health protec-
tion and plant protection, 3/ Evaluation of action alternatives on an economic and ecologic level,
as well as evaluation of socio-cultural acceptance, 4/ Development of exemplary and marketable
solutions for typical fields of application worldwide. The project involves nine partners and the
city of Nordenham, Germany, where a pilot unit is located. Each partner brings his expertise. The
interface to the industrial and agricultural sector is covered by the partners DECHEMA and the
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF). The waterboard of Oldenburg works
together with the research partners IWW Water Centre, the Biofilm Centre of the University
Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and the supplying companies inge GmbH, IAB Ionenaustauscher GmbH Bit-
terfeld and De.EnCon GmbH.The Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) mainly focuses on
the knowledge transfer of the results.This paper presents the MULTI-ReUse Research Project and
its current and future actions. It also presents the preliminary experimental results of the ultrafil-
tration performance and filtrate quality with respect to different requirements from the industry.
Keywords: MULTI-ReUse; Ultrafiltration, Wastewater

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24
Coating of ultrafiltration membranes the solution
to improve the efficiency of the pretreatment
Alexandra Schweiger*, Patrick Buchta, Denis Vial, Peter Berg
inge GmbH, Flurstrasse 27, 86926 Greifenberg, Germany
* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Water scarcity, water pollution, climate change and environmental requirements pose an increas-
ing challenge in many countries, particularly in countries in semiarid or arid zones where agricultural
and industrial water demands are ever increasing. Nowadays, ultrafiltration plays a major role in water
treatment in completely removing particles and microorganisms including protozoa, bacteria and
even viruses. Depending on the quality of the feed water in regard of potential membrane foulants
(e.g. dissolved or colloidal organic substances), operating parameters and required chemicals for
the pre-treatment (e.g. coagulants) and different cleaning processes can have a significant impact
on the design and on the capital and operational costs. In some applications, coagulation upstream
ultrafiltration happens to be an unavoidable solution to prevent the threat of pore blockage from
colloidal suspensions. It also helps in removing organic compounds to decrease the biofouling on
reverse osmosis membranes.Although reduction in coagulant consumption was achievable through
guidance from several studies on optimization of dosage, a huge potential still exists in composing
an optimal coagulation procedure to reap further reduction. The procedure “membrane coating”,
developed by inge GmbH, is aimed to improve the efficiency of the pre-treatment step. In this pro-
cess, the coagulant will not be added continuously during the complete filtration time. Instead of,
the dosing pump starts operating with beginning of the filtration time and stops few minutes later
when the membranes’ surface is coated with the metal-hydroxide layer.The paper presents results
from several pilot tests and full-scale experiences in different countries, as well as a comparison
between intermittent and continuous coagulant dosing during the filtration cycle is included. The
paper proves that the operational costs can be significantly reduced when applying intermittent
inline coagulation as coating process.
Keywords: Coagulation; Coating; In-out filtration; Pilot Plant Test; Ultrafiltration

25
Membrane distillation biofouling: Impact of feed water temperature
on biofilm characteristics and membrane performance
Anne Bogler, Edo Bar-Zeev
Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
[email protected]

Reclamation of highly contaminated water has prompted the need for novel sustainable mem-
brane technologies, such as membrane distillation (MD).The greatest challenge for membrane-based
wastewater reclamation is microbial fouling (biofouling), the establishment of a bacterial consortium
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within self-produced extracellular substances (EPS) on membrane and spacer surfaces.The goal of
this study is to determine the effect of feed water temperature on biofilm characteristics and MD
system performance. Dynamic biofouling experiments with thermophilic Anoxybacillus gonensis,
isolated from municipal wastewater, were conducted in a bench-scale system with a cross-flow
membrane cell. Feed water temperature was set to 47, 55 or 65°C, while distillate temperature
was adapted to reach an initial distillate water flux of 23±1Lm-2h-1. System performance was
continuously monitored via distillate water flux and conductivity. Biofilm was analyzed after three
days of biofouling using total organic carbon, flow cytometry, confocal laser scanning microscopy
and transmission electron microscopy. MD system performance was moderately affected at 47°C,
but biofouling caused a drastic distillate water flux decline of up to 90% at 55°C, which coincided
with the highest accumulation of biomass. At 65°C severe wetting was observed via optical coher-
ence tomography accompanied by a 90-fold increase in distillate conductivity and penetration of
membrane pores by bacteria. Our results indicate that feed water temperature is a determining
factor for MD system performance. The impact of other parameters, such as flow conditions and
bacterial community composition remain to be determined in future studies in order to maximize
the potential of MD for wastewater reclamation.
Keywords: Membrane distillation, Biofouling, wetting, Feed water temperature, Biofilm characteristics

26
Expansion of product range of spiral wound filtering elements
production for desalination of seawater and brackish water
Viatcheslav Dzyubenko
JSC “RM Nanotech”
224D Dobroselskaya Str.,Vladimir, 600031, Russia
email: [email protected]
Tel./Fax +7(4922)474001

Over the period of practical operation of reverse osmosis elements a number of problems
have been revealed with properties of manufactured products with regard to rejection by specific
components, contained in seawater (boron) and pretreated water at power engineering facilities
(silicon). Besides this, taking into account increased temperatures of elements’ operation at water
treatment plants at central heating and powers plants, regional power stations etc. (up to 35°C)
and desalination plants in Arabic countries (up to 40°C), R&D works have been required in order
to increase thermal stability of membrane flatsheet.
The selective polyamide layer of reverse osmosis membranes contains free amino- and carboxy
groups forming so called “nanodefects”, though which pass molecules of Boron acid, having smaller
size (4Å) than hydrated Sodium ions (6Å). Besides, the said nanodefects lead to increased agility of
polyamide units at increased temperature, which decreases the membrane’s rejection.
In order to eliminate such negative effects it is required to complete the additional cross-linking
of selective layer.
Solution of the additional cross-linking agent was applied on the surface of selective layer by the
membrane surface’s contact with polyvinyl alcohol mixture and carbo-diimide based cross-linking
agent followed by drying.

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As the result of modification of selective layer of a standard reverse osmosis membrane for
seawater desalination new spiral wound membrane elements were developed that can be applied
in regions with increased temperature of desalinations plants’ operation.
Water treatment at power engineering facilities calls for very strict control of Silicon content
in permeate. The experience of using standard KC series elements, designed for desalination of
feed waters with salinity of up to 5 g/l at such facilities has shown that despite high NaCl rejec-
tion, products of JSC “RM Nanotech” is inferior to similar competitive products in terms of Silicon
rejection. At temperatures increased up to 35°C this difference significantly increased.
Silicon rejection value must be higher than NaCl rejection in all range of temperatures.
All this required creation of a new ultrafiltration substrate, production of which is the first stage
of manufacturing of composite reverse osmosis membranes.
A key feature of this process is introduction of regulated gaseous environment in the zone of
casting solution application on non-woven support in production of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane
flatsheet. By doing so a fixed volumetric air flow with stable regulated humidity is fed to the ap-
plication zone.
Absence of defects of UF substrate for reverse osmosis membranes is in direct dependence of
dissolved gases content (mainly oxygen and carbon dioxide) in the water supplied to the precipita-
tion bath during its manufacture.
Therefore, despite the fact that the equilibrium value of dissolved oxygen in water under normal
conditions is 8 – 9 mg/l, its content in water for production of ultrafiltration polymeric membranes
by wet method must be lowered down to the level of below 1 mg/l.
The system of degasation of demineralized water allows to de-aerate it and regulate its tem-
perature.
Using the new UF substrate a process of inter-phase polycondensation was developed ensuring
the required structure of the selective layer and required flow rate.
As a result of the works performed new generation membranes were created with increased
properties of rejection, which have more stable values at high temperatures.
Currently our company manufactures spiral wound elements fully corresponding to the best
foreign analogues for seawater desalination and those used in reverse osmosis plants in water
treatment at power engineering.
Keywords: Spiral wound filtering elements, Desalination, Seawater, Brackish water, Reverse osmosis,
Reverse osmosis membranes

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27
Experimental study on the performance
of modified double slope solar still
Wissam H. Alawee, Hayder A. Dahad, Thamer A. Mohammad*,
Suha Abdulelah Mohammed
Department of Water Resources Engineering, College of Engineering,
University of Baghdad, Iraq
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected],Tel. +964 7735966373

Abstract: Productivity of distilled water from conventional solar stilled is very limited. Improve-
ment of the conventional solar still is essential to increase its productivity. This study focuses on
an experimental work to improve the productivity of the conventional solar still. This was done
by using three improvement methods namely, increase in the condensation surface, integrated
with the collector/storage solar water heater and reflective panels, and integrated with fins at the
basin plate. For this purpose, two solar stills models were fabricated and these were conventional
solar still and the modified solar still. The models were tested during the period from February to
July 2017 under different weather conditions in Baghdad city, Iraq (latitude of 33.33 and longitude
of 44.43). The results show that the productivity was increase by 48%, 35% and 43% when the
methods of increase in the condensation surface, integrated with collector/storage and reflective
panels, and integrated with fins at the basin plate were used respectively.
Keywords: Distilled water productivity; solar still; new design

28
Superhydrophobic co-axial electrospun nanofiber membranes
for the treatment of seawater desalination by membrane distillation
Yun Chul Woo1, Minwei Yao2, Leonard D. Tijing2, June-Seok Choi1*, Ho Kyong Shon2*, Min Joo
1
Department of Land,Water and Environment Research,
Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), Korea
2
Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater,
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia

Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermally-driven membrane separation process. Currently, the

membranes used for MD studies are usually microfiltration (MF) membranes. However, MF mem-
branes are not ideally designed for MD process.Thus, there is a need to design new membranes with
structures fit for MD. Electrospinning is one of the alternative techniques to fabricate MD membrane.
Electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs) have several advantages such as high surface area, high
hydrophobicity and porosity, and controllable pore size and membrane thickness. However, despite
these advantages, the ENMs still suffer from wetting problems. Co-axial electrospinning technique
is one of the electrospinning approaches to fabricate suitable membranes for MD with improved
wetting resistance. Co-axial electrospinning utilizes dual tube nozzles, one central tube situated in
the center of the annular tube. Two different polymer solutions, one composes the core, and the

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other one composes the sheath, are separately injected into the co-axial nozzle, and when voltage
is applied, they are ejected simultaneously to produce coaxially-layered ENMs. In the present study,
we aim to investigate PVDF-co-HFP (PH) as core and PH/silica aerogel (SiA) as sheath for co-axial
composite ENMs to obtain superhydrophobic property on the membrane surface.
Results of surface characterization showed that the active layer (i.e., PH) of all co-axial ENMs
exhibited a rough, highly porous (>80%), and superhydrophobic surface (CA>160o). Co-axial ENMs
possess small pore sizes (<0.39 µm) and suitable liquid entry pressure (>1.72 bar). Upon applica-
tion in direct contact MD (DCMD) test (feed: 60.0oC; permeate: 20.0ºC) for 72 h operation using
3.5wt% NaCl solution as feed, a high water vapor flux and salt rejection of 12.1 L/m2h and 100%
were achieved, respectively, when optimal SiA loading of 0.4 wt% solution was applied at the sheath
(compared to 10.2 L/m2h and 96.67% for single-nozzle PH ENM). The present ENMs containing
SiA by versatile co-axial electrospinning fabrication shows great potential for DCMD desalination
application.
Keywords: Membrane distillation, Seawater desalination, Membrane fabrication, Electrospinning,
Co-axial electrospun nanofiber membrane

29
Study on the fouling crystallization characteristics
of hypersaline seawater
Bing Ni, Shengqiang Shen*, Shi Chen, Xiaohua Liu
Liaoning Key Laboratory of Desalination
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
*Correnspondence author: [email protected]

Taking concentrated seawater as the research object, the deposition of the fouling on the me-
tallic surface and the bottom of the container are studied by static deposition method. These are
compared with the deposited fouling on the metallic surface under the flowing state. The results
demonstrate that the fouling is mainly Mg(OH)2 on the metallic surface under different working
conditions. Under the condition of liquid flow, magnesium hydroxide crystals are thin flaky due to
the shear action. The morphologies of magnesium hydroxide crystals are different under different
working conditions. The higher temperature is, the easier producing the petal-like crystals of ag-
glomerates for magnesium hydroxide is. Under the condition of static deposition, when pH value is
8.0, the temperature is 80°C, the salinity increases to 100 (g.kg-1), the magnesium hydroxide crystals
play the role of crystal seeds on the metallic surface. The quantity of precipitation is reduced with
the increase of salinity; when the temperature is 90°C, the salinity is 100 (g.kg-1), the surface foul-
ing of titanium tube is the least. When the salinity increases to 120 (g.kg-1), the supersaturation of
magnesium hydroxide crystals is large and the large amount precipitate attaches to the surface of
titanium tube which increases the fouling adhesion amount. Calcium sulfate crystals are precipitated
by secondary nucleation and suspended in solution. Eventually most of calcium sulfate crystals
deposit at the bottom of the container.
Keywords: Magnesium hydroxide, Calcium sulfate, Crystal seed, Hypersaline seawater, Fouling

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30
Use of marble and iron waste additives for enhancing structure and
water filtering capacity of salty clay ceramics
Amrita Kauwar, Ankisha Vijay, Ajay Kumavat, Sandeep Gupta,
Raj Kumar Satankar, Anand Plappally*
Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342037, India
*Corresponding Author, Email: [email protected]

The paper elaborates manufacture and performance analysis of new clay ceramic water filtra-
tion materials. The clay ceramic is manufactured from salty clay and sawdust mix. Waste marble
powder and machined iron fines are used as additives to the mix for manufacturing the new modi-
fied materials. Equal volume of salty clay and sawdust were used to manufacture the control clay
ceramic (CC). Another ceramic, M-CC, was manufactured with distinct volume fractions of salty
clay, sawdust and marble (40:40:10). Third ceramic, F-CC, was manufactured from equal volume of
clay and sawdust and five percent by volume of iron fines.
F-CC showcased better arsenic (As (V)) contaminant removal from water at acidic pH while
M-CC showcased best As(V) removal around pH of 8. Average flexural strength of M-CC ceramics
was comparatively better than F-CC and CC ceramics. The modified materials showcased similar
percolation rates at par with control CC ceramics. M-CC ceramic showcased comparatively bet-
ter E.Coli removal capabilities than F-CC and CC ceramics. Only limited volumetric addition of
marble powder and iron fines were found to positively affect compressive strength. The results
demonstrate new low cost ways of modifying strength and specific water treatment characteristics
of clay ceramics using waste materials from local marble processing and iron machining industries.
Keywords: Ceramic, Salty, Marble, Iron, E. Coli, Arsenic, Strength, Waste

32
Preparation and characterization of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)
polymer/chitosan polymer membrane for water applications
Hamad S AlRomaih(1); Mohammad Rezaul Karim(2);Fahad S Al-Mubaddel(2);
Maher M. Alrashed(2); Nabeel H AlHarti(2); Hamad F Alharbi(2)
(1)
National Centre For Water Technologies (NCWT)
King Abdulaziz city for Science and Technology,
P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia
(2)
King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia

The present study deals with the preparation of novel nanofibers (NFs) from Thermoplastic
polymers such as (Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), coated by Chitosan (CH) to improve major
membrane properties such as: hydrophilicity, surface roughness, Increase the water flux and (Salt)
rejection.
Supporting layer is produced from thermoplastics using electrospinning then coated by chitosan
using either electrospinning or immersion method. The Literature for methods of production of
NFs from various of thermoplastics via electrospinning and from chitosan via electrospinning have
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been thoroughly surveyed. In this study, NFs we produced for the first time using phase inversion a
thermoplastic layer (PVDF) then make the second layer (coating) from chitosan via electrospinning
and immersion method. Produced two type of membrane with different method for coating we
characterized and tested for physical and chemical performance with Scanning Electron Micros-
copy (SEM), tensile machine test (tensile strength), permeation Tests (water flux and salt/pollutant
rejection), contact angle meter (CA) to determine hydrophobicity.We found optimum membrane
produced by phase inversion for support (PVDF) and coating chitosan by electrospinng method
with The salt rejection of the membrane up to 70% for MgSO4 and contact angle (52°).
Keywords: Membrane, Desalination, Water treatment, Nanofiltration

33
Arabian Gulf seawater desalination using forward osmosis membrane
technology and polyelectrolyte draw solution: a pilot scale study
Mansour Ahmed, Rajesha Kumar, B. Garudachari, Jibu P. Thomas
Water Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research,
P.O. Box 24885, 13109 Safat, Kuwait.
*Corresponding author: [email protected]

The current study assesses and validates the technical feasibility of using forward osmosis (FO)
technology for desalinating Arabian Gulf seawater (AGS) on a pilot scale level using commercially
available hollow fiber (HF) membrane.The main objective of this paper is to explore the feasibility
of using thermo-responsive polyelectrolytes as draw solution in FO pilot system.The FO pilot plant
test unit with a capacity of 10 m3/d was constructed by Trevi Systems Inc., USA for desalinating AGS
and was successfully installed and operated at Desalination Research Plant of Kuwait Institute for
Scientific Research.The FO pilot plant consists of an integrated thermal and membrane separation
system utilizing a coalescer and Nanofiltration (NF) membrane processes as draw solution recov-
ery components.The pilot plant consisted of four stages: (1) pre-treatment system (2) osmotically
driven transport of water molecules across a hollow fiber membrane resulting in concentration
of feed and dilution of the polymer draw solution, (3) regeneration of polymer draw solution us-
ing a coalescer, and (4) NF post treatment system. A single element of commercially available HF
FO membrane with bore diameter of 230 µm developed by TOYOBO was used in this study. The
polymer draw solution used was ethylene oxide-propylene oxide copolymer. The feed used was
AGS obtained directly from the beach well. The continuous operation of the FO pilot plant over a
longer time at stable operating conditions using a single hollow fiber FO membrane element was
able to produce product water with total dissolved solids of 180 ppm at water recovery of 30%.
Simulation studies were performed to analyze the distribution of feed and polyelectrolyte draw
solution throughout the membrane module and its effect on membrane performance.The osmotic
pressure distribution of polyelectrolyte DS at different sections of the HF module was greatly in-
fluenced by DS flow rate. The study revealed that the DS had great potential to generate the high
osmotic pressure (Δπ) difference at the various compartments of the HF module. Consequently,
the high Δπ, which is considered as driving force of the FO process, resulted in high water flux of
the HF membrane over long run experiments. Overall, this study provided encouraging results for

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the investigated polyelectrolyte DS in terms of flux, rejection, long term stability, and high water
recovery.
Keywords: Forward Osmosis,Thermo-responsive polyelectrolytes, Hollow fiber membrane, Bore
diameter, Water recovery.

34
A pilot scale study on reverse osmosis brine concentration
using falling film crystallisation process
Mansour Ahmed*,Yousef Al-Wazzan, Jibu Thomas
Water Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research,
P.O. Box 24885, 13109 Safat, Kuwait.
*Corresponding author: [email protected]

This paper is aimed at evaluating and validating the technical feasibility of falling film crystallisation
technology developed by Sulzer as a pre-concentration system for concentrating reverse osmosis
brine. Several parameters influencing the separation performance of crystallisation and sweating
processes, including cooling and heating rates, were investigated in a pilot plant operating in batch
mode. The Sulzer falling film crystalliser differs from conventional falling film crystallisers in that
it distributes the flowing melt and heat transfer medium (HTM) evenly as a falling film over the
inside and outside surfaces of the tubes, respectively.This means that neither the shell side nor the
inside of the tubes is filled with HTM or melt. This technique enhances the refrigeration method
by maintaining a constant temperature distribution along the length of the inside and outside sur-
faces of crystallizers, leading eventually to obtaining a more homogeneous thicknesses of ice. The
operation of the Sulzer falling film crystallisation plant included six successive processes, namely:
filling, pre-cooling, nucleation, crystallisation, partial melting (sweating), and melting.These processes
were applied in a non-adiabatic environment and operated under atmospheric pressure.The experi-
mental results showed that the crystallisation experiments using feed stage (without the sweating
process) and at operating end-point HTM temperatures of -6°C achieved salt rejection ratio and
water recovery ratios of 56.6 and 49.8%, respectively, whereas at end-point HTM temperatures
of -24°C the salt rejection ratio and water recovery ratios were 24.5 and 84.6%, respectively The
multi-stage process experiments using feed and rectification stages (without sweating process)
achieved salt rejection and product water recovery ratios of 46.89% and 64.24%, respectively. By
using multi-stage process including feed, rectification and stripping stages (with sweating process),
the salt rejection and product water recovery ratios reached 70.68 and 50.15%, respectively. In
general, the experimental results showed that feed concentration, crystallisation temperature,
cooling and sweating rate, and average growth rate, had a significant influence on the separation
performance of the treatment system.
The experimental results showed that the falling film crystallisation technology, using a single
freezing stage and without the sweating process, would be an ideal treatment system for concen-
trating RO brine and to produce saline water to near seawater quality that can be used directly
as feed water for a RO plant. A scale-up of this pre-treatment process was performed based on
the results obtained. The study proved that the investigated falling film Crystallisation process can

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be considered as a great solution available for brine concentration and as an alternative for reducing the
environmental impact of the large volume of waste stream from inland desalination plants.
Keywords: Freezing desalination technologies, Falling film crystallisation, Melt crystallisation, Brine
concentration, Freeze-melting process

35
Impact of the geometric parameters on the thermal performance
of a large-scale falling film evaporator for desalination
Luyuan Gong,Yali Guo, Shengqiang Shen∗, Xingsen Mu
Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province for Desalination,
Dalian University of Technology, Dalian116024, Liaoning, China
*Corresponding author. [email protected]

Based on a validated distributed parameter model, the thermal performance of a large-scale fall-
ing film evaporator were simulated under different geometric parameters including the tube length
and the row-column ratio of the tube bundle.The distributions of the local heat transfer coefficient
were exhibited and the average heat transfer coefficient was analyzed under different geometric
parameters. On consideration that the falling film evaporators applied in the multi-effect evapora-
tion are operated under small temperature difference and sensitive to the temperature variation
inside the evaporator, the variation range of the seawater temperature is presented. Results show
that the average heat transfer coefficient exhibits an increasing trend with the increment of the
total tube length while a decreasing trend with the increment of the row-column ratio. The maxi-
mum variation range of the seawater temperature decreases with the increment of the total tube
length. However, it shows a decreasing trend followed by an increasing trend with increment of
row-column ratio and its minimum value is found when row-column ratio is between 2.5 and 3.0.
Keywords: Falling film evaporator, Horizontal tube bundle, Distributed parameter model, Geometric
parameters, Thermal performance

36
Technoeconomic analysis of advanced multi-effect distillation
technology for seawater desalination plants: novel evaporator design
Abdelnasser Mabrouk1, Ahmed Abotaleb2, Abdulsattar Al-Rashid3
Qatar Environment and Research Institute, HBKU, Doha, Qatar
1
[email protected], 2 [email protected]
3
Business Development Director,
Qatar Electricity and Water Corporation (QEWC)
[email protected]

Thermal desalination including multi-stage flash (MSF) and multi-effect distillation (MED) de-
salination plants are dominantly used in the GCC countries and especially in Qatar due to their
maturity and reliability in dealing with the harsh seawater conditions of high (TDS, Seawater feed
27
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temperature, SDI, and HAB). Realizing the benefits and challenges of thermal desalination, the au-
thors identified a room of improvement to reduce energy consumption. Qatar Environment and
Energy Research Institute (QEERI) and Qatar Electricity and Water Corporation (QEWC) took
initiative to improve the performance of thermal desalination plants in Qatar through building pilot
plants for developing field demonstration of novel ideas.
This work presents a techno-economic analysis of an improved MED design based patented idea
GCC2016-31325 patent [1]. The new design creates a vapor route to avoid shear losses, frictions,
and breakdown of film liquid around the tubes (dry zones) which will reduce brine carry over. A
prototype model of the novel design is based on both process and CFD simulation.A process Visual
Simulation Program (VSP) is used to perform process design and comparison between commercial
MED desalination plant (63 MIGD, Rass Laffan, Qatar) and proposed novel design. The capital cost
of the desalination plant is calculated using recent bidding of commercial desalination projects and
the updated market material price. 3D-CFD simulation is performed to visualize the vapor uni-
formity within the tube bundle and determine the thermal losses encountered in the vapor route.
Thermal losses analysis shows that the bundle losses present almost 90% of the total losses which
totally excluded by the novel design. Process simulation shows that the calculated heat transfer
area of the novel evaporator is 20% lower than of existing evaporator due to thermal losses reduc-
tion. Furthermore, removal of demister in novel MED evaporator decreases evaporator width by
65%. Therefore, the footprint of the novel evaporator is 70% lower than the conventional design.
The novel evaporator capital cost is 30% less than that of the conventional evaporator due to a
significant reduction of the evaporator width and vapor box.
The 3D-CFD simulation of the vapor route inside the evaporator at different process recovery
ratio shows that the novel design is superior to the conventional design in creating a uniform vapor
velocity at the entrance of the tube bundle. This uniform vapor approach assures a uniform heat
flux over the whole tube bundle to avoid overheating or scale deposition grown up. Moreover,
the novel design minimized the thermal losses encountered in the vapor route. The possibility of
entrainment is also significantly would be reduced due to avoid intersection between the vapor
route and the seawater falling film.
Keywords: Thermal desalination, MED, Simulation, Techno-economics

37
Long-term operating data of a full-scale SWRO desalination plant.
Performance analysis
A. Ruiz-Garcíaa, F.A. Leónb*, A. Ramos-Martínc, C.A. Mendieta-Pinoc
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Campus Universitario de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
b
Institute of Intelligent Systems and Numerical Applications in Engineering (SIANI), University of Las Palmas de
Gran Canaria. Campus Universitario de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34 686169516
c
Department of Process Engineering, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Campus Universitario de Tafira,
35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

The RO technology is the most extended for seawater desalination purposes. The operating
data in long-term of full-scale plants is key to analyse its performance under real conditions. This
seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant had a production capacity of 5,000 m3/d for
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irrigation purposes. The operating data such as conductivities, flows and pressures were collected
for around 27,000 h from 2001 to 2004. The plant had sand and cartridge filters without chemical
dosing in the pre-treatment stage, a RO system with one stage, 56 pressure vessels, 7 RO membrane
elements (TorayTM SU820) per pressure vessel and Pelton turbine as energy recovery device. The
operating data allowed to calculate the average water and salt permeability coefficients (A and B)
of the membrane as well as the specific energy consumption (SEC) along the operating period.
The calculation of the average A in long-term operation allowed to fit the parameters of three dif-
ferent models used to predict the mentioned parameter. The results showed a 30% decrease of A,
parameter B increase around 70%.The SEC was between 3.75 and 4.25 kWh/m3.The three models
fitted quite well to the experimental data with standard deviations between 0.0011 and 0.0015.
Keywords: Seawater; Reverse osmosis; Desalination; Operating data; Long-term

38
Water production by RO for the manufacture of paint
in the automotive industry
A. Ruiz-Garcíaa, F.A. Leónb*, A. Ramos-Martínc
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Campus Universitario de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
b
Institute of Intelligent Systems and Numerical Applications in Engineering (SIANI), University of Las Palmas de
Gran Canaria. Campus Universitario de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34 686169516
c
Department of Process Engineering, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Campus Universitario de Tafira,
35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Reverse osmosis is the most extended technology in seawater and brackish water desalination.
This technology is used in many applications, one of them the manufacture of automotive paints.
In this work, two years of operation of a brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) desalination
plant are analyzed.The raw water intake was a groundwater well.The desalination plant had a sand
and cartridge filters with antiscalant dosing as pre-treatment. The RO system had two stages with
40 pressure vessels (PV) in the first stage and 20 in the second stage with 6 BWRO elements per
PV. The feedwater conductivity was between 680 and 2,100 µS/cm, the pH in the feed between
6,05 and 7,55. The feed pressure increase from 11 to 28 bars due to membrane fouling along the
operating period. The RO system had a recovery around 75% with a production of 7,200 m3/d ap-
proximately.The performance of the plant along these years was evaluated through the calculation
of the characteristic parameters of the membrane, such as the average ionic and water permeability
coefficients.
Keywords: Brackish water; Reverse osmosis; Desalination plants; Long-term; Operating data

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39
Forward osmosis for wastewater treatment and energy recovery:
a techno-economic analysis
Patrick Buckwaltera, Andrea Achillib, Kerri Hickenbottomb
64 Davenport Rd, Fieldbrook CA 95519, USA
a

email: [email protected]
b
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, USA

A novel wastewater treatment system was investigated using forward osmosis membranes to
treat municipal wastewater. Treatment by forward osmosis was determined to cost $10 million
per million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater capacity over a 20- year lifetime, with an energy
consumption of 870 kWh per million gallons. A case study at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment
Plant was conducted to investigate a treatment system that combines energy recovery from algae
biomass with forward osmosis membrane treatment using local seawater as a draw solution.Total
system cost was calculated to be $29.7 million over a 20-year lifetime with a 2.3 MGD capacity.
Energy recovery was found to offset the parasitic energy requirements of the system and produce
an excess of 1,200 MWh annually. This research demonstrates a proof-of-concept study on the
techno-economic feasibility of forward osmosis membranes to (1) treat municipal wastewater and
(2) concentrate wastewater for energy recovery via anaerobic digestion of algae biomass.
Keywords: Forward osmosis, Wastewater treatment, Algae, Biomass

40
Sustainability of water resources management in Gaza Strip, Palestine
Mohammed R. Ahmed, Alaa M. Ahmed
Palestinian Water Authority, Gaza
[email protected]

At present, the ground water in the Gaza Strip is the only source of water for its rapidly growing
population, which is currently around two million, yet is unsuitable for drinking by any international
standard, owing to high levels of salinity and nitrate pollution. The supply of good quality drinking
water is vital for the future of the Gaza Strip and stability in the Middle East. Lack of adequate water
in the Gaza Strip might hinder future peace negotiations and development policy in the region.This
paper presents possible management solution to ameliorate the water quality and quantity crisis
depriving residents of drinkable water in the Gaza Strip.
Keywords: Water demand, Resources, Management, Desalination, Water supply

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41
An experimental study on performance and quality aspects of solar
domestic wastewater distillation for reuse and resource conservation
H. Sharon1, D. Krithika2, K.S. Reddy1*, Ligy Philip2
1
Heat Transfer and Thermal Power Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai – 600 036, India
2
Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division,
Department of Civil Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai – 600 036, India
*Corresponding author, Email: [email protected]

Water is essential for all livelihood applications of mankind and animals. Reduced rainfall and
continuous pollution of limited fresh water reserves by industrial and domestic wastewaters has
caused increased water stress in developing countries. Strict regulations are available for safe dis-
posal of wastewater from industries into water bodies. On the other hand, most of the domestic
wastewater generated from households is dumped into water bodies without any treatment. More-
over, available biological treatment units are not so effective in treating wastewater in a single step.
In case of India, only 10.0% of generated domestic sewage is treated while remaining part is sold
to farmers to carry out agriculture. Continuous usage of untreated wastewater causes infertility
of soil and health risks for humans. In order to tackle this problem suitable alternate effective and
cheap technology suitable for energy and water scarce locations of developing countries is neces-
sary. Solar energy can be used for treating wastewater as it is abundantly available in water scarce
zones of the globe.
In this work, suitability of solar distillation unit for domestic wastewater treatment has been
studied experimentally and reported. Experiments are conducted under the climatic conditions
of Chennai (13.08° N, 80.27° E) in wick solar still of aperture area 1.18 m2 with sewage water
from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) campus as feed. Feed water and treated water
quality analysis are carried out as per American Public Health Association (APHA) standards. Ex-
perimental days are sunny with intermittent cloud passage and experiments are conducted from
7:00 am to 18:00 pm each day.
Sewage water used for experiment contains tiny suspended particles and the adopted filtration
process is not so effective in removing the tiny suspended particles. Cumulative solar radiation is
found to vary between 16.3 to 21.3 MJ/m2-d during the experimental days. Average temperatures
of the components of solar still are found to be higher for days with high solar intensity. Air- vapor
mixture temperature is found be lower than wetted wick temperature. Maximum treated water
production of 4.5 L/d at an energy efficiency of 45.2% is observed during the experimental day with
19.9 MJ/m2-d cumulative solar intensity. Clogging of wick by tiny suspended particles of sewage water
is observed and it also affects the performance of the unit. Quality of treated water obtained by
solar distillation is superior to the safe disposal standards proposed by Central Pollution Control
Board of India (CPCB). Biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Total
organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency by the unit is around 98.0, 95.8 and 97.3%, respectively.
Total coliform and fecal coliform removal efficiency is around 99.9 and 100.0%, respectively. Expect
BOD and COD all other quality parameters of treated water are well within the standards for safe
drinking water proposed by World Health Organization (WHO). Solar distillation unit is capable of

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3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

providing clear, odor and bacterial free treated water in a single step with high removal efficiency.
Hence, solar distillation is confirmed to be an effective option for treating sewage water in remote,
rural regions of developing countries. Clogging problem can be avoided by incorporating partition
basins instead of wicks.
Keywords: Sewage water; Solar energy; Distillation; Performance; Quality analysis; Reuse

42
Commercial reality of pressure-assisted forward osmosis (PAFO) -
reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid process: economics and applications
In S. Kim*, Seungho Kook
Global Desalination Research Center,
School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering,
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST),
123 Cheomdangwagi-ro, Buk-gu,
Gwangju 61005, Korea
Contact Information: +82-62-715-2436, [email protected]

Practical applicability of forward osmosis and reverse osmosis (FO-RO) hybrid process has
been widely studied yet there are unknown hurdles in implementing FO membrane elements in
the field. It has been reported that the FO element performance (i.e. water flux and draw stream
dilution) is strongly dependent on hydraulic pressure. As such, the presence of hydraulic pressure
is inevitable when operating the FO elements and this becomes a critical economic aspect for the
commercial reality of the hybrid process. Due to the improved dilution of draw streams, employing
pressure-assisted forward osmosis (PAFO) to the hybrid desalination system to replace FO in this
scheme has been expected to reduce the overall economics. However, replacing FO with PAFO
causes an additional energy cost in the seawater dilution step which inevitably leads to a question
that PAFO-RO hybrid is truly an economically beneficial option. More importantly, though serial
connection of FO elements improves the dilution of initial draw water, this economic benefit is
also compensated with the additional membrane. To rationalize its overall performance and eco-
nomic benefit, thorough performance and economic evaluations were conducted based on actual
pilot-scale PAFO operations for serial connection of up to three 8040 FO elements. The results
showed the FO-RO hybrid is not an economically feasible option unless a significant unit FO ele-
ment cost cut-down is guaranteed. Meanwhile, PAFO-RO showed benefits with regards to target
RO recovery and unit FO element cost, particularly when two FO elements are serially connected.
It was found that PAFO-RO, indeed, has higher economic potential than FO-RO. Considering the
major hurdle in real life that utilizing the final product as potable water is not plausible due to an
aesthetic reluctance, the PAFO-RO hybrid process can be a practically feasible tool for producing
product water for agriculture and industrial uses in the current stage.
Keywords: Hybrid process, Pressure-assisted forward osmosis, Reverse osmosis, Water reuse,
Desalination, Pilot, Economics

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Acknowledgement
This research was supported by a grant (code 18IFIP-B088091-05) from Industrial Facilities
& Infrastructure Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of
Korean government.

43
Biofouling control by membrane and feed spacer surface modifications
PA Araújo a, DJ Miller b, PB Correia d, MCM van Loosdrecht c, JC Kruithof d,
BD Freeman b, DR Paul b, JS Vrouwenvelder a,c,d
a
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC),
Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE),Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
b
University of Texas at Austin, Department of Chemical Engineering,
Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, 10100 Burnet Road, Building 133, Austin,TX 78758, USA
c
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology,
Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft,The Netherlands
d
Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9,
8911 MA Leeuwarden,The Netherlands

The influence of polydopamine- and polydopamine-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)-coated feed spacers

and membranes, and commercially-available biostatic feed spacers on biofouling has been studied
in membrane fouling simulators. Feed spacers and membranes applied in practical membrane fil-
tration systems were used; biofouling development was monitored by feed channel pressure drop
increase and biomass accumulation. Polydopamine and polydopamine-g-PEG are hydrophilic surface
modification agents expected to resist protein and bacterial adhesion, while copper feed spacer
coatings and biocides infused in feed spacers are expected to restrict biological growth. Our stud-
ies showed that polydopamine and polydopamine-g-PEG coatings on feed spacers and membranes,
copper coatings on feed spacers, and a commercial biostatic feed spacer did not have a significant
impact on feed channel pressure drop increase and biofilm accumulation as measured by ATP and
TOC content. The studied spacer and membrane modifications were not effective for biofouling
control; it is doubtful that feed spacer and membrane modification, in general, may be effective for
biofouling control regardless of the type of applied coating.
Keywords: Ultrafiltration (UF); Nanofiltration (NF); Reverse osmosis (RO); Membrane fouling
simulator (MFS); Adenosine tri phosphate (TOC); Total organic carbon

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44
Health risks with drinking desalinated water
Ingegerd Rosborg
Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
email: [email protected];Tel. +46 708802891

Numerous publications from the 1950’s until 2005, and some later than that, clearly show that
intake of hard water, with optimum mineral levels is protective against diseases, especially cardio-
vascular diseases, osteoporosis, diabetes, decreased cognitive function in elderly, low birth weight,
and even some forms of cancer. Such water is in general ground water from areas with readily
weathered bedrock like e.g. limestone and shales.
Minerals are more readily absorbed from drinking water than from food, since they are in ionic
form.
Presently, hundreds of millions of people around the world are provided with de-mineralized
water as their tap water or bottled water. Thus, there are more than 21000 desalination plants
in the world, providing more than 350 million people with their drinking water in 150 countries,
especially in coastal areas, and more and more bottled water is produced from RO treated water.
RO water is comparable to distilled water or rain water. Even pH-adjusted or re-mineralized RO
water is poor in minerals.
Reduced mineral intake, due to drinking de-mineralized water, is not automatically corrected
by one’s diet. “Water intoxication”, or delirium, may occur following intense physical efforts, like a
marathon or working hard, and ingestion of several litres of low-mineral water. The cause is low
electrolyte levels, Na and K. Early symptoms include tiredness, weakness, headache, brain oedema,
convulsions, and in severe cases coma and finally death. Higher mortality in acute myocardial in-
farction patients was found in regions where the drinking water was desalinated water, attributed
by reduced magnesium intake. Drinking low-mineral water in the long run will increase the risk
of acidosis, acidified tissues, as indicated by decreasing pH in urine. Thus, metabolic acidosis was
reported in infants whose drinks were prepared on distilled or low-mineral bottled water. There
is an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporoses, diabetes, and cancer etc., acidosis be-
ing one of cancer precursors. Food cooked in RO water loses up to 60% of Ca and Mg , Cu: 66%,
Mn: 70% and Co: 86%. Minerals in the drinking water are also needed to prevent from corrosion
and dissolution of pipe material, making the water unhealthy by toxic elements like e.g. lead (Pb)
and uranium (U).
We are facing a worldwide experiment on humans and animals providing them with de-miner-
alized water. This has not been done before, since already as children we were taught not to drink
rain water or distilled water. There is need for a discussion on how to re-mineralize RO water to
a health bringing mineral level and balance. There are scientific studies to use to start with.
Keywords: De-mineralized water, Water minerals, Health, Acidosis, Electrolytes

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45
Development and analysis of a floating solar distillation device
Luca Caruana1, Paul Refalo1*, Stephen Abela2, Luciano Mule` Stagno3, Daniel Micallef3
1
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering,
University of Malta, Malta
2
Department of Materials and Metallurgy Engineering,
University of Malta, Malta
3
Innova Ltd, Malta
* Corresponding Author: [email protected]

The availability of safe drinking water is one of the most serious causes of health problems in
the third world and in communities struck by natural disasters. Moreover, it is estimated that by
2025, two-thirds of the world’s population (circa 5 billion people) would be living under water
stressed conditions.With the existing climate change scenario, by 2030, half the world’s population
will be living in high water stress regions (75 million to 250 million people of which live in Africa
and a number of island states in the region).
This paper presents the development of an inexpensive and simple floating solar distillation device
which is being tested under natural weather conditions in Malta. The distillation performance of
the prototype is correlated to the micro-climatic conditions which are monitored using an in-situ
weather station.
Keywords: Solar distillation, Floating

46
Development of a high-efficiency, pressure-resistant, and large-capacity
cartridge filter module for low energy SWRO plant
*Sung-Jo Kim1*, Doseon Han1), Tae-un Jeong1), SangKwang Park2), Moonhyun Hwang1,3)
1)
Research Institute for Environmental Technology
and Sustainable Development, Korea University,
145, Anam-Ro, Sungbuk-Gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
2)
LSTS,94, Robot land-ro 249 beon-gil, Seo-gu, Incheon 22756, Korea
3)
Headquarter of Research Planning, Korea University,
145, Anam-Ro, Sungbuk-Gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
3)
(E-mail: [email protected],Tel: +82-2-3290-4270)

In order to protect reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, cartridge filter units are generally used
to remove large particles and foulants existed in the outflow of pretreatment process. Removing
these particles can prevent rapid fouling of RO membranes, which are the most important and
expensive component in SWRO plant. Longer membrane life means reduced system cleaning and
maintenance expenses as well as lower replacement costs over the life of the system.
In this study, the development of highly efficient cartridge filter for SWRO plant was demon-
strated by improving the materials and inner structure of filter modules. In order to comprehensively
understand better performance of cartridge filter module, several analytical methods including
experimental and computer-based simulation methods were employed. Compared to other com-

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mercial cartridge filters, improved performance (higher flowrate and low algae attachment with
same membrane area) were measured. In addition, better water flow regime (much lower dead
zone and equal distribution) inside cartridge filter module was also observed by CFD simulation.
Through this study, a high-efficiency, pressure-resistant, and large-capacity cartridge filter module
was developed and it could reduce EPC and O&M costs by preventing the fouling of RO membranes.
Keywords: Cartridge filter, Pressure-resistant, Large capacity, Low energy, Seawater reverse osmosis
(SWRO)

Acknowledgement
This work was supported by a grant (18IFIP-B089914-05) from Plant Technology Advancement
Program funded by Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affair.

References
Richlen M. L., Morton S. L., Jamali E. A., Rajan A., Anderson D. M. (2010), “The Catastrophic 2008–2009
Red Tide in the Arabian Gulf Region, with Observations on the Identification and Phylogeny of the Fish-
killing Dinoflagellate Cochlodinium Polykrikoides”, Harmful Algae, 9(2), pp. 163-172.

47
Membrane desalination of mine water
M. Bodzek 1*, M. Rajca 2, M. Tytła 1, B. Tomaszewska 3
1
Institute of Environmental Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
Zabrze, Poland
2
Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
3
AGH - University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland
*Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected]

Exploitation of coal is accompanied outflows of groundwater to the surface of the Earth, resulting
in negative impacts on biocenosis of the rivers. High content of divalent ions causes membrane scaling
which decreases membrane efficiency. Scaling may be controlled by the addition of antiscalants or
application of nanofiltration (NF) before reverse osmosis (RO) in water desalination, which allow
to obtain a concentrate with concentrations of salt, much bigger than for desalination only by RO.
The aim of the study is based onto assumption that introduction of NF to mine water desalination
RO, will allow to obtain in the concentrate (brine) salt concentrations higher than in desalination
only by RO, and in addition, this will allow obtaining desalinated water and concentrate in advance
assuming content.
Research was carried out using natural mine waters coming from Desalination Plant „Dębieńsko”
(southern Poland), characterized by relatively high levels of salinity and hardness. Samples of raw
water were taken before RO instantiation, i.e. after standard pretreatment. Tests were conducted
using the Osmonics Inc. Company’s SEPA CF-HP type membrane module, in the high-pressure
version in cross-flow mode and in some cases apparatus was used working in dead-end mode
system. Commercial NF membranes produced by the Dow-Filmtec (NF-270 and NF-90) and RO
membranes (BW30FR-400 and SW30-2521 from Dow-Filmtec, PA00416 HR from Lanxess and
AD HR-90 from General Electric) were used in the test. The NF process was carried out at a

36
 Desalination for the Environment: Clean Water and Energy
3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

transmembrane pressure of 1.0 MPa and 1.5 MPa, and the RO process at a pressure of 2.0 - 3.0
MPa, depending on the system used (cross-flow or dead-end). Cross-flow velocity used in these
measurements was 1 m/s and at temperature amounted to 23±2oC.A two-stage treatment system
combining NF and RO for the desalination of mine water was used. At first, NF of the raw water
was carried out and the permeate obtained was fed to the RO process. Both processes, NF and
RO, were carried out to obtain 30-50% recovery of feed water.The desalination efficiency (flux and
composition of permeate and concentrate) and toxicity of raw mine water and obtained streams
were determined. For scaling phenomenon prognosis, the saturation indices for raw mine water
(before NF), and permeate after the NF and before the RO, were calculated using the Phreeqc
Interactive 3.3.3-10424 program (PHREEQCI) using the Wateq4f minerals database.
The experiments have shown that NF is an appropriate means for pre-treatment of mine water
in the process of desalination with RO method. Such a solution increases the permeate flux of RO
membranes, eliminating the scaling problem.That is why, that during the NF, the multivalent ions and
to some extent sodium chloride removal occurs, and water going to RO process is characterized
by much lower ionic strength than the raw water.The consequence is lower osmotic pressure and
therefore we can apply lower transmembrane pressure, which leads to a reduction of the energy
consumption and increase the degree of water recovery rate. Taking into account the results of
the efficiency of the membrane and the prediction of scaling phenomenon, with two nanofiltration
membranes (open NF-270 and compact NF-90), it was found that in the first stage of the desali-
nation more compact nanofiltration membrane (NF-90 company Dow FilmTec) should be used.
NF-90 membranes was characterized by high retention rates and lower performance compared
to the membrane of the NF-270.
In the second stage of desalination, with the use of RO process, also two types of membrane
were mused: for brackish and sea water desalination were used. In the first case (BW30FR-400 and
PA00416 HR) received permeate has exceeded content of the sodium and chloride ions compared
to the standards for drinking water. Taking into account the above results, for the desalination of
mine water in a two-stage system, in the second case, a more compact RO membranes designed
for desalination saline waters (sea) (SW30-2521-Dow-Filmtec and AD HR-90 General Electric)
were used. The obtained permeate coming from integrated system corresponds to the standards
of drinking water, and the resulting water is not toxic. It has been shown that in the second stage
of desalination should be used the osmotic membranes for desalination of saline waters.
Analysis of the phenomenon of scaling phenomenon showed that there is a risk of precipitation
on the NF membrane, first of all barium sulphate, but also SrSO4 and CaSO4, quartz and chalcedony.
Keywords: Mine water, Desalination, Integrated system, Nanofiltration, Reverse osmosis.

Acknowledgements
This work was financed by statutory research of the Institute of Environmental Engineering Polish
Academy of Sciences (Project No 1a-113/17) and Publication supported as a part of the Rector’s
grant in the area of scientific research and development works. Silesian University of technology,
No 08/040/RGJ/17/0064.

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48
Effect of structural biofilm changes under different feed water substrate
concentrations on RO performance parameters and cleanability
N.M. Farhata*, L. Javiera, M.C.M.Van Loosdrechtb,
J.C. Kruithofc, J.S.,Vrouwenveldera,b,c.
KAUST,Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Biofouling severely reduces operational performance of membrane systems increasing the cost
of water production. Understanding the effect of critical feed water characteristics such as sub-
strate concentration on the developed biofilm structure enables development of more effective
biofouling control strategies.
In this study, the effect of different substrate concentrations on the developed biofilm structure
was examined. A feed channel pressure drop (PD) increase of 200 mbar was used as a benchmark
to stop the experiments (Fig. 1A). The amount and characteristics of the formed biofilm were
analysed in relation to membrane performance indicators: feed channel pressure drop (Fig. 1A)
and permeate flux (Fig. 1B). The effect of base/acid cleaning as applied in practice on the removal
of the different biofilms was evaluated.
Results showed that higher substrate concentrations led to a higher accumulated biomass amount
(Figs. 1C, D), a faster PD increase while a lower permeate flux decline (Fig. 1B) compared to the
low substrate concentration that resulted in a lower accumulated biomass amount (Figs. 1C, D),
a slower PD increase, and a higher permeate flux decline (Fig. 1B). The permeate flux decline was
affected by the spatial location and the physical structure of the biofilm rather than the amount
of the biofilm (Fig. 1E) where the biofilm at the lowest substrate concentration expanded more
on the membrane leading to higher permeate flux decline (Fig. 1E). NaOH/HCL cleaning for the
biofilm that developed at a low substrate concentration was less effective compared to the biofilm
that developed at high substrate concentrations.
Effective biofilm removal rather than inactivation is essential to prevent a fast biofilm regrowth
after cleaning. While substrate limitation is a generally excepted biofouling control strategy delay-
ing biofouling occurrence, development of advanced cleaning methods to remove biofilms that
form under substrate limited conditions is of paramount importance and should be based on the
developed biofilm characteristics.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis performance; Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS); Chemical
cleaning; Biofilm structure; Slowly growing biofilms.

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Fig. 1 – (A) Normalized pressure drop [mbar] at the end of the experiment once an increase of 200 mbar
was reached and after cleaning with NaOH and HCL, (B) flux decline [%] at 200 mbar increase in normalized
pressure drop, (C) Total organic carbon (TOC) (mg.cm-2) and TOC reduction after cleaning, (D) Adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) (pg.cm-2) and ATP reduction after cleaning for the biofilms that developed at the different
substrate concentrations once reaching a 200 mbar increase in normalized pressure drop. (E) 2D optical
coherence tomography (OCT) images of the biofilms developing at different substrate concentrations (E1)
1000 µg-CL-1 (E2) 250 µg-CL-1 (E3) 30 µg-CL-1.

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49
ZERO BRINE - Reusing resources from industrial wastewater
L.C. Rietveld1, J.R. Moll1, Dimitris Xevgenos2,Vanessa Wabitsch3*
1TU Delft, Belgium; 2Sealeau 3Revolve
3Rue d’Arlon 63-67, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +32 493690408

Coordinated by TU Delft, ZERO BRINE advances circular economy business model solutions
by re-designing the value chains of industrial wastewater.The objective of ZERO BRINE is to prove
that minerals, such as magnesium, and clean water can be recuperated from industrial wastewater
for reuse in other industries. The project aims to develop technological solutions and business
models for wastewater/brine resource recovery, thus facilitating the implementation of the Circular
Economy package and the SPIRE Roadmap.
The ZERO BRINE concept reduces industrial saline wastewater streams by recovering and reusing
the minerals and water from the brine (saline impaired effluents) in other industries, thus ‘closing
the loop’ and improving the environmental impacts of production.The project integrates innovative
technologies to recover water and minerals of sufficient purity and quality for good market value.
ZERO BRINE includes 22 partners from research institutes, SMEs, process industries, and
end-users from 10 countries. Over 4 years, ZERO BRINE is developing pilot plants in 4 process
industries such as a demonstration water plant in the Netherlands, a coal mine in Poland, a silica
factory in Spain, and a textile factory in Turkey. These provide massive potential to replicate and
deploy circular economy solutions in the field of industrial wastewater treatment.
The presentation at the EDS conference ‘’Desalination for the Environment: Clean Water and
Energy’’ will give insights into the ZERO BRINE concept, its pilot projects, brine excellence centres
around Europe and the Online Brine Platform.
Keywords: Circular economy, Desalination, Industrial wastewater, Water reuse

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50
Measuring the bacterial growth potential of drinking water
after reverse osmosis and remineralization
Mohaned Sousi1*, Gang Liu2,3, Sergio G. Salinas-Rodriguez1, Bastiaan Blankert2,
Jan C. Schippers1, Walter van der Meer2,4, Maria D. Kennedy1,3
1
IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education,
Environmental Engineering and Water Technology Department,
Westvest 7, 2611 AX Delft, the Netherlands
2
Oasen Drinkwater, Nieuwe Gouwe O.Z. 3, 2801 SB Gouda,The Netherlands
3
Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft,The Netherlands
4
University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede,The Netherlands
*
Corresponding author ([email protected]) Tel. +31 687326765

Keywords: Bacterial growth potential (BGP); Reverse osmosis (RO); Remineralization; Flow cy-
tometry (FCM).

Introduction
Limiting bacterial growth in public water supply systems can be achieved by: (i) addition of disin-
fectant residuals as practiced in many countries, which is associated with the formation of disinfection
by-products (DBPs) and potential taste and odour complaints (Gopal et al., 2007; Hrudey, 2009),
and/or (ii) improving water treatment to remove the bacterial growth-promoting nutrients such
as assimilable organic carbon (AOC) and biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) (van
der Kooij et al., 1982; Hu et al., 1999). Reverse osmosis (RO) filtration is a promising technology to
produce high quality water where AOC concentrations can be lowered to 10 µg-C/L or less (Park
et al., 2010). However, RO permeate needs reconditioning to meet the guidelines of drinking water
quality including health, taste and chemical stability aspects (Withers, 2005; El Azhar et al., 2012).
Several methods are available to measure the bacterial growth potential (BGP) of drinking water
by incubating batches of water samples at certain conditions and measuring bacterial abundance
on different time intervals. Those methods are mainly developed for conventionally treated water
(e.g., after sand filters and bio-filtration) and thus application of such methods for drinking water
produced by RO and post-treatment might be challenging in terms of the methods sensitivity at
lower BGP levels (i.e., the blank), where the existing blanks may be high. Moreover, there are a num-
ber of variations between those methods including mainly samples pre-treatment (pasteurization,
filtration and none) and type of inoculum used (pure strains versus natural bacterial consortium).
The main objective of this study is to develop and apply the BGP method to assess the BGP of
drinking water produced by reverse osmosis and post-treatment.

Material and methods

Treatment processes: This research is conducted at one of the water treatment plants in The
Netherlands where anaerobic groundwater is treated by conventional means (3 Mm3/year) com-
prising aeration, rapid sand filtration, softening, granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration and UV
disinfection. Moreover, the same groundwater is treated by a pilot-scale treatment unit comprising
RO filtration, ion exchange, remineralization with calcite contactors and tower aeration.
Sampling: Finished drinking water of both treatment lines was collected (CTW and RO-TW,
respectively) in AOC-free glassware (Hammes et al., 2005). In addition, RO permeate before post-
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treatment was collected and remineralized (addition of calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and CTW
inoculum) at the laboratory to be used as a new blank for the method (RO-blank).
BGP method:Water samples were pasteurized (at 70°C) and inoculated (with natural bacteria
of CTW) before distributing into 3 AOC-free glass vials. Thereafter, vials were incubated at 30°C
in dark under static conditions. Total and intact cell counts were measured using flow cytometry
(FCM, BD Accuri C6®) as described by Prest et al. (2014) for a total test period of 3 weeks. BGP
is expressed as the maximum cell count obtained during incubation.

Results
A significant reduction in bacterial growth potential (BGP) of drinking water is achieved with
reverse osmosis (RO) and post-treatment (RO-TW, 90k (±20) cells/mL) compared with the
conventional processes (CTW, 650k (±70) cells/mL) where BGP is reduced by more than 6-fold.
However, this low BGP level in RO-TW cannot be affirmed with the existing blanks used for this
method which have BGP in excess of 100k cells/mL.Therefore, the new blank (RO-blank, 50k (±20)
cells/mL) was used.
The lower BGP of RO-TW indicates a better quality compared with CTW where water quality
analysis shows that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and phosphorus dropped from >5 to <0.2
mg-C/L and from 11 to ≤1 µg-P/L, respectively.
A detailed study on the pilot-scale RO system showed that the remineralization of RO per-
meate by the traditional calcite contactors filled with fresh calcite grains has a significant impact
of the BGP of the original RO permeate due to wash out of bacterial cells and organic nutrients
during the first few hours of operation.This impact was clearly observed in the elevated dissolved
organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in the instant samples collected after stating the operation
with the fresh calcite grains, where 3.1 mg/L were detected in the effluent. The DOC dropped to
> 0.3 mg/L (detection limit) after 3 h of filtration. The bacterial cell counts dropped as well from
300×103 to 20×103 intact cells/mL. As a result of that, BGP of the RO-TW was significantly high in
the beginning of the operation at 500×103 intact cells/mL, which dropped 100×103 to with time.
As a conclusion, the developed BGP method can be applied to assess the BGP of ultra-low-
nutrient drinking water such as RO-treated water. Moreover, operational conditions might negatively
affect RO permeate, and thus, more precautions should be considered.

References
El Azhar, F., M.Tahaikt, N. Zouhri,A. Zdeg, M. Hafsi, K.Tahri, H. Bari, M.Taky, M. Elamrani and A. Elmidaoui, Remineralization
of reverse osmosis (RO)-desalted water for a Moroccan desalination plant: optimization and cost evaluation of the
lime saturator post. Desalination 300 (2012) 46-50.
Gopal, K., S. S. Tripathy, J. L. Bersillon and S. P. Dubey, Chlorination byproducts, their toxicodynamics and removal from
drinking water. J. Hazard. Mater. 140 (2007) 1-6.
Hammes, F.A. and T. Egli, New method for assimilable organic carbon determination using flow-cytometric enumeration
and a natural microbial consortium as inoculum. Environ. Sci. Technol., 39(9) (2005) 3289-3294.
Hrudey, S. E. Chlorination disinfection by-products, public health risk tradeoffs and me. Water Res. 43(8) (2009).
2057-2092.
Hu, J.Y., Z. S.Wang,W. J. Ng and S. L. Ong,The effect of water treatment processes on the biological stability of potable
water. Water Res. 33(11) (1999) 2587-2592.
Park, S.-k. and J.Y. Hu, Assessment of the extent of bacterial growth in reverse osmosis system for improving drinking
water quality. J. Environ. Sci. Health, Part A 45(8) (2010) 968-977.
Prest, E. I., J. El-Chakhtoura, F. Hammes, P. E. Saikaly, M. C. M. van Loosdrecht and J. S. Vrouwenvelder, Combining
flow cytometry and 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing: A promising approach for drinking water monitoring and
characterization. Water Res. 63 (2014) 179-189.
van der Kooij, D., A. Visser and W. A. M. Hijnen, Determining the concentration of easily assimilable organiccarbon in

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3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

drinking water. J AWWA, 74(10) (1982) 540-545.

Withers, A. Options for recarbonation, remineralisation and disinfection for desalination plants. Desalination 179
(2005) 11-24.

51
Modelling thermal and geometric effects on non-condensable gas
desorption in horizontal-tube bundles of falling film evaporation
Luopeng Yang*, Jinyan Wu, Hongyou Li,Yang Liu, Shengqiang Shen
Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education,
Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
*email: [email protected]

Non-condensable gas (NCG) produced in multi-effect distillation (MED) seriously deterio-

rates the heat transfer efficiency of falling film evaporation. Due to the complex coupled nature
between NCG desorption and heat transfer process in falling film evaporation, little attention
has been paid to local conditions of NCG desorption which contribute to improving geometrical
design of MED. A mathematic model of CO2 desorption in horizontal-tube bundles of falling film
evaporation, which considers heat and mass transfer, flow dynamics and chemical reactions in
seawater, was established. The numerical model predicted the local CO2 desorption element size,
carbonate concentration, evaporation rate and CO2 desorption in seawater for varying thermal
and geometric parameters.The predicted CO2 desorption rates are in a good agreement with the
running data of a reference MED desalination plant, which validates the accuracy of the developed
model. An increasing evaporation temperature, which results in a decrease in chemical reaction
time and element size, contributes to decreasing specific CO2 desorption rate. With an increase
in inlet heating steam velocity, the specific CO2 desorption rate decreases due to the increasing
element volume and decreasing specific evaporation rate. The effect of increasing tube pitch on
the increasing CO2 desorption rate decreases from the top tube to the bottom due to the oppo-
site actions of increasing film flow rate and heat transfer coefficient. The specific CO2 desorption
rate increases with an increase in tube diameter which leads to decreasing heat transfer rate and
increasing phase interface area of CO2 desorption.
Keywords: CO2 desorption, Element size, Thermal and geometric effects, Non-condensable gas,
Falling film evaporation

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52
Ultrafiltration performance in seawater industrial cooling towers
for biofouling control
Mohammed Al-Bloushiab*, Kim Choon NGb, TorOve Leiknesb
a
SABIC Technology and Innovation (T&I), Riyadh, 11422 Saudi Arabia,
b.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),
Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC),
Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE),
Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.

The demand for seawater as an alternative make-up water in cooling tower systems has rapidly
increased over the past decades. In Saudi Arabia a huge amount of seawater is used in operation
of cooling towers due to a lack of freshwater and groundwater resources. Seawater is mainly used
as a cooling medium in heavy industries, oil refineries, petrochemical plants and thermal power
stations and the most feasible (low-cost and unlimited).
Operating challenges such as scaling, corrosion, and biofouling hitherto plagues conventional
cooling towers available and the latter is one of the major issues in seawater cooling towers.
Nevertheless, biofouling is a serious problem in industrial cooling tower processes. It damages
equipment through bio-corrosion, causes blockages, and increased energy consumption through
decreased heat transfer. Seawater cooling towers have higher challenges because it is an open
system as well as the concentration of nutrients (organic carbon, nitrate, nitrite, phosphates and
etc.) due to evaporation where biofouling and bio-corrosion occurring within the fillers and piping
of recirculation systems can greatly mitigate their performances.
The research strategy is focusing on the control of biofouling the in seawater cooling towers
by using alternative approaches ultrafiltration membrane to prevent the growth of biofouling by
removing the microorganisms. Ultrafiltration can remove the viruses and algae from seawater, that is
particles larger than their largest pore size. Recently the use of ultrafiltration (UF) in the treatment
of the drinking water becomes a more significant technology as an alternative to the conventional
clarification.Also, the UF has been applied as a pretreatment in the reverse osmosis (RO) of fouling
removal. This can be applying for the treatment of the seawater cooling tower process. The test
results indicate that the ultrafiltration membrane achieved 95 % removal of the microorganisms in
seawater feed were effective in keeping the microbial growth to the minimum.
Furthermore, hybrid system (UF/GAC) pretreatment was also applied to improve the ultrafiltration
process performance by adding biofilter such as granular activated carbon (GAC) in the pretreat-
ment process. GAC biofilter has a possibility of reducing biofouling potential in the pretreatment
of seawater feed by removing AOC. The hybrid AC/UF process is very effective removing the or-
ganic matter from seawater and the UF can achieve a complete removal of microcystis aeruginosa
cells. By adding the activated carbon to UF process treatment significantly improved the removal of
DOC to 80% and 99% removal of microorganisms were achieved. The applications of the combi-
nation of AC and membrane filtration are a useful process for seawater cooling tower treatment.
The measured results from this study enable designers of seawater cooling towers to manage the
biofouling problems when such cooling towers are extrapolated to a pilot scale.
Keywords: Ultrafiltration; Microorganisms; Biofouling control; Seawater cooling towers

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53
CO2 mineralization as a method for reducing the salinity of brine
and the emission of CO2 from seawater desalination
*Jun-Hwan Bang, Soochun Chae, Seung-Woo Lee, Kyungsun Song
Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)
124 Gwahang-no,Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34132, Korea
* Corresponding author: [email protected], +82 42-868 3659

Seawater desalination discharges highly saline brine into the ocean, which exerts detrimental
effects on the marine lives such as sea grasses, planktonic algae and invertebrate larva by breaking
the electrolyte balances between the cells and the environment. In addition seawater desalina-
tion emits large amount of CO2 because this consumes large energy for the operation. Abundant
amount of Ca and Mg in brine are useful for the reaction with CO2, CO2 mineralization, to reduce
CO2 emission. The purpose of this study was to show CO2 mineralization as a method for reduc-
ing salinity of brine and CO2 emission. We compared the efficiencies of CO2 mineralization by the
different CO2 concentrations and bubble sizes. In addition, individual or co-existence of Ca and Mg
in brine also was examined. CaCO3 and Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O were successfully precipitated as
the reaction products. Mineralization of Mg was responsive to the injection way of CO2 than that
of Ca. This study can help to reduce the emission of CO2 and the salinity of brine from seawater
desalination.
Keywords: Brine, CO2 mineralization, Seawater desalination

54
An innovative hollow fiber air gap membrane distillation (AGMD)
process with internal heat recovery and reduced footprint
A. Alpatova, A. Alsaadi, J.G. Lee, M. Alharthi, N. Ghaffour*
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC),
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE),Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding author: [email protected], tel: +966 808 21 80

Due to depletion of fossil fuels reserves and adverse environmental effects caused by the emis-
sion of greenhouse gases, the global trend is shifting towards developing more energy-efficient
desalination technologies. In this regard, membrane distillation (MD) can be viewed as an attractive
alternative to conventional seawater desalination processes like reverse osmosis and multi stage flush
with respect to process performance and product quality. Moreover, an introduction of the air gap
between the membrane and condensation surface allows to improve the thermal efficiency of the
process due to decrease in heat conduction from the feed side to condensation side of membrane.
In our study, we developed and comprehensively exanimated an innovative air gap MD (AGMD)
process which combined hollow fiber membranes and heat exchangers in a single module to achieve
internal heat exchange and reduce process footprint.We further evaluated the effect of fiber type
and packing density to attain an optimal module design with respect to two different feeds, Red
Sea water and reverse osmosis brine. A higher efficiency of the AGMD was observed in the case
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of capillary membranes as compared to tubular membranes due to reduced wall thickness which
facilitated better thermal efficiency. At a feed temperature of 85°C, the vapor flux increased from
11 to 17 kg/m2h with the increase in heat exchangers packing density from 9 to 28%, and then
decreased to 13 kg/m2h when packing density was increased to 36% due to condensing surface
constrain inside the lumen.
The effect of operating conditions and temperature difference between the feed and coolant
solutions on process performance was also investigated. The increase in the feed flow rate had
significant effect on vapor flux comparing to that of coolant for all tested AGMD configurations.
This effect was more pronounced at high feed temperatures comparing to low feed temperatures.
Keywords: Desalination, Seawater, Membrane distillation, Air gap, Capillary membrane

55
Thermodynamic model for a reversible desalination cycle
using weak polyelectrolyte hydrogels
O. Ruda,b*, P. Košovana, O. Borisovb
a
Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague,
Hlavova 8, 128 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
b
Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of Russian Academy of Sciences,
199004, Bolshoy pr. 31, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
*[email protected]

We propose a novel desalination scheme which employs the hydrogels as a tool to draw salt
ions from a brine with low salinity to a brine with high salinity. As a driving force we use the fact
that the volume of polyelectrolyte gel does depend on the surrounding salinity. While the salinity
defines the gel volume in open system, i.e. in equilibrium with big bath, in closed system salinity is
defined by the gel volume.The compression and swelling in open and closed system processes are
combined into four stages thermodynamic cycle working between two bathes of different salinities.
The cycle implies reversibility at any stage, so, in principle, the method can achieve the maximum
thermodynamic efficiency. We have shown that for weak polyelectrolyte gels the dependence
between the salinity and gel volume appears to be non-monotonic. Depending on the model pa-
rameters the surrounding salinity may increase or decrease during compression. In both cases we
consider the possible use of this relation in desalination cycle.
Keywords: Forward osmosis, Polyelectrolyte hydrogels, Mean-field theory

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56
Forward osmosis with upper critical solution temperature-like
inorganic salt as draw solute
Chia-Hua Ho1,*, Mao-Sung Yeh2, Tsui-Jung Yang1, Hsin Shao1, Meng-Shun Huang1, Teh-Ming Liang1,
Ren-Yang Horng1
Material and Chemical Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI),
1

Hsinchu 30011,Taiwan
* E-mail address: [email protected]
2
New Materials Research & Development Dept. China Steel Corp. (CSC), Kaohsiung 81233,Taiwan

During the past decade, forward osmosis (FO) has attracted considerable attention and seen
as an innovation membrane-based separation process for potential applications in various fields
including saline desalination, water purification, power generation, food processing, and drug de-
livery. FO is an osmotic pressure driving process that water in the feed side would pass through
the semi-permeable membrane to the draw solution side due to osmosis pressure gradient. One
of the critical barriers for a sustainable FO in a full-scale application is the selection of an appro-
priate draw solute with high osmotic pressure, low salt leakage, easy regeneration of the diluted
draw solution, minimal toxicity with economic feasibility and environmental friendliness. In this
study, upper critical solution temperature-like (UCST-like) Na2SO4 was selected as draw solute
with required criteria in FO. The experiments were performed for D. I. water and 0.6 M of NaCl
as feed and Na2SO4(aq) as draw solution.The results showed that the flux were 12.9 and 3.5 LMH,
respectively. The diluted Na2SO4 solution could be separated into water-rich phase and Na2SO4
crystal-rich phase by decreasing temperature. For 0.6 M of NaCl as feed, the water-rich phase
could be further concentrated and produce water by nanofiltration (NF) with operating pressure
of 29 kg/cm2. Moreover, FO with Na2SO4(aq) as draw solution was also applied in RO reject (ROR)
concentration evaluation for the purpose of near zero-liquid discharge. The results showed that
the ROR from steel Industry could be concentrated with concentration ratio of ~5.5. Furthermore,
the diluted Na2SO4 solution could be separated and recovery by temperature control and NF for
long term operation.
Keywords: Forward osmosis; Upper critical solution temperature; Draw solute; Desalination; Con-
centration

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57
Isolation and identification of antiscalant degrading seawater
microorganisms and investigation of their interactions
within RO membrane systems
1
M.Y. Ashfaq, 1M. Al-Ghouti, 1N. Zouari, 2H. Qiblawey
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar.
1

Email: [email protected], [email protected].

Tel. +974 – 30209396, Fax +974 – 44391813
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Qatar

Identification of microorganisms from environmental samples still rely on expensive and time-
consuming molecular techniques. In this research, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization – time
of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technique was used as a rapid and cost-effective
proteomic technique to identify various microorganisms from Qatar’s seawater.These microorgan-
isms were then investigated for their ability to biodegrade different antiscalants which are used
to reduce membrane scaling in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO). The objective of this research
was to investigate the interaction between these antiscalants with sea water microbial community.
Since, the biodegradation of these chemicals will reduce their efficiency to suppress membrane
scaling, thereby, promoting microbial growth and biofouling in SWRO.
Total of seven samples from different locations across Qatar’s marine environment were collected
from both offshore and onshore areas. Using MALDI-TOF MS, the isolated strains were identified
as H. aquamarina, H. elongata, P. fragi, P. stutzeri,V. alginolyticus, and others.These microorganisms were
further differentiated through their protein profiles. Most of the isolated strains showed ability
to grow in media supplied with acrylic acid, poly acrylic acid and maleic acid as the only carbon
source. The microbial growth was monitored through optical density and plate count method and
complete growth curve showing exponential phase, lag phase and death phase was obtained. This
implies that the wide biodiversity of microorganisms possesses the ability to biodegrade these
commonly used antiscalants in SWRO and as a result, the efficiency of these chemicals to reduce
membrane scaling will be reduced.
To further investigate the effect of antiscalants on biofouling of SWRO membranes; Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and other conventional microbiological techniques (colony
forming unit measurements) were used. Results of FTIR (Fig. 1) showed that the biofilm on RO
membrane was formed after the addition of antiscalants.
Thus, it can be concluded that the presence of microorganisms such as H. aquamarina isolated
during this research and is commonly found in marine environment may biodegrade the antiscalants,
thereby reducing their efficiency to minimize membrane scaling and increasing biofouling potential
in SWRO. The results of this research have opened relatively a new area of research in which
biodegradation characteristics of such commonly used chemicals in desalination industry needs
to be studied and investigated before their application at industrial level. It is highly expected that
the outcome of this research will help to fill several knowledge gaps and answer several research
questions within the field of SWRO.
Keywords: Antiscalant, RO, Microorganisms, Biodegradation, FTIR

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Fig. 1. FTIR spectra of Biofilm growth on RO membrane in the presence of antiscalants

58
A fouling comparison study of algal, bacterial,
and humic organic matters in seawater desalination pretreatment
using UF ceramic membranes
Mohammed A. Namazi a,b*, Sheng Li b, S. Assiyeh A. Tabatabai b,Gary L. Amy b,
Noreddine Ghaffour b, TorOve Leiknes b
a
Desalination Technologies Research Institute (DTRI), Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC),
Jubail 31951, Saudi Arabia
b
Water Desalination and Reuse Center, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology,
Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
*[email protected]

This paper investigates three types of organic matters, namely algal organic matter (AOM),
bacterial organic matter (BOM), and humic organic matter (HOM). These organics are different in
properties and chemical composition. Therefore, they were systematically studied to understand
whether they behave differently or similarly in reference to organic fouling of ceramic ultrafiltration
(UF) membranes. (AOM), (BOM) and (HOM) were compared in terms of fouling behavior, removal
efficiency, and divalent impact. UF experiments have been conducted at constant flux mode using
5 kDa and 50 kDa ceramic membranes. Six filtration cycles were tested in duplicates, with a cycle
consisting of thirty minutes operation followed by hydraulic backwashing for one minute. AOM
and BOM were extracted from marine algae, Chaetoceros affins (CA) and marine bacteria, Pseu-
didiomarina atlantica (P. atlantica) respectively in the lab, while commonly used (Suwannee River)
humic acid was used as HOM. These organics have been spiked separately into synthetic seawater
feed with a total TOC of (0.5 mg/L). Results showed that more TEP/organics were removed by the
5 kDa membranes compared to the 50 kDa membrane, which is accounted for by lower MWCO.
The UF 5 kDa membrane also showed low fouling formation than 50 kDa membrane for all of
three types of organic matter tested.Analysis of the fouled membranes by SEM images showed that

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fouling was dominated by cake layer formation for the 5 kDa membrane while pore blockage fol-
lowed by cake layer formation is apparent for the 50 kDa membrane.The SEM images also revealed
that a cake layer is formed for all types of organics tested; the flux was stable over the filtration
periods for AOM and BOM, most probably due to the high porosity of the cake layer. For 50 kDa
membranes,AOM and BOM organics presented a similar fouling behavior and mechanism. However,
AOM was quite higher compared to BOM concerning of TEP concentrations and gel-like formation;
this is probably attributed to high polysaccharides concentration in AOM. For 5 kDa membranes,
AOM and BOM showed thinner cake layer during all filtration cycles using 5 kDa membranes as
TEP particles derived from AOM and BOM have evolved this process by making the cake layer
more compact and compressible which in turns enhances the fouling resistance and reduce the
porosity of the cake layer. HOM cake layer was thicker than those for AOM and BOM. This cake
layer was found to be more porous and less compact, and this occurred more likely when HOM
particles bind with Ca molecules offering large aggregates and leading to the high porosity of the
HOM cake layer on the membrane surface. The divalent cations such as calcium revealed a strong
influence on membrane fouling. In this experiment, the HOM particles were most likely influenced
than AOM and BOM, which bridge/adsorb more organic molecules when interacting with calcium
ions making the membrane less negatively charged and enhancing the membrane fouling. However,
this fouling was less severe compared to AOM and BOM fouling.
Keywords: SWRO pretreatment; UF Ceramic membranes; Fouling, AOM, TEP.

59
Recent developments in desalination technology
in Saudi Arabian context
Ahmed Al Ghamdi
Department of Chemical Engineering Technology
Yanbu Industrial College, PO Box 30436, Royal Commission Yanbu Colleges and Institutes,
Yanbu Al Sinaiah, 41912,Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +966 (143) 3946222

One of the basic and benign needs of human being is the availability of clean safe and healthy
drinking water. Desalination is a technique to produce safe and clean drinking water from the wa-
ter available in the sea. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) adopts the desalination technique to
produce drinking water for its society and is honored as the biggest manufacturer of desalinated
drinking water in the world. Desalination of sea water caters to around 50% of the total require-
ment of drinking water in the Kingdom. Recent trend is towards utilization of renewable energy
for desalination of sea water. In this article the recent developments in the field of desalination
technology is summarized with special reference to solar energy for desalination.
Keywords: Desalination, Solar energy, Recent developments.

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60
3D printed triply periodic minimal surfaces as spacers
for enhanced heat and mass transfer in membrane distillation
N. Sreedhar1, N. Thomas1, O. Al-Ketan1, R. Rowshan2,
H. Hernandez1, R. Al-Rub1, H.A. Arafat1*
1
Center for Membranes & Advanced Water Technology,
Khalifa University of Science and Technology,
P.O. Box 54224, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2
Core Equipment Platforms, New York University Abu Dhabi,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
*[email protected]

Feed spacers are an indispensable part of membrane systems. They increase the turbulence of
the flow along the surface of the membrane, which enhances the mass transfer. However, several
studies have shown that biofouling originates at the feed spacer filaments. Pressure drop and energy
costs are also significantly affected by the spacer design. Great improvements can be made to the
performance of a membrane process by modification of the spacer geometry. 3D Printing allows
the fabrication of spacers with novel, complex geometries.
Novel feed spacers were developed in this study using 3D printing technology based on triply
periodic minimal surface (TPMS) architectures.TPMS are minimal surfaces with an interconnected,
maze-like structure that are perfectly curved at every point, minimizing fouling and enhancing
flux. 3D printing is utilized to create different feed channel spacer designs aimed at enhancing the
spacer performance specifically for membrane distillation (MD) application. The novelty is the use
of mathematically developed triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) as feed spacers. Five different
TPMS based spacer designs were evaluated and benchmarked against the conventionally used net
type spacer (Fig. 1). The best performing TPMS spacer topology exhibited 60% higher water flux
and 63% higher overall film heat transfer coefficient than the commercial spacer.The TPMS spacer
designs also had a significant advantage over the commercial spacer when treating feed with high
fouling potential such as brine solution.The advantages of TPMS spacers were the high throughput
combined with sustained flux performance over increasing TDS concentrations ranging from 75,000
ppm to 100,000 ppm. The best performing TPMS spacer design was identified to have the highest
surface area to volume ratio along with a design structure that caused relatively higher turbulence
by disrupting the feed flow. Particle deposition tests were done using microspheres to visualize
the impact of TPMS spacer design on dead zone formation. Pearson correlation coefficient showed
that particle deposition is strongly correlated to the spacer voidage and its membrane contact area.

Fig. 1. a) Unit cells of TPMS types utilized in this study, b) spacer design from single TPMS unit cell

Keywords: Triply periodic minimal surfaces; 3D printing; Spacers; Membrane distillation; Fouling

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61
Improvement of a bio-inspired solar stills system
for land regeneration in drylands
Alessandro Bianciardi1,2*, Alessandro Zecca1, Alessandro Villa3,
Francisca Carvajal, Camila Hernandez3, Alessio Bernesco4
1
Politecnico di Milano and Planet s.a.s, IT Averof street 5/A - 1105 Nicosia, Cyprus
2
Planet s.a.s Italy
3
Plantasia, Chile;
4
Ultrafabm Italy
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +357 99458262

Land degradation and water scarcity are global challenges compromising food security; they
especially affect the livelihood of poor people who heavily depend on agriculture. Millions of them
live in drylands. Bringing enough water in these areas, together with suitable land practices, could
help regenerating the degraded soil and its productivity. The Mangrove Still is a bio-inspired solar
still whose aim is to produce enough water at low cost to be used for soil regeneration projects
and food production. In this paper improvements and variants of the design of the still are proposed
which allow this technology to be highly adaptable to different contexts. Furthermore it is presented
an initial pilot test for an integrated system – called Mangrove Technology Platform – which
combines a saline water desalination system, organic incubators for seedlings and a customised
IoT monitoring system. Emulating the capacity of Nature to address complex problems requires
moving from individual solution to systems of solutions and cooperative multidisciplinary research
and innovation is of utmost importance.
Keywords: Solar still, Desalination, Land regeneration, Decentralized processes, Biomimicry

62
Experimental investigations of a solar operated HDH system
with modified air heating layout
Khalid Al-Mutairi, Mohammed Antar, Atia Khalifa
Mechanical Engineering Department, KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Modified closed air open water solar air heated humidification and dehumidification (HDH)
desalination system is designed, built and investigated experimentally. The effect of different water
to air mass flowrate ratios (MR) of the HDH system in the performance is studied. A theoreti-
cal design procedure was followed for predicting the input heating energy, GOR, humidifier and
dehumidifier areas and hence sizing the system. Then, the system is designed and constructed to
produce fresh water through a modified (closed air -open water; CAOW) air heated HDH sys-
tem as shown in Figure 1. In this layout, the air heater is placed in between the humidifier and the
dehumidifier. Moreover, different setups of the modified solar air heated HDH system were built
and tested in an outdoor (uncontrolled) climate.
Results show gained output ratio (GOR) increases with increasing inlet water temperature to
humidifier, and with decreasing the inlet water temperature to dehumidifier system. However, it
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decreases with increasing mass ratio greater than 1.2 (Optimum MR) and input solar energy. The
high mass ratio of system is found to produce higher production rate while it is associated with
higher energy consumption. The combined evacuated tube solar collectors are able to provide air
up to 130°C in some cases for the HDH system while the maximum temperature of water inside
system reaches almost 65°C.

Fig. 1. Layout of the modified air heated HDH system

Keywords: Desalination, Solar energy, HDH system, Humidification, Dehumidification

63
Numerical simulation of the convection and diffusion process
of the discharge of hot concentrated brine in desalination
Shenglin Quan*, Pengda Zhao, Qinggang Qiu, Shengqiang Shen
Dalian University of Technology, No.2 Linggong Road, Ganjingzi District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Low temperature multi-effect distillation seawater desalination technology is used to produce

high quality fresh water,however,it will produce hot concentrated brine at the same time.Whether
the brine discharged into the sea will have an impact on the marine environment is urgent to study.
In this paper, a numerical model is established by using the MIKE software to study the process of
convection and diffusion,also heat and mass transfer process.The main research results are as follows:
1. The control equations of hydrodynamic,salinity and temperature convection and diffusion are
established. Using the eddy viscosity model to describe the turbulent flow.The boundary conditions
of the model and the numerical method of MIKE3 flow model are introduced.

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2. The model of ideal flume is designed.The results show that the surface and vertical distribution
of the salinity and temperature are periodically changed in a certain range.The distribution of
them are very similar, indicating that convection plays a leading role.In the vertical direction, the
salinity and temperature will increase synchronously with depth.But when the depth increases,
velocity decreases.
3. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the Liaodong Bay is established. The calculation of
tidal level is compared with the measured data.The results show that they are in good agreement.
The numerical simulation results could reflect the change of the tidal current in the Liaodong Bay.
The model is suitable for study the process of convection and diffusion of the concentrated brine.
4. Then, the convection and diffusion law of concentrated brine is studied. The results show that
the increase of salinity and temperature is mainly concentrated in the maximum range of 4.58
km from coastline, and most of the area in Liaodong Bay has not been affected. The surface
distribution of salinity and temperature is greatly influenced by the tidal flow and periodically
change with the flow.The surface distribution of temperature and salinity is very similar,indicating
that convection plays a leading role. In the vertical direction, the salinity and temperature value
of the same surface position will be increase along with the depth, and will accumulate at the
bottom plane.
Keywords: Multiple effect desalination; MIKE3 flow model; Convection and diffusion;Temperature
and salinity distribution

64
Renewable energy for desalination process:
efficiency and environmental impact in tropical island
using numerical modeling
Zachary Williams (1)*, Jean-François Marc Dorville (2), Michael Taylor (3)
Department of Physics, University of The West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica ([email protected]),
(1)

The Caribbean Geophysical and Numerical Research Group, Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe ([email protected]),
(2)

(3)
Department of Physics, University of The West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica ([email protected])

Desalination is considered by many experts as the main solution to the lack of freshwater for
small island developing states with low reserves of groundwater and high variability of their hy-
draulic system. Increase in the global population has urged for the need to find new, sustainable
and high quality water resources.
Coastal areas of these islands offer a large surface of salt water that can be utilized. Climate
change effects, such as increasing surface temperature and change in rainfall patterns will mean
rainwater harvesting will be increasingly unpredictable and difficult method of obtaining freshwater.
Therefore, desalination is seen as a feasible method of providing this.
Desalination still a high energy consumer, salt water reverse osmosis which is the higher pressure
method requires a high amount of energy to run. Billions of liters of water are forced through the
pressure treatments, consuming an average of 10-13 kWh per every 3.8 m3. Small islands in most
cases do not have sufficient fossil resources to provide conventional energy at a sufficient rate.
However, tropical islands are well suited to use intermittent renewable energy sources such as
solar, wind, geothermal or energy from waves.

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A numerical combination of renewable energy sources implementing solar and wind energy
sources is used to power desalination plant with energy necessary for operation.The type of plant
modeled is a reverse osmosis plant due to its low need of energy and capital. For this paper, mod-
eling of the dynamic hybrid system using a block diagram is carried out using the combination of
efficiencies of a solar panel, wind turbine and desalination plant (reverse osmosis) to determine the
overall efficiency of the system.
More than 15 years of data (i.e. water salinity, wind speed, solar irradiation, rainfall,...) obtained
by direct or remote measure and simulation are used to model the system in real conditions.That
allows to estimate the energy need, water cost and salt water discharge effect for smaller island
of the Great Antilles.
The study shows that a cost of $US0.96m3 - $US1/m3 of fresh water is possible for a saltwater
reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant powering by hybrid renewable energy system applying
adjustments in the management of the production.
Keywords: Desalination, SWRO, BWRO, Hybrid renewable energy system

65
Performance assessment of membrane distillation (MD) configurations
using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling tools
Pelin Yazgan-Birgi1,2, Mohamed I. Hassan Ali1,3, Jaichander Swaminathan4,
John H. Lienhard V4, Hassan A. Arafat1,2*
1
Center for Membrane and Advanced Water Technology,
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Masdar Institute,
*[email protected]
3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Masdar Institute,
Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
4
Rohsenow Kendall Heat Transfer Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge MA 02139-4307, USA

Several types of membrane distillation (MD) configurations exist today, which have common
performance bottlenecks. These include low permeate flux compared to other membrane-based
separation technologies, like RO, wetting and fouling issues, and unpredictable membrane lifespan
under MD operation. While direct contact MD (DCMD) is considered among the simplest and
most known MD configuration (along with air gap MD), varying its design parameters, such as the
selection of module type (flat-sheet (FS) or hollow-fiber (HF)) can make a significant performance
difference. Similarly, the performance of permeate gap MD (PGMD) strongly depends on the module
design parameters. In order to address the insistent issues and enhance the deployment of MD
technology, it is critical to understand the hydrodynamic reasons behind the performance of a par-
ticular MD design and develop suitable mitigation strategies for any problem that arise from the said
design. In this regard, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling provides extensive information
including the local effects of boundary layer on fluid flow and its influence on the overall heat and
mass transport of a specific MD configuration. In this work, three dimensional CFD models were
developed for two case studies, and the models were validated for different MD configurations.

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Then, a two-level full factorial analysis was performed for each case to design the simulation runs
and examine the effect of selected parameters on process performances based on the responses
collected from the designed CFD simulation runs.
In the first case, the performance of PGMD configuration, which is a promising hybrid version
of DCMD and air-gap MD configurations, was investigated. The validated PGMD model was used
to examine the effect of selected parameters on permeate flux and thermal efficiency.The selected
parameters for the PGMD configuration were permeate gap conductivity (kgap), permeate gap thick-
ness (dgap), membrane distillation coefficient (Bm) and module length (Lmodule). In the second case study,
the validated CFD models of FS and HF MD modules were used to compare their performances
under DCMD operating conditions. Additionally, the importance of key operating parameters and
their interactions on the FS and HF modules performance were inspected in terms of permeate flux
and temperature polarization phenomena under the same hydrodynamic conditions. The selected
operating parameters for the DCMD configuration were feed inlet temperature (Tf), permeate inlet
temperature (Tp), Reynolds number on the feed side (Ref) and Reynolds number on the permeate
side (Rep). The effect of each factor and interactions between the factors were evaluated for each
membrane configuration/module, and the observed trends were discussed.
Keywords: Membrane distillation; PGMD, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD); Heat and mass transfer

66
WRDC approach for MSF distillers inspection
Abdullah A. Aladwani, Naser B. Boftain*
Water Resources Development Center, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Kuwait.
*Email: [email protected]

The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) depends on seawater for the production of drink-
ing water.The water produced by Multi Stages Flash (MSF) comprises 89% of the total desalinated
water produced by MEW (463.1 million imperial gallons per day). The Ministry, conducts periodic
preventive maintenance on distillers in order to maintain its continuous performance efficiently,
ensuring the availability of distillation units and reducing the material and moral losses resulting
from faults and sudden shutdown. Inspection is a major and vital phase of the maintenance series
of the distillers. Besides inspecting the internal distillation condition and checking the validity of
its structure and parts, it includes recommendations and instructions for maintenance works that
will maintain the level of production and help to avoid the sudden trips. The inspection of distill-
ers operating in MEW is one of the main functions of the Water Resources Development Center
(WRDC). These inspections carried out by a team of specialized engineers. The engineers inspect
and evaluate the distillation state prior to the maintenance work in the so-called initial inspection
and after the annual maintenance work, known as the final inspection or in other cases during the
evaluation of chemicals or methods of operation. The inspection process went through develop-
ments in terms of procedures, parts, characterization, evaluation and documentation, and increased
frequency of inspection due to the expansion of the construction of distillers witnessed by the
Ministry until the number of inspections for the purpose of periodic maintenance more than 100
inspections annually.These years of practice in the inspection of distillers have resulted in consider-
able experience and reliability in the capabilities of WRDC and have helped improve the inspecting

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system. This paper presents the inspection approach followed by WRDC to inspect MSF distillers
including prats, observations, sequences and evaluation.
Keywords: Multi-stage flash distillation, Maintenance, Inspection, Ministry of Electricity and Water,
Kuwait

67
Neutral pH cleaner to remove metal fouling from membranes
Nuria Peña Garcíaa,Victoria Velascoa, Javier Rodrigueza, Fernando del Vigoa,
Max Fazelb, Stephen Chestersb
a
Genesys Membrane Products, C/Londres 38, Oficina 204,
Las Rozas, 28232, Madrid, Spain
b
Genesys International Ltd., 3A Aston Way,
Middlewich, CW10 OHS, Cheshire, UK
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];
Tel. +34 916667316; Fax +34 916667318

Membrane fouling is one of the major challenges for an efficient operation of water treatment
facilities, including sea water and brackish desalination plants, industrial plants and waste water
reuse/tertiary facilities (1,2,3). Main consequence of fouling phenomena on membrane systems is
an increase in operational costs, mainly related to increased energy demand, additional labor for
maintenance, chemical cleaning and reductions in membrane life (4).
The different fouling types affecting membrane systems are well known (5): these include bio-
logical fouling, particulate/colloidal matter, inorganic fouling/scaling, and organic fouling,
Although fouling by metals could be included in inorganic fouling category, it is important to
distinguish them so as to identify their source and because in some cases they may cause some
additional effects on membrane surface.
Elemental metals such as iron and manganese are quite common in water and can oxidize from
soluble to insoluble forms within a membrane and precipitate on the surface. In other cases, the
presence of metals can be related to operational practices such as the use of iron and aluminum salts
when used as coagulants to pretreat RO feed water. Both ferric chloride and alum are sometimes
overdosed and can carry over to post-precipitate and foul a membrane as a suspended solid (6).
There are also water treatment plants involved in industrial and mining processes in which
presence of metals in the feed source is very significant.
The presence of metals at the membranes surface is not only important when they are the
main fouling component. Both RO and UF membranes commonly show presence of metals as
secondary component of fouling and this secondary component is in many cases the cause of a
poor cleanings by conventional techniques (7).Additionally, when metallic particles from corrosion
deposits (usually iron) from feed system metallurgy reach the membranes where they can affect
membrane integrity by abrasion.
Apart from the problems related to fouling, the ability of the transition metals such as iron,
manganese, copper, zinc, etc. to change the valence states catalyzing and increasing the oxidation
potential of oxidizing agents has been reported by several authors (8, 9).
For these reasons an in-depth study of how metals on membranes surface may affect plant
performance is considered of importance.
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Genesys Membrane Products S.L. (GMP) laboratory has a wide experience in the development
of autopsies, from the study of more than 1200 membrane autopsies.These autopsies are the main
tool to determinate the cause of a membrane failure, to identify fouling nature and source and to
establish if there is any possibility to recover membrane performance. During these autopsies, most
of the analyzed membranes (both RO and UF) showed the presence of metals in most cases and
approximately 10% showed these metals as a main composition of the fouling mass.Although most
common metals detected during autopsies are iron, aluminium and manganese, in some cases, and
mainly depending on the previous process, other metals could be also detected.
In this study, data from the autopsies developed in GMP laboratory will be used to show how
the presence of metals on membranes surface can affect their performance and integrity.
During this study, metals fouling removal by cleaning procedures is reviewed and discussed.These
cleaning procedures will include data obtained from a new neutral pH organic chelant cleaner
recently developed by Genesys International Ltd. with suitable characteristics for metals removal.
Keywords: Metals, Fouling, Cleaners, Autopsy

References
[1] Zhao Y., Song L., Ong A. L. Fouling behaviour and foulant characteristics of reverse osmosis membranes for treated
secondary effluent reclamation. J. Membr. Sci. 349 (2010) 65-74.
[2] Yang J., Lee S., Lee E., Lee J., Hong S. Effect of solution chemistry on the surface properties of reverse osmosis
membranes under seawater conditions. Desalination 247 (2009) 148-161.
[3] Kumar M., Adham S. S., Pearce W. R. Investigation of seawater reverse osmosis fouling and its relationship to
pretreatment type. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40 (2006) 2037- 2044.
[4] Al-Amoudi A. S. Factors affecting natural organic matter (NOM) and scaling fouling in NF membranes: A review.
Desalination 259 (2010) 1-10
[5] T. Darton, U.Annunziata, F. del Vigo Pisano, S. Gallego, Membrane autopsy helps to provide solutions to operational
problems, Desalination 167 (2004) 239-245).
[6] The Science and Technology of Industry Water Treatment. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group. Ed. by Z. Amjad,
2010.
[7] N. Peña, S. Gallego, F. del Vigo, S.P. Chesters. Evaluating impact of fouling on reverse osmosis membranes performance,
Desal. Water Treat., 51 (2013) 958-961.
[8] I.C.Tessaro, J.B.A. da Silva, K.Wada. Investigation of some aspects related to the degradation of polyamide membranes:
aqueous chlorine oxidation catalyzed by aluminium and sodium laurel sulfate oxidation during cleaning. Desalination
181 (2005) 275-282.
[9] W. Byrne, Reverse Osmosis.A Practical Guide for Industrial Users, Tall Oaks, Littleton, CO, 1995.

68
Drinking water from brackish groundwater without disposal
(zero discharge)
Ron C.M. Jong
Vitens NV, Oude Veerweg 1, NL 8019 BE Zwolle,The Netherlands
e-mail: [email protected]

Background of research project

New sites for winning clean fresh groundwater are not unlimited available in the eastern part of
the Netherlands. Due to human influences, the quality of groundwater gets worse and pesticides,
herbicides and medicines are present in shallow groundwater at more locations.
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Brackish ground water, which is old and still free of anthropogenic influences, can offer a pos-
sible outcome. In this case, only salts have to be removed.
Boundary condition of Vitens for this application is that the solution must be able to be deployed
location independent, so without discharge of waste streams.Thus, no energy and time is required
for the long term request for authorization of concentrate discharge.

The research question

Which process line can produce drinking water from brackish ground water, so that only off
residual products are released?
Techniques may be selected if proven on pilot scale (> 1 m3/h).

Goals of the project

• Quality drinking water produced meets the guidelines for drinking water. Total hardness is
allowed to be < 1 mmol/l;
• Residual substances must have market potential, preferably of the highest quality;
• Balancing criteria between the process lines are efficiency, durability,TRL (technology readiness
level) and costs;
• At the end of 2018 the pilot program for a pilot study will be set up, objective is to compare
different process lines with each other;
• Capacity of the drinking water flow will be approximately 250 m3/h.

Approach of the project

During the inventory phase (until September 2018) partners asked for ideas for complete pro-
cess lines or parts of it.
The processing of the inventory and asking of questions of explanation to applicants will take
place in the autumn of 2018.
The choice of process lines that will be evaluated during the pilot study will be carried out in
Q4 2018. The scenarios will be elaborated into a detailed pilot program that includes a plan of
approach for the pilot research that takes place in 2019.
The pilot plant research to compare different scenarios will start in the beginning of 2019.
Keywords: Brackish ground water, New water resources, Zero discharge, Resource recovery from
concentrate

69
Desalination and renewable energy in Brazil
Antonio José Juliani
Esplanada dos Ministerios, Bloco J, sala 504
e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +55 (61) 999098967

In recent years, Brazil has been facing water and energy crises with great regularity, due to the
lack of rainfall and structural problems, even though Brazil has 12% of the world’s freshwater vol-
ume.The Brazilian power supply is essentially made up of hydroelectric dams and the main problem

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with this strategy is the vulnerability of the system in periods of atypical droughts, which may lead
to power interruptions (blackouts) and to force public measures of energy saving (rationing). In
2001, for example, the country experienced the greatest crisis in its history in this sector, when
the risk of blackout was combated through intense rationing of energy, with the objective of re-
ducing household expenses by 20%. After this period, plans for expanding the electricity and water
supply network were introduced, allowing for advances in this sector. However, some deficiencies
in terms of investments and project implementation have undermined the effectiveness of energy
and water policy in the country. According to data from the Brazilian Association of Investors in
Self-Production of Energy - ABIAPE, in 2013, 40% of the planned energy volume did not come into
circulation due to delays in transmission projects and in bidding processes. The energy demand
grew by 11% and the water reservoirs in the country have experienced notable decreases in the
total volume of water, reaching critical levels. These falls were mainly due to a lack of rainfall (with
the worst rates since 1954) and a record increase in energy consumption. In the state of São Paulo,
in 2014, the Cantareira System reservoir - responsible for water supply throughout the São Paulo
Metropolitan Region - reached one of its lowest levels in history, comparable only to the rationing
season of 2001.The Operator National System recommended a 5% reduction of energy consump-
tion throughout the region. In the rest of the country - including the Northeastern region, which
is experiencing significant droughts and dwindling water reserves - the situation is very similar
with water supply problems and the risk of an energy crisis. This situation requires a reordering
of the issue of energy production and water distribution in Brazil, with measures to streamline
the execution of projects in the sector and to expand the supply of new sources of supply, such
as the construction of water desalination plants and the expansion of other energy sources, such
as the construction of wind farms. The objective of this work is to propose the construction of
a desalination plant on the coast of the São Paulo state, in Brazil, to supply the Cantareira system,
which is responsible for supplying half the population of the greater São Paulo city and some
neighboring cities which corresponds to 8.8 million people. The study considers the location of
the desalination plant in a city at sea level whose production will supply the Jaguari/Jacareí dams
belonging to the Cantareira system, located at 700 m high. The pumping should be done by wind
power units.The idea is to contribute to the establishment of public policies for the effective supply
of water that is economically, socially and environmentally accessible in one of the most populous
and important regions of Brazil.
Keywords: Desalination, Renewable energy, Water and energy crises, Public policies

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70
A global analysis of five years management of slurry
with natural treatment systems for wastewater (NTSW)
in Gran Canaria using a pilot plant
C.A. Mendieta-Pino1, S.O. Pérez-Báez2, A. Ramos-Martín3, F. León-Zerpa4, A. Ruíz-García5
(1)(2)
Institute for Environmental Studies and Natural Resources (i-UNAT),
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)
(3)
Department of Process Engineering. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)
(4)
Institute of Intelligent Systems and Numerical Applications in Engineering (SIANI), University of Las Palmas de
Gran Canaria. (ULPGC)
(5)
Department of Mecanic Engineering. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)
+34616221076 [email protected]
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34 686169516

The objective of this article is to describe the experience on management, behavior and organic
waste removal capacity in a pig farm over a 5 years period. In this farm there is a pilot plant with a
singular design of Natural Treatment Systems for Wastewater (NTSW) composed of: rotary sieve,
first generation multi-chamber biodigestor, two constructed wetlands (CW) with subsurface flow
and a facultative pond between both CWs.
The pilot plant has operated for 5 years (2009-2015), after the first year of commissioning
(2008). This plant, located in the Island of Gran Canaria, has allowed to verify the suitability of the
solutions applied to livestock waste, adaptability to variations in concentration (incoming batches),
organic load, flow and atmospheric conditions. Data, was collected through 30 variables distributed
between dry and wet periods, and significant correlations have been found between them.
In general, NTSW have stable and cyclic elimination percentages according to the time of year.
Noteworthy is the significant elimination of the total COD (91.84% on average), soluble COD
(96.11% on average), total suspended solids (TSS) and fixed solids (FS) (more than 90%) and other
micro-elements such as copper, iron, manganese, zinc, (above 80% reduction) or the virtual exhaus-
tion of total nitrogen (93.77%) or phosphorus (98.80%). The process is delivered with minimum
energy consumption, located in the rotary sieve system, as all movement is performed by gravity.
The biodigester stands out for decreasing soluble COD. The particulated COD which was not
eliminated in the biodigester, is converted in soluble COD in CW nº1. The CW nº2 is better in
organic load removal than the CW nº1 because CW nº2 improves the yield with respect to CW
due to good work done by facultative pond placed in between then. NTSW show outstanding
capacity of COD removal (total, particulate and soluble) above 90% and conductivity 50%
Globally, the NTSW system exhibits a stationary behavior during the entire study period, even
when the system intake is given in batches, thus showing that the integration and combination of
different equipment allows NTSW to obtain a remarkable elimination performance and stability to
load and variations of flow. NTSW can be considered an alternative solution to the management
of waste in livestock farms with similar sizes.
Keywords: Natural systems, Anaerobic digester, Slurry management, Wastewater treatment, Con-
structed wetlands, Ponds, COD removal, Low-cost treatment, Organic load removal

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71
Colloidal fouling mitigation and energy saving potentials
of pulsating flows in osmotic membrane processes
A. Kastl*, A. Präbst, F. Kiefer, T. Sattelmayer
Lehrstuhl für Thermodynamik,Technische Universität München, Germany
*corresponding author: [email protected],Tel. +49 89 289 16252

Fouling control and mitigation are the major challenges of membrane processes. In particular the
deposition of colloidal particles depends on a range of parameters including hydraulic conditions,
membrane properties and properties of the particles themselves. In this study a strategy for fouling
mitigation by applying pulsating flows is investigated. Dynamic flows generate high wall shear stress
on the membrane, which prevents the build-up of a cake layer. This allows to treat highly polluted
water, reduce pretreatment, lower maintenance costs, reduce necessary chemicals, and decrease
brine disposal. The shear stress profile depends on several factors including frequency, amplitude
ratio and volume flow rate.
The studies are based on experiments of colloidal fouling in forward osmosis (FO), which al-
lows to conduct the experiments under pulsating flows at ambient pressure conditions. In addition
to these technical advantages, colloidal fouling plays a crucial role in the treatment of waste-
water and pharmaceutical processes including feed water with a high Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
content, where FO is preferable to other membrane processes (Ansari et al. 2018, Ge et al. 2017).
Although fouling tends to be reversible (Tow et al. 2018), it significantly reduces the flux during
continuous operation and extensive cleaning is necessary. Therefore, this study focuses on the ef-
fect of pulsating feed flows on the build-up of colloidal cake layers. It investigates the influence of
frequency, volume flow rate, and amplitude (Strouhal and Keulegan-Carpenter Number) on fouling
mitigation as well as the energy saving potential. The findings concerning underlying mechanisms
are expected to be transferable to RO. Studies show that the cake layer formation is not depending
on the feed pressure (Tow et al. 2018).
The experimental setup consists of three main components: A flat sheet FO test cell, a rotating
disk in the feed cycle that generates pulsating flows and a measurement instrument for dynamic
volume flow rates based on the studies of Doblhoff-Dier et al. (2011). The frequencies chosen
were in the range of 0.1 to 20 Hz. The mean effective velocity inside the test cell varied from 0.1-
0.3 m/s and the amplitude ratios from 0 to 1.3. Experiments were conducted for steady-state and
transient conditions. The investigated feed solutions contained high colloid concentrations of 5 g/l
of colloidal silica with a size of 200-300 nm. Fouling was monitored by measuring the flux decline
and pressure loss in the module over a period of 5 hrs. Using the experimental results, a model
that correlates the transient cross-flow velocity with the growth of the colloidal cake layer in FO
and that predicts the influence on the energy requirements was derived.
In Figure 1a and 1b results for steady-state and dynamic measurements with an amplitude ratio
of 1.3 and a mean volume flow rate of 40 l/h, resulting in a mean velocity of 0.2 m/s, are shown.
Figure 1a shows the volume flow rate over time and Figure 1b the normalized flux through the
membrane. It is an interesting result that the flux decreases more rapidly in the transient than in the
steady-state case. It declines to 60% of the initial flux while it reaches 40% in the steady-state case.
Keywords: Pulsating flow, Colloids, Fouling, Membrane, Experiment, Forward osmosis

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As it is shown in Figs. 1a and 1b, the growth of a colloidal cake layer in FO can be significantly
reduced by inducing a transient feed flow.To identify fouling mitigation and energy saving potentials,
a systematic investigation led to a predictive model. The presented results indicate that pulsating
flows are an efficient operation strategy to decrease fouling while avoiding chemical treatment
and extensive cleaning.

Fig. 1.Volume flow rate in feed channel (a) and comparison of normalized flux in steady-state and pulsating
conditions at 12 Hz (b)

References
[1] Tow et al.: Comparison of fouling propensity between reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, and membrane distillation,
Journal of Membrane Science, 556 (2018) 352-364.
[2] Ansari et al.: Physical cleaning techniques to control fouling during the pre-concentration of high suspended-solid
content solutions for resource recovery by forward osmosis, Desalination, 429 (2018) 134-141.
[3] Ge et al.: Draw solutions for forward osmosis processes: Developments, challenges, and prospects for the future,
Journal of Membrane Science, 442 (2013) 225-237.
[4] Choi et al.: Integrating seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation forward osmosis process using thin-film
composite mixed matrix membrane with functionalized carbon nanotube blended polyethersulfone support layer,
Chemosphere, 185 (2013) 1181-1188.
[5] Doblhoff-Dier et al.: Time resolved measurement of pulsating flow using orifices, Flow Measurement and
Instrumentation, 22 (2011) 97-103.

72
Opportunities for solar desalination: U.S. R&D status
Vasilis Fthenakis*, Adam Atia
*Corresponding Author: e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 6316181717

The water desalination industry is booming. Investment in new plants topped

US$21 billion in 2015, and that amount is expected to double by 2020. However,
almost all the world’s 18,000-plus desalination plants are powered by fossil fuels
which add to the greenhouse effect about 2-6 kg CO2 for each m3 of fresh water produced. Water

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desalination can be a sustainable solution to resolving water scarcity if it is affordable and safe for
the environment.
Solar powered water desalination has the potential to dramatically increase availability of fresh
water in arid locations which by virtue of their topography and climate have large solar resources.
The main roadblock in the wide use of desalination is its upfront and operating cost. In most areas,
reverse osmosis (RO) is the lowest cost technology both in terms of capital investment and op-
erating costs. The capital costs of RO desalination plants are in the range of $600-$1600 per m3/d
of capacity (GWI, 2015), depending on the plant’s size, the feedwater’s quality and pre-treatment
requirements, and its location. The cost of water produced by large (i.e., >50,000 m3/d) SW RO
desalination plants ranges from $0.53/m3 to $1.65 /m3, with the exception of several plants in Aus-
tralia for which the costs are much higher (GWI, 2015). This cost strongly depends on the price
of electricity, and pre-treatment requirements, in addition to capital costs. The operating costs
of RO has been reduced over the last several years because of the usage of higher permeability
membranes, pressure recovery devices, and more efficient pumps (Elimelech and Phillip, 2011).
Such improvements tool place mainly during 1990-2005 and took the cost of RO desalination from
~$2/m3 down to a low of $0.53/m3. However the cost declines did not continue past 2005 as any
benefits resulted from more efficient membranes were counterbalanced with higher energy and
material costs (GWI, 2015). Currently, the operating pressure at SWRO plants is just 25% higher
than the theoretical limit for overcoming the osmotic pressure, so little room for improvement is
possible in further reducing energy requirements in the field. Opportunities for further reducing
the cost of desalination are related to the use of ‘free fuel’ from renewable technologies, to longer
lasting fouling-resistant and chlorine-resistant membranes, and to hybrid designs that can handle
the fluctuations of solar energy.
Powering RO plants with electricity produced by photovoltaics is currently the lowest cost solar
desalination option as the cost of PV electricity generation from high irradiation regions has been
lowered to ~5 cent/kWh and is expected to continue decreasing. A main driver for the drastic
system price reductions of PV have been the increase on module efficiencies and reduction of their
prices. Every doubling of the cumulative capacity of PV module production during the last ten years,
has resulted to a 22% reduction in module prices; this corresponds to a ‘progress ratio’, defined
as the ratio of new price over the previous price, of 0.78). The price of battery electricity storage
is being reduced at about the same progress ratio as that of PV modules. Cheaper storage is on
the verge of massively expanding the markets enabled by PV, and this includes water desalination.
The price reductions of solar electricity catalyze R&D and Deployment in desalination according
to two mechanisms: a) Energy cost is up to ½ of the cost of water produces by desalination so
reducing this cost increases the desalination market and correspondingly the PV market; b) larger
desalination markets (due to lower solar electricity cost) creates the incentive for developing tech-
nology hybridization or new desalination technologies which can handle solar variability. In addition
to cost, the desalination industry is looking to ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as it is
scrutinized by stakeholders for their high carbon profile; this is the main incentive for the creation
of the Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance (GCWDA), co-founded by Dr. Fthenakis, which
was launched in Paris during the COP21, sponsored by the governments of the UAE and France.
Fthenakis will present the current status of solar desalination research at Columbia University
including a flexible desalination design that won the US Department of Energy -Israel Ministry of
Infrastructure Integrated Energy-Desalination Design Challenge in 2018.
Keywords: Solar desalination, Flexible, Reverse osmosis

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73
A numerical study on flow characteristics of horizontal tube falling film
with column flow
Jie Wang1, Tao Lu1, Shengqiang Shen2, Xue Chen1*, Bo Liu3
1
. School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology,
Beijing 100029, China
2.
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
3.
Science and Technology on Space Physics Laboratory, Beijing, 100076, China
e-mail: [email protected]

Horizontal tube falling film evaporation has been used in multi-effective distillation desalination
due to high heat transfer rate and low temperature difference.The flow state of liquid film around
the horizontal tube directly dominates the heat transfer. Therefore, a three-dimension numerical
investigation of a liquid film falling around a horizontal tube was performed using VOF to study
the flow characteristics with column flow, as shown in Fig. 1. The effects of inter-tube spacing and
Reynolds number on flow characteristics involving the film thickness distribution along circum-
ferential angle and axial length have been analyzed in detail. The numerical simulation results can
accurately match the flow behavior captured in previous experiment under the same condition
(Re = 258, s =20 mm), as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 Dominant region and grid.

Fig. 2 Flow state of horizontal tube falling film: present simulated result (left) and previous experimental
one with same condition (right).

The results indicated that horizontal tube falling film flow takes on strong three-dimensional
features, the film thickness with l*=0 has a good agreement with Nusselt’ solution, but the that with

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l*=0.5 is much larger than Nusselt’ solution. The enhancement in Reynolds number has a greater
influence on film thickness near l*=0.5 rather than that near l*=0. Moreover, the comparisons
between water and seawater were also presented.
Keywords Horizontal tube falling film, Film thickness, Three-dimension simulation, Tube spacing,
Seawater

74
Long term boron rejection of thin-film nanocomposite membrane
at Pembroke desalination plant in Malta: a case study
Alvaro Lagartos1, Metin Oruc1, Eugene Rozenbaoum1, Hoon Hyung1,
Juan Carlos de Armas1, David Sacco2
LG Chem – Water Solution Business,
Water Service Corporation
Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: [email protected] Tel. +34 647674355

Keywords: Desalination, Boron rejection, Thin-film nanocomposite, Reverse osmosis

Introduction
Boron is one of the important regulatory constituents for drinking and irrigation water. In ir-
rigational use, while boron in small quantities is essential for the plant growth, an excessive amount
of boron is known to be toxic to some plants. Because of that, even though the World Health
Organization (WHO) raised the maximum boron concentration for drinking water to 2.4 mg/l in
2009, there are still some countries that have much tighter regulation than the WHO guideline.
For example, many countries in the Mediterranean Sea area has the drinking water guidelines
stipulating the maximum boron concentration in the range of 0.3 to 1.0 mg/l. Implementation of
these stringent standards to the quality of water produced by reverse osmosis membranes creates
a challenge to the seawater desalination industry.
In early 2016 LG Chem’s NanoH2O sea water RO membranes manufactured with the patented
Thin-Film Nanocomposite (TFN) technology were installed in Pembroke desalination plant in Malta.
The most challenging requirement of this project was to ensure the boron concentration in the
permeate stream to remain below 0.9 mg/l after 5 years of operation. After more than 2 years of
operation, the membranes maintain an excellent boron rejection performance without any further
pH adjustment of the feed water which has relatively lower pH of around 6.7.

Highlights:
This case study will highlight the following points:
• Boron rejection mechanism by TFN membranes;
• Long term operation performance of TFN membranes;
• Boron rejection performance of TFN membranes without pH adjustment.

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Project Background
Based on the operation data and performance for more than 2 years, the following points will
be discussed:
• Boron in seawater can be found in two distinct forms: boric acid, the non-ionic form that
dominates below pH of about 9; and borate, the ionic form that dominates above pH of about
9. While borate is usually well rejected by RO technology, the boric acid form tends to have a
much higher passage through the membranes. At a typical seawater pH of about 8, the boron
rejection tends to be much worse than that of sodium chloride and usually does not exceed
90-92% for the majority of commercially available RO membranes.
• To alleviate the problem of lower boron rejection by RO membranes, there are two common
methods in the desalination industry: pH adjustment of the feed stream or use of two-pass RO
systems. Pros and cons of each method including the cost estimates will be discussed.
• Pembroke desalination plant, one of the three desalination facilities in Malta, produces 54,000
m3/day of water on 12 single-pass trains at 45% recovery. During the pretreatment phase, the
incoming seawater is treated with acid bringing the pH to about 6.7, which makes the boron
removal an even more challenging task.
• TFN membranes with the nanomaterial in the active layer demonstrate a superior boron rejection
compared to the conventional TFC membranes under the same operating conditions. It is
speculated that the improved boron rejection is caused by the binding effect of the nanomaterial
and the boron forms in the feed water. Based on the historic record of the TFN installation it
will be shown that the required levels of boron in the product can be achieved without costly
pH adjustment or a second RO pass.

Results/Outcomes
The results obtained in this study during more than 2 years of operation in the Pembroke de-
salination plant in Malta will highlight the following:
• Overall performance of TFN membranes: successful and reliable long-term performance of TFN
membranes with respect to boron and salt removal with minimum membrane degradation;
• Boron rejection of TFN membranes without pH adjustment: impressive results of boron rejection
by TFN membranes at low pH and the potential OPEX benefits that could be brought to a
desalination facility by the TFN technology.

Conclusions
Low level of boron in permeate water is still a critical factor in seawater desalination in many
countries in the Mediterranean region. A case study of Pembroke desalination plant in Malta with
more than 2 years of operation data will showcase a successful implementation of TFN membranes
to maintain boron concentration within the local guidelines without use of additional passes or
pH adjustment.

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75
Advantages and disadvantages of reverse osmosis hybrid membrane
configuration in seawater for different water treatment plant sizes
Alvaro Lagartos
LG Chem,Water Solution Business, Barcelona, Spain

Introduction
A seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) system with a membrane hybrid configuration is a com-
bination of two or more different membrane models within the same pressure vessel (PV). This
type of design is usually used due to two possible reasons: A) to achieve a suitable design balanc-
ing the flux/recovery within a PV. B) To customize membrane performance to a specific need of a
project in terms of quality and pressure requirements. Although they are commonly used in the
water industry, particularly in large projects, there are still many professionals who are skeptical
about the use of hybrids due to the possible inconveniences involved in installation, maintenance
and membrane replacement. A comparison study of different size projects using membrane hybrid
and non-hybrid design has been performed in order to evaluate the possible advantages and dis-
advantages in A and B scenarios.

Highlights
The following highlights will be shown in this study:
• Three different plant sizes will be studied using a hybrid and non-hybrid membrane configuration:
100,000 m3/d, 10,000 m3/d and 1,000 m3/d
• A financial comparison evaluation will be performed for the first five year of operation of each
case, including capital cost (CAPEX) and operational costs (OPEX).
• Additional points of discussion:
Replacement rates (RR) of different types of membranes
Different Average Membrane Life Time (AMLT) of each type of membranes
Different plant requirements due to fouling or scaling scenarios with two types of membranes

Methodology/Process
For each plant and configuration, two different scenarios will be analyzed:
A) Design Requirement: to achieve a suitable design balancing the flux/recovery within a PV
to avoid exceeding the maximum element flux or/and recovery
B) Quality and/or Pressure requirements: to customize the membrane performance
to a specific need of a project in terms of quality and pressure requirements
For each case, the following parameters will be studied:
• Energy consumption: annual energy consumption based on kW/h/m3 of water produced will
be analyzed for each case for the first five years of operation.
• Labor hour requirement:An estimation of the number of hour required due to initial membrane
installation, planning and maintenance including membrane replacement will be evaluated for
the first 5 years of operation of each case.
• Consumables

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Further general evaluation for both configurations will be shown for the following design pa-
rameters:
• RR for different type of membranes
• AMLT for different type of membranes and deviations from projections performed during the
design phase
• Different replacements requirement due to fouling/scaling issues

Results/Outcomes
The results from this study will show the differences in term of CAPEX and OPEX cost for dif-
ferent RO plant sizes using hybrid and non-hybrid membrane configuration.Also, it will show other
design parameters to be considered and their actual influence in the different plant size projects.

Conclusions
Despite membrane hybrid configuration being commonly used in the desalination water industry,
it could have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of OPEX, CAPEX and maintenance
procedures in comparison with membrane non-hybrid configuration. This study will expose and
compare them to simplify and ease the decision making process at the design phase for reverse
osmosis plants with different production sizes.

76
Photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis desalination:
Optimum technical and economic configuration of system components
in autonomous operation mode
C.S. Karavas, K.G. Arvanitis, G. Papadakis*
Department of Natural Resources and Agricultural Engineering,
Agricultural University of Athens,
Iera Odos 75, Athens 11855, Greece
Keywords: Sea water desalination,Variable load operation,
Photovoltaics, Energy management system.
*Presenting author email: [email protected]

The increase of the population and the climate change have led to one of most significant issues
of the worldwide agenda, which is the water scarcity (Gosling and Arnell, 2016). There are many
areas in the world, such as islands and coastal regions, that have significant shortage in potable
water supply and more than 2 billion people do not have access to fresh water. An alternative sus-
tainable solution to face water scarcity is water desalination (Dimitriou et al., 2014) and reverse
osmosis (RO) has become the dominant desalination process today worldwide (Lee et al., 2011).
Furthermore, the continuously increase of the fossil fuels prices and their environmental impact
as compared to the advantages of the renewable energy systems (RES), makes the combination of
RES with desalination units a sustainable and economically viable solution (Ghaffour et al., 2015).
Many Mediterranean countries suffer from water scarcity (Bdour et al., 2009) while the popula-
tion growth and living standards increase the water supply problem in the whole Mediterranean
basin (García-Ruiz et al., 2011). Specifically, many regions in Greece, such as Aegean islands (mainly

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the Dodecanese and Cyclades island complexes), are characterized by low water availability (Zotalis
et al., 2014). The water deficiency problem is more crucial in these islands during summertime,
due to the higher water demand for tourists and crops’ irrigation. The problem of water shortage
is partially solved by transporting water which is subsidized by the Greek government (Mentis et
al., 2016). The transportation of water is expensive and it has great environmental impact due to
the carbon emissions of the ships that transport the water. Desalination units are being installed
in the islands but they use the grid electricity which is mainly generated by fossil fuels. As a result,
the desalination units increase the problems on grid frequency stability, a problem which the islands
energy systems already face especially during the summer. Given the fact that the Aegean islands
are characterised by high solar radiation potential, the combination of RES, with sea water reverse
osmosis (SWRO) desalination units could be the most appropriate way to face the water shortages
in these islands (Karavas and Papadakis, 2017).
The integration of desalination plants and the variable energy production of RES require a cost
effective planning strategy in order to design the optimum energy supply system and water and
solar electricity storages. In the current study, the optimum technical and economic configuration
of a stand-alone small-scale SWRO desalination system powered by photovoltaics (PV) was inves-
tigated in order to tackle water scarcity in islands by producing fresh water of acceptable quality
at all operating conditions.
The solar powered SWRO desalination system is considered to be installed in a small Aegean
island at Cyclades complex.The stand-alone PV-SWRO desalination system should be able to cover
a given daily water consumption profile and the SWRO desalination unit must satisfy the water
demand at all times. In order to find the optimum SWRO desalination system, five different sce-
narios of PV-SWRO system configurations were considered. The objective was to determine the
most feasible configuration at the lowest cost. In all scenarios, the PV array consists of a number
of typical monocrystalline silicon PV modules and a programmable DC-to-DC converter able to
find the maximum power point of the PV array (optimize PV’s efficiency).
Initially, a targeted experimental investigation of a small-scale SWRO desalination unit equipped
with an energy recovery device (Clark pump) (Karavas et al., 2018) was performed in order to
develop its dynamic model. The SWRO desalination unit was studied operating at variable condi-
tions and at various temperatures of the feed water.The various feed water temperatures affect the
operation of the desalination unit.The objective was to study the performance of the desalination
unit operating at a range of pressures imposed by varying the power input while producing fresh
water with sufficient quality (electrical conductivity under of 1000 μS/cm). Three different feed
water temperatures were selected in order to investigate the operation of the SWRO desalination
unit under variable power input. In this study, the salt concentration of the test water was kept
constant to 32000 ppm. The variables that were consider necessary to be investigated in order
to evaluate the SWRO desalination unit performance, were the specific energy consumption, the
pressure at the inlet of the membrane, the water recovery ratio and the electrical conductivity
of the fresh water. The experimental results clearly indicate that the SWRO desalination unit can
operate at various temperatures and it can produce fresh water with adequate quality in a wide
range of power inputs. The operation range of the membrane was identified between 35 and 50
bar depending on the feed water salinity and temperature.
Subsequently in order to define optimum configuration options for PV-SWRO units five scenarios
were examined: First scenario: the stand-alone PV-SWRO desalination system does not incorporate
any energy storage device but it does incorporate water storage and the desalination unit oper-
ates at nominal load (constant feed flow rate and pressure). Also the DC-to-DC converter is an
ON/OFF power controller. The desalination unit starts operating when the PV power is sufficient
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to operate the SWRO unit at the nominal load (constant feed flow rate and pressure). Second
scenario: the stand-alone PV-SWRO desalination system does not incorporate any energy storage
device, it does incorporate water storage while it operates under variable power supply and vari-
able conditions (variable feed flow rate and pressure).The desalination unit starts operating when
the PV power reaches a specific limit and it stops when the PV power is not sufficient to operate
the desalination motor. Third scenario: the stand-alone SWRO desalination system incorporates
both energy storage device and water storage. An energy management system (EMS) based on a
hysteresis control scheme is considered to be installed in the DC-to-DC converter.The hysteresis
is used to activate or deactivate the desalination unit based on the State of Charge (SOC) of the
battery bank. When the SOC is above a set high limit of SOC then the desalination unit is turned
on and operates at nominal load until the SOC drops below a set low limit of SOC. In the forth
and the fifth scenarios the components of the stand-alone SWRO desalination system are the
same as those of the third scenario. The difference is that the energy management system and the
desalination unit are allowed to operate at variable load (variable feed flow rate and pressure). In
the fourth scenario, the energy management system is based on Fuzzy Logic and in the fifth scenario
the energy management system is based on Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM).
The five different scenarios were afterwards compared techno-economically. The economic
analysis was performed according to the market prices of the components. The economic life of
the system was considered to be 20 years. The depreciation of the capital investment in the same
period is considered at an interest rate of 5% and the annuity factor of the depreciation was set
equal to 8%.The design and the optimum sizing of the system in each scenario took place with the
utilization of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The PSO algorithm has been chosen because of
the good results it has produced in energy systems optimizations. The purpose of optimization is
to obtain the design that fulfils all technical constraints set and most appealing in terms of cost.
The simulations of the scenarios were performed using a platform which consists of the TRNSYS,
MATLAB, GenOPT and TRNOPT software packages.
The obtained results indicated that all the different configurations of stand-alone SWRO de-
salination system can cover 100% the water needs of 7 people. The comparison of the different
scenarios showed that the PV-SWRO desalination system equipped with an energy management
system based on FCM presented the lowest cost and the lowest specific energy consumption. In
addition, as compared to water transportation, the stand-alone SWRO system can produce fresh
drinkable water at a cost lower than about 60%.

References
Bdour,A.N., Hamdi, M.R.,Tarawneh, Z., 2009. Perspectives on sustainable wastewater treatment technologies and reuse
options in the urban areas of the Mediterranean region. Desalination 237(1-3), 162-174.
Dimitriou, E., Mohamed, E.S., Karavas, C., Papadakis, G., 2014. Experimental comparison of the performance of two reverse
osmosis desalination units equipped with different energy recovery devices. Desalination and Water Treatment, 1-8.
García-Ruiz, J.M., López-Moreno, J.I., Vicente-Serrano, S.M., Lasanta–Martínez, T., Beguería, S., 2011. Mediterranean
water resources in a global change scenario. Earth-Science Reviews 105(3-4), 121-139. Ghaffour, N., Bundschuh, J.,
Mahmoudi, H., Goosen, M.F.A., 2015. Renewable energy-driven desalination technologies: A comprehensive review
on challenges and potential applications of integrated systems.
Desalination 356, 94-114.
Gosling, S.N., Arnell, N.W., 2016. A global assessment of the impact of climate change on water scarcity. Climatic
Change 134(3), 371-385.
Karavas, C.-S., Arvanitis, K.G., Kyriakarakos, G., Piromalis, D.D., Papadakis, G., 2018. A novel autonomous PV powered
desalination system based on a DC microgrid concept incorporating short-term energy storage. Solar Energy 159,
947-961.
Karavas, C.-S., Papadakis, G., 2017. Renewable energy driven small-scale sea water reverse osmosis desalinationsystems:

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A Survey. J Fundam Renewable Energy Appl 7: e115.

Lee, K.P.,Arnot,T.C., Mattia, D., 2011.A review of reverse osmosis membrane materials for desalination— development
to date and future potential. J. Membr. Sci. 370(1), 1-22.
Mentis, D., Karalis, G., Zervos, A., Howells, M., Taliotis, C., Bazilian, M., Rogner, H., 2016. Desalination using renewable
energy sources on the arid islands of South Aegean Sea. Energy 94, 262-272.
Zotalis, K., Dialynas, E.G., Mamassis, N., Angelakis, A.N., 2014. Desalination technologies: hellenic experience. Water
6(5), 1134-1150.

77
The management of desalination impacts in Spain
Iván Sola Macia1, Domingo Zarzo Martínez2, Adoración Carratalá3,
Yolanda Fernández Torquemada1, José Luis Sánchez Lizaso1
1
Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada,
Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Alicante, España.
2
Valoriza Agua, Paseo de la Castellana, 83-85, 28046. Madrid, España.
3
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Alicante,
San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Alicante, España.
[email protected]

Desalination plants can have an impact on the environment that may be minimised. In this study,
a review has been carried out to analyse how the impact of the desalination industry in Spain has
been managed. Researches carried out to date have allowed knowing the effects of hypersaline
discharges on the benthic organisms and communities and how they can be mitigated.The applica-
tion of this knowledge has allowed that the development of the desalination sector in Spain was
done without producing significant impacts on the marine communities or, when some impact has
been observed in monitoring programmes, they have been reversed. Moreover, the application of
environmental management plans with the use of bioindicators have allowed to discriminate be-
tween the effects of desalination and others impacts with a spatial confluence, such as aquaculture,
land reclamation or sewage.
The experience acquired to date may be applied to other countries where the desalination is
developing in order to minimise its impacts on the environment.
Keywords: Seawater desalination; Environmental impacts; Brine discharge; Reverse osmosis; Envi-
ronmental management plan

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78
Impacts of natural pore-water and offshore aquifer chemistry
on the operation and economics of some subsurface intakes types
for SWRO plants
Thomas M. Missimer1*, Ian Watson2, Robert G. Maliva3, Noreddine Ghaffour4,
Abdullah A. H. Dehwah4, John Woolschlager1, Michael Hegy1
1
Florida Gulf Coast University, Emergent Technologies Institute,
U. A.Whitaker College of Engineering,
16301 Innovation Lane, Fort Myers, FL 33913, USA
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +1 239-810-3009
2
RosTek Associates, Inc., 16006 Langhorne Court,Tampa FL 33947USA
3
WSP USA Inc., 1567 Hayley Lane, Suite 202, Fort Myers, FL 33907 USA
4
Water Desalination and Reuse Center,
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology,Thuwal 23955-6900

Horizontal and slant wells are being investigated as a means of obtaining feed water for seawater
reverse osmosis desalination (SWRO) plants.These well types have been touted to produce higher
quality seawater that will reduce the rate of membrane biofouling by removing algae, bacteria,
transparent exopolymer particles, and other fractions of natural organic matter similar to onshore
wells located on the beach. As these new well types are being considered for large-scale use, a
careful evaluation of the biogeochemistry of seawater that occurs within the nearshore subsurface
sediments is necessary to assess potential impacts to the SWRO process train. A high percentage
of the coastlines of the world contain offshore sediments with seawater that is anoxic in nature
with significant concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and dissolved organic matter, iron, manganese,
and heavy metals. Where dissolved iron and/or manganese occur at concentrations greater than
1 mg/L in raw seawater, there can be problematical for direct treatment using the SWRO process.
Membrane scaling and biofouling could become issues, which may necessitate pretreatment to re-
duce dissolved iron and manganese to acceptable concentrations prior to entry into the membrane
process.The anoxic nature of the water could complicate the pretreatment process to remove the
dissolved metals. Pretreatment requirements could significantly raise the capital and operational
costs of SWRO negating the economic advantages of subsurface intakes. Six SWRO cost scenarios
were evaluated to assess the impacts of slant wells on capital and operating costs based on the
necessary to remove or not remove dissolved iron and manganese. The capital cost comparison
to two open-ocean intake pretreatment systems to those in slant wells shows an increase of 6 to
20%. The difference in operating costs can range from 19% lower to 15% higher depending on the
pretreatment required.
Keywords: Seawater reverse osmosis, Subsurface intake, Pretreatment, Dissolved iron, Dissolved
manganese

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79
Chitosan microparticles as a new filler
for alginate mixed matrix membranes MMMs
Krystyna Konieczny1*, Gabriela Dudek2, Roman Turczyn2
1Silesian University of Technology, Institute of Water and Wastewater Engineering,
Konarskiego 18, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
2Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Strzody 9,
44-100 Gliwice, Poland, email: [email protected]
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Composite alginate membranes (ALG) filled with bare chitosan particles CS, and glutaraldehyde
modified chitosan particles CS-GA were prepared by the stepwise casting from solution and their
effectiveness in pervaporative dehydration of water/ethanol mixture were investigated. Firstly,
physico-chemical properties of all membranes were studied by measuring the swelling character-
istic, contact angle, FTIR spectra, DSC thermograms and SEM images. The mean size D50 of CS
and CS-GA particles were determined using Malvern Zetasizer and were equalled to 0.25 and 3
μm, respectively. The influence of both types of chitosan particles as well as their content on the
transport properties of the MMMs were discussed. It was founded that the addition of the bare
chitosan particles to the alginate matrix significantly alterates its transport properties leading to
the improvement of separation parameters. In case of ALG_CS membrane with 5 wt% of bare CS
filler the values of flux and separation factor was about 2.0 times higher, and the PSI was about 3.5
times bigger in comparison with the pristine ALG membrane (Fig. 1). The modification of chitosan
particle impacts on the further improvement of experimentally estimated transport and effective-
ness characteristic of such membrane (ALG_CS-GA). Filling with CS-GA particles, propertied
decreased degree of crystallinity, results in an enhanced flux of MMMs alginate membrane.The best
effectiveness of pervaporative dehydration of ethanol was founded for ALG_CS-GA membrane

Fig. 1. Pervaporative separation index PSI of pristine ALG membrane (green) and filled with different amount
of bare CS (blue) and modified CS-GA particles (red)

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with 10 wt% of CS-GA particles. In this case, separation factor a and pervaporative separation
index PSI were equalled to 48.7 and 87.8 kg·m-2·h-1, respectively, which is about 5 and about 1.5
times higher than of pristine ALG membrane and ALG_CS membrane with 5 wt% of bare CS filler,
respectively (Fig. 1).
Keywords: Composite alginate membranes; Pervaporative dehydration of water/ethanol mixture

80
Computational study on fluid behavior by inlet distributor
within the inflow part of a pressurized module
Changkyoo Choi, Chulmin Lee, In S. Kim
Global Desalination Research Center (GDRC),
School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering,
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST),
123 Cheomdangwagi-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61005, Korea
(e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected])

Keywords: Inlet distributor, Pressurized module design, Flow distribution, Flow velocity and pres-
sure, Computational fluid dynamics

1. Introduction
The CFD could accurately interpret the flow distribution on the novel module design, i.e. the
module configurations, distributors, module shapes, etc (Bucs et al. 2015; Lim et al. 2017).Therefore,
the purpose of this study is to investigate the fluid behavior from velocity, pressure and flux, and
explain an evenness of water distribution on the inflow part of a pressurized module to induce the
non-uniformity coefficient and energy utilization using computational fluid dynamics.The originality
of this study is to find the effect of the uniform fluid distribution by newly designed inlet distribu-
tors installed at the inflow part of a pressurized membrane module.

2. Methods
In this study, ANSYS CFX (version 18.0) was employed to simulate the fluid behavior such as
velocity, pressure and flux. CFX is the most widely used CFD software tool because of an out-
standing accuracy in its hydraulic analysis of membrane modules (Oh et al., 2015).The pressurized
membrane module commonly has inflow, membrane, and outflow parts, in this study, only inflow
part was simulated because inlet distributors installed at the this part. The inflow has a down-to-
up flow that inlet plane is lower section and outlet plane is upper section, as shown in Fig. 1. The
outlet plane was divided with nine sections to analyze the flux distribution.

3. Results and conclusions

3.1 Velocity and pressure at cross-sectional plane
As shown in Fig. 3a, the fluid velocity of case 2 at the cross-sectional plane was relatively uniform
and then average velocity was the highest at 5.501 m/s among all conditions, because the fluid velocity

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Fig. 1. Structure and specifications of the Fig. 2. Detailed specifications of the inlet distributors
inflow part

Table 1. Module specification of effective area and Table 2. Boundary conditions for CFD simula-
volume on inlet distributors tions
Conditions Items inlet outlet
Condition Value
Non-distrib- Area (cm2) 19.5 361.4
Dimension 3D
utor Volume (cm3) 2,140
Flow mode Turbulent
Area (cm2) 17.7 361.4
Case 1 Inlet pressure (bar) 1
Volume (cm3) 2,086
Outlet pressure (bar) 0
Area (cm2) 19.5 361.4
Case 2 Fluid temperature (°C) 20
Volume (cm3) 2,136

Fig. 3. Contours images of velocity vector and pressure on inlet distributors at cross-sectional planes: (a)
velocity vector and (b) pressure.

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is equally distributed in the flow part due that the shape of the inlet distributor could divided the
fluid with three quarters. The average velocity of case 2 was higher than that of case 1, indicating
that the ideal fluid flow was observed among three conditions. Also, in case 2, the red color at the
center of inlet pipe was caused that the area of a center circle was smaller of 78.5 cm2 than other
circles showing that cross-sectional area of 2nd circle was 628 cm2 and that of edge circle was
1,256 cm2. Overall, the fluid velocity at the cross-sectional plane in the inflow part was high and
showed the most even distribution in case 2, indicating the ideal flow. From the results of Fig. 3b,
the water pressure distribution of case 2 was relatively uniform and the mean pressure value was
low at 14.2 kPa, because the fluid was evenly distributed by the round-shaped inlet distributor in
the inflow part. Thus, the lowest water pressure was observed in the cross-sectional plane with
the fastest flow velocity from the results of chapter 3.2.1. From the above results, it is concluded
that the water pressure at the cross-sectional plane showed the most uniform distribution and
low water pressure in case 2 as the fluid velocity indicating the ideal fluid flow.

3.2 Flux variation at sections on the outlet

Fig. 4. Flux variations at sections on the outlet plane.

Fig. 4 displays the average flux values at 9 sections which are on the outlet plane with 20 cm
interval. From the results of Fig. 4, it can be seen that every fluid passed through sections 1 to 3 in
a non-distributor and case 1, on the other hand, no flux at other section. Case 2 shows that the
fluid passed through all sections of the outlet plane except for a section 2, and standard deviation
was the lowest at 27,599 L/m2/h (max. 83,687 L/m2/h at section 7 and min. 0 L/m2/h at sections
2), and it proved that fluid is relatively uniformly distributed in the inflow part due to the inlet
distributor with two rounded shape of case 2.

3.3 Non-uniformity coefficient and energy utilization at each plane

Non-uniformity coefficient, N, is the standard deviation of the local fluxes at the specific plane,
and means that an evenness of flow is higher when the value is smaller (Zhuang et al. 2015). Fig.5a
shows the values of non-uniformity coefficient N at the five planes, i.e. inlet, and 2.8 cm, 9 cm, 11
cm and 12 cm (outlet) from inlet to identify the flow evenness within an inflow part. The N of a
non-distributor were the largest in all planes compared to other conditions, and case 1 and 2 were
relatively small, proving that the flow was uniform on each plane by inlet distributors.
A parameter of the energy utilization, η, means the pressure drop which is a fluid transport
to the place, hence high η means low pressure drop and energy utilization of the module newly

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designed (Zhuang et al. 2015). Fig. 5b shows the values of energy utilization at the four planes. The
η at 2.8 cm based on the initial pressure at inlet was 0.0019 for non-distributor, 0.0046 for case
1 and 0.0033 for case 2, and η of case 1 was the highest and that of a non-distributor was the
lowest. It was considered that the pressure drop decreased because the flow evenly distributed
by inlet distributor.

Fig. 5. Non-uniformity coefficients at five planes within an inflow part: (a) non-uniformity coefficient and
(b) energy utilization.

4. Summary
In summary, from CFD simulation results on inlet distributors, the fluid flow of inlet distributor
of case 2 was maintained the best even distribution within an inflow part of pressurized module
when considered parameters of a velocity, pressure, flux, non-uniformity coefficient and energy
utilization.

Acknowledgements
This research was supported by grants (18IFIP-B099786-05) and (18IFIP-B087389-05) from
the Plant Research Program funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the
Korean government.

References
Bucs S.S., Linares R.V., Marston J.O., Radu A.I., Vrouwenvelder J.S., Picioreanu C., 2015. Experimental and numerical
characterization of the water flow in spacer-filled channels of spiral-wound membranes. Wat. Res. 87, 299-310.
Lim K.B.,Wang P.C.,An H.,Yu S.C.M., 2017. Computational studies for the design parameters of hollow fibre membrane
modules. J. Membr. Sci. 529, 263-273.
Zhuang L., Guo H.,Wang P., Dai G., 2015. Study on the flux distribution in a dead-end outside-in hollow fiber membrane
module. J. Membr. Sci. 495, 372-383.

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81
Study on the seawater fouling during the horizontal-tube falling film
evaporation under vacuum
Xiaohua Liu, Shubo Sun, Bing Ni, Shengqiang Shen*
Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University
of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
*Corresponding author email: [email protected]

The fouling on heat transfer surfaces is a severe problem and a complex phenomenon in multiple-
effect distillation plants with horizontal tube falling film evaporators for seawater desalination.This
paper presents an experimental study on the seawater fouling during the falling film evaporation
outside the horizontal tubes under vacuum. Experiments are performed under the seawater spray
temperature of 70°C, 80°C and 90°C, the salinity of 80g/kg, 100g/kg and 120g/kg and the seawater
spray density of 0.03 kg/(m s), 0.06 kg/(m·s) and 0.08 kg/(m·s).The titanium tubes were used inside
an evaporator and Dalian local seawater selected as the working agent. The scale growing curves
under different conditions are obtained through weighting the amount of the scale formed at dif-
ferent periods. The crystalline scale layers are analyzed by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
and an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) to get the structural and chemical charac-
teristics of the scale. The results show that the salinity plays an important role in the seawater
fouling during the horizontal-tube falling film evaporation.When the spray seawater temperatures
are 70°C and 80°C and the spray density of 0.06 kg/(m·s), the asymptotic value of scale increases
with salinity, while at seawater temperature of 90°C and under the three different spray densities,
the asymptotic value of scale reduces with salinity increasing.With the seawater spray temperature
of 90°C, spray density of 0.06 kg/(m·s) and seawater salinity of 8%, 10% and 12%, the scanning
electron microscopy images of the scale on the surface of the heat transfer tubes are given out. It
is found that, with the increase of salinity, the morphology of the scale develops from the initially
needle-shaped grown of magnesium hydroxide crystals to a more regular polygonal flaky crystal
shape when the seawater salinity increases from 8% to 10%. When the salinity is 12%, clustered
growth of flaky magnesium hydroxide crystals has appeared, indicating that the increase of seawater
salinity promotes the growing of magnesium hydroxide crystals under this experimental condition.
The major component of the scale is magnesium hydroxide under this experimental condition.
Keywords: Seawater fouling; Falling film evaporation; Spray temperature; Spray density; Salinity

82
Cost analysis in SWRO desalination plants productions lines of 750,
1500 and 3000 m3/d: mathematical model and simulation
J. Feo-García
Tafira Alta. EIIC. ULPGC, Spain
e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34 607576124

At a national level, the Canary Islands are characterized for having a large amount of seawater
desalination plants that use reverse osmosis within the range 500–5000 m3/d of production, where
a significant number range from 750 to 3000 m3/d.
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Our paper carries out an exhaustive study of the OI plants with productions of 750, 1500, and
3000 m3/d, of which we know their most common expenses, such as investment-amortization,
consumption of reagents, replenishment of cartridge filters, replacement of membranes, personnel,
maintenance, environmental cost and energy consumption.
Through the study of previous costs, we worked on obtaining a cost function with which to
identify the production range based on the multivariate analysis, the factorial analysis and the
Kolmogórov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests.Also, we performed a univariate variance analysis and
the weighted least squares analysis model that regulate the total expenses of these plants.
We will calculate the deviations that appear between the real data and the study of cost func-
tion by using the real data obtained from plants in the Canary Islands that work regularly for the
productions previously mentioned.
Finally, our conclusions broadly present a cost function characteristic of said ranges and possible
options to reduce their cost.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis, Unit costs, Canary Islands, Desalination, Operating parameters

83
Energy consumption assessment of 5000 m3/d
SWRO desalination plants
J.Feo-García
Tafira Alta. EIIC. ULPGC, Spain
e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34 607576124

Within the desalination of seawater by reverse osmosis in the Canary Islands (Spain), one of
the most characteristic productions is 5000 m3/day and the most relevant cost is the energy cost.
In this article, a study of this cost in 3 fully operational plants over 4 years was made. Initially,
each of the plants was analyzed and an exhaustive study of the operative data was carried out, then
a comparative study between them was made.
The initial analysis was conducted through ROSA program then a study of the energy recovery
systems to obtain the type of data distribution and its deviations was carried out.
This article highlights the efficiency of energy recovery system, obtaining and concluding the
necessary basis for a reduction of the cost for this type of plants and production.
Keywords: Seawater, Reverse osmosis, Desalination plants, Operating data

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84
Energy consumption assessment of 300 m3/d SWRO desalination plants.
Comparison with production 600, 4000 and 5000 m3/d
J. Feo-García
Tafira Alta. EIIC. ULPGC
e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34607576124

The Canary Islands have been the first to desalinate water through reverse osmosis in Spain.
As a consequence of the size of the territory of the islands, the great majority present very small
productions but it also implies that the islands have a great experience in this type of plants.
In this article we study the monthly energy cost in two reverse osmosis desalination plants over
two operating years.
We analyze the deviations between them and the energy recovery systems used. This cost was
compare with small plants of 600 m3/d and slightly larger plants than 4000 and 5000 m3/d.
This work reflects the deviations of the energy cost in such plants compared to other larger
productions and distribution data demonstrating the necessary basis for a reduction of the cost
for this type of plant and production.
Keywords: Seawater, Reverse osmosis, Desalination plants, Operating data

85
Energy cost analysis in SWRO desalination plants.productions lines
of 2500, 7500 and 15000 m3/d
J. Feo-García
Tafira Alta. EIIC. ULPGC
e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34 607576124

The Canary Islands have more than one hundred installations of seawater desalination by re-
verse osmosis. As a consequence of this quantity, there are different productions and sizes, as well
as different production lines that installed in parallel produce the volumes of desalinated water.
In various publications we have done it shows that the most profitable production line is 7500 m3/d.
In this article we study the monthly energy cost in 3 plants, the total production being multiples
of the aforementioned production, 2500, 7500 and 15000 m3/d, respectively, over 8 operating years.
We analyze the deviations between them and compare the 3 production lines with and without
energy recovery system.
This paper presents findings on deviations energy costs in these plants regarding the most ef-
fective production line specifying in each case necessary to obtain a reduction of the cost for this
type of plant and production activities.
Keywords: Seawater. Reverse osmosis, Desalination plants, Operating data

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86
Biological and membrane-based pretreatment processes
Juan Arévalo*, Patricia Zamora, José M.Viñas, Damián Amador,
Marcelino Burgos,Victor M. Monsalvo, Frank Rogalla.
Aqualia, Innovation and Technology Department,
Avenida del Camino de Santiago 40, 28050, Madrid, Spain.
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]; Tel. +34 679216681

MIDES Project is a novel concept that integrates reverse osmosis (RO) with an innovative
technology for simultaneous wastewater treatment and desalination called a microbial desalination
cell (MDC). Microbial desalination cell merges biolectrochemical systems (BESs) and electrody-
alisis (ED) with the aim of developing a sustainable process to provide low-energy drinking water
without external energy input. Current desalination technologies require high-energy input, being
reverse osmosis (RO) the most-widely used technology for seawater desalination with an energy
consumption of at least 3 kWh/m3. The idea of the integration of MDC technology with RO post-
treatment of partially desalinated seawater allows desalination with an energy consumption below
0.5 kWh/m3, an energy saving of more than 80% compared to the leading commercial desalination
process currently implemented in industrial plants.
The rationale of the MDC relies on the use of the energy provided by electroactive bacteria
through the oxidation of organic matter contained in wastewater (up to 1.8 kWh of bioelectricity
per m3 of wastewater). This energy is utilized directly to lower salt content in seawater from 35
to 5 g/L (brackish water) without external energy input, while further salinity reduction to achieve
drinking water quality is performed in the subsequent RO step. Therefore, this novel technology
enables the simultaneous treatment two steams, saline and wastewater, by obtaining new and re-
generated water sources.
Figure 1 shows the main scheme in MIDES process treatment.

Fig. 1. MIDES process scheme.

Both saline and wastewater streams need to be pre-treated before entering the MDC. On one
hand, foulants usually present in natural salted water (inorganic suspended solids, organic matter,
colloidal particles…) are removed from the saline stream.The proper selection of the pre-treatment

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stage is a vital step to guarantee a stable operation in desalination plants. In this project, the pre-
treatment proposed for the saline stream is based on micro and ultrafiltration membranes, where
ceramic membranes were compared to polymeric submerged membranes in terms of membrane
performance, chemical reagent requirements, water quality and cleaning strategies. This research
have been carried out in the MIDES Demo Site 1 (Racons BWDP) in Denia (Spain), working with
superficial brackish water from the river Racons.This river presents special features, with high vari-
ability in flow and composition, marine intrusion and a high concentration of natural organic matter
(NOM), representing a clear source of fouling. Suspended solids (SS) ranged from 1.2 to 44.6 mg/L
and turbidity from 0.8 to more than 100 NTU, with sudden fluctuations even hourly. Because of
the river water characteristics, this location states as the worst-case scenario and represents a
major challenge in membrane pre-treatment.
On the other hand, wastewater has to be enriched in volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to become a
suitable feed for the MDC, since the energy required in the MDC for the ions migration comes from
the oxidation of acetate of some other VFAs present in wastewater carried out by bioelectrogenic
bacteria attached to the anode of the MDC. Thus, the anaerobic pre-digestion can be seen as a
key element for the MIDES system, since it provides the energy required for the desalination step.
Different wastewater sources were evaluated as the optimal feed to the MDC. Three different
types of wastewater (municipal wastewater, municipal wastewater doped with molasses and industrial
wastewater (brewery)) were treated in four different anaerobic reactors to evaluate its potential
use as MDC feed in terms of VFAs concentration and water quality after the anaerobic treatment.
Industrial wastewater (brewery) has been identified as the optimal feed to enhance the activity
of bioelectrogenic bacteria in the MDC, considering its VFAs concentration, its high buffer capacity
and water availability.
Keywords: Desalination, Pre-treatment, Anaerobic digestion, Ultrafiltration

87
Determination of the optimal intake points for a PRO power plant
in the Magdalena River based on experimental and simulated data
Jacobo M. Salamanca*, Óscar Álvarez-Silva, Fernando Tadeo
Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales (Sede Mergelina), C/Doctor Mergelina s/n,Valladolid, Spain
*[email protected]

Renewable electrical energy can be produced through the controlled mix of two water streams
with different salt content (salinity gradient energy, SGE). Those two required water sources with
high salinity gradient across them exist naturally at river mouths.
In this study we consider the system formed at the Magdalena River mouth in the Caribbean
Sea, to assess its potential for electrical production via salinity gradient technology, specifically
considering pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). The Magdalena River mouth is a highly stratified
estuary, which means it presents a salt wedge penetrating the river channel from the sea, which in
this particular case is quite variable throughout the seasons. Experimental on-site data has been
acquired and used to obtain a model to predict the salinity along the distance to the sea. A meth-
odology here is proposed to pinpoint the optimal location of the river water intake, given a fixed
position for the hypothetical power plant.

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Methodology proposed
The Magdalena River mouth presents a promising opportunity for SGE processes due to its
unique morphology. Its last kilometers before reaching the sea were artificially modified to enable
navigation, by the construction of an artificial barrier, which grants the availability of sea and river
water at a small distance. Temperature and salinity data have been gathered along the final stretch
of the river and sea, along with seasonal flowrates historic data to formulate a hydrodynamic tridi-
mensional model to simulate the salt profile along the river under several climatic circumstances.
The simulation results of the hydrodynamic model show that this system is adequate for SGE
generation, due to its high stratification, which enables the availability of fresh water and salt water
at a short distance, which is very beneficial.
Different pairs of data location-salinity can be used to calculate the potential power extractable
in those points, through a simulation method using a realistic practical approach. Afterwards, the
pumping costs, among other energetic losses, will be deducted to calculate the effective net power
extractable on each location.
Establishing a methodology to determine optimal locations related to the design of a PRO plant
in a concrete natural system can be very helpful in developing this growing technology.
Keywords: Salinity gradient energy, Pressure retarded osmosis, River mouths, Estuary dynamics

88
Hexavalent chromium removal from tunneling wastewater
using chemical and electrochemical techniques
Joan A. Salvadó*, Enrique Ferrero, Susana Navea, Carme Repollés,
Lidia Jimenez, Ana M. Climente, Jorge Malfeito
R&D Department of Acciona Agua S.A.U.,
08820 El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona (Spain)
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +34 93 335 15 00

Hexavalent chromium (Cr+6) is of particular environmental concern due to its toxicity and mo-
bility and is challenging to remove from industrial wastewater.The present investigation deals with
the removal of Cr+6 (~140ppb) of tunneling wastewater, which has a very basic pH (11-12). For
this purpose, batch experiments with wastewater samples were conducted to determine whether
sub-ppb concentrations of dissolved Cr+6 could be achieved by chemical (using ferrous sulphate)
or electrochemical reduction (iron electrodes). Cr+6 is chemically reduced to less soluble Cr+3
species by Fe+2. The influence of pH, temperature, suspended solids, concentration of ferrous sul-
phate, current density and reaction time were evaluated in the removal of Cr+6. Further, predictive
equations were developed within the studied ranges. The results showed that ferrous sulphate is
a good reducing agent of Cr+6 at very basic conditions. Optimal conditions were at pH=12, 22ºC,
with the presence of suspended solids and at molar ratios 1:15 (Cr+6/Fe+2); 97.8% of Cr+6 was re-
moved under these conditions. On the other hand, electrocoagulation was better reducing Cr+6
at lower pH; 99.3% of Cr+6 was removed at pH=8, 0.5mA/cm2, and 8min of reaction time. At very
basic conditions the removal of Cr+6 could be achieved by means of higher current density values.
Keywords: Hexavalent chromium, Tunnelling wastewater, Ferrous sulphate, Electrocoagulation

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89
Study of adsorption mechanisms of free amino acid l-tryptophan
on chemically activated porous carbons
derived from biomass wastes date pits
Badreddine Belhamdi a*, Zoulikha Merzougui a, Hamza Laksacia, Mohamed Trari b
aLaboratory of Physical and Chemical Study of Materials and Applications in the Environment,
Faculty of Chemistry (USTHB). BP 32-16111 Algiers, Algeria.
b Laboratory of Storage and Valorization of Renewable Energies, Faculty of Chemistry (USTHB),
BP 32-16111 Algiers, Algeria.
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +213 553347673 Fax +213 21201464

Free and combined Amino acids constitute an important class of dissolved organic nitrogen
which can form unwanted disinfection by-products during chlorination in drinking water treatment
plants.Therefore, the objective of this work is to examine the effectiveness of three environmental-
friendly low cost materials as adsorbents for the removal of free amino acid (l-tryptophan) from
aqueous solutions.The adsorbents were prepared from date pits and activated with H3PO4(DPH),
ZnCl2(DPZ) and KOH (DPK). The textural properties of the activated carbons were character-
ized by FT-IR, SEM and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. Batch adsorption experiments were
investigated to examine the effects of adsorbent dose, contact time, initial l-tryptophan concentra-
tion, temperature and pH on the uptake of l-tryptophan. The adsorption process showed that the
temperature has little influence on l-tryptophan uptake. On the contrary, the adsorption capacity
of activated carbons is significantly affected by the solution pH, with a maximum at pH 5.7. Ex-
perimental data were successfully fitted to the pseudo-second order kinetic model. Among four
isotherm models, the Langmuir model gives a perfect fit for l-tryptophan adsorption on the three
activated carbons. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of l-tryptophan (232.185 mg g–1)
was obtained on DPK. The thermodynamic parameters suggested that l-tryptophan adsorption is
spontaneous, exothermic with a physisorption process.
Keywords: Free amino acid l-tryptophan; Mesoporous activated carbon; Microporous surface;
Adsorption mechanism

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90
Inhibition of CaCO3 scaling by humic substances
in a reverse osmosis system treating anaerobic groundwater
M.N. Mangal a, S.G. Salinas-Rodriguez a, B. Blankert c,V.Yangali-Quintanilla d,
J.C. Schippers a, W.G.J.Van der Meerb, c, M.D. Kennedya, e
a
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education,
Environmental Engineering and Water Technology Department,
Westvest 7, 2611 AX, Delft,The Netherlands
Tel. +31 152151780; Email: [email protected]
b
University of Twente, Faculty of Science and Technology,
P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede,The Netherlands
c
Oasen Drinkwater, Nieuwe Gouwe O.Z. 3, 2801 SB Gouda,The Netherlands
d
Grundfos, Poul Due Jensens Vej 7, DK-8850 Bjerringbro, Denmark
e
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft,The Netherlands

In brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) applications, CaCO3 scale as the most common
constitute of membrane scaling, is one of the main factors that limits system recovery. To allow
the operation of BWRO at high recovery rates, antiscalant addition to the feed water is a com-
mon approach. However, the use of chemicals in water industry is less favoured as it has its nega-
tive impacts on the environment. In this study, the objective was to investigate the role of humic
substances in inhibiting CaCO3 scaling in BWRO. Induction time experiments were conducted
without and with humic substances. Additionally, pilot experiments, with an RO unit treating an-
aerobic groundwater in a location in The Netherlands, were conducted in the presence of humic
substances. It was found that the formation of CaCO3 scale delayed considerably in the presence of
humic substances. For instance, in the presence of humic substances, CaCO3 precipitation did not
occur in a period longer than 10 days for a real RO concentrate at 80% recovery (SI 1.5), while in
the absence of humic substances, CaCO3 precipitation occurred in 6 h for a synthetic concentrate
with the same ion Ca2+ and HCO3- concentrations that were present in the real RO concentrate.
When 30 mg/L of humic substances were added to the synthetic concentrate, CaCO3 precipitation
did not occur in 18 days. This study revealed that the humic substances, naturally present in the
RO feed water, may function as natural antiscalant to control CaCO3 scaling which as a result, may
reduce or completely eliminate the use of commercial (synthetic) antiscalants.
Keywords: CaCO3 scaling, Induction time, Humic substances, Antiscalants, BWRO

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91
Investigating seawater scaling potential in single pass SWRO
desalination plants with relation to boron removal
at moderate pH conditions
Stephan Nied,* Parisa Shaheen, Matthias Kellermeier
BASF SE, G-EVW/MW - H 201, 67056 Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany,
*Corresponding author: [email protected],
Tel. +49 621 60-72897, Fax +49 621 60-6672897

With the development of new membranes for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) with signifi-
cantly improved boron rejection, it is now possible to meet the WHO guideline for acceptable
boron levels in drinking water (WHO, 2017) with a single pass RO desalination plant (Bartels, et
al., 2009).This plant design will allow substantial CAPEX and OPEX savings (Arias, et al., 2011; Hilal,
et al., 2011) . However, for proper operation the feed pH has to be increased to 8.8, where at high
recovery rates the scaling potential of sparingly soluble inorganic salts such as calcium carbonate,
magnesium hydroxide and to some extent calcium sulphate will reduce process efficiency (Antony,
et al., 2011).Therefore, it is crucial to identify antiscalants that mitigate mineral incrustation under
the mentioned operating conditions. To achieve this, a thorough understanding of the chemistry
and formation mechanism of the different types of scales occurring in these systems is required.
The goal of this work is to study the nucleation and early growth of inorganic minerals at con-
ditions similar to those prevailing in a single stage SWRO desalination plant in relation to boron
removal. Considering the impact of concentration polarization and to mimic the conditions at the
membrane surface during the RO process, samples with 8.5% salinity (i.e. a concentration polarization
factor of 1.3) were also investigated. Experiments were performed with synthetic seawater at the
two chosen salinities over a pH range of 8.7-9.3. Mineral precipitation from these model solutions
was examined in detail by three different testing methods. To analyze bulk crystallization under
static conditions, beaker tests were carried out with online monitoring of solution turbidity, pH as
well as calcium and in some cases magnesium ion concentrations.This gave quantitative information
on homogeneous nucleation and growth rates as a function of solution composition. In turn, the
crystallization behaviour on surfaces (i.e. the heterogeneous case) was probed selectively by means
of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Finally, scaling under dynamic conditions – mimicking those
in the real process and (potentially) involving both homogeneous and heterogeneous crystalliza-
tion phenomena – was studied in a differential dynamic scale loop (DSL) apparatus comprising an
integrated polyamide capillary.
Scale formed in beaker and QCM tests was characterized with scanning electron microscopy
(SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy,
cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), in or-
der to obtain structural and morphological information.Taken together, the collected data provide
fundamental insight into processes underlying homogeneous and heterogeneous scale formation
under typical SWRO conditions, and how variables such as pH or salinity affect the crystallization
kinetics as well as the output in terms of scale chemistry and structure.After investigating the basic
mechanisms of scale formation in our systems, further experiments were carried out using com-
mercial available antiscalants, which are chemically different under otherwise identical conditions, in
order to assess and quantify the effects of these additives on different stages of the crystallization
process. By varying the chemistry of the used antiscalants and probing their inhibiting power with
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respect to nucleation and growth, the best working product for the given type of SWRO opera-
tion was determined. Finally, a comprehensive comparison of the results obtained from the three
laboratory methods (Beaker, QCM and DSL tests) was given.
The experimental data obtained in this work showed that a single pass RO process has definitely
a potential to be further investigated and optimized. The harshest condition at which the best
performing antiscalant could fully inhibit the precipitation process during 4 h of experimental time
with 1 ppm dosing rate on the DSL apparatus was at 8.5% salinity and pH 9.1.
Keywords: Antiscalant, Boron removal, Crystallization control, Fouling, Polycarboxlate, Reverse
osmosis, SWRO desalination

92
Influence of an innovative biodegradable foam control agent
on the operation of thermal desalination plants
Stephan Nied*, Lisa Winzen, Helena Kondardi, Karine Odiot
BASF SE, G-EVW/MW - H 201, 67056 Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany,
*Corresponding author: [email protected],
Phone: +49 621 60-72897, Fax: +49 621 60-6672897

The foaming tendency of seawater in distillation plants is unforeseeable. In general, foam is formed
when dissolved organic matters, such as when algal blooms decompose [1], are concentrated in the
brine, giving rise to surface-active effects that increase the liquid film strength at phase interfaces.
At typical dose rates, foam control agent penetrates the surface liquid film of bubbles where it
acts as a surfactant and reduces the film strength. The result is that the film readily breaks down
and stable foam does not form. In this way, a uniform boiling or flashing action is achieved and
carry-over is minimized.
In seawater distillation plants, foam control agents are normally dosed as a neat product or as
a solution between 1 to 5 weight percent of product prepared in distillate.
Current state of the art foam control agents like polyethylene and polypropylene glycols, eth-
oxylated oleic acid or ethoxylated fatty acids, are not soluble in water and forms a white milky
mixture, which separates in few hours. Such foam control agents are only soluble in polar and/or
aromatic solvents.
Furthermore, by considering the impact of the discharge, it is suspected that typical antifoaming
agents like polyethylene and polypropylene glycols, which are not toxic, but may be rather persistent
in the environment due to a poor biodegradability, are cumulating in the sea. [2]
In this work, the suppression of stable foam in seawater in presence of an innovative sustainable,
readily biodegradable foam control agent was investigated.To study the foam formation, a versatile
foam column was designed to mimic conditions of thermal desalination plants. In addition, a recipe
to prepare synthetic foaming seawater to gain reproducible comparable results was established.
The aim was to develop a high performing, sustainable, readily biodegradable and fully water-
soluble foam control agent that requires very low dose rates in order to maintain high operational
efficiency. These properties allow the new foam control agent to increase cost saving due to mini-
mized cleaning requirements, therefore longer operation time of multi effect distillation (MED),
and multistage flash distillation (MSF) plants.

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Keywords: Foam control; Foaming; Antifoam; Defoamer; Distillate conductivity; Thermal desalina-
tion; Multi effect distillation; Multistage flash distillation; Sustainability; Environmental
impact

1. New Scientist,Volume 223, Issue 2986, 13 September 2014, Pages 57

2. S. Lattemann, T. Höpner, Desalination 220 (2008) 1–15

93
Development of novel materials and process control system
in MIDES project
A.M.M. Alhadidia*, Maarten Meijlinka, Martí Aliaguillab,
Pau Bosch-Jimenezb, Diego Morillob, Marcel Boerrigrerb,
Eduard Borràsb, Stefan Bergmannc, Erhard Perzc
a
FUJIFILM Manufacturing Europe B.V.,
Oudenstaart 1, 5047 TK Tilburg, the Netherlands
b
LEITAT Technological Center, C/ de la Innovació, 2,Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain
c
SimTech Simulation Technology, Graz Austria
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +31 3 579 1836

Development of novel electrode materials for MDC application

Both anode and cathode electrode materials are key components of Bioelectrochemical Systems
and play an important role on their performance. In the present work, different materials were as-
sessed for anode application.The types of materials include woven and unidirectional carbon fibre
fabrics as well as carbon felts. Besides, different activation procedures were undertaken, including
thermal and chemical treatments.
Tailor made cathode materials have been developed by Leitat, based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs)
doped with metal nanoparticles to serve as air-cathode in MDC. The main goal was to overcome
low oxygen reaction reduction (ORR) kinetics, the main bottleneck of air-cathode electrodes.
Different CNFs were synthesized from polymeric nanofibers with metal precursors obtained by
electrospinning, followed by thermal treatment. Metal nanoparticles (Fe and Co) were synthesized
inside the CNFs matrix during the fabrication process and play catalytic role. In terms of cathode
materials, more than 15 materials were characterized to evaluate their performance.
ORR kinetics of different materials were characterized in an abiotic cell by electrochemical
techniques. Results indicate that the developed CNFs have proper ORR performance to be used as
air-cathode-MDC electrodes and the concentration of metal ion precursor in polymeric nanofibers
as well as the thermal treatment are important parameters to improve final ORR performance.
However, CNFs containing Fe nanoparticles showed higher performance than CNFs containing Co
nanoparticles.Achieved results can lead to an overall better design of BES reactors, an improvement
of power generation (in case of Microbial Fuel Cells) and a general reduction of internal resistance
(in case of Microbial Electrosynthesis Cells). Air-cathode CNFs doped with Fe have been success-
fully tested in MDC application.
More than 20 different carbon materials, developed and provided by SGL company, were tested
as anode electrode in microbial fuel cells.Anodes underwent an inoculation protocol to establish an
electroactive biofilm onto electrode surface. Inoculation performance was assessed by measuring

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electrochemical parameters (such as current density, open circuit voltage and cyclic voltammetry)
evolution over time.Also, SEM images of electroactive biofilm grown onto electrodes surface were
obtained. Results demonstrated that both carbon fibre and carbon felt materials are suitable as
anode materials as these materials could be efficiently inoculated with an electroactive biofilm in
less than 20 days, achieving proper current outputs (> 0.15 mA/cm2). Besides, anode open circuit
potential (OCP) ranged around -350 mV Vs. SHE. Finally, cyclic voltammetry showed oxidation
peaks, indicating the formation of an electroactive-biofilm on the anode surface, which was further
confirmed by SEM images. These results support their use in MDC application.

Development of novel Ionic Exchange Membranes (IEMs) for MDC application

Ionic exchange membranes (IEMs) are used in a wide number of processes, which are rather
different in their basic concept, practical application and technical relevance. However, IEMs car-
rying electrical charges are used to control the transport of ionic species and to separate them
selectively from a mixture with neutral components. One of the aforementioned technologies is
the microbial desalination cell (MDC).
In the context of MIDES project, FUJIFILM and Leitat have developed innovative IEMs for MDC
application from FUJIFILM’s current portfolio (mainly Anionic Exchange Membranes, AEMs).
IEMs were specifically designed to suit the MDC process requirements: low-fouling tendency, high
permeability, reduced thickness, low ohmic resistance.
Different surface modification processes were implemented to develop innovative anti-fouling
and anti-scaling membranes. Also, different monomers were used to modify AEMs surface and to
confer different properties such as: anti-adhesive, anti-bacterial, zwitterionic and repulsion. In a first
approach, IEMs were tested in lab-scale trials in views of its future implementation at industrial
production scale.
Modified AEMs properties were assessed by determining the (bio)fouling trend, humic acid
(HA) adsorption test, ATP test, scaling as well as surface characterization (SEM microscope, XPS
and ATR-FTIR). The surface smoothness of the membrane had no influence on the fouling perfor-
mance (particulate fouling). Mainly, the fibers present on the AEM surface and the reactor spacer
collected the foulant. In terms of AEMs modifications, the negatively charged monomer in the anti-
fouling layer showed a positive impact on the fouling performance of the coated AEM. Mixtures of
non-charged/charged monomers proved their feasibility to prevent fouling of the AEM membrane.
Besides, some anti-adhesive monomers showed good activity in ATP test but not in HA adsorp-
tion test. Finally, neither zwitterionic and antibacterial monomers nor coatings with/without NP
did show good results for AEM modification. Lead candidates were identified for the next step of
AEMs developments: 1) coating based on a charged monomer at medium level of photo-initiator/
monomer ratio and solid content, 2) 1:1 mixture of non/charged monomer at high photo-initiator/
monomer ratio and high solid content. Finally, IEMs were tested in MDC experiments to benchmark
their performance respect state-of-the-art membranes.

Simulation and analysis, automation and control

The mathematical models required to simulate the MIDES process are created using SimTech’s
IPSEpro Simulation Environment [1], within a customized model library especially created for the
MIDES concept — MIDES_Lib. This component library is based on IPSEpro standard desalination
library DeSal_Lib [2] and is extended in several ways to be able to simulate the MIDES overall
process [3] for combined waste water treatment and water desalination.
Within the simulation environment different variants of the MIDES process can be compared and

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the impact of process modifications evaluated. One main goal of the steady-state process model is
to generate relevant performance figures and to assess and optimize energy consumption of the
overall MIDES process.
Keywords: Anode,Air-cathode, ORR, IEMs, Fouling, Model process simulation, IPSEpro, MDC model
simulation

94
An innovative approach to enhance tube wetting and scale inhibition
in falling film evaporators for seawater desalination
Maximilian Waacka*, Alexander Stärka, Heike Gladea, Stephan Niedb
University of Bremen, Engineering Thermodynamics, Badgasteiner Str. 1, 28359 Bremen,
a

Germany
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +49 421 218 64759
b
BASF SE, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany

Horizontal tube falling film evaporators are commonly used in multiple-effect distillation (MED)
plants for seawater desalination. Seawater is distributed by spray nozzles onto the upper tube rows
of a tube bundle, flows down onto the subsequent tube rows forming a thin liquid film and partly
evaporates. In order to achieve high heat transfer performance and to limit crystallization fouling
caused by calcium- and magnesium-containing salts, a closed and uniform seawater film on the
evaporator tubes is required in all areas of the tube bundle.
The wetting rate, which is defined as the seawater mass flow rate on one tube divided by the
tube length, is an important design and operation parameter to characterize the film flow in falling
film evaporators. A low wetting rate is favorable for heat transfer, thermal and electrical energy
consumption and consequently investment and operating costs. However, the falling film tends to
become unstable when lowering the wetting rate. Wave formation strengthened by thermocapil-
lary effects gives rise to film breakdown. Dry patches decrease the effective heat transfer area and
therefore deteriorate the heat transfer performance. Moreover, crystallization fouling is worsened
since severe scale formation preferably starts at the edges of the dry patches. Furthermore, tube
wetting plays an important role in the design of MED plants and future development. Achieving
uniform tube wetting represents a major task in dimensioning the tube bundles. In order to raise
the MED unit capacity and to design MED plants with high thermal efficiencies, tube wetting and
crystallization fouling have to be controlled. Common scale control strategies are based on the
limitation of process conditions (e.g. top brine temperature, salinity and wetting rate) and the use
of polymeric antiscalants.
An innovative approach to improve tube wetting and scale inhibition based on the combined use
of a wetting agent and a polymeric antiscalant has been developed.The addition of a novel wetting
agent developed by BASF to a falling liquid film at a very low concentration affects the film flow
characteristics and improves tube wetting.
The enhancement of tube wetting by applying the novel wetting agent was studied in a hori-
zontal tube falling film evaporator at pilot plant scale with different common tube materials such
as aluminum brass, copper-nickel 90/10 and aluminum alloy AlMg2.5. Furthermore, scale formation
and mitigation were systematically investigated at very low wetting rates in order to mimic bad
wetting conditions, for example at the bottom of a tube bundle. The effects of the combined use

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of the antiscalant and the wetting agent were studied.

Wetting experiments reveal a significant improvement of tube wetting on all investigated tube
materials by applying the wetting agent at a very low concentration. Scale formation is already re-
duced within the tube bank by using the wetting agent alone, especially at very low wetting rates.
The combined use of the antiscalant and the wetting agent shows synergistic effects and results
in enhanced scale inhibition even at very low wetting rates and in critical tube areas in terms of
wetting such as the tube ends.
Keywords: Recent developments in desalination, Multiple-effect distillation, Novel wetting agent,
Tube wetting, Scale formation

95
Crystallization fouling propensity of novel polymer
composite heat exchanger tubes compared to metal tubes
Sebastian Schillinga*, Heike Gladea, Dirk Mosesb, Thomas Orthb
a
University of Bremen, Engineering Thermodynamics, Badgasteiner Str. 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
* Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];
Tel. +49 421 218-64760; Fax +49 421 218-64771
b
Technoform Kunststoffprofile GmbH, Lohfelden, Germany

Metals such as stainless steel, copper, nickel and aluminum alloys, and titanium are common con-
struction materials for heat exchangers. However, metals may suffer from failure due to corrosion
and erosion, especially in harsh environments prevailing, for instance, in industrial water treatment
and desalination applications. In addition, metals have disadvantages in terms of weight and cost
and they are prone to fouling. Thus, it is a major concern of various industries to find alternative
materials for heat exchangers that can overcome these disadvantages. Driven by the high chemical
resistance, low weight, great freedom in shaping and low cost of many polymers, considerable at-
tention has been dedicated to the development and implementation of polymer heat exchangers.
However, the major drawback of polymer materials for using them in heat exchange applications
is their low thermal conductivity.
Innovative thermally conductive polymer composite tubes based on polypropylene (PP) or
polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) filled with graphite have been developed by Technoform Kunststoff-
profile GmbH (Lohfelden, Germany). A special extrusion process allows high filler loadings of up
to 75% and the orientation of filler particles in the polymer matrix to reach enhanced thermal
conductivities in the radial direction of about 13–20 W/(m K). The tubes open up cost-efficient
opportunities for heat exchangers in various applications such as industrial water treatment and
seawater desalination.
Crystallization fouling of inversely soluble salts is one of the biggest problems in thermal plants
for industrial water treatment and desalination. Scale formation on the heat transfer surface cre-
ates an additional resistance to heat transfer decreasing the performance of the heat exchanger.
Over-sizing the heat transfer surface area, cleaning procedures as well as production losses during
plant shutdown create considerable capital, operating and maintenance costs. Operating param-
eters, solution composition and properties of the heat exchanger material are influencing factors
for crystallization fouling. Scale formation on metal surfaces has been extensively studied. However,

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fouling data for polymer surfaces are very limited.

Various test rigs have been designed and installed at the University of Bremen to study crystal-
lization fouling on different tube materials and to get an indication of the fouling propensity under
practical conditions. In the current study, a stirred vessel test rig and a horizontal tube falling film
test rig were used to compare the fouling propensity of the novel polymer composite tubes and
common stainless steel tubes. The induction period, the initial fouling rate and the asymptotic
fouling resistance were measured. Results obtained with calcium sulphate solutions and mixed
salt solutions containing calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate will be presented and discussed.
The novel polymer composite tubes showed a lower crystallization fouling propensity compared
to the stainless steel tubes. The induction period was longer and the reduction of the overall heat
transfer coefficient over time was notably lower compared to the metal tubes.
Keywords: Recent developments in thermal seawater desalination and industrial water treatment,
Novel polymer composite heat exchanger tubes, Scale formation

96
A supercapacitor charge for a photovoltaic-powered
desalination system
Sheying Li*, Andrea I. Schäfer, Bryce Richards
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1,
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

The development of renewable energy powered membrane (RE-membrane) desalination systems

is of increasing interest as a solution for providing clean drinking water in smaller communities,
especially in remote areas and developing countries. In a photovoltaic membrane (PV-membrane)
system, the amount of power generated fluctuates due to clouds passing in front of the sun, while
there are periods of intermittency without power, both at night and under heavy cloud. The lack
of power can result in lower permeate quality as well as reduced daily permeate production.
Usually energy storage devices are employed to balance demands from the electrical load with
the power generated from the PV system. Energy storage technologies such as supercapacitors
(SCs), batteries, pressure accumulators have been previously used for energy buffering in small-scale
RE-membrane desalination system [1-3].Amongst them, SCs are favourable for buffering fluctuations
and periods of short-term intermittency in the systems due to high efficiency, long lifetime and a
high number of charge/discharge cycles, hence improving both permeate quality and daily perme-
ate production as well as reducing the specific energy consumption (SEC) [4]. Typically, SC’s are
introduced as passive components or a controlled via a simple on-off approach [4]. Consequently,
once the lower threshold of state-of-charge (SOC) of the SCs is reached (and there is no power
source available), the RE-membrane system either shuts down or becomes directly subjected to
the power fluctuations.This is potentially harmful to the permeate quality, as well as increasing the
potential wear of the pump and motor.
In this work, a charge controller is developed to ensure the best use of power generated from
the PV panels when the SCs are either being charged or discharged. The controller can monitor
and control the power and charge states via the microcontroller, which measures both voltage
and current and has RS232 communication implemented.The SCs are connected to the PV panels

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via a charge controller, which is demonstrated to buffer short-term fluctuations in solar irradiance
for up to six minutes. The various operating states of the controller are reached via determining
the voltage thresholds (Vth_low,Vth_high,Vmax).Voltage sensing can be used as a measure of the
amount of energy stored in the SCs since it is directly proportional to the voltage and capacitance.
Experiments to verify the performance of the interface were carried out under very cloudy
conditions. On this day, the solar irradiance varied from 150 to 980 W/m2 (data interval 60 s) over
a 7.5 h period, with no charge controller and SCs present, using synthetic brackish feed water
(7812 µS/cm NaCl). Results show that the PV-membrane system shut down for 30 min due to the
lack of power during this period, while it is capable of producing 0.4 m3 of clean water (280 µS/cm
NaCl) with a recovery less than 30% and retention higher than 96%. The robust charge control-
ler is expected to deal with three greatly different solar days (sunny, very cloudy, partly cloudy)
exhibiting different levels of fluctuation and intermittency. Further, the control system was success-
ful in matching the membrane to a particular feed water salinity, which enable the PV-membrane
system to achieve the highest permeate production complying with drinking water guidelines at
the lowest SEC.
Keywords: Photovoltaic, Reverse osmosis, Nanofiltration; Supercapacitors, Energy buffering

References
[1] Liu CCK, Park J-W, Migita R, Qin G. Experiments of a prototype wind-driven reverse osmosis desalination system
with feedback control. Desalination. 2002;150 277-87.
[2] Park GL, Schäfer AI, Richards BS. Renewable energy-powered membrane technology: Supercapacitors for buffering
resource fluctuations in a wind-powered membrane system for brackish water desalination. Renewable Energy.
2013;50:126-35.
[3] Kan SY,Verwaal M, Broekhuizen H. The use of battery–capacitor combinations in photovoltaic powered products.
Journal of Power Sources. 2006;162:971-4.
[4] Richards BS, Park GL, Pietzsch T, Schäfer AI. Renewable energy powered membrane technology: Safe operating
window of a brackish water desalination system. Journal of Membrane Science. 2014;468:400-9.

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97
A kinetic approach to corrosion control by CaCO3 films
David Hasson*, Raphael Semiat, Hilla Shemer

GWRI Rabin Desalination Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003 Israel
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +972-50-721-4976

Since desalinated water is devoid of minerals, it is of corrosive nature and cannot be conveyed
through iron pipe systems without appropriate treatment. The approach to this problem is based
on the traditional method of forming a corrosion protective coating of calcium carbonate.Acidified
desalinated water is contacted with CaCO3 particles in order to introduce dissolved calcium and
carbonate ions into the water so as to make it supersaturated with respect to CaCO3.The aim is
to control the supersaturation such that it is at a level which is not sufficiently high to create scale
deposition difficulties and is still able to deposit an adequate CaCO3 corrosion protection film. It
is however recognized that the considerable research efforts aiming to provide water composition
criteria for controlling the formation of a CaCO3 coating yielded only rough qualitative guidelines
with the goal of reliable quantitative criteria remaining elusive.
Several issues generate uncertainties in predictive abilities. All developed criteria that specify
water compositions aiming to ensure deposition of an adequate calcium carbonate layer are of a
thermodynamic nature, ignoring the fact that the deposition is governed by process kinetics. The
most common criteria, LSI and CCPP, denote the extent of a supersaturation level with no infor-
mation on the rate of deposit formation other than the qualitative understanding that the higher
the supersaturation level, the higher the deposition rate.
The above approach, which attempts to control a kinetic process by thermodynamic tools, leads
to inconsistencies in regulatory specifications. The objective of this paper is to stress the need to
modify the current approach by application of quantitative kinetic criteria. It will be shown that
induction time assessment and CaCO3 deposition rate evaluation are essential kinetic tools for
guiding the formation of adequate CaCO3 protective layers and should therefore be fully integrated
in regulatory specifications of remineralized desalinated water composition.
Keywords: Corrosion protection, Remineralzed desalinated water, Supersaturation control, Kinetic
approach

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98
Utilization of calcined gypsum in water and wastewater treatment:
removal of ibuprofen
Aiman Eid Al-Rawajfeh1*, Betty Al-Saqarat2, Alaa Al-Ma’abreh3, Hossam Itawi2, Albara I. Alrawash-
deh4, Ehab AlShamaileh5, Mika Sillanpaa6
1
Tafila Technical University (TTU), Department of Chemical Engineering,
P.O. Box 179, 66110 Tafila, Jordan
2
Department of Geology, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan,
3
Al-Isra University, Department of Chemistry, Amman, Jordan
4
Tafila Technical University (TTU), Department of Chemistry,Tafila, Jordan
5
Department of Chemistry, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
6
Department of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology,
Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli, Finland
* Corresponding Author:Tel. +962-3-22 50 412, Fax +962-3-22 50 431,
e-mail: [email protected]

Adsorption is a widely used technique for the removal of pharmaceutical organic micro-pollutants.
In this article, calcined gypsum (CaSO4.1/2H2O) was utilized for the removal of ibuprofen medicine
from polluted water. Several factors including the adsorbent dose and contact time were studied.
From thermodynamic parameters, the negative values of ΔGo indicated a spontaneous and physi-
sorption process of ibuprofen onto the calcined gypsum surface. Kinetic study results showed that
the adsorption of ibuprofen follows the pseudo-first order kinetics.
Keywords: Calcined gypsum; Wastewater treatment; Removal; Ibuprofen

99
The effect of some green inhibitors on the corrosion rate of Cu, Fe and
Al metals
Aiman Eid Al-Rawajfeh1*, Ghassab M. Al-Mazaideh2, Hosam Itawi1, Ali Marashdeh3
1
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,Tafila Technical University
P.O.Box 179,Tafila, 66110, Jordan
2
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science,Tafila Technical University,
Tafila, 66110, Jordan
3
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Salt, Jordan
* Corresponding Author:Tel.: +962-3-22 50 412, Fax: +962-3-22 50 431, e-mail: [email protected]

Density functional theory (DFT)with B3LYP/6-31G* level (d, p)have been performed on APDTC,
CMI, HPMA, PASP and PESA polymersas a green source of environmentally friendly corrosion inhibi-
tors for Cu, Fe and Al metals. Global quantum parameters of inhibitors and thermodynamic Gibbs
function (∆Gads) of adsorption of metals have been calculated and used to investigate the efficiency
of the corrosion inhibition of each inhibitor. Our results showed that APDTC exhibits the high-
est anti-corrosion efficiency among all compounds with Cu, Fe and Al metals showing remarkable

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inhibition efficiency with Cu comparing with Fe and Al. The distinguished corrosion inhibition of
APDTC is explained by its unique high electrophilicity power ω and ∆Gads.
Keywords: DFT, Metals, Polymers, Green inhibitors, APDTC

100
Development of a dashboard for energy consumption management in
activated sludge treatment plants using analytic hierarchy process
Rafik Oulebsir1, Abdelouahab Lefkir2*, Abdelmalek Bermad3, Abdelhamid Safri1
Laboratoire d’Environnement Géotechnique et Hydraulique
1

University of Science and Technology Houari Boumedienne

2
*LTPiTE Laboratory, ENSTP, BP 32,Vieux Kouba city,
Algiers, Algeria, Email: [email protected]
3
Laboratoire Matériaux de Génie Civil Et Environnement,
National Polytechnic School of Algiers

Wastewater treatment plant is a structure that needs a precise and rigorous control to obtain
satisfactory results of purification efficiency, low cost energy and discharges compatible with en-
vironmental standards.
In the present paper, a dashboard was performed to manage, control and monitor the operation
of an activated sludge process of a wastewater treatment plants to make the right decisions for the
situations encountered. Based on daily variation of different criteria necessary for the estimation
of the biological treatment process, that is: energy consumption, purification efficiency, respect of
rejection standards considering pollution degree of the income wastewater.
A data analysis was performed, combining two methods: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), as
a multicriteria analysis tool of all observations, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for the
weighting of the criteria and sub-criteria considered. The dashboard elaborated allows the clas-
sification and estimation of the performance of different management strategies in wastewater
treatment plant based on the importance allowed to each decision criteria.The result is a tool for
an efficient management of wastewater treatment plant.
Keywords: Dashboard, AHP, PCA, Wastewater plants, Activated sludge.

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101
Emerging technologies for next generation low carbon
power-desal plant configurations
Thomas Altmann
ACWA Power, Dubai, UAE. [email protected]
Tel. +971 42480500

Water scarcity is a significant challenge and is intrinsically linked with the demand growth for
energy. Globally, renewable energies are rapidly increasing their share in the global mix, with solar
energy having the greatest potential. Many countries with water scarcity are blessed with high solar
radiation levels and high population areas typically along the coast, the conclusion seems clear that
emerging power generation and desalination technologies must be further developed to utility-
scale applications and system integration and optimization is the roadmap to achieve the next level
of cost reduction and for a sustainable long -term solution. Provision of clean water inevitably
requires energy, which is currently being provided primarily by non-renewable fossil fuels in GCC
countries.This paper presents innovative concepts for economical, reliable, sustainable, low carbon
power-desal configurations using emerging power generation cycles, solar-thermal heat and PV.
Keywords: Renewables, Carbon footprint, Sustainable

102
Novel feed spacers design for fouling mitigating in membrane filtration
Sarah Kerdi, Adnan Qamar, Johannes S.Vrouwenvelder, Noreddine Ghaffour*
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC),
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering,Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Hydrodynamic characteristics and fouling pattern are significantly influenced by the geometrical
design of the feed spacer in a spiral-wound membrane module. In the present work, novel spacer
designs are proposed by modifying the filament geometry at elemental level using perforations
and then in-house prototyped using 3-D printing technology. Three different designs consisting of
symmetric spacers having different numbers of perforations are investigated: 1-Hole design (single
perforation at spacer filament intersection), 2–Hole design (single perforation at filament inter-
section and one at filament center) and 3-Hole design (single perforation at filament intersection
and two perforations at filament). Direct Numerical Simulation studies were initially performed to
optimize spacer designs and to elucidate the fundamental hydrodynamic occurring at an elemental
level. Unsteady micro-jets were formed inside the filament cells which had potential to sweep away
the foulants and particles from the membrane surface. The optimized designs were also experi-
mentally studied to check the performance of these spacers in an in-house designed membrane
filtration cell. Impact of perforations on permeate flux, pressure drop and fouling development
were investigated. 1-Hole spacer produced the highest permeate flux among the perforated spacers
with 75% (at constant pressure) and 23% (at constant feed flow) flux recovery relative to standard
spacer (without holes). Fouling development was monitored using Optical Coherence Tomography
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(OCT) and the cleanest membrane surface was observed for the 1-Hole spacer which potentially
leads to highest permeate flux production. However, in terms of energy consumption, the 3-Hole
spacer reduced the net pressure drop across the spacer filled channel reaching 50%-61% when
compared to standard spacer.
Keywords: Perforated spacers, Optical coherence tomography (OCT), Novel design spacers, CFD,
Filtration, Fouling

103
Novel VMD configuration for water vapor flux enhancement
Ahmad S. Alsaadi1,2, Alla Alpatova1, Jung-Gil Lee1, Lijo Francis1, Noreddine Ghaffour1
1
King Abdulla University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Centre (WDRC), Bio-
logical and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE),Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding author,Tel. +966-128082180, Email: [email protected]
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Membrane Distillation (MD) has four major process configurations, namely direct contact MD
(DCMD), air gap MD (AGMD), sweeping gas MD (SGMD) and vacuum MD (VMD). Other con-
figurations based on the conventional ones, such as liquid/water gap MD or material gap MD, are
also possible. All these configurations are options at the coolant side of the MD module. However,
the major challenges of the MD process, such as temperature polarization (TP), are dominated
at the feed side. In this work, a novel custom-made vacuum MD (VMD) module design, namely
flashed-feed VMD, is proposed. It consists of decoupling the effect of TP from the membrane mass
transfer coefficient (MTC) by preventing the liquid feed stream from contacting the membrane
surface (at the feed side). Results showed that a transmembrane temperature difference of 10°C
at the membrane surface/interface (representing TP) is estimated to take place in the typical VMD
configuration, while our novel configuration eliminates TP effect and gives a flux 3.5-fold higher
under similar operating conditions. Therefore, it can be concluded that heat transfer coefficient
is considered to be the main factor controlling resistance of water vapor flux in the typical VMD
configuration.The MTC was found to be more accurate and the highest among all reported values
in the literature. This configuration was then evaluated under large scale module operating condi-
tions and it was found that a 𝛥T of 5°C and 10°C in the novel configuration can produce water
vapor fluxes of about 9 kg/m2.h and 40 kg/m2.h, respectively, at an inlet feed temperature of 70°C,
which is very attractive for industry implementation.
Keywords: Vacuum membrane distillation (VMD); Flashed-feed VMD configuration; Desalination;
Mass transfer coefficient (MTC); Temperature polarization (TP)

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104
Performance of acacia gum as a novel additive in thin film composite
polyamide RO membranes
Yehia Manawia,b*,Viktor Kochkodana,b*, Abdul Wahab Mohammada,b, Muataz Ali Atieha,b*
a
Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU),
Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
b
College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation,
PO Box 5825, Doha, Qatar
Corresponding authors: [email protected] (Muataz Ali Atieh),
[email protected] (Viktor Kochkodan).

Novel thin film composite (TFC) polyamide (PA) membranes blended with 0.01 – 0.2 wt. % of
Acacia gum (AG) have been prepared using interfacial polymerization technique.The properties of
the prepared membranes were evaluated using contact angle, zeta potential measurements, Raman
spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and surface profilometer. It was found that, the use of
AG as an additive to TFC PA membranes increased the membrane’s hydrophilicity (by 45%), surface
charge (by 16%) as well as water flux (by 1.2 fold) compared with plain PA membrane. In addition,
the prepared PA/AG membranes possessed reduced surface roughness (by 63%) and improved
antifouling behavior while maintaining NaCl rejection above 96%. These findings indicate that AG
can be used as efficient additive to enhance the properties of TFC PA membranes
Keywords: Reverse osmosis, Polyamide membrane, Salt rejection, Acacia gum, Interfacial Polymer-
ization, Hydrophilicity, Surface charge, Antifouling properties

105
Surface coating of polymer membranes for water treatment:
a new approach to mitigate fouling
Viktor Kochkodan
Qatar Energy and Environment Research Institute (QEERI),
Hamad bin Khalifa University,
Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
[email protected]

The main problem arising upon water treatment and desalination with pressure driven membrane
processes such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis is membrane
fouling that seriously hampers the application of the membrane technologies [1]. In general, mem-
brane fouling is mainly determined by the foulants’ ability to adsorb on the membrane surface [2].
Therefore, one of the main strategies towards reducing membrane fouling is the prevention of
the undesired adsorption or adhesion between a foulant and a membrane to inhibit or, at least, to
minimize the fouling process The surface coating of the membranes via layer-by-layer (LbL) depo-
sition of polyelectrolytes seems to be a simple and flexible technique to improve the membrane
fouling resistance [3,4].

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In this study composite polyamide membranes NF-90, NF-270 and BW-30 were modified via LbL
approach using electrostatic deposition of polyelectrolyte multilayers made from various polycationic
and polyanionic polymers of different molecular weights. Four anionic polyelectrolytes such as:
poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate), poly(vinylsulfonic acid, sodium salt), poly(4-styrene sulfonic acid-
co-maleic acid) sodium salt, poly(acrylic acid) sodium salt and three cationic polyelectrolytes such
as poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), poly(ethylenimine) and poly(hexamethylene biguanide
were used for modification.The surface morphology of the prepared composite membranes were
studied using atomic force microscopy. An effect of deposition time, a number of polyelectrolyte
layers, chemical nature and molecular weight of used polyelectrolytes on degree of membrane
modification has been evaluated.
It was shown that the surface charge of LBL modified membrane can be switched between
positive and negative after coating with a cationic or an anionic polyelectrolyte.The contact angles
of unmodified NF90 and BW30 membranes and LbL modified samples decrease with increasing a
number of polyelectrolyte layers. The hydrophilization of the modified membranes might reduce
their fouling with organic compounds and microorganisms.
The antimicrobial properties of the modified membranes towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa
bacteria have been studied using confocal imaging of the bacteria’s growth on the membrane sur-
face. A clear difference in the number of live and dead cells on the membrane surface were found
when comparing the unmodified BW30 membrane and the modified membrane sample.A possible
mechanism of the bactericidal action of the modified membranes has been discussed.An enhanced
performance of the modified membrane samples was shown during treatment of sea water in the
non-continuous regime.
Keywords: Polymer membranes, Surface coating, Polyelectrolytes, Membrane fouling

References
[1] I.C. Escobar, E.M. Hoek, C.J. Gabelich and F.A. DiGiano: J. Am. Water Works Assoc.,Vol. 97 (2005), p. 79.
[2] V. Kochkodan and N. Hilal: Desalination,Vol. 356 (2015), p 187-207.
[3] L.Y. Ng, A.W. Mohammad and C.Y. Ng: Adv. Colloid Inter. Sci. Vol. 197-198 (2013), p. 85.
[4] O.Y. Lu, R. Malaisamy and M.L. Bruening: J. Membr. Sci.,Vol. 310 (2008), p. 76.

106
Optimization of the sequence of cleaning and replacement
of reverse osmosis membranes
Seung Ji Lim1, Jihye Kim3, Joon Ha Kim1,2*
1
School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST),
Gwangju, Korea
2
International Environmental Research Institute (IERI), Gwangju, Korea
3
Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water), Daejeon, Korea
* Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected]

Advance in membrane technology make it possible to use reverse osmosis as a water treat-
ment process. However, due to the characteristics of membrane-based process, foulants in the feed
water is accumulated in the membrane. Membrane fouling is a major cause of degradation of the
process performance. When fouling is deposited in the membrane, operating pressure should be

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increased to meet the designed freshwater production. In this case, energy consumption increases,
and operating cost increases due to increase of operating pressure. Periodical cleaning and replace-
ment of membrane can recover the process performance and reduce energy consumption. The
criteria of cleaning state are proposed by membrane manufacturer. Increase of normalized pres-
sure drop in the range of 10–15% is usually used. Also, it is suggested that cleaning the membrane
after 3–12 months of plant operation depending on feed water quality. However, these kinds of
decision making are based on the operator’s experience. Determination of membrane state based
on the operator has limitation that unnecessary cost is consumed due to the determination of
inaccurate cleaning timing.
The objective of this study is to investigate the optimal sequence of cleaning and replacement
of reverse osmosis membrane. Constant flow operation model was proposed using the previously-
developed model to investigate performance change in reverse osmosis process after membrane
cleaning and replacement. The model can simulate deposition of fouling on the membrane with
time. Then, the membrane cleaning and replacement were performed to analyse the change in the
process performance.The membrane in the model was cleaned or replaced when the model simu-
lation reached the cleaning and replacement criteria. Using the simulation results, it was suggested
that an optimal sequence of cleaning and replacement to minimize operating cost.The results from
this study can be used to predict performance of reverse osmosis process.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis, Membrane cleaning and replacement, Operating cost

Acknowledgement
This work is supported by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement(KAIA)
grant funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Grant 16FIP-B116951-01).

107
The design of a unit sweeping gas membrane distillation:
experimental study on a membrane and operating parameters
Mokhlesss Boukhriss1,* ,Sami Mejbri 1, Kamel Zarzoum1,
Khalifa Zhani1, Habib Ben Bacha1,2
1
Laboratory of Electromechanical Systems National School of Engineers
Sfax, Sfax,Tunisia
Email:[email protected]
2
Prince Sattam Bin Abdul-Aziz University, College of Engineering at Alkharj,
Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding author: [email protected] Tel.: +216 98554615, Fax +216 77323320

This article focuses on the application in membrane processes for the desalination of salt brines
using the sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD) process is studied. SGMD is the least used
configuration of membrane distillation (MD). As a result, the design of the system is complicated
and rather expensive. Similarly, SGMD can be used to treat solutions containing non-volatile com-
pounds, such as salts. Salt rejection is almost 100% and high purity water can be obtained. Vapor
transfer is an important thermally induced phenomenon in the membrane membrane (MD) by
membrane evaporation and membrane condensation. In our study, mass transfer phenomena in

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sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD) were examined and the effects of the parameters
on the process were studied. We found that the mass transfer in the SGMD is determined by the
evaporation temperature of the gas and the sweep rate, so it influences the operational parameters
(fluid velocity) across the layer on both sides of the the membrane, which causes great importance
for the transfer of heat and mass in many membrane processes.
Keywords: Vapor transfer; Membrane distillation; Mass and heat transfer; Sweeping gas membrane
distillation

[1] K.W. Lawson, D.R. Lloyd, Membrane distillation, J. Membr. Sci., 124 (1997) 1-25.
[2] M.S. El-Bourawi, Z. Ding, R. Ma, M. Khayet, A framework for better understanding membrane distillation separation
process, J. Membr. Sci., , 285 (2006) 4-29.
[3] E. Curcio, G. Di Profio, E. Drioli, Membrane Distillation and Osmotic Distillation, in: D. Editor-in-Chief: Enrico, G.
Lidietta (Eds.) Comprehensive Membrane Science and Engineering, Elsevier, Oxford, 2010, pp. 1-20.
[4] A. Alkhudhiri, N. Darwish, N. Hilal, Membrane distillation: A comprehensive review, Desalination, 287 (2012) 2-18.
[5] M. Boukhriss, R. Gharbi, K. Zhani, H. Ben Bacha, Studyof thermophysical properties of a solar desalination system
using solair energy Desal. Water Treat.
[6] A. Mourgues, N. Hengl, M.P. Belleville, D. Paolucci Jeanjean, J. Sanchez, Membrane contactor with hydrophobic metallic
membranes: 1. Modeling of coupled mass and heat transfers in membrane evaporation, J. Membr. Sci., 355 (2010)
112-125.
[7] H. Mahmud, A. Kumar, R.M. Narbaitz, T. Matsuura, Mass transport in the membrane airstripping process using
microporous polypropylene hollow fibers: effect of toluene in aqueous feed, J. Membr. Sci., , 209 (2002) 207-219.
[8] H. Mahmud, A. Kumar, R.M. Narbaitz, T. Matsuura, A study of mass transfer in the membrane air-stripping process
using microporous polyproplylene hollow fibers, J. Membr. Sci., 179 (2000) 29-41.
[9] R.W. Schofield, A.G. Fane, C.J.D. Fell, Heat and mass transfer in membrane distillation, J. Membr. Sci., 33 (1987) 299-
313.
[10] R.W. Schofield, A.G. Fane, C.J.D. Fell, Gas and vapour transport through microporous membranes. II. Membrane
distillation, J. Membr. Sci., 53 (1990) 173-185.

108
Experimental performance investigation of a silica gel-based adsorption
desalination system: Effect of brine salinity and vapor pressure
Young-Deuk Kim*, Seong-Yong Woo, Woo-Seung Kim
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro,
Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Korea
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

In this paper, we developed a prototype of adsorption desalination (AD) system using commer-
cially available alumina-silica gel and attempted to evaluate, demonstrate and improve the perfor-
mance of AD system.Thermophysical properties and surface characteristics of the adsorbent were
investigated using a nitrogen adsorption isotherm at 77 K based on the static volumetric method,
followed by the adsorption equilibrium isotherms of water vapor on the adsorbent, to identify its
applicability as a candidate adsorbent in the AD system. The performance of the AD system was
then evaluated for the different types of brine feeders in the evaporator (i.e., perforated plate and
spray nozzles) using tap water as a feed over a wide range of operating conditions such as hot-,
cooling- and chilled-water temperatures, which was assessed in terms of specific daily water pro-
duction (SDWP) and specific cooling capacity (SCC). Furthermore, the AD process of seawater
at a high water recovery operation was conducted to demonstrate the desalting mechanism and
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consistent desalination performance of the AD process in contrast to the existing thermal driven
desalination technologies such as MSF and MED. It was observed that the performance of the AD
system was not affected by the brine concentration in the evaporator, at least up to about 80%
water recovery, and the chemical quality of produced fresh water was demonstrated to be com-
parable to deionized water quality. This was because the desalting by evaporation was initiated by
the affinity of the silica gel to the water vapors, and more specifically the water production in the
AD system was basically governed by the adsorption isotherms of the adsorbent-adsorbate pair,
depending only on the temperature and pressure of adsorption and desorption conditions. It was
also noted that the enhancement of water evaporation by using spray nozzles in the evaporator led
to a higher vapor pressure in the evaporator and thereby resulted in an increased water uptake on
the adsorbent and a shortened evaporation-adsorption process and thus, a higher SDWP and SCC.
Keywords: Adsorption desalination; Brine salinity;Vapor pressure; Performance evaluation

Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research
Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2017R1D1A1B03035821).

109
The values of water
M. Kevin Price
822 Rabbit Run Dr, Golden, Colorado 80401 USA
e-mail: [email protected] Tel. +1 720 320 4100

The value of water is generally thought of as the cost of water. If this were always true, govern-
ments and municipal agencies would only purchase the least costly next increment of water. But,
many agencies find value in adding non-conventional water sources to augment traditional surface
and groundwaters.The presentation explores a number of values beyond cost based on our ability
to manufacture ‘’new’’ water through advanced water treatment technologies.The presentation also
looks at the impacts of innovation on the values of water and asks what that might make possible.
Keywords: Advanced water treatment, Desalination,Value of water, Cost, Non-conventional water
sources

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110
Dynamic modelling and analysis of an industrial reverse osmosis plant
for scheduling and control with renewable energy power input
Mohamed T. Mito a, Philip Davies a, Xianghong Ma a,
Hanan Al-Buflasa b
a
Sustainable Environment Research Group,
School of Engineering and Applied Science,
Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK
b
Department of Physics, College of Science,
University of Bahrain, P O Box 32038, Bahrain

Throughout the last decade, desalination industry using reverse osmosis (RO) has grown
constantly in response to water scarcity challenges faced by a number of countries. Although the
energy required for RO desalination is approaching the thermodynamic limit, it is still considered
an energy-intensive process. Accordingly, several studies used renewable energy sources (RESs) to
drive RO plants at small scale. However, the technology has not yet been transferred to large-scale
applications, especially without using backup systems. This studyispartofaninternationalprojecttha-
taimstoaccommodatethevariableandintermittent nature of RESs thus making possible the large-scale
implementation of renewable energy- driven RO. As an initial step, the work presented aims to
develop an understanding of an RO plant’s dynamic behaviour, to help develop a method for plant
scheduling and to select and tunethecontrolsystem.Consequently,adynamicmodelofasimpleROp
lantwillbepresented based on the solution-diffusion model. In addition, the dynamic response of
permeate fluxand conductivity to step changes in feed flow rate and feed pressure will beanalysed.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis; Dynamic Model; Solution-diffusion model;Transient response; Renew-
able energy

111
Application of a model-based method for hydrodynamic processes
in constructed wetland to management of livestock wastewater
based on finite element method
S. Brito Espino(1), C.A. Mendieta Pino(2),
S.O. Pérez Báez(3), A. Ramos Martín(4)
(1)
Institute for Environmental Studies and Natural Resources (i-UNAT)(ULPGC),
Spain Tel. +34 636983867. [email protected]
(3)
Institute for Environmental Studies and Natural Resources (i-UNAT)(ULPGC)
(2)(4)
Department of Process Engineering.
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)

Nowadays, the increase in production and concentration of intensive livestock operation

throughout the years all around the world, together with mismanagements of livestock manure,
have raised the risk of contamination to the environment. The increasingly strict environmental
regulation has created the need to find several solutions which combine low-cost facilities and
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resource efficiency in wastewater treatment. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are now more widely
applied than other technologies as an alternative of conventional methods. Several models of bio-
chemical reaction in CWs have been developed over the last 60 years, however the great majority
of authors agree that it is necessary to approach with more in-depth understanding processes in
these treatment systems.
The main objective of this work has been to develop a computational fluid dynamic (CFD)
Model to describe anaerobic digestion, that regularly occurs into the CWs in order to simulate
the complex physicochemical and biochemical processes, offering higher spatial resolutions and
different reaction rates, and considering simultaneous processes.
The method involves, simultaneously, dynamics characteristics of fluids with kinetic growth
based on the IWA Anaerobic Digestion Model Nº1 (ADM1). A mathematical model was devel-
oped based on mass balance for each system component, resulting 18 non-lineal system for
second-order elliptic equations. On the other hand, a generalized Stokes variational formulation
was implemented to describe the hydraulic performance. Finite element method (FEM) was applied
to solve the equations subjetcted to Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. To validate the
method, simulations implemented with FreeFem++ are presented.
The obtained result offers dynamic behaviour of the model solutions for the microbial and the
substrate in CWs, for each one of the phase of the biological processes. The performance will
depend on the boundary condition. The result indicates that the model was be able to simulate,
with good accuracy, substrate, microorganism, pH and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) concentra-
tions inside the system.
The conclusion was that the model was successfully implemented to simulate biochemical and
physicochemical processes in CWs. This original method of simulation which has been applied to
CWs allows develop different design including boundary conditions. Plans for the future will be to
develop 3D model and to validate the results with experimental models.
Keywords: Constructed wetland;Water quality;Anaerobic digestion ;ADM1; Numerical simulation;
Finite element method

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112
Application of the ADM1 model in a batch multi-chamber anaerobic
digester
C.A. Mendieta-Pino1, S.O. Pérez-Báez2, A. Ramos-Martín3,
S. Brito-Espino4, P. Hernández-Melián5
(1)(2)(4)
Institute for Environmental Studies and Natural Resources
(i-UNAT)(ULPGC)
(3)(5)
Department of Process Engineering.
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)
+34616221076 [email protected]

A model of anaerobic digestion process is a very useful tool that allows to determine the effect
of the characteristics of the substrate and the load in the evolution of the process, to implement
control systems in the operation, to predict the development of processes and to improve the
knowledge of them in comparison with experimental data and test assumptions.
In this article, a model proposal based on the ADM1 is described, which corresponds to a di-
gester installed in a livestock farm since 2008 together with natural treatment wastewater systems
(NTWS), formed by three serial chambers. This biodigester follows a batch workflow and it is a
key element in the design of NTWS, in which a typical anaerobic process is developed that allows
modeling with several variables and clear and defined equations.
Starting from a system with a reactor with continuous load, the mathematical model has been
adapted to be able to simulate a complete mixing reactor operating in batches. In the references
consulted, digestion takes place in a single anaerobic digester. Once the proposed model has been
implemented, it can be assumed that this process can be extrapolated to multiple serial digesters.
Simulations have been carried out taking different initial states, volumes of digesters, different
seasons of the year, etc. Throughout all the simulations it has been proved that, with the proposed
model adapted to three serial digesters operating on a discontinuous basis, you get a stable re-
sponse from the system.
The proposed model of the anaerobic digestion process allows to analyse the behavior, thus it
can be predicted the concentration values ​​of the substances and chemical elements, for a certain
substrate.
Keywords: Anaerobic digestion, Batch digester, ADM1, Mathematical model

113
Effect of pressure on feed solution at hollow fiber FO process
Bongchul Kim,Yunchul Woo, Min Ju, June-Seok Choi*
Environmental and Plant Engineering Research Institute, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technol-
ogy (KICT), Goyangdae-Ro, Ilsanseo-Gu, Goyang-Si, Gyenggi-Do, 10223, Korea,Tel. +82-910-0759).
Corresponding author*: Email: [email protected]

In these days, wastewater reclamation and seawater desalination play essential role in addressing
the challenge of worldwide water scarcity. Particularly, reverse osmosis (RO) for seawater desalina-

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tion process is commonly used due to less energy consumption than conventional thermodynamic
systems. However, membrane fouling and electrical energy consumption during operation of RO
system for seawater desalination haver continued to be a obstruction to its application. Forward
osmosis (FO) process has been attracting attention for its potential applications such as industrial
wastewater treatment, wastewater reclamation and seawater desalination. Particularly, in terms
of fouling reversibility and operating energy consumption, FO process is assumed to be more
preferable to RO process. The objective of this study was to optimize operating condition of pilot
scale hollow fiber FO process. The experimental water flux with different module lengths was
first compared with the modelling result to validate the suitability of modelling process. After then,
fouling along the membrane module length and subsequent fouling reversibility were evaluated by
systematic fouling experiments simulated by modelling. Finally, the effect of flow configurations on
fouling distribution was assessed by employing different cross flow directions. The simulated foul-
ing experiments revealed that higher fouling and thus more flux decline were observed at the last
section of a membrane module, as foulants in feed solution became more concentrated. Further-
more, the water flux in FO process declined more severely as the recovery increased due to more
foulants transported to membrane surface with elevated solute concentrations at high recovery.
Lastly, it was revealed that such fouling distribution was slightly less in counter-current operation
as expected from less feed concentration and draw dilution, particularly at smaller module lengths.
Keywords: Forward osmosis, Reverse osmosis, Desalination, Hollow fiber

Acknowledgement
This research was supported by a grant (code 15IFIP-B088091-05) from Industrial Facilities
& Infrastructure Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of
Korean government.

114
Study on liquid film thickness and flow characteristics
of falling film outside an elliptical tube
Xiaocui∙Zhang1, Qinggang ∙Qiu2, Xiaojing∙Zhu3, Benwen Li*
Dalian University of Technology, No.2 Linggong Rd.
Ganjingzi District, Dalian City.
Liaoning Province 116024, China
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]

In this paper, the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method is used to simulate the falling process of liquid
film outside the elliptical tube. The corresponding Re number is 187 and the flow mode is stable
column flow. Long half-axis of the ellipsoidal tube is 26mm and the short half-axis of the ellipsoidal
tube is 13mm. The countercurrent airflow speeds of 0.1 m/s and no airflow effects are simulated.
The 3-D numerical simulation results show that the liquid film thickness increases first and then
decreases along the circumferential direction of the elliptical tube.And the position of the minimum
liquid falling film thickness is about 120° in a static environment. The countercurrent velocity of

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0.1m/s causes slight disturbance to the falling film, and the minimum liquid film thickness angle is
advanced.
Keywords:VOF method, Falling film, Counter-current air flow, Liquid film thickness, Flow behavior

115
Mechanisms and control of scale formation in FO membrane
under low temperature conditions
Juyoung Lee,Yongjun Choi, Hyeongrak Cho, Jihyeok Choi, Sangho Lee†
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, 77, Jeongmeung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02707, Korea
Email: [email protected],Tel. +82-2-910-4529, Fax +82-2-910-4939

Many researches have been actively carried out using a forward osmosis (FO) membrane pro-
cess capable of producing fresh water using osmotic pressure generated by high concentration
salts present in seawater or artificial draw solutions. Municipal and industrial wastewater are used
as a feed water for FO process which have various conditions and properties. In cold regions, the
water temperature is low (~ 0 oC), leading to difficulties in treating wastewater of low temperature.
If FO process is applied, it should deal with such wastewater. Unfortunately, little information is
available on the capability of FO for the treatment of low-temperature wastewater.Accordingly, this
study intends to examine the technical feasibility of FO process applied to treat low-temperature
feed water. The effect of feed temperature on fouling and CaSO4 scaling of FO membranes was
investigated in a bench-scale experimental set-up using flat sheet commercial FO membranes.The
effect of draw solution temperature was also examined. Mechanisms of scale formation under low
temperature conditions were explored.The effectiveness of antiscalant to control scale formation
in FO process was studied as a function of feed temperature. Results showed that the mechanism
of scale formation under low temperature are different from those under room temperature and
high temperature conditions. The kinetics of scale formation was also affected by the feed water
temperatures. The comparison of morphologies of the crystals on the FO membrane surfaces
revealed the different mechanisms of scale control by antiscalants under different temperatures.
Keywords: Forward osmosis (FO), Low temperature, Gypsum scaling, Antiscalant, Mechanisms

References
1. M. Xie, S.R. Gray, Gypsum scaling in forward osmosis: Role of membrane surface chemistry, J. Membr. Sci., 513,
(2016) 250-259.
2. T.Y. Cath, A.E. Childress, M. Elimelech, Forward osmosis: Principles, application, and recent developments. J. Membr.
Sci. 281 (2006) 70-87
3. S. Hong, S. Lee, J.H. Kim, J.H. Kim, Y. Ju, Evolution of RO Process for Green Future. KIC News (2011) Vol. 14 No. 6
9-20
4. G. Gwak, S. Hong, New approach for scaling control in forward osmosis (FO) by using an antiscalant-blended draw
solution. J. Membr. Sci. 530 (2017) 95-103
5. J. Heo, J. Han,Y. Kim, N. Her, Systematic study on calcium-dissolved organic matter interaction in a forward osmosis
membrane-filtration system. J. Korean Society of Water and Wastewater (2016) Vol. 30 No 6 737-744

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116
Performance of ceramic membrane for closed hydroponic system
Sungyun Lee,Yu Chang Kim
Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, 156 Gajeongbuk-Ro,
Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 34103, Korea
Tel. +82-42-868-7891, Fax +82-42-868-7284, [email protected]

Rooftop greenhouses have gained interest due to the recent significant population growth in
urban areas. Most of the greenhouses adopt hydroponic cultivation, which is a method of growing
plants without soil using nutrient solutions. In closed hydroponic system, the nutrient solution is
treated and reused instead of replacing the entire solution. Although closed hydroponics system
provides savings in water and fertilizer, potential spread of root-infecting pathogens need to be
controlled. This study investigates the application of ceramic membrane for reuse of hydroponic
nutrient solutions. Ceramic membrane was chosen due to high mechanical, thermal, and chemical
stability, bacteria resistance and ease of cleaning and sterilization over polymeric membranes. The
major limitation of membrane for closed hydroponic system is membrane fouling by organics and
inorganics. To mitigate the membrane fouling, a cylindrical membrane module with retentate port
was designed for vortex-flow on the membrane surface.The effectiveness of vortex-flow on mem-
brane fouling was investigated using the kaolin solution at various vortex-flow velocities. Even in
high turbidity of 200 NTU, the ceramic microfiltration membrane high reversibility of membrane
fouling and constant removal efficiency. In addition, the nutrient quality did not change after the
ceramic membrane filtration.
Keywords: Ceramic membrane, Closed hydroponic system,Vortex-flow, Fouling, Turbidity

117
Power generation and performance enhancement
of energy recovery turbine
Youhwan Shin1,*, In Hyuk Jung1,2, Young Soo Kim1,2
1
Center for Urban Energy Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Korea
*Corresponding author, [email protected]
2
Graduate School of Korea University
Innovation Hall 332, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841 Korea

Hydraulic turbines are widely used for power generation from potential energy of the water.
There are several types of them and the selection depends on the normal operating conditions
such as flow rate and water head (or pressure indicated as potential energy). In hydrodynamic
perspectives, PRO process normally operates under high pressure and low flow rate relatively.
Under these working environments, Pelton type turbine can be selected as one of good devices
for energy recovery of PRO process and electric power can be efficiently generated through high
pressure energy of the concentrated saline water.

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This research is focused on some evaluations of power generation and performance enhance-
ment of Pelton turbine for energy recovery in PRO system, which include the hydrodynamic design
of Pelton turbine, some loss models for performance prediction and the experimental results on
some methods to increase the hydraulic efficiency. At the design operating point (400 ton/d flow
rate and 30 bar pressure), the hydraulic efficiency of the Pelton-type ERT with a circular casing was
approximately 85.3% by the performance test and the electric power was generated up to 10 kW
which corresponded to approximately 77.2% energy recovery efficiency.
Keywords: Energy recovery turbine, PRO (pressure-retarded osmosis), Desalination, Pelton turbine,
Power generation, Hydraulic efficiency

References
J.H. Park,Y.S. Kim, I.H. Jung,Y. Shin and J.T. Chung, Hydrodynamic design and performance testing of Pelton-type energy
recovery turbine for pressure-retarded osmosis systems, Desal. Water Treat. (2017): 132-139.
J.-W. Kim, I. C. Jo, J. H. Park, Y. Shin and J. T. Chung, Theoretical method of selecting number of buckets for the design
and verification of a Pelton turbine, J. Hydraulic Res. (2017): 695-705.
J. Thake, The Micro-Hydro Pelton Turbine Manual: Design, Manufacture and Installation for Small-scale Hydropower,
Practical Action Publishing (2000).

118
Recovery of magnesium with high purity from seawater desalination
brine using an organic solvent
Hye-Rim Na, Myoung-Jin Kim*
Korea Maritime and Ocean University,
727 Taejong-ro,Yeongdo-gu, Busan, Korea
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +82-10-4299-7050; Fax +82-51-410-4415

As the global seawater desalination industry widely grows, there are many increasing interests
in the environmental issue that concentrated brine is released into the sea. Quite a few researches,
therefore, have been conducted to recover the valuable resources including magnesium from the
brine. Calcium is the main impurity in the recovered magnesium resource. In this study, magnesium
was recovered from the seawater desalination brine in a form of magnesium sulfate with higher
than 99% purity through a three-step process (pre-precipitation, concentration, and precipitation).
Note that the concentrations of magnesium and calcium in the brine were 2400 mg/L and 600
mg/L, respectively.
From the brine, firstly, the magnesium was precipitated in a form of Mg(OH)2 using paper sludge
ash, which is an alkali by-product. Next, magnesium was eluted with sulfuric acid, and the magnesium
concentration of the eluent was 8000 mg/L corresponding to 3.5 times that of the brine. Finally,
organic solvents such as acetone and ethyl alcohol were added into the eluent to precipitate mag-
nesium in a form of magnesium sulfate. The organic solvent was appropriately added through two
sub-steps to remove calcium, thereby improving the purity of magnesium sulfate.When the ratio of
the eluent to the organic solvent was 1:0.4, most of the calcium and a small amount of magnesium
were precipitated from the eluent. After removing the precipitated solids, the organic solvent was
further added to the calcium-free eluent to finally precipitate high purity of magnesium. It was

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found that the optimum ratio of the eluent to the organic solvent is 1:0.6 to recover magnesium
in a form of MgSO4·7H2O with a high purity (99.8%). A total of 10 kg of magnesium sulfate was
recovered from 1 ton of seawater desalination brine through the three step processes.
Keywords: Seawater desalination brine, High purity of magnesium, Magnesium sulfate, Organic
solvent, Paper sludge ash, Sulfuric acid

119
Cloud-based design optimization based on simulation of desalination
systems powered by renewables
George Kyriakarakos*, Essam Sh. Mohamed, Evangelos Dimitriou,
Christos-Spyridon Karavas, George Papadakis
Department of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering,
School of Agricultural Production, Infrastructure and Environment,
Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Street, 11855 Athens, Greece
* Correspondence: [email protected]

Many people around the world (>1 bn) do not have access to clean water. Many times, there
is available water either brackish or sea water, which could after desalination meet the needs of
this population. At the same time most of this population lives in rural remote areas, which often
does not have access to electricity. Renewable energy especially in the form of solar photovoltaics
can be used to power autonomous power systems which in turn can power the desalination units.
Currently, the design process of such systems usually takes place in two distinct steps. The first
step includes the design of the desalination system based on the required potable water profile
and an assumption relating to the capacity factor of the unit (average hours of operation per day)
and the second step includes the design of the renewables system based on the desalination unit
designed in the first step. Essentially this means that a power profile is generated initially, which is
then used as input for the design of the renewables system. Experience has shown that this ap-
proach can lead to non-optimized systems. In smaller systems (<5 m3/d) the differences in cost are

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marginal and as a result the impact on the total cost of the system is minimal. On the other hand,
for higher production systems (>50 m3/d) this reality can lead to a considerable cost impact. The
presented solution is built on the Fortissimo marketplace. The Fortissimo Marketplace provides
one-stop, pay-per-use, on-demand access to advanced simulation, modelling and data analytics
resources including software, hardware and expertise*. The novelty of the proposed approach lies
in the simultaneous optimization of both the desalination system and renewable energy system,
along with the control system. Since renewable energy depends on the weather conditions, yearly
simulations must take place for the optimization procedure using a time-step equal to 15 min or
less. The number of variables to be optimized is large (>10) and even with the use of advanced
heuristic methods (e.g. particle swarm optimization) the computational time needed is big. Using a
cloud architecture with considerably higher computational power can minimize the needed time.
As a result, an optimized design leads to systems presenting lower cost of water.
Keywords: Cloud computing, Optimization, Design, Renewables, Reverse osmosis,Artificial intelligence

* The Fortissimo project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for
research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 609029. The Fortissimo 2
project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under
grant agreement No 680481.

120
High performance RO membranes comprising cucurbit[6]uril
as a selective water transport channel
Tae-Hyun Baea,b*, Jaewoo Leeb
School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering,
a

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

b
Singapore Membrane Technology Centre,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
*Corresponding author: email: [email protected];Tel. +65 6513 8075

Despite many efforts to understand the nature of nanoporous materials, it is still rare to find
research that demonstrates experimental evidence of selective water transport through their
pores or channels. In this work, we present the first practical evidence for selective water transport
through cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) and the underlying mechanisms elucidated by molecular dynamics
simulation. We confirm that CB[6] is energetically favorable for water permeation while prevent-
ing salt passage due to a high energy barrier. These characteristics stem from its carbonyl-fringed
portals, which are well-defined with a right dimension (3.9 Å) and have a partial negative charge.
Such unique characteristics allow a thin-film nanocomposite membrane comprising CB[6] to per-
form better than both commercial membranes and recently developed thin-film nanocomposite
membranes. Furthermore, our molecular dynamics simulations reveal that CB[6] assembled into
two-dimensional porous nanosheets possesses great potential as a next-generation desalination
membrane.
Meanwhile, increasing the surface porosity of a support membrane has been proposed as an
effective way to improve the water permeability of thin-film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis

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(RO) membranes by reducing the diffusion pathway in the active layer. Thus, we prepared a highly
porous microstructured (HPμS) support membrane with a suitable mechanical strength to enhance
the water permeability of an RO membrane. The HPμS support membrane was prepared by in-
creasing the thermodynamic instability of a 10 wt.% polymer solution and thereby facilitating rapid
desolvation. CB[6]-containing thin film nanocomposite membrane formed on this support showed
an oustanding performance surpassing commercial RO membranes and thin-film nanocomposite
membranes recently reported in the literature.
Keywords: Cucurbit[6]uril, Molecular dynamics simulation, Reverse osmosis, Thin-film composite,
Porous support

References
J. Lee, R. Wang, T. H. Bae, High-performance reverse osmosis membranes fabricated on highly porous microstructured
supports, Desalination, 2018, 436, 48-55
J. Lee, F. Zhou, K. Baek,W. Kim, R.Wang, K. Kim, H. Su,T. H. Bae,A new opportunity for advanced desalination via selective
water transport through cucurbit[6]uril, submitted

121
Sensitivity analysis of a forward osmosis-reverse osmosis hybrid process
for seawater desalination
Jangwon Seo1,Young Mi Kim2, Sung Ho Chae1,2, Joon Ha Kim1, 2, 3*
1
School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST),
Gwangju 61005, Korea
2
Membrane Research Center, Advanced Materials Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
(KRICT), 141 Gajeongro,Yuseong, Daejeon 34114, Korea
3
International Environmental Research Institute (IERI), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST),
Gwangju 61005, Korea
*Corresponding author: [email protected], +82-62-715-3277 (tel), +82-62-715-2434 (fax)

The reduction of energy consumption in the reverse osmosis (RO) process is critical. The for-
ward osmosis (FO)-RO hybrid process can be suggested to reduce RO energy consumption. In this
study, a numerical FO-RO process model was developed to analyze the FO-RO hybrid process.The
performance of the FO-RO hybrid process was compared with the stand-alone RO process. In
addition, the impacts of the control parameters for operation, and the intrinsic membrane param-
eters, were analyzed using sensitivity analysis. In conclusion, the FO-RO hybrid process involves less
RO energy consumption than the stand-alone RO process.The FO draw flow velocity and the RO
applied pressure were derived as the major factors for controlling the FO-RO process. In addition,
the control parameters for operation were found to be more important than the intrinsic mem-
brane parameters in the minimization of RO energy consumption. Subsequently, the FO elements
installed in front of the RO process should be configured with a parallel connection, in order to
minimize RO energy consumption. The results in this study could be used to develop guidelines
for the optimal design of the FO-RO hybrid process.
Keywords: Forward osmosis; Reverse osmosis; Hybrid process; Sensitivity analysis; Desalination;
Wastewater reuse

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122
Microbial desalination (MIDES) cells: an innovative solution
for low energy drinking water production
Victor Monsalvo1, Juan Arevalo1, Sergio Salinas2*,
Maria Kennedy2, Abraham Steve-Nuñez3, Frank Rogalla1
1
Aqualia, Innovation and Technology Department,
Avenida del Camino de Santiago 40, 28050, Madrid, Spain.
2
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education,
Environmental Engineering and Water Technology Department,
Westvest, 2611 Delft, the Netherlands
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected],Tel. +31 152151780
3
Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados IMDEA-Agua, Av. Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain

Water desalination has become a technologically and economically viable solution to tackle
increasing water shortages in many regions of the world. Presently, the total global desalination
capacity is around 90 million m3 d-1 [DesalData, 2018].The desalination market is mostly dominated
by reverse osmosis (RO), compared to competition between multi-stage flash (MSF) and multi-effect
distillation (MED). However, the high energy cost continues to be a major concern, with energy
consumption accounting for around 75% of the desalination operating cost when excluding capital
costs or around 40% including capital costs [El- Mekawy, 2014].
This energy cost for desalination is about 10 times higher than for conventional water sources,
leading to high water prices, that can easily exceed 0.5 € m-3. In this context, the MIDES project
aims to revolutionize desalination by developing a low-energy sustainable process called Micro-
bial Desalination Cell (MDC) as a pretreatment for RO. The integration of MDC technology with
commercial RO allows seawater desalination with an energy consumption below 0.5 kWh m-3.
MDC treats simultaneously wastewater and performs desalination using the energy contained
in the wastewater [Cao et al, 2009]. In fact, MDC can produce around 1.8 kWh of bioelectricity
from energy contained in one cubic meter of wastewater. This energy is directly used to lower
salt content in seawater from 35 to 5 g L-1 (brackish water) without external energy input, while
further salinity reduction to achieve drinking water quality is performed in the subsequent RO step.
The advantages of an MDC include less external energy for the desalination process and simul-
taneous WWT. Moreover, MDC operates under neutral pH, pressure and temperature conditions
[Zhang, 2016].
MIDES project is developing the World’s largest demonstrator of an innovative and low-energy
technology for drinking water production. The overall MIDES process includes a pre-treatment of
the saline stream by ceramic membranes prior to enter the MDC unit, where it is partially desali-
nated (70-90 %) before the RO post-treatment.
The project will focus on overcoming the current limitations of MDC technology such as low
desalination rate, high manufacturing cost, biofouling and scaling problems on membranes, opti-
mization of the microbial-electrochemical process, integration with RO, ceramic membranes as
pre-treatment, system scale up, and economic feasibility of the technology.
This will be achieved via innovation in nanostructured electrodes, antifouling membranes (using
nanoparticles with biocide activity), electrochemical reactor design and optimization, microbial
electrochemistry and physiology expertise, and process engineering and control, such as optimized
pre- and post-treatment.

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The overall process schematic of the MIDES technology is presented in Figure 1 where the
core technologies, named MDC and RO, are integrated with other complementary technologies.
The overall process includes the initial treatment of municipal wastewater in a conventional an-
aerobic reactor to increase the concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), used as a fuel for the
MDC, obtaining after all a stream of treated wastewater. In conventional RO desalination, seawater
undergoes several pretreatment steps (chemical coagulation, settling and filtration) to protect the
membranes from particles and organic matter.

Fig. 1: MIDES concept schematic

In MIDES, this whole pre-treatment will be substituted by nano-coated ceramic membranes.

This will result in a relevant reduction in chemicals usage and footprint as well as lowering by 80%
the energy demand (going from about ~ 0.48 to <0.1 kWh m-3).Ceramic membranes have never
been industrially employed as desalination pre-treatment, this novel use will bring innovation to
the MIDES Technology by improving system stability and self-cleaning capacity.After pre-treatment,
seawater will enter MDC unit where it will be partially desalinated (70-90%) before it fully pro-
cessed in the RO unit.
The MIDES Horizon 2020 project will develop the world’s largest demonstrator of the inno-
vative MDC technology in three sites: Denia (Spain), Canary Island (Spain), and Chile. Three pilot
plants of 150 L day- 1 will be constructed and operated under real environments in brackish water
and seawater desalination plants.
Keywords: Desalination; Energy; Drinking water; Pre-treatment; Innovative technology

References
DesalData 2018. Global Water Intelligence. London, UK.
Cao, X., et al., A New Method for Water Desalination Using Microbial Desalination Cells. Environmental Science &
Technology, 2009. 43(18): p. 7148-7152.
El-Mekawy, A.; Hegab, H. M.; Pant, D., The near-future integration of microbial desalination cells with reverse osmosis
technology, Energy Environ. Sci. 7 (2014), 3921–3933.
Zhang, B.; He, Z., Energy production, use and saving in a bioelectrochemical desalination system, RSC Adv. 2 (2012)
10673-10679.

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123
High-pressure reverse osmosis for industrial water reuse –
evaluation of factors reducing the effective driving pressure
Ch. Kleffner*, G. Braun
Technische Hochschule Köln, Betzdorfer Str. 2, 50679 Köln, Germany
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

As the industry is increasingly forced to enhance concepts concerning water reuse and the
recovery of valuable substances to strive for a waste water-free production, viable methods for
the treatment of high osmotic solutions are required. In terms of the sustainable approach of a
minimal liquid discharge, membrane based processing turns out to be a suitable option. Extending
the application of the pressure-driven reverse osmosis process towards higher operating pressures
is a reasonable approach as the achievable concentration factor defines the size and the costs of
the subsequent thermal concentration step.
Reverse osmosis spiral wound elements are usually able to withstand a maximum feed pressure
up to 83 bar. To replace the energetically unfavourable thermal desalination processes sufficiently
a high-pressure reverse osmosis (HPRO) element should be operational up to at least 120 bar.
However, exceptional feed pressures lead to increased mechanical stresses on the components of
the spiral wound element. To optimize the design parameter and establish constructive require-
ments, performance- limiting factors have to be redefined and evaluated.
In order to establish a better understanding of the behaviour of spiral wound elements under
high-pressure operation, this study focusses on the investigation of the performance of available
elements by scrutinizing the crucial effects reducing the effective driving pressure and limiting the
achievable recovery rates.Taking this approach, the flux reduction as a result of membrane compac-
tion and the influence of permeate-sided pressure drop induced by membrane-spacer interactions
are examined experimentally.
Performance tests were conducted on a pilot plant with different available 4-inch HPRO ele-
ments and sodium chloride solutions as the feed. For the evaluation of the material resistance and
durability of the elements, long-term trials were done at the maximum pressure of 120 bar. The
investigation of the flow conditions on the permeate side were done in a laboratory scale plant
with water as the flowing fluid. Through the development of a special test cell, the consequences
of membrane intrusion on the permeate-sided pressure drop and its dependence on an operating
pressure of up to 120 bar were experimentally validated and quantified for the first time.
The results of the long-term HPRO tests show an initial decline in permeability and an increase
in rejection over time that are caused by undesired deformation and compaction effects of the
polymeric membrane during high-pressure exposure.The permeate-sided pressure drop measure-
ments show a considerable influence of membrane intrusion on the element performance with
a strong dependence on the feed pressure. Despite the considerable influence of the membrane
deformation on the achievable permeate flux, HPRO can explicitly be considered as an energy- ef-
ficient method for the further concentration of high-salinity brines.
This study was supported by the project Re-Salt funded by the Federal Ministry of Education
and Research of Germany.
Keywords: High-pressure reverse osmosis, Spiral wound element, Membrane compaction, Membrane
intrusion, Permeate-sided pressure drop

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124
Inhibitors for CaCO3-scaling in reverse osmosis-plants –
influence of suspended matter on membrane clogging
Kirstin Zimmer, Wolfgang Hater, Jolanthe Jaworski,
Nicolas Kruse, Gerd Braun*
a) Kurita Europe GmbH, Giulinistrasse 2, D-67065 Ludwigshafen/Rh, Germany
b) Technische Hochschule Köln,
Betzdorfer Strasse 2, D-50679 Cologne, Germany
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], *[email protected]

The inhibition of scale formation on membrane surfaces has been widely investigated but there
is not much literature about laboratory investigation on CaCO3-scaling in the presence of sus-
pended solids.
Even though the brines of reverse osmosis (RO) plants are usually supersaturated, the scale
formation on the membrane is mainly governed by the availability of sufficient crystallisation nuclei.
This is so important because standard tests to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-scalants (AS) are
carried out with particle–free test waters, i.e. there are no crystallisation nuclei where the precipi-
tation can start. In this context suspended matter plays an important role for the crystallisation
process. It can influence the kinetics of scaling as well as directly contribute to scale formation by
sedimentation processes and by incorporation into deposits formed by crystallisation.
The suspended solids are influencing the kinetics of scale formation in two ways. First the particles
work as nuclei for the crystallization resulting in a low induction time and crystallisation occurs
even at moderate supersaturation rates.The second influence of the suspended matter is its ability
to adsorb the AS so that the concentration of the inhibitor is reduced. Both effects increase the
risk of scaling and membrane blocking.
Furthermore the permeability of the scaling layer is influenced by its morphology. In the case
of surface crystallisation the scale deposit on the membrane surface grows laterally, leading to an
increasing surface blockage and flux decline. In bulk crystallisation small crystal particles are formed
through homogeneous crystallisation. They may deposit on membrane surfaces and form a cake
layer that also leads to flux decline. In supersaturated scale forming conditions these two effects
occur simultaneously, resulting in scale growth and agglomeration.
The effectiveness of an AS is often determined in laboratory tests like the NACE Standard Test
Method 03-74 for calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate. In these tests, the AS is added to the
sample, and after a defined reaction time a period to settle the scales follows. The concentration
of Ca-ions in the solution is used to calculate the efficiency of the inhibitor.
These test methods have the advantage that they are easily to apply, but the interaction with
the membranes under real operating conditions is neglected, because the test results are strongly
affected by the relatively long reaction and settling time. During this time, crystal morphologies are
formed which might not be comparable to those in a RO-plant.Therefore, only limited statements
about the blocking of the membrane can be made with these test methods.
For this reason a membrane-based method was applied to investigate the performance of a
standard phosphonocarbonic (PCA) based additive preventing calcium carbonate scale.
To make the test more comparable to real RO-processes, suspended solids are added to the
feed water to investigate the influence of additional crystallisation nuclei.The challenge is to prevent

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scaling and also to disperse the suspended solids. PCA-based anti-scalants serve as good CaCO3-
inhibitors but on the other hand they show weaknesses as dispersers. Therefore the investigation
about the influence of suspended matter on this kind of additives is very relevant and the results
are presented in this work.
The calculated scaling potential of the test water concentrate, expressed as Langelier Satura-
tion Index (LSI), is in the range of LSI 1.8 up to 2.5. The concentration of suspended solids was
between 30 and 120 ppm.
The applied membrane test procedure uses a test plant which is highly adapted to a full scale
RO-plant, namely in terms of reaching the supersaturation by starting with a feed water with only
moderate scaling tendency. The test plant is operated at a constant permeate flux and a constant
recovery rate. If the membrane is blocked by scaling the pressure is automatically adjusted to keep
the permeate flux constant. The time-dependent increase of the pressure is the main indicator
for the effectiveness of the AS. After the tests the scaling layer morphologies are examined by a
scanning electron microscope.
As a result the time-dependent pressure development of test runs with different feed waters
and increasing PCA-dosages and the corresponding SEM-images are shown. The test runs prove
that PCA is able to completely inhibit membrane clogging by calcium carbonate up to a certain
scaling potential even at a low AS concentration of 1.3 mg/L in the feed water.
On the other hand, depending on the feed water, there is a specific dosage of PCA where the
membrane is blocked more rapidly, indicating a Ca-sensitivity of PCA.These critical concentrations
of PCA hold a considerable risk of overdosing and induced membrane blocking, if these levels are
exceeded.
Tests with SrCO3 as model substance for suspended matter show the ability of PCA to com-
pletely stabilize calcite up to 60 mg/L SrCO3 in the concentrate. The EDX-analysis of the scaling
layer with SrCO3-crystals as suspended matter show that the CaCO3 is formed attached to the
SrCO3-crystals and not as separate CaCO3-crystals. This finding in combination with increasing
relative Ca-concentration suggests that clogging of the membrane by SrCO3 is fostered by the
calcium carbonate precipitating on the SrCO3 crystals.
Keywords: Phosphonocarbonic acid, Calcium carbonate, Scale inhibition, Suspended matter, Reverse
osmosis

125
Studies on the recovery of calcium and magnesium from Red Sea water
by NF membrane
Mohammed H. Sorour, Hayam F. Shaalan*, Heba A. Hani,
Mahmoud A. El-Toukhy
Chemical Engineering and Pilot Plant Department,
National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt
* e-mail address: [email protected]
Postal Address: El-Bohouth Street (El-Tahrir Street), Dokki; P.O.Box 12622
Tel: +20 1006486276

This paper reports the results of nanofiltration (NF) polymeric membrane for the recovery
of divalent ions (calcium and magnesium) from Red seawater. Pilot plant experiments have been

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carried out using Alfa-Laval (NF 2517/48) membrane module. System was operated in both total
circulation mode (permeate and brine) and brine circulation mode under hydraulic pressure of 15
bar. Impacts of some chelating agents on both flux and rejection have been also investigated. Results
indicated stable performance and pure water permeability ranging from 17 to 85.5 LMH at 2-15
bar. Comparison with seawater permeability under the same operating pressures reveals 48-64%
reduction manifesting the effect of the osmotic pressure of seawater. Overall TDS reduction was
almost constant without incorporation of chelating agents. On the contrary of expectations, the
use of chelating agents (HEDTA & EGTA) showed flux decline of about 3-15%. Analysis of rejec-
tion data of both operation modes showed reasonable rejection values for Ca, Mg and SO4. For
the full circulation mode, those values were 35%, 59% and 90% for Ca, Mg and SO4, respectively.
Operating under brine recirculation mode only showed decrease of rejection to 33%, 56% and
86% for Ca, Mg and SO4, respectively. The use of chelating agents has no substantial effect on NF
membrane performance while increasing the total Ca rejection to 48-65% for EGTA and HEDTA.
Results in general confirmed the powerful separation of NF technology for softening and recov-
ery of divalent ions from seawater. It is anticipated that increasing operating pressure beyond the
limits of our investigations would improve the rejection and flux. A trade-off should be considered
between operating cost (due to higher pressure and marginal benefits as manifested by expected
improved performance).The experimental results fitted well with the formulated rejection empiri-
cal correlations and the published ones.
Keywords: NF, Seawater, Recovery, Calcium, Magnesium

126
Development of measurement techniques for wetting potential
of hydrophobic membranes in membrane distillation
Bomin Kim, Hyeongrak Cho, Jihyeok Choi, Jinsik Sohn†, Sangho Lee†
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, 77, Jeongmeung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02707, Korea
Email: [email protected], telephone: 82-2-910-4529, fax: 82-2-910-4939

One of the challenges of membrane distillation (MD) technology is the wetting of the membranes.
It is known to be caused by amphiphilic contaminants, such as natural or synthetic surfactants.
Fouling due to scale formation is also regarded as one of the main reasons for membrane wetting.
However, relatively little information is available on membrane wetting in MD process. It is difficult
to predict how and when membrane wetting occurs. The pretreatment conditions to mitigate
membrane wetting have not been revealed. In this context, this study focused on the measurement
of membrane wetting potential.Various feed solutions containing NaCl, CaSO4, humic acid, alginate,
and SDS, respectively, were used for the experiments. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polytet-
rafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes with different nominal pore sizes were compared. Protocols
for accelerated wetting tests were developed together with the test devices. Liquid entry pressure
(LEP) and dynamic contact angle were measured to find correlations with the wetting potential.
Results showed that LEP and contact angles were not enough to predict membrane wetting under
various conditions.To develop prediction models, response surface methodology (RSM) was used as
well as semi-empirical models.A standard protocol for accelerated wetting tests was also suggested.
Keywords: Membrane distillation(MD), Membrane wetting, Measurement, Prediction, Liquid entry
pressure, Contact angle
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References
1. Mohammad Rezaei, David M.Warsinger, John H. Lienhard V, Mikel C. Duke,Wolfgang M. Samhaber,Wetting phenomena
in membrane distillation: Mechanisms, reversal, and prevention, Water Res., 139, (2018), 329-352
2. Zhangxin Wang, Shihong Lin, Membrane fouling and wetting in membrane distillation and their mitigation by novel
membranes with special wettability, Water Res., 112, (2017) 38-47
3. Farah Ejaz Ahmed, Boor Singh Lalia, Read Hashaikeh. Membrane-based detection of wetting phenomenon in direct
contact membrane distillation. J. Membr. Sci. 535 (2017) 89-93

127
A liquid desiccant cycle for sustainable water use
in controlled environment agriculture
Ryan Lefers*, Srivatsa Betthalli, Nina Fedoroff,
Philip Davies, Suzana Nunes, TorOve Leiknes
* King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Office #4255-WS01, Building 4, KAUST,
Thuwal, 23955-6900 Makka, Saudi Arabia,
Tel. +966 128082273, +966 544700874; [email protected]

Humidity control and fresh water supply are two important factors that affect the overall pro-
ductivity, energy efficiency, and sustainability of controlled environment agriculture. Liquid desic-
cants offer the potential for pinpoint control of humidity levels in controlled environments. In
addition, desalination for regeneration of the liquid desiccants offers the potential for fresh water
recovery and reuse. In the present work, we incorporated the dehumidification processes into a
bench scale controlled environment agriculture system (CEAS). Hollow fiber membranes were
combined into an array and placed near the crops for humidity control. Concentrated magnesium
chloride liquid desiccant solution with a vapor pressure lower than that of the CEAS was pumped
through the hollow fiber lumens. The dehumidification permeance rate responded dynamically to
the changing transpiration rate of the plants, as influenced by changes in environmental factors
such as light, temperature, and vapor pressure. In addition, the permeance rate increased from an
average of 0.26 to 0.31 g m-2 h-1 Pa-1 as the velocity of the liquid desiccant through the hollow
fibers increased from 0.023 to 0.081 m s-1. For the first time, a membrane-based liquid desiccant
system was demonstrated to successfully control humidity at target levels within a bench-scale
CEAS. When combined with a desalination system such as membrane distillation for recovery of
fresh water from the dehumidification system, the potential exists to irrigate plants with recovered
fresh water and to reduce the water footprint of the crops by up to ~99%.
Keywords: Desalination, Membrane dehumidification, Liquid desiccant, Membrane distillation, Urban
agriculture,Vertical farming, Controlled environment agriculture

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128
Development and investigation of a new submerged low-pressure
spiral-wound-element for micro- and ultrafiltration
Gerd Braun*, Paul Steinle
Technische Hochschule Köln, Betzdorfer Strasse 2, D-50679 Cologne, Germany
* Corresponding author: [email protected], [email protected]

The main requirements for submerged membrane elements are a high packing density resp. a
small footprint, and a low energy demand for the operation.
To reach these goals a new type of a spiral-wound-membrane-element with an open-channel
feed spacer for micro- and ultrafiltration in submerged operation was developed and investigated
in this work.
Laboratory tests and CFD simulations based on a flow model developed allowed the determina-
tion of an optimal bubble size and thus the optimal channel height of the corrugated feed spacer of
5 mm. To generate suitable air bubbles with a geometric distribution adapted to the spiral wound
membrane element, several systems were tested and a suitable design was manufactured by means
of a 3D printer.
Field tests with a fully automatic pilot plant for particle and activated sludge filtration were car-
ried out. The main subject of the experiments was the development and investigation of adapted
filtration techniques to minimize the energy demand and the needed purge air volume. Furthermore
the cleaning procedures were investigated and optimized.
With regard to the air purge and the manufacturing of the membrane elements, a spacer height
of 5 mm has proven to be suitable. With smaller spacers, the distribution of the gas volume flow
to the individual channels of the feed spacer becomes inhomogeneous. With a spacer height of 5
mm, it was also possible to produce spiral-wound-elements which are stable in form and have a
high packing density. Moreover, the fabricated elements can be backwashed to a sufficient degree
without damaging the element, due to the necessary backwash pressure. So it is possible to clean
the modules chemically from both, the feed side and the permeate side, and to perform this clean-
ing without removing the elements.
For the filtration of particles, a deposition of the particles can be estimated on the basis of
a force equilibrium as a function of the filtration volume flow, particle diameter and crossflow
velocity. With the chosen specific air flow rates up to about 0.2 m³/m²/h relatively low crossflow
velocities of up to 0.4 m/s are achieved. The low crossflow velocities are associated with a low
energy requirement, but they also result in a deposition of particles on the membrane surface at
lower filtrate volume flow rates. Under the described operating conditions this results in a critical
particle diameter of about 1 μm and a limiting permeate flux of 10 L/m²/h. In case of back-washing
or in case of filtration of larger particles, the actual permeate flux can be increased.
The required energy depends on the mode of operation, as well as the suspension and its
concentration, since these affect the permeance of the membrane. For the filtration of activated
sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant only about 150 Wh/m³ are needed. For particle
filtration the energy requirement could be reduced to 40 to 60 Wh/m³.Thus, the required specific
energy requirement is significantly below that of comparable systems.
In particular, the particle filtration experiments have yielded very promising results. Besides
specific applications, for example the filtration of aqueous process streams from the ceramics in-
dustry, the new submerged spiral-wound-element can be used as a pretreatment step for reverse

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osmosis applications. Compared with standard ultra- and microfiltration systems the required
specific energy demand is considerably lower.
Keywords: Submerged ultrafiltration, Microfiltration, Energy demand, Pretreatment, Corrugated
feed spacer

129
Functionalized graphene oxide-gadolinium based composites
for adsorption removal of radionuclides
Janardhan Reddy Koduru1, †, Lakshmi Prasanna Lingamdinne1,
Jong-Soo Choi1,Yu-Lim Choi1 ,Yoon-Young Chang1, Jae-Kyu Yang2
1
Department of Environmental Engineering,
Kwangwoon University, Seoul, 01897, Korea
2
Ingenium College of Liberal Arts,
Kwangwoon University, Seoul 01897, Korea
† Corresponding author: E-mail: a [email protected]
Tel. +82-(02)-940-5496; Fax +82-(02)-918-5774

It is well known that RE2O3 (where RE is the rare-earth element) compounds have been widely
used as heat-resistant materials, high-performance luminescent devices, and catalysts based on the
electrical and optical properties of their 4f electrons of lanthanide. Among different RE2O3 materi-
als, gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) is promising as host matrix for down- and up conversion lumines-
cence due to its good chemical durability and low phonon energy. Moreover, Gd2O3 have similar
properties of Fe(III) and Al(III) which are widely used for removal of arsenic. In addition, Gd and
its oxonium ions possessing a large magnetic moment. Gadolinium(III), like most lanthanide ions,
forms complexes with high coordination numbers. Gadolinium can combine with nitrogen, carbon,
sulfur, phosphorus, boron, selenium, silicon, and arsenic at elevated temperatures, forming binary
compounds [1]. However, gadolinium based nanocomposites have not been applied for wastewater
treatment so far. In addition, GO is a good candidate for constructing GO-based metal oxide com-
posites. Recently, graphene oxide(GO)-based metal oxide nanocomposites have been used for the
adsorption of various organic and inorganic pollutants from water[2-7]. However, those reports
limitation in view real application. This study prompted us to synthesized polymer functionalized
graphene oxide-gadolinium- (Poly.-GO-Gd) composite for adsorption removal of radionuclides
from aqueous solutions. As synthesized material, Poly.-GO-Gd characterized by microscopic and
spectroscopic techniques.The characterized material well applied for batch adsorption removal of
radionuclides in view of study their adsorption process and efficiency studied in this present study.
Keywords: Graphene oxide, Gadolinium oxide, Functionalized Graphene oxide-Gadolinium, Ra-
dionuclides removal, Adsorption, Composite hybrid materials

Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea funded by
Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (MSIP) (2017R1C1B5016656). It was also partially sup-
ported by the Kwangwoon University, Seoul, Korea through Research grant–2018.

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References
[1] A.F. Holleman, E. Wiberg, Inorganic Chemistry, San Diego: Academic Press, ISBN 0-12-352651-5, 2001.
[2] Z.J. Li, L. Wang, L.Y. Yuan, C.L. Xiao, L. Mei, L.R. Zheng, J. Zhang, J.H. Yang, Y.L. Zhao, Z.T. Zhu, Z.F. Chai, W.Q. Shi,
Efficient removal of uranium from aqueous solution by zero-valent iron nanoparticle and its graphene composite,
J. Hazard. Mater., vol.290, pp.26-33, 2015.
[3] P. Zong, S. Wang, Y. Zhao, H. Wang, H. Pan, C. He, Synthesis and application of magnetic graphene/iron oxides
composite for the removal of U(VI) from aqueous solutions, Chem. Eng. J., vol.220, pp.45-52, 2013.
[4] V. Chandra, J. Park, Y. Chun, J.W. Lee, I.C. Hwang, K.S. Kim, Water-dispersible magnetite-reduced graphene oxide
composites for arsenic removal, ACS Nano, vol.4, no.7, pp.3979-3986, 2010.
[5] L.P. Lingamdinne, Y.L. Choi, I.S. Kim, J.K. Yang, J.R. Koduru, Y.Y. Chang, Preparation and characterization of porous
reduced graphene oxide based inverse spinel nickel ferrite nanocomposite for adsorption removal of radionuclide”,
J. Hazard. Mater., vol.326, pp.145-156, 2017.
[6] L.P. Lingamdinne, J.R. Koduru,Y.L. Choi,Y.Y. Chang, J.K.Yang, Studies on removal of Pb (II) and Cr (III) using graphene
oxide based inverse spinel nickel ferrite nano-composite as sorbent, Hydrometallurgy, vol.165, pp. 64-72, 2016.
[7] H. Wang, X. Yuan, Y. Wu, H. Huang, X. Peng, G. Zeng, H. Zhong, J. Liang, M.M. Ren, Graphene-based materials:
fabrication, characterization and application for the decontamination of wastewater and wastegas and hydrogen
storage/generation, Adv. Colloid Interface Sci., vol.195–196, pp. 19-40, 2013.

130
Lanthanum-graphene oxide hybride composite
for adsorption removal of heavy metals
Lakshmi Prasanna Lingamdinne1, Janardhan Reddy Koduru1,
Yu-Lim Choi1, Jong-Soo Choi1,Yoon-Young Chang1, Jae-Kyu Yang 2*
Department of Environmental Engineering,
1

Kwangwoon University, Seoul, 01897, Korea

2
Ingenium College of Liberal Arts,
Kwangwoon University, Seoul, 01897, Korea
*Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected];Tel. +82- 2-9405769; Fax: +82 - 2-9175769

Water pollution is a worldwide problem. Heavy metals, one of the big source for the pollution
of water and causes adverse health impacts in the human organs and immune system etc.[1]. As
we know graphene oxide (GO) based hybrid nanocomposites have potential applications for water
treatment. In addition, some of the lanthanum-based materials has been reported for adsorption
removal of pollutants which can improve base material adsorption capacity and adsorption kinetics
[2, 3]. Hence, here we synthesized lanthanum-graphene oxide (LAGO) based hybrid composite for
adsorption removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. As synthesized LAGO properties and
purity was evaluated by using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques.The adsorption efficiency
of as-synthesized, LAGO for heavy metals was tested through batch adsorption studies.
Keywords: Graphene oxide, Lanthanum oxide-graphene oxide, Composite materials, Adsorption,
Heavy metals

Acknowledgment
This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research
Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2016R1D1A1B03930879).

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References
[1] Kudesia,V. P., “Water Pollution,” Pregatiprakashan Publications, Meerut (1990).
[2] V.Kuroki, G.E. Bosco, P.S. Fadini, A.A. Mozeto, A.R.Cestari, W.A. Carvalho, “Use of a La(III)-modified bentonite for
effective phosphate removal from aqueous media”, Journal of Hazardous Material, 274, 124–131, (2014).
[3] K.Reitzel, F.O. Andersen, S.Egemose, H.S.Jensen, “Phosphate adsorption by lanthanum modified bentonite clay in
fresh and brackish water”, Water Research. 47, 2787–2796, (2013).

131
Performance assessment of a full-scale BWRO desalination plant.
Influence of the RO system design and operating conditions
A. Ruiz-Garcíaa*, B. Del Río-Gamerob, I. Nuezc
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
email: [email protected]. +34 606340544
b
Department of Process Engineering,
c
Department of Electronic and Automatic Engineering
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
E-35017, Canary Islands, Spain

The design and operating conditions of a RO system is key on its performance in long-term.
The BWRO desalination plant is located in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). Two long-term
operation periods were studied in this work, from 1986 to 1993 and from 2004 to 2015. At the
beginning of the first period, the plant had an arrangement 2(4):2(4), so two stages, two pressure
vessels (PV) per stage, four elements per PV and the membrane was the BW30-8040.This strange
arrangement was done by a previous RO designer company in 1982. After 2,300 operating hours
working with the above mentioned arrangement, the plant was reformed adding a PV in the first
stage, so the arrangement was 3(4):2(4) increasing a 15% the production capacity.The total operating
time was around 40,000 h. In 2004, a second reformed was carried out, the same arrangement, but
six elements per PV. This time the element BW30-400 was used. The production capacity was the
same as previous period after the reformed, but in this case the operating time was around 88,000
h. The aim of this work was to carried out a performance comparison between both periods. The
evolution of the operating parameters such as feedwater conductivity, permeate conductivity, feed
pressure, pressure drop, permeate flow, feed flow was shown. as well as the decline of the average
water permeability coefficients in both cases
Keywords: Brackish water; Reverse osmosis; Long-term; Operating data; Performance; RO system
design

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132
Off-grid desalination for irrigation in the Jordan Valley
Philip A. Davies1*, Liam Burlace1, Tim Naughton1, Clive Lipchin2, Suleiman Halasah 2,3,
Hala Abu Ali2, Maya Mark2, Areen Majali2, Monther Hind4
1
Sustainable Environment Research Group, Aston University, Birmingham, UK, B4 7ET
Center for Transboundary Water Management, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Kibbutz Ketura,
2

D. N. Eilot, 88840 Israel

3
i.GREENs, Amman, Jordan
4
Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group, Birzeit Road, 1st Floor, Al Bireh, Palestine, P.O. Box 3665
*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Groundwater resources in many regions of the world are becoming increasingly depleted and
salinized.As aquifers typically straddle political boundaries, their ongoing depletion presents both a
flashpoint for conflict and an opportunity for cooperation.A salient example is that of transboundary
groundwater resources in the Jordan Valley, which are shared among Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian
residents.A desalination system is being developed for use by farmers in the West Bank.The system
is based on a simple but efficient batch-reverse osmosis technology that incorporates energy re-
covery and brine recirculation to achieve 80% recovery and specific energy consumption < 1 kWh/
m3. It can be solar powered with minimal PV footprint. Because the system is built almost entirely
from off-the-shelf parts, it is readily implemented with levels of engineering expertise available in
many areas of the world. To test and upscale the solution and to propagate the knowledge about
it, the system is being trialled at centres in the UK, Israel and Palestine. Participation of students
internationally presents an opportunity for training and shared understanding of the regional chal-
lenges. The presentation covers technical aspects of the project and its outcomes. It also reflects
on the challenges of implementation of the project and on its potential to further democratise
the use of desalination technology and to promote regional cooperation in solving transboundary
water problems in the Middle East.
Keywords: Groundwater, Solar PV, Batch-RO, High recovery, Transboundary resources, Regional
cooperation

133
Removal of chromium from aqueous system using synthesized and
characterized encapsulated zero-valent iron by polymer
Jong-Soo Choi1,Yu-Rim Choi1, Lakshmi Prasanna Lingamdinne1,
Janardhan Reddy Koduru1, Jae-KyuYang2,Yoon-Young Chang1, †
1
Department of Environmental Engineering,
Kwangwoon University, Seoul, 139-701, Korea
2
Ingenium College of Liberal Arts, Kwangwoon University, Seoul, 139-701, Korea
† Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] (Y.Y. Chang),Tel. +82-10-5384-2723, Fax +82-02-918-5774

Chromium is a common groundwater contaminant because of its widespread application in

metallurgy, organic chemical syntheses, leather tanning, and wood preserving industries.[1, 2] In

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aqueous environments, chromium usually exists in hexavalent (Cr(VI)) and trivalent forms (Cr(III)).
Cr(VI) is acutely toxic and carcinogenic. It is also highly mobile in groundwater since it does not
sorb strongly onto most soils.[1] Contrarily, Cr(III) is relatively nontoxic and an essential human
nutrient.[3] It does not readily migrate in groundwater since it usually precipitates as hydroxides,
oxides or oxyhydroxides.[4] Zero-valent iron (ZVI) has been proven to be an effective material
for the reductive precipitation of Cr(VI),[4,5] Inside the reactive barriers, both Fe0 and the Fe2+
released from the anaerobic Fe0 corrosion act as reductants to first chemically reduce Cr(VI) to
Cr(III) followed by precipitation as chromium or chromium-iron oxides/hydroxides/oxyhydroxides
on the Fe0 surface.[6,7] Although At present, the most urgent problem to be solved in the applica-
tion of ZVI is that the reactivity to the target contaminant in water is low and the sustainability is
short. In this study, it was to develop a microcapsule-reactive medium containing ZVI with sustained
release characteristics to maximize the stability and persistence of ZVI, a multifunctional reaction
medium, redox-active contaminants are in the development of an optimal treatment process and
purification system in water treatment.
Keywords: Encapsulated zero-valent iron, Chromium, Adsorption, Redox-active contaminants

Acknowledgment
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea, funded by the
Ministry of Education (2018R1D1A1B07043096) of the Korean Government. It was also partially
supported by Kwangwoon University, Seoul, Korea through a Research Grant in 2018.

References
[1] Palmer, C. D.;Wittbrodt, P. R. Processes affecting the remediation of chromium-contaminated sites. Environ. Health
Perspect. 1991, 92, 25–40.
[2] National Research Council. Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup; National Academy Press: Washington, DC,
1994.
[3] Buerge, I. J.; Hug, S. J. Kinetics and pH dependence of chromium(VI) reduction by iron(II). Environ. Sci.Technol. 1997,
31, 1426–1432.
[4] Lo, I. M. C.; Lam, C. S. C.; Lai, K. C. K. Competitive effects of TCE on Cr(VI) removal by zero-valent iron. J. Environ.
Eng. 2005, 13 (11), 1598–1606.
[5] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).An In Situ Permeable Reactive Barrier for the Treatment of Hexavalent
Chromium and Trichloroethylene in Ground Water Volume 1 Design and Installation; EPA: Washington, DC, 1999.
[6] Lee, T. Y.; Lim, H. J.; Lee, Y. H.; Park, J. W. Use of waste iron metal for removal of Cr(VI) from water. Chemosphere
2003, 53, 479–485.
[7] Karvonen,A. J. Cation effects on chromium removal in permeable reactive walls. Environ. Eng. 2004, 130 (8), 863–866.

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134
Retrofitting assessment of a full-scale BWRO desalination plant
A. Ruiz-Garcíaa, B. Del Río-Gamerob, E. Dimitriouc, I. Nuezd
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
E-mail: [email protected].
b
Department of Process Engineering,
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
c
Department of Natural Resources and Agricultural Engineering,
Agricultural University of Athens, Greece.
d
Department of Electronic and Automatic Engineering, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

Reverse osmosis is the most widespread technology in desalination of seawater and brackish
water. In brackish water desalination, the use of energy recovery systems is not as evident as in
the desalination of seawater, due among other factors, higher flux recoveries and lower specific
energy consumption. In this work we studied the economic feasibility of installing energy recovery
systems, interstage pump and RO membrane replacement by nanofiltration in a BWRO desalination
plant with a feed capacity of 600 m3/d. For this study. Experimental data from more than two years
of operation were used in the current state of the plant, micro-filtration and antiscalant dosing as
pre-treatment, RO system with two stages, 3 pressure vessels (PV) in the first stage and 2 in the
second stage with 6 RO membrane elements each PV. The production of the plant is for agricul-
tural irrigation. A study was made considering different scenarios with its influence on efficiency,
permeate quality and economic viability.
Keywords: Brackish water; Reverse osmosis; Long-term; Operating data; Performance; RO system
design

135
Optimization of configuration and operation of remote water and
electricity cogeneration plants (PV/WT/BS/RO systems)
Julian Fleischmann
Merzhauser Str. 164/4, Germany
e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +49 17623974702

Facing the world`s challenges of the 21st century like climate change, population growth and
excessive resource use, the design of water and energy supply play a crucial role for sustainable
development. As a powerful application regarding water-energy nexus, Photovoltaic/Windturbine/
Battery/Reverse Osmosis (PV/WT/BS/RO) systems are capable to perform water and electricity
cogeneration in remote areas with access to sea or brackish water. High capital investment costs
are the greatest obstacle for establishment of PV/WT/BS/RO systems, especially for poor commu-
nities. The combination of PV/WT/BS/RO brings along special features (complementarity of solar
and wind resources, scheduled or flexible operation of RO, application of ERD for RO, fresh water

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tank as indirect energy storage) which open up capabilities for cost reduction.These potentials can
be enabled by optimization of the configuration and operation the system. In the present thesis, a
configuration optimization tool for PV/WT/BS/RO systems is developed.The system model reflects
stated features and allows various operation modes. Following recent optimization literature, the
metaheuristic algorithm “Particle Swarm Optimization†(PSO) is applied on minimizing the
total annualized cost (TAC) of water and electricity production under water and electricity supply
security constraints (LPSP & LWSP).The optimization results of a heuristically designed system, of
a PSO on constant RO operation and a PSO on scheduled RO operation are compared quantita-
tively and qualitatively. The findings feed into the development of a user-friendly, fast and accurate
optimization tool which paves the way for planners, funders, operators and communities to establish
sustainable water and electricity cogeneration.
Keywords: Off-grid, Renewable energy, Water and electricity cogeneration

136
Economical and ecological advantages of nanofiltration techniques
over different conventional well water treatment
Alexei Pervov*, Alexei Andrianov,Vladimir Golovesov, Galina Rudakova
Moscow State University of Civil Engineering. Department of Water Supply. Moscow, Russia
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +7 9857667644

The report is devoted to modernization of existing membrane techniques aimed at development

of versatile tools to remove iron, hardness, fluoride, ammonia and strontium from the well water.
A state of the art survey is presented that describes modern techniques used to remove iron,
hardness and fluoride from well water. Main features of existing techniques are presented, as well
as their advantages and disadvantages are described.
A new developed approach to use nanofiltration membranes to treat well water is described
and its advantages over conventional techniques are presented basing on economical comparison
of their main economical and ecological characteristics. Anew approach is described to minimize
amount of discharged concentrate that uses a double stage treatment of concentrate streams with
nanofiltration membranes.
These new membrane tools feature application of additional membrane unit to treat concentrate
stream with high recovery (up to 0.9-0.95) .
Experimental research was conducted to determine main operational parameters of membrane
units such as: recoveries, scaling rates, antiscalant doses and cleaning schedules. To determine
required recovery values, relationships of iron, hardness and fluoride removal efficiencies versus
recoveries were investigated.
Also calcium carbonate scaling rates in nanofiltration modules are determined to evaluate op-
erational costs to control scaling. New types of “green” phosphorous-free antiscalants based on
polyaspartic and polyacrylic acid salts were proposed. Results of antiscalant testings are presented
that provided their efficient dosing values and scaling rates for different recoveries. PASP (polyas-
partate salts, molecular weight 3000 Da) and PAK-4 (polyacrilate, molecular weight 4500 Da) were
selected for industrial application to treat well water using new developed membrane techniques.
Both chemicals are developed, produced and supplied by “Traverse Co” (Moscow).

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The obtained data enables us to determine all operational parameters of membrane units as
well as their operational costs. Results of operational costs calculations based on experimental
testings are presented.All research testings and economical calculations were conducted for three
typical well water compositions in the Podolsk region of New Moscow southwest area. Capital
and operational costs are evaluated and compared for the cases of well water treatment using
new developed membrane techniques and conventional techniques ( such as: aeration/filtration,
ion exchange softening, reverse osmosis).
Basing on results of experimental studies operational costs are calculated for the main cases
of treatment of well waters with different chemical compositions. Various types of nanofiltration
membranes with different rejection, pressure and flow characteristics were tested. Operational
costs were determined using the computer program developed by the authors earlier.
The conducted calculations revealed that nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes effi-
ciently remove calcium, iron and fluoride even at high values of recoveries (0.75-0.9).The obtained
experimental plots show that rejection of multivalent ions (iron and calcium) remains high even
at high values of concentration factoe during test runs. Therefore, when membrane unit is devel-
oped, nanofiltration membranes with lower rejection as well as with lower energy and chemical
consumption should be preferentially used. This was demonstrated by experimentally obtained
presented plots yielding dependencies of scaling rates on concentration factor and membrane
rejection values. The obtained data confirms that nanofiltration water treatment units are more
cost efficient compared to conventional techniques even for the cases when only iron is removed
from well water.
Conclusions:Application of versatile membrane techniques with 10 cubic meter per hour capacity
to treat well water demonstrated higher economical and ecological efficiencies than conventional
techniques even for simple cases of iron removal due to smaller footprint, chemical consumption
and wastewater discharge. Membrane units also offer simpler delivery, start-up, operation and
service opportunities to embrace large territories for water supply.
Keywords: Well water, Iron and manganese removal, Water softening, Fluoride removal, Reverse
osmosis, Nanofiltration, Reverse osmosis concentrate utilization.

137
Monitoring adenosine triphosphate and bacterial regrowth potential
along the pre-treatment of a seawater reverse osmosis plant
Almotasembellah Abushaban a,b*, Sergio. G. Salinas-Rodriguez a, Delia Pastorelli c, Subhanjan
Mondal d, Jan C. Schippers a, Maria D. Kennedy a,b
a
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education,
Environmental Engineering and Water Technology Department,
Westvest 7, 2611 AX, Delft,The Netherlands.
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected],Tel. +31 636356480
b
Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft,The Netherlands.
c
Suez international, 183 Ave du 18 Juin 1940, 92500 Rueil-Malmaison, France.
d
Promega Corporation, 2800 Woods Hollow Road, Madison,WI 53711, USA.

Standard methods to monitor and predict biological fouling of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)
membranes do not exist. Monitoring bacterial regrowth potential (BRP) of SWRO feedwater has
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gained attention as it is directly related to the nutrients present in seawater. In this research, a new
BRP method using indigenous bacteria consortium based on microbial adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
was developed and used.The method to measure microbial ATP has been recently developed using
seawater-specific reagents (developed by Promega, USA). Moreover, the new developed methods
were applied (i) to monitor microbial ATP and BRP along the pre-treatment of a full-scale SWRO
desalination plant in the Middle East and (ii) to monitor the performance of the first stage of me-
dia filtration. The pre-treatment line includes screens, inline coagulation, two stages of dual media
filtration and cartridge filtration.
To measure BRP, seawater samples were pasteurized for 60 min and were inoculated with 1×104
intact cells/mL (measured by flow cytometry) using a natural bacterial consortium from seawater.
The samples were incubated at 30°C and bacterial regrowth was monitored using microbial ATP
method in seawater.
The new BRP method is fast (2-3 days) compared to the conventional BRP method using bac-
terial plate counting. The new methods were applied to monitor microbial ATP and BRP through
the pre-treatment trains of an SWRO desalination plant in the Middle East. Significant reduction
in microbial ATP and BRP were recorded through the RO pre-treatment. Microbial ATP declined
from 500 ng ATP/L in raw seawater to 10 ng ATP/L in the SWRO feedwater and BRP reduced from
250 ng ATP/L in the raw seawater to 100 ng ATP/L in the SWRO feedwater.
Moreover, the performance of the first stage of dual media filtration was monitored based on
microbial ATP and verified with other parameters including silt density index (SDI) and modified
fouling index (MFI-0.45). A well optimized maturation time and good performance of backwash-
ing were observed. During maturation (35 min), microbial ATP was declined from 190 to 35 ng/L
which is very close to its value before backwashing.Typical similar tends of Microbial ATP, MFI, and
SDI were obtained. However, microbial ATP showed a higher sensitivity and fast response during
the intermittent chlorination.
Overall, the new methods are promising tools to monitor (BRP) and control pre-treatment
(e.g., maturation period of DMF) of SWRO desalination plants with respect to biological activity.
Keywords: Desalination, Biofouling potential, Reverse osmosis, Microbial growth potential, Microbial
adenosine triphosphate, Seawater.

138
Limitation of reverse osmosis system projection program
Jaehak Jung, Minseok Kim, Suhan Kim*
Department of Civil Engineering, Pukyong National University,
45 Yongso-ro, Nam-gu, Busan,48513, Korea
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
*Corresponding author: Suhan Kim, E-mail: [email protected]

Reverse osmosis (RO) process is the most frequently applied process in the field of desalination.
In order to design RO processes, RO projection software provided by the membrane manufactur-
ers is used. If the software had incorrectly evaluated the performance of RO membrane, how can
we find out? Thus, it is important to understand the limitation of RO system projection program.
The best way is to compare the projection results with the real data. However, it is impossible to

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obtain the real data for various design conditions to compare them with the projection results.
Instead, the trends of the projection results are analyzed to find out if they are reasonable or not.
Five pieces of RO system projection software (e.g., CSMPRO Ver 5.0, IMS Design -2016, ROSA 9.0,
LG Chem NanoH2O, and Toray DS2) were tested in this work.We simulated RO systems with 10
different SWRO membranes (5 high flux and 5 low flux membranes) to elucidate the limitation of
the RO projection programs provided by the manufacturers. In general, the RO projection programs
show reasonable data patterns when tested with different design fluxes and temperatures. However,
the changing rates of feed pressure and salt rejection with temperatures are quite different for
different membranes.This should be investigated more specifically. In addition, most RO projection
programs do not account for the dependence of salt rejection upon pH.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis (RO), RO system projection program, Limitation, Temperature

139
Agenda for simultaneous enhancement of the performance
and environmental soundness of pressure retarded osmosis hybridized
with seawater reverse osmosis
Sung Ho Chae1*, Jihye Kim2, Joon Ha Kim1*
1
School of Earth Science and Environmental Engineering,
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST),
Gwangju, 61005, Korea
2
Water Research Center, K-water Research Institute, Korea
Tel. +82 10-8734-8657
[email protected]
* Corresponding author:Tel.:+82-62-715-3391; Fax.: +82-62-715-2434; E-mail: [email protected]

Pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) has gained an attention as one of promising carbon-free en-
ergy generating processes since after the twenty-first century. Due to its thermodynamic feature,
however, it was clarified that stand-alone PRO is little viable. To this end, PRO has been often hy-
bridized with a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) to enhance the economics of PRO. However,
almost every recent research concerned with SWRO-PRO has focused only on the energy saving
efficiency. Considering that the electricity used to operate both SWRO and PRO is mostly gener-
ated by fossil fuel, the effect of fossil fuel-based electricity on SWRO-PRO should be also taken
into account to ensure the environmental soundness of PRO. In this context, a series of numerical
analysis was conducted in the current study, to observe the performance and environmental impact
of SWRO-PRO simultaneously.The performance of SWRO-PRO was assessed with a pre-invented
dimensionless index, which describes the ratio of the energy recovered by PRO to the energy
consumed by SWRO, together with various membrane parameters and operational conditions.
Subsequently, the carbon dioxide emission incurred by SWRO-PRO was simulated based on the
results of performance assessment, and the scenarios made up of renewable energy demand and
population trend in Republic of Korea.According to the simulation results, the carbon dioxide emis-
sion from SWRO-PRO was significantly reduced only when the water recovery of SWRO stayed
below 50%, and the degree of reduction fell dramatically as the water recovery increases. Moreover,
it was found that the hydraulic pressure of PRO can play a decisive role for both energy efficiency

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and carbon dioxide emission of SWRO-PRO since water flux and energy recovery of PRO are in
a trade-off relation. Since a complexion becomes even intricate if the performance and environ-
mental soundness are considered at the same time, a delicate optimization on SWRO-PRO would
be required to satisfy those two aspects. (Next pages contain several figures for the current study)
Keywords: Pressure retarded osmosis, Seawater reverse osmosis, Energy efficiency, Environmental
sound process, Performance index

Fig. 1. A figure representing the trend of a dimensionless index for a SWRO-PRO hybrid process, , accord-
ing to the total water recovery rate of SWRO. A graph with a black solid line represents an ideal model
case (i.e. no concentration polarization in PRO), and a graph with a grey line represents a realistic model
case reflecting the concentration polarization in PRO. Differently from the results of past studies, SWRO-
PRO never shows a maximal energy efficiency around the 50% of SWRO water recovery. Rather, the
energy efficiency gradually decreases as the water recovery of SWRO increases.

[Fig. 2] A figure depicting the magnitude of carbon dioxide emission of SWRO over next three-decades,
resulting from six-different data-based scenarios. Each scenario utilized in the current simulation is for-
mulated with the renewable energy demand and population prediction data provided by Korean govern-
ment.

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Fig. 3. A figure forecasting the reduction degree of carbon dioxide emission from SWRO. Here, the re-
duction degree of carbon dioxide is triggered by PRO. For the simulation, the simulation results of ideal
model case from Fig. 1, and scenario 1 and scenario 4 results from Fig. 2 are respectively utilized.

140
Does phosphate limitation control biofouling in membrane systems?
Luisa Javiera, Nadia Farhata*, Peter Desmondb,c, Rodrigo Valladaresd, Johannes Vrouwenveldera,e,f.
a
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC),
Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE),Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
b
Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
c
ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
d
Renewable Energy Unit,Yucatan Center for Scientific Research (CICY), 43 Street #130, Chuburna de Hidalgo,
97205, Mérida,Yucatan, Mexico.
e
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology,Van der Maasweg 9,
2629 HZ Delft,The Netherlands.
f
Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9, 8911 MA Leeuwarden,
The Netherlands.
* Corresponding author:Tel. +966 562604415, e-mail: [email protected], King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Division of Biological and Envi-
ronmental Science and Engineering (BESE),Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.

Phosphate limitation in feed water has been suggested as a biofouling control strategy for re-
verse osmosis (RO) membrane systems.The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of
phosphate limitation on RO biofouling and to give better insights into the biofilm morphology and
composition that develops under phosphate-limiting (P-limiting) conditions compared to phosphate-
dosed (P-dosed) conditions and subsequently the effect on membrane performance parameters.
Even though no additional phosphate was added to the feed water for the P-limiting conditions,

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a low concentration of phosphorus (~1 µg L-1) was present in water. Results demonstrated that
phosphate limitation resulted in a lower concentration of non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC),
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and total cell count (TCC), but higher protein and phosphorus
concentrations in the extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) (Fig. 1). Faster develop-
ment of pressure drop with time was observed under phosphate-limiting (P-limiting) conditions
compared to phosphate-dosed conditions. The biofilm that developed under P-limiting conditions
had a higher average permeate flux decline, therefore, a higher biofilm resistance. Optical coherence
tomography (OCT) imaging was performed to investigate the structure of the biofilm grown in both
conditions and analysis of the images highlighted significant differences: i) thicker more homogenous
(lower roughness coefficient) biofilm developed on the membrane under P-limiting conditions,
and ii) P-limiting biofilms have a higher biofilm coverage in the flow channel than P-dosed biofilms
(Fig. 1).This study suggests that even at low phosphorus concentrations (below 1 µg L-1) in the feed
water, biofilm formation occurred and the impact on membrane performance parameters varied
depending on the C:P ratio and P concentration in the system. Results from this study revealed
that biofilm development occurred even at a very low concentration of phosphorus in the feed
water. So, when considering phosphate limitation as a biofouling control strategy, a comprehensive
approach should be performed, starting by determining the actual phosphorus concentration and
C:P ratio in the system, followed by analyzing the biofilm composition and structure.This will help
to come up with accurate removal techniques that maintain membrane performance indicators.
Keywords: Biofilm structure; Biofouling; Desalination; Non-destructive imaging; In-situ characterization.

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Fig. 1. (A) Non purgeable organic carbon (NPOC), (B) Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), (C) Total cell count
(TCC), (D) protein quantification from the extracted exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrix, (E) percentage
of phosphorus accumulated in the biofilm, (F) biofilm coverage in the cross-section of the flow chan-
nel, which is calculated from optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, (G) 3D and 2D OCT images
of the biofilms developing in the flow channel under P-dosed and P-limiting conditions. All experiments
were stopped once a normalized pressure drop increase of 150 mbar was reached. The arrow indicates
the flow direction. N=2.

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141
Autonomous reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system
powered by a small photovoltaic (PV) system
at an isolated Greek Islet - The Strongili Island Project
Ntavou Erika, Kologios Zois
Temak, 62,Tatoiou Str., GR 13677, Acharnes, Athens, Greece
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +30 2102581583; Fax +30 2102533989

TEMAK SA is a market leading company since 1972 with experience and perpetual presence in
the Greek and International market, providing the most advantageous solutions in WATER TREAT-
MENT applications.
We provide reliable water treatment solutions and manufacture complete water treatment
systems with long-life, high endurance and minimum need for maintenance.
Water treatment systems applications include sea and brackish water desalination plants, water
treatment systems for industries, tourism, hospitals, power plants, etc.
Our company contributes to the worldwide effort in developing innovative solutions and
technologies for the production of water in arid areas and solutions that improve both the living
conditions and environment.
TEMAK SA presents one of its innovative solutions in designing, manufacturing, producing and
installing systems for the supply of fresh water for human use and consumption at an isolated islet
of the Eastern Aegean Sea, named Strongili Island. More specifically, the main target was the supply
and installation of a portable reverse osmosis (RO) desalination unit of a capacity of 20 m3/d, pre-
constructed, ready for operation and ergonomically containerized, autonomous and safe towards
the environment and the personnel.
Strongili Island is a strategic area of the Hellenic Army Forces, since it marks the Eastern border
of Greece. The islet is inhabited exclusively by soldiers who stay in Army Camps throughout the
year, thus the infrastructures are vestigial (lack of port, energy supply etc) and the supply of fresh
water becomes a big challenge. The minor requirements for such an application are:
• Reliability – Flawless technical design that minimizes the risk of technical problems as there is
not an alternative water source
• Robustness – Robust construction that can endure in time under extreme conditions
• Reduced power consumption – the application must be powered exclusively by solar panels
• Flexibility – requirement of in situ assembly of the plant due to transportation difficulties
(containerized solution is not an option –“ no existing building available to install the equipment)

Our company,TEMAK S.A., responded effectively to the necessity of the Hellenic Army with its
long-term experience in water treatment systems and hybrid-RO systems, providing the islet with
a RO unit powered by a photovoltaic (PV) array.The capacity of the installed RO desalination unit is
20 m3/ d. However, since the energy supply derives exclusively from the PV system, the RO desali-
nation unit was designed for six hours of operation per day (producing 5 m3 of fresh water), while
it also includes an energy recovery system, aiming to the maximum energy saving. Therefore, the
system is capable for a larger production if necessary (e.g. more personnel) or/ and water storage.
One big challenge of the current project was the fact that, since the islet lacks a port and similar
infrastructure, the RO unit had to be pre- constructed, disassembled, transferred by boat and re-
assembled on the islet. Moreover, since it is a stand- alone system on an isolated island, exposed

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to the weather throughout the year, it dictates a high- quality equipment and careful and safe de-
sign and installation. TEMAK S.A. constructed a system featured by the steady and long-term high
quality that governs all of our projects and guarantees a long- life, continuous, smooth operation,
including a remote control and monitoring system. Additionally to that, considering the fact that
up to 2012 (year of installation) the water supply to the islet was realized exclusively by bottled
water transferred by boat (i.e. vulnerable to the weather and usually not available), our company
offered a permanent solution and of lower cost, since water transportation was a big expense for
the Hellenic Army and today the water cost is less than 0,67/m3 .
The aforementioned project is awarded with :
• Second Global Water Award for the Innovative Project Award Category of the international
”Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award” , 2017 in Dubai
• Gold Award at Best City Awards 2017 in Greece
Keywords: Water treatment systems, Desalination, Manufacturers, Sea and brackish water desalina-
tion plants, Renewable energy, Photovoltaics, Reverse osmosis, Solar energy

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Brackish water desalination in the Gaza Strip.
Case study: Rafah small scale RO plant
Mohammed R. Ahmed*, Alaa M. Ahmed
Director of Water Resources & Control Department, Palestinian Water Authority, Gaza, Palestinian Authority
[email protected];Tel. +972 595262601; Fax +972 82550824

More than 95% of the population of the Gaza Strip depends on desalinated water for drinking
purposes. Drinking water is being produced through 154 private and public desalination plants
across the Gaza strip in addition to 10 MCM of drinking water received from Mekorot water
company as a result of Oslo peace accord. This paper presents the details of the implementation
of a medium scale brackish water desalination plant constructed in eastern Rafah – Gaza by Oxfam
and its partner the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility to reduce the water stress in the Gaza strip
and contribute to the provision of safe and clean drinking water.
Keywords: Brackish water, Desalination,Water pollution, Over exploitation,Water quality, Sustain-
able management

143
Molecular composition studies on membrane biofilms
M.F. Nava-Ocampo, Sz.S. Bucs, A.S. Farinha, J.S.Vrouwenvelder
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Biofouling in membrane systems is one of the most persistent problems in water desalination.
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are a polymeric slime produced by bacteria which is
composed of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, polysaccharides and humic substances. EPS plays a sig-

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nificant role in biofouling causing a performance decline of the system. The need to have detailed
knowledge of the molecular composition and spatial distribution of EPS will lead to optimization
of biofilm treatment.
Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) has been
widely used for studies of the spatial distribution of compounds on various bio-systems.The tech-
nology gives direct information about the molecular composition of different proteins, peptides,
lipids, drugs, and metabolites.
This study aims to determine the compositional and spatial differences between biofilm EPS
formed under different (i) systems, such as reverse osmosis, and aerobic granular sludge, and (ii)
operational conditions by using MALDI-IMS. Different experimental approaches for EPS protein
detection have been taken into consideration, such as embedding methods and material, sample
thicknesses, type of matrix and concentration, freezing and slicing temperatures. By the optimiza-
tion of the technique, proteins spatial distribution in the EPS matrix of biofilms were determined.
Biofilm EPS characterization using MALDI IMS is a challenging technique; nevertheless, it is vi-
able for protein characterization. The limitations of the method involve thickness of the biofilm,
embedding material and image resolution.
Keywords: EPS, Maldi-IMS, Biofilm, Characterization

144
Non-rectangular flow-paths for brackish water electrodialysis
Sahil R. Shah, Amos G. Winter,V
Global Engineering and Research Lab, MIT
32 Vassar Street, Building 31-380,
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA,
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +1 2816502011

In order to reduce the capital and operating costs of electrodialysis (ED) desalination, several
authors have turned to optimizing geometry and operating parameters. These studies are broadly
focused on either the millimeter-scale geometry of spacers [1,2] or component-scale considerations
such as the length, width, and number of cell-pairs.With the latter, all recent continuous ED studies
assume rectangular flow-paths [3-7]. Here, we specifically mean that the width of the flow-path is
constant along its length. Commercial spacers, including the Suez Mark IV-2 spacer and IonTech
sheet-flow spacer are also rectangular in the manner defined.
We instead investigated the potential energetic and cost savings facilitated by non-rectangular
flow-paths for brackish water desalination. In particular, we identified the optimal flow channel
geometry to minimize pressure drop (energetic savings) and membrane area requirements (capital
cost savings) using simulation. Benchmarking against the SUEZ MkIV-2 indicated a potential 55%
decrease in pressure drop at the same operating voltage of 0.62 V/cell-pair with minimal increase in
membrane area (1%), by reconfiguring the geometry in the manner proposed (Fig. 1). Alternatively,
by increasing the voltage by 18%, a tapered spacer reduced the membrane area by 17% for the
same production performance specified in Fig. 1 with no additional pressure drop. Spacer thickness,
membrane properties, and flow-rates remain unchanged in this comparison, and the same existing
spacer manufacturing processes can be used.The effect of changing the flow-rate and recovery ratio

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were also investigated in this study.The proposed spacer geometry provides a promising direction
for reducing the cost of ED in domestic [8] and community-scale applications [9] where hydraulic
and/or electrical staging is not feasible.

Fig. 1: Preliminary analysis indicates that SUEZ can decrease the pressure drop in their ED(R) MkIV-2
flow-spacers (black, dot-dashed) by 55% by implementing the tapered-flow path geometry shown (right,
green, solid). Note that the MKIV-2 flow-path is shown here in an unwound state (normally U-shaped).

Keywords: Brackish; Design

[1] Koutsou et al., J. Membrane Science, 2017.

[2] Gurreri et al., J. Membrane Science, 2016.
[3] Turek, Desalination, 2003.
[4] Lee et al., Desalination, 2003.
[5] Nezungai and Majozi, Chem. Eng. Sci., 2016.
[6] Qureshi and Zubair, Desalination, 2018.
[7] Chehayeb, PhD Thesis, MIT, 2017.
[8] Nayar et al., Dev. Eng., 2016.
[9] Wright and Winter, Desalination, 2014.

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145
Establishing correlations between pore structure, surface roughness,
compressive strength, and fracture toughness of ceramic water filters
local to Rajasthan, India
Amrita Kaurwar1, Ashish Kumar Agrawal2, Balwant Singh2, Sandeep Gupta1, Raj Kumar Satankar1,
Jerry Mathew Oommen1, Lovelesh Dave1, Muhammad Ali Rob Sharif3, A.B.O Soboyejo4,
Anand Krishnan Plappally1*
1
Mechanical Engineering Department,
Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur 342037, India
2
Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology Indore
3
Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Department,
The University of Alabama, USA
4
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
*Corresponding author: E-mail address: [email protected];Tel. +91 2912801507; Fax +91 291 2801111

This paper discusses the material and strength characterization of local clay-organic (CO) ceram-
ics used for household water filtration application in rural India. Local clay and sawdust were the
raw materials for manufacturing these ceramics. Wet mix with specified volume fractions of these
raw materials were hydro-plastically formed to square plates, dried and fired at 850°C. Once fired,
these ceramics showed a prominent presence of silica, alumina, and oxides of iron. Quartz, potassium
feldspar, and hematite are the major minerals in these produced ceramics. The family of ceramics
has pore distributions with dominance of pores orthogonal to the surface. Surface roughness of the
ceramics varies linearly with porosity of the mixture.The compressive strength is found to decrease
linearly with increase in surface roughness. The fracture toughness is a polynomial function of the
surface roughness of these porous ceramics. Models show that filtrate productions from square
plate ceramic filters are better than those of cylindrical and frustum shapes at ambient conditions.
Keywords: Ceramic; Roughness; Porosity; Fracture; Compressive strength

146
Optimized fit-for-use reclaimed oil and gas wastewater treatment
by means of a smart decision support system
Cosmin Koch, Clara Sanromà, Carlos Bayona, Olga Ferrer*, Ana Jiménez, Jorge Malfeito
R&D Department, Acciona Agua S.A.U, Parc de Negocis Mas Blau II,
Avda. de les Garrigues, 22, 08820 El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
* [email protected]

The treatment of highly variable and complex industrial wastewater, particularly of those sectors
that involve the use of large amounts of water, is an upcoming challenging concern, particularly in
water scarce regions. The H2020 Integroil project aims at developing and demonstrating a robust
and flexible integrated treatment solution for such water streams. It is based on innovative treat-
ment technologies effectively arranged and optimized through a novel Decision Support System

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(DSS), capable of producing fit-for-use reclaimed water, increasing the overall sustainability and
competitiveness of those industries.The technologies that comprise this solution include dissolved
air flotation (DAF), ceramic ultrafiltration (UF), advanced oxidation (AOP), catalytic wet air oxidation
(CWAO) and reverse osmosis (RO). The Oil&Gas field has been selected as case study; however,
due to the versatility of the integrated solution, it is expected to be applicable in other sectors.
A fully automatized 1.5 m3/h pilot plant composed by the above-mentioned processes has been
designed, constructed and is currently under operation. It is being tested in two demonstration
sites corresponding to two water treatment scenarios within Oil&Gas: upstream, where water and
crude oil or natural gas from the reservoir are extracted, and downstream, which corresponds to
the water involved in the process of oil refining. Different final water uses have been considered,
enabling water reuse for different purposes.
The five considered processes have been integrated into a centralized control architecture and
the developed DSS adapts the pilot plant treatment scheme according to the changes in the influ-
ent wastewater characteristics and the selectable effluent water quality requirements, depending
on its final use. Hence, this DSS is able to assess the possible configuration of the pilot plant given
the influent wastewater quality parameters and the characteristics of each process and is able to
select the best configuration (active processes) of the plant capable of fulfilling the final quality
requested, minimizing the associated treatment costs.
The associated benefits of using the DSS during the operation of the pilot plant with respect to
various KPIs will be shown. These will include the robustness (compliance 99% of the time), flex-
ibility (less than 1 minute in plant reconfiguration time) and long-term performance by using big
data and machine learning techniques.
Keywords: Decision support system, Wastewater treatment, Optimization, Oil and gas.

147
Interactions between inorganic and organic fouling in forward osmosis
process: impact on crystal formation and boron rejection
Lan Hee Kim1*, Szilárd S. Bucs1, Johannes S.Vrouwenvelder1,2
1
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology,Water Desalination and Reuse Center, Saudi Arabia
2
Department for Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology,The Netherlands
*Corresponding author (E-mail: [email protected])

The objective of this study was to understand the interactions between inorganic and organic
foulants and their impact on boron rejection in forward osmosis (FO) process. Four parallel lab-
scale FO systems were operated using model organic foulants (humic acid, bovine serum albumin,
sodium alginate gypsum) and inorganic foulants (CaCl2 and Na2SO4) with boric acid.The membrane
performance (flux decline, salt rejection), physico-chemical properties of the fouled membrane
(surface charge, roughness, hydrophobicity, morphology of fouled membrane), crystal formation
(morphology, composition), and boron rejection were analyzed.
Significant differences in physico-chemical properties of fouled membranes and the crystal mor-
phology were shown according to the type of organic foulants.The different morphologies of gypsum
crystals and fouling layers on the membranes may be caused by the different interaction mechanisms
between the foulants. However, the changes in properties of fouling layer showed a limited effect

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on the membrane performance and boron rejection. The water flux decline and boron flux after
two days were 8.9, 0.3, 8.8, 12.2% and 0.5, 1.3, 0.9, 0.4 mg/m2/h under inorganic foulants (gypsum)
with boric acid (GB), alginate with GB, BSA with GB, humic acid with GB conditions, respectively.
Also, boron rejection was more influenced by water flux rather than physico-chemical properties
of fouled membranes. This study showed that properties of fouling layer are significantly different
depends on the foulant compositions, but it is not an essential factor to determine transport of
boron in FO process.
Keywords: Forward osmosis, Inorganic fouling, Organic fouling, Crystallization, Boron rejection

Acknowledgement
The research reported in this publication was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology (KAUST).

148
Demonstration of the efficiency and reliability
of a seawater desalination pilot plant in the Arabian Gulf
in views of a subsequent full-scale plant construction
Carlos Bayona, Clara Sanromà, Olga Ferrer*, Jorge Malfeito
R&D Department, Acciona Agua S.A.U, Parc de Negocis Mas Blau II, Avda. de les Garrigues, 22,
08820 El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
*[email protected]

The assessment of water treatment schemes by means of pilot plants not only enables the
performance verification of a full scale plant under design, but also the possibility of optimizing it
beforehand to better calculate the associated CAPEX and OPEX, as well as the reliability of the
process when facing challenging scenarios. In this study, a 30 m3/h pilot plant consisting in dissolved
air flotation (DAF), disk filters (DF), ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) to desalinate
seawater was designed, constructed, operated and optimized.This pilot plant mimicked the 284.000
m3/d full-scale plant water treatment scheme that was being constructed in the framework of the
Umm Al Houl Independent Water & Power Project in Doha (Qatar).
The 1-year evaluation period enabled the assessment of the proposed treatment scheme under
different conditions. In particular, influent turbidity ranged from 0.3 – 42.3 NTU, total suspended
solids (TSS) 1.3 – 62.0 mg/L, conductivity 61 - 69 mS/cm, total organic carbon (TOC) 1.1 – 2.1
mg/L and SDI15 > 5 %/min.
Due to the operational problems that algae bloom may cause to seawater desalination plants,
algae threshold tests were conducted.These enabled pushing the technology to its limits and char-
acterizing its hydraulic and quality performance.The ULTRADAF® system was able to successfully
deal with the challenging conditions faced and the feasibility of this process as pretreatment of UF
systems for algae bloom events was demonstrated.
Optimal operational conditions, associated chemical consumption and water yield were defined
per unitary process. Treated effluent quality of each unit was determined, demonstrating that the
final permeate fulfilled the quality requirements during the whole operational period in a reliable
way. Membrane autopsies and cleaning studies provided some insights to further optimize the

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full-scale operation. The full paper will present the specific results obtained, demonstrating the
suitability, robustness and efficiency of the treatment scheme proposed.
Keywords: Seawater desalination, Reverse osmosis, Dissolved air flotation, Ultrafiltration, Optimi-
zation, Reliability.

149
Methodology to design cost-effective and sustainable solutions
for reverse osmosis membranes cleaning
Núria Adroer*, Oscar Villanueva, Jordi Aumatell, Eduard Cortada,
Aurélie Biurrarena, Alejandro Vega
ADIQUIMICA. Alberto Llanas 32, 08024, Barcelona, Spain.
*Corresponding author: [email protected];Tel. +34 93 284 66 65

Membrane fouling is a persistent problem throughout reverse osmosis systems that reduces
plant efficiency and economics. Both cleaners and cleaning procedures play a key role in restoring
the membrane performance. Standard cleaning procedures using generic chemicals often prove to
be ineffective in removing foulants. If the cleaning agents are not the appropriate ones, the desired
effectiveness is not achieved or the membrane may be damaged. Membrane cleaning depends on
the type of deposit affecting membrane performance. Knowing the nature of a membrane foulants
will allow selecting the best cleaners and the most effective cleaning procedure. Membrane autopsy
is the best method and the only reliable technique to identify the nature of foulants and the cause
of poor membrane performance.
In this study, a methodology based on membrane autopsies has been successfully applied to
determine the most cost-effective and sustainable solution for reverse osmosis membranes clean-
ing. The methodology used to identify and characterize the composition of foulants deposited on
a membrane surface consists in using a combination of several techniques: confocal laser scanning
microscopy (CLSM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-
FTIR), ATP analysis, bacterial counts, and scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-
ray spectroscopy analysis (SEM-EDX). Membrane autopsies were performed on reverse osmosis
elements derived from two different plants: a reverse osmosis seawater membrane and a reverse
osmosis membrane used for leachate treatment. Both membranes surface were covered by a thick
gelatinous deposit layer.The deposit layer had a dense and compact structure. More severe fouling
was observed in the leachate treatment membrane. Fully developed biofilm was found on both
membranes. This biofilm was the predominant form of membrane fouling and it was composed of
bacteria and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). CLSM analyses showed that three-dimensional
structure and the composition of biofilms were different in each membrane.Analysis of the deposits
also showed the presence of alumino-silicates (clay) and iron in a smaller proportion.
After determining the fouling behavior and mechanisms involved in membrane fouling for each
element, our study focused on selecting the best cleaning procedure and the most successful cleaners
for restoring the membranes performance. Environmental and economic criteria were taken into
consideration to design the cleaning membrane strategies. Cleaning processes to remove biofilms
require a combined sanitization and cleaning procedure. Cleaning procedures included the use of
non-oxidizing biocides and formulated powdered cleaners with the ability to fully penetrate, reach

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and destroy internal biofilm layers. Cleaning programs also included effective cleaners to remove
alumino-silicates and iron. Cleaning protocols effectiveness were tested in the laboratory using
flat sheet membrane test cells to restore the performance of membranes to levels within the
manufacturers specifications. Biocides and powdered cleaners effectiveness was evaluated in terms
of normalized permeate flow and normalized salt rejection before and after cleaning. Compara-
tive analyses of membranes before and after cleaning procedures were conducted using CLMS,
ATR- FTIR and SEM-EDX techniques. The results demonstrated that powdered cleaners used in
combination with non-oxidizing biocide restored both membranes performance to design specifica-
tions and removed bacteria and biofilm from membranes surface. Formulated powdered cleaners
are effective at low doses so they reduce operating costs and minimize chemicals discharge to the
environment.This study demonstrates that CLSM provides a valuable research tool to understand
the effect of cleaning agents on biofilm structure.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis, Membrane cleaning, Formulated powdered cleaner, Biofouling, Mem-
brane autopsy, Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM)

150
Auto-adaptive fouling control in UF during algal blooms
L.O.Villacorte1*, R.E. Gissel1, D.M. Dominiak1, C. San Roma Flores2
1
Grundfos Holding A/S,Technology & Innovation, 8850 Bjerringbro, Denmark
2
Acciona Agua, 08820 El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona), Spain
* Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +45 51626611

Ultrafiltration (UF) is currently one of the leading treatment solutions for several municipal and
industrial water treatment challenges including pretreatment for water desalination and waste-
water reclamation. Here we describe a novel approach to maintain stable operation in UF system
by employing digital pumps and sensors to optimize hydraulic cleaning and coagulant dosing in UF
system. The key innovation is the development of auto-adaptive pump control algorithms - which
consider real-time performance data from pumps and sensors - to optimize the hydraulic cleanings
in UF system and inline coagulant dosing for timely fouling mitigation with minimal need for human
intervention. The viability of this technique was validated in a bench-scale UF system treating algal
bloom impacted seawater with highly dynamic quality.The algorithms demonstrated significant re-
duction in system downtime and operational cost for chemical consumption and sludge handling.
This smart pump solutions do not require additional footprint as the algorithms can be installed
with existing units via microcontrollers embedded in the pump, through the plant PLC or SCADA
system, or remotely implemented via a cloud server. Further steps will consist testing the algorithms
in a 10 m3/h seawater desalination pilot plant located in the Mediterranean region.
Keywords: Ultrafiltration (UF), Algal blooms, Seawater desalination, Membrane fouling control,
Smart pump solutions

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151
Limiting phosphate to control biofouling in seawater reverse osmosis
Mamoun Althulutha*, Nirajan Dhakala, Sergio Salinas-Rodrígueza, Maria D. Kennedya,b.
a
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education,
Westvest 7, 2611 AX Delft The Netherlands
Tel. +31 15 215 1715; Fax +31 15 212 2921;
email: [email protected]
b
Delft University of Technology,
Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft,The Netherlands

Pre-treatment is crucial to reduce the biofouling potential of seawater and limit the use of clean-
ing chemicals in SWRO systems. However, if pre-treatment is not (fully) effective, severe biological/
organic fouling may occur.
Previous research on freshwater revealed that limiting inorganic nutrients such as phosphorous
and carbon can slow biofouling development in membrane systems. The required concentration
levels of phosphorus are approximately 10 times lower than carbon as indicated by the molar
ratio of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorous (P), i.e.,~100:20:10 for microbial growth. The
study of Jacobson et al., (2009) showed that in freshwater a phosphate concentration below 0.2
µg PO4-P/L may limit biofouling in reverse osmosis membranes. Likewise, the study conducted by
Vrouwenvelder et al, (2010) also suggested that phosphate concentration of ~0.3 µg PO4-P/L in the
feed fresh water restricted the increase in pressure drop in membrane fouling simulator studies
(MFS). However, currently no analytical method exists that can detect such low levels of phosphate
in seawater or freshwater.
Dissolved air flotation (DAF) in combination with ultrafiltration (UF) is gaining attention as a
promising pre-treatment to reduce biofouling in SWRO membrane systems, particularly during algal
blooms. The operation of DAF is always preceded by coagulant dosing (ferric chloride) to remove
algae, organic matter as well as dissolved phosphate. Phosphates are known to form strongly bonded
complexes with iron in the wide range of pH (Belelli et al., 2014, Tejedor-Tejedor et al., 1990). The
application of UF downstream of DAF further enhances removal of small flocs that pass through
DAF systems. However, (non-backwashable) fouling resulting from iron usually hinders UF operation
during long term operation of these systems, which again increases the frequency of (chemically)
enhanced backwashing and down time of the system.
Despite advances in pre-treatment, biofouling in seawater reverse osmosis is still a major problem
as neither DAF nor UF are optimized to remove dissolved phosphate or other nutrients.
This study focused on (i) developing a method to measure low levels of ortho-phosphate in RO
feed water for seawater nd freshwater (<0.3 μg PO4-P /L), (ii) monitoring the removal of phosphate
along pretreatment steps in plants prior to reverse osmosis to help optimizing its operation. The
preliminary results showed that limit of detection of phosphate measurements in freshwater is
~0.3 ppb. While, limit of detection of phosphate measurements in seawater still under evaluation.
Secondly in this study, we will demonstrate and optimize the role of DAF and UF (with coagu-
lation) in removing phosphate. The work will be conducted using lab scale DAF unit and lab scale
filtration unit.
Keywords: Seawater, Phosphate, Biofouling, Dissolved air flotation, Ultrafiltration

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References
[1] D. Jacobson J, Kennedy M, Amy G, Schippers J. Phosphate limitation in reverse osmosis: An option to control
biofouling?2009. 198-206 p.
[2] Vrouwenvelder JS, Beyer F, Dahmani K, Hasan N, Galjaard G, Kruithof JC, et al. Phosphate limitation to control
biofouling. Water Research. 2010;44(11):3454-66.
[3] Belelli PG, Fuente SA, Castellani NJ. Phosphate adsorption on goethite and Al-rich goethite. Computational Materials
Science. 2014;85:59-66.
[4] Tejedor-Tejedor MI, Anderson MA. The protonation of phosphate on the surface of goethite as studied by CIR-
FTIR and electrophoretic mobility. Langmuir. 1990;6(3):602-611.

152
Real-time fouling visualization in spacer-filled reverse osmosis channel
under intermittent operation
Nitish Ranjan Sarker*,Youngmok Ko, Amy Bilton
Water and Energy Research Lab, Dept. of Mech. and Ind. Engineering,
University of Toronto,Toronto, Canada
Email: [email protected]

Lack of available drinking water is currently one of the most significant global risks. Photovoltaic-
powered, small-scale reverse osmosis (RO) units for brackish water desalination could be a practical
solution to this issue in many remote communities. Such systems run intermittently depending on
sunlight availability, which may lead to premature membrane fouling due to additional complexities
in operation and maintenance. Previous studies evaluated this phenomenon in terms of flux decline;
however, due to sensing limitations, they could not clearly explain the underlying fouling mechanisms.
This work describes the development and integration of a real-time imaging technique with mea-
surement of flux decline to further characterize the fouling dynamics during intermittent operation.
Experiments were conducted for both continuous (21-h straight) and intermittent (7-h/d for 3
d) modes of operation using lab-mixed brackish groundwater. To assist in visualization, a custom-
fabricated plate-and-frame RO module with a transparent polycarbonate window was used. During
each experiment, a membrane area of approximately 22.3 × 14.9 mm2 was scanned periodically at
a resolution of 5184 x 3456 pixels, and then post-processed. In this step, consecutive images were
aligned, filtered, adjusted based on intensities, and subtracted from a reference frame.Then, resulting
images were converted to grayscale and enhanced based on contrast-limited adaptive histogram
equalization so scaling on the membrane surface can be distinctly seen. Comparison between the
visualization and flux decline showed good one- to-one correspondence. At the beginning of the
experiment, scaling started quickly with a uniform foulant growth over the membrane surface. As
time progressed, the foulant accumulation increased near the feed spacer boundary as predicted
in literature. Analyses of the preliminary results also demonstrated a significant drop of the scal-
ing intensity over the shut-off period of an intermittent cycle. This finding strongly supports the
hypothesis that during the shut-off period, retaining permeate water in the RO module flows back
to the feed side through osmosis, reducing the concentration on the feed side, and dissolving some
scales leading to improved membrane permeability. Further experiments employing this visualization
technique will help to define the critical parameters for intermittent RO operation and will aid in
the development of robust small-scale RO systems for remote communities.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis; Intermittent operation; Scaling;Visualization; Feed spacer; Brackish water

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153
Early non-destructive fouling detection in spiral-wound and hollow fiber
membranes using high magnetic field and portable low magnetic field
NMR and MRI
Einar O. Fridjonsson
Department of Chemical Engineering,The University of Western Australia, Crawley,WA 6009, Australia.
e-mail: [email protected]

This talk will present an overview of recent research developments in the area of monitoring
membrane fouling using NMR & MRI at the Fluid Science & Resources research group at the
University of Western Australia.These developments include early detection of biofouling in spiral
wound reverse osmosis (SWRO) and monitoring of fouling and its effects on flow maldistribution
in hollow fiber (HF) membrane modules using low field and high field NMR & MRI.This work aims
to improve understanding of the effects of foulants (e.g. biological matter) on the operation of
membrane modules where complex interactions of foulants with flow field causes maldistribution
of flow which ultimately deteriorates the performance of the membrane modules. A strength of
using NMR & MRI is that it can non-invasively and non-destructively image the distribution of flow
inside complex geometries while its myriad of contrast mechanisms (T1, T2 relaxation, diffusion,
density, specificity to nuclei (e.g. 23Na)) coupled with macroscopic measurements (e.g. permeate
production rate, pressure drops etc.) allows for both complementary and rich new information
about the effects of foulants on the operation of membrane modules beyond treating each module
as a “black-box”. An important area of use will be the interrogation of the effectiveness of cleaning
strategies on long-term viability of membrane modules.Work on monitoring concentration polarisa-
tion in forward osmosis will be explored, where the ability of NMR to directly monitor 23Na nuclei
is exploited. Future directions of this research will be presented in the context of developments in
mobile NMR technology towards industrial application.
Keywords: Membrane fouling; Spiral wound reverse osmosis; Hollow fiber membrane; NMR and
MRI; Early detection.

154
MRI and NMR investigation of the flow field in spiral wound
reverse osmosis membrane modules during biofouling
N.W. Bristow1, S.J.Vogt1, Sz.S. Bucs2, J.S.Vrouwenvelder2-3, E.O. Fridjonsson1*, M.L. Johns1
1
Department of Chemical Engineering,The University of Western Australia, Crawley,WA 6009, Australia
2
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division,Water Desalination and Reuse Center,
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology,Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
3
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology,
Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft,The Netherlands.

Membrane desalination is a significant consumer of energy and fouling incurs large operating
costs due to increased flow resistance and deterioration in membrane performance which ulti-

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mately results in replacement.Timely detection of fouling is key to efficient plant operation as early
detection and remediation of biofouling are important in the control of biofouling proliferation
in spiral wound membrane systems. In this work high field MRI and velocity images are used to
monitor the flow field inside of an operating 2.5-inch commercial spiral wound membrane system.
Incremental doses of a long chain polysaccharide (sodium alginate) are introduced to the system to
mimic biofouling.This study demonstrates that a small amount of fouling material can have significant
effects on the flow field within the membrane module and that the foulant tends to associate with
spacer nodes (consistent with results from previous studies and autopsy observations). Changes
in the velocity in each spiral leaf (end-to-end) and along the length of the membrane system are
monitored showing significant increase in asymmetry once foulants are introduced. T2 images be-
fore and after fouling show that the foulant accumulates at spacer nodes and that different regions
(brine side, permeate side and membrane) are distinguishable using T2 relaxation. This opens the
potential for using T2 relaxation as a contrast mechanism to monitor the extent of fouling inside
operating commercial spiral wound membrane modules, presenting a useful contrast mechanism
when using portable low-field NMR equipment for monitoring early onset fouling.
Keywords: Noninvasive inspection, Nuclear magnetic resonance, Membrane fouling, Membrane
flow fields, Biofouling.

155
Applying the new MFI0.45 method and SDI in monitoring of seawater
Sergio G. Salinas Rodriguez*, Nizordinah Sithole, Nirajan Dhakal,
Jan C. Schippers, Maria D. Kennedy
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education – The Netherlands
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +31152151780

The SDI and MFI are standard methods by the ASTM. However, the MFI is relatively new and
beginning to gain momentum in the desalination community.The MFI is also recognized as a better
index in comparison to the SDI, primarily due to a linear correlation to the concentration of par-
ticles in the feed water and being based on a filtration mechanism, which makes it suitable to model
rate of clogging or fouling. However, the effect of the experimental set-up (filter holder, geometry
and filter type) to measure these indices are not clearly understood and the ASTM standard does
not define all aspects of the test.
The aim of this research was to assess particulate fouling of North Sea seawater, by measuring
the SDI and MFI values over a period of several months (still ongoing until one full year is com-
pleted) and by studying the effect of testing conditions like filter holder and filter material on SDI
and MFI. In this study, seven different filter holders and three different 0.45 µm filter materials from
various manufacturers were tested and the SDI and MFI measured.
Our preliminary results illustrate the effect of the type of filter support of the filter holder in
MFI values and not in SDI values. The filter material also influences greatly the measured values
for both SDI and MFI. Different SDI and MFI-0.45 values were measured with different membrane
materials.The filter support affects the effective area of the filter and needs to be corrected when
measuring the MFI-0.45. SDI is not affected. The results of monitoring North Sea water show that
MFI-0.45 is a good tool for assessing changes in particulate fouling potential.

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This research is of interest for scientist and practitioners dealing with monitoring of water qual-
ity, assessment of pre-treatment and monitoring of reverse osmosis systems.
Keywords: Particulate fouling, Reverse osmosis, Seawater, MFI, SDI

156
Short-term energy storage in reverse osmosis desalination systems –
theoretical investigation and experimental validation
Evangelos Dimitrioua*, Essam Sh. Mohamedb, Alejandro Ruiz-Garciac,
Christos-Spyridon Karavasa, George Papadakisa
a
Agricultural University of Athens,
Department of Natural Resources and Agricultural Engineering,
75 Iera Odos Street, Athens 11855, Greece
*email: [email protected];Tel. +30 2105294046; Fax +30 2105294032
b
The American University in Cairo – Department of Chemistry –
Center of Sustainable Development,
New Cairo 11345, Egypt.
c
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 35017, Spain

Desalination processes require considerable amounts of energy to separate salts from the saline
water.The theoretical minimum energy required for desalinating seawater of salinity of 35,000 mg/L
at 50% recovery rate, is 1.06 kWh/m3. However, in practice much higher amounts of energy are
required by the current desalination technologies. For instance, reverse osmosis desalination re-
quires at least 2.5 kWh/m3 in large scale systems with energy recovery devices and can reach the
value of 25 kWh/m3 for small-scale systems without energy recovery devices.
Renewable Energy (RE) powered desalination is a suitable solution for remote and decentralized
areas away from the national electricity grid with low population density and lack of fresh potable
water infrastructure. Such renewable energy powered desalination units contribute to about 1%
of desalination capacity based on conventional fossil fuels.
One of the most important aspects of RE powered desalination units is the variable power
supply from the RE systems and the need of steady operation of the desalination units. Introducing
lead acid batteries as energy storage currently solves this problem. However, these batteries have
proved to be one of the most expensive parts of a RES powered desalination system; furthermore,
they are not environmentally sustainable if not properly recycled.
The current work investigates the possibility of introducing short-term energy storage device
in the form of hydraulic pressure tanks that can keep the reverse osmosis (RO) unit under a
pre-defined operational window of pressure and flow in periods with variable RE power supply.
The paper presents the modeling of this short-term energy storage device and the experimental
validation of the developed model. The results showed that the time of energy storage with the
use of 3 hydraulic pressure tanks is about 40 min. In order to optimize the operation and energy
management of the system (RE and RO), a smart control system based on computational intel-
ligence techniques is implemented. This innovative RE powered RO unit can then be integrated in
electrical smart grids configuration for better demand side energy management.
Keywords: Short term energy storage, Desalination unit, Hydraulic pressure tanks, Theoretical
modeling,Verification,Variable operating conditions.

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157
High recovery in SWRO using a multi-stage multi turbo (MSMT)
configuration: CAPEX, OPEX and SEC analysis for the concept
and the case study of an early adopter
Giancarlo Barassi*, Eli Oklejas, Radu Danila, Alisha Cooley,
Rafal Ashkuri, Mike Gisclair
800 Ternes Dr, Monroe, Michigan, 48162, USA
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +1 7347909029

The concept of Total Water Cost (TWC) involves capital (CAPEX) and operational expenditure
(OPEX) and has gained traction in the latest discussions on the how to make desalination more
affordable. Achieving the lowest TWC at a BWRO and SWRO plant without sacrificing process
performance is a challenge most process engineers face. It is not uncommon to find a tendency in
the desalination industry to analyze the cost of producing permeate purely from an OPEX perspec-
tive. Not including the CAPEX in the permeate production cost evaluation will have a significant
impact on the commercial value of the special offer. Most of the SWRO projects, especially those
with permeate production capacities above 5,000 m3/d, involve capital amortization paid throughout
the project’s lifetime. Interest rates add a significant overhead sometimes unaccounted by process
engineers at the moment of selecting a technical solution resulting in a less competitive offer.
Moreover, high recovery employing multistage skids is a widely used approach in BWRO to
optimize the process and obtain the maximum amount of permeate for every drop of feed water. In
most cases, attaining the highest possible recovery will bring savings in CAPEX and OPEX resulting
in the lowest TWC. Recently, we have shown that employing the same design philosophy as the one
used in BWRO allows achieving 60% recovery in SWRO plants using Multistage Multi Turbocharger
(MSMT) configuration. Shifting from 45 to 60% recovery will lead to a 33% reduction in the feed
flow, which in turn reduces the size of the pretreatment, intake, pumps, piping, instrumentation,
valves, brine discharge, building footprint within many other parts of the plant that are closely tied
to this parameter.Additionally, it also decreases chemical consumption making it a greener process.
This paper shows a real case study of Universal Water Treatment, an OEM headquartered in
Mexico, that early adopted the MSMT concept.They constructed the first 360 m3/d MSMT RO skid
capable of achieving 60% recovery in both Atlantic and Pacific oceans water quality.This skid dem-
onstrates that two turbochargers may operate in series resulting in each turbocharger developing
the desired amount of pressure boost to balance the flux on each stage while extracting all avail-
able hydraulic energy from the brine stream. Additionally, the Specific Energy Consumption (SEC)
for different plant production capacities is analyzed showing that the facility power consumption
is similar to the values obtained when using Isobaric Chambers.
Keywords: High recovery, SWRO,Total water cost, SEC, Specific energy consumption,Turbocharger,
FEDCO, MSMT

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158
Combined membrane and thermal desalination processes
for the treatment of ion exchange resins spent brine
M. Micari*, M. Moser*, A. Cipollina**, B. Fuchs*, M. Bevacqua**, A. Tamburini**, G. Micale**
*German Aerospace Center (DLR),
Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics,
Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
**Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID),
Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA),
viale delle Scienze Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy

The production of polluted brines in several industrial processes is becoming a critical envi-
ronmental issue. For this reason, it is necessary to develop new treatment solutions to purify the
brines before injecting them into the environment, or to remove the pollutants and recover the
valuable materials.
This work is focused on the treatment of waste brines coming from the regeneration of spent
Ion Exchange resins (IEX) employed for water softening in a demineralization plant.The regenera-
tion is performed via a NaCl-water solution and it produces an effluent containing NaCl at a lower
concentration, magnesium and calcium ions.The treatment aims at recovering the NaCl-water solu-
tion (brine), re-usable in the next regeneration cycle, and Mg++ and Ca++ in the form of hydroxides.
For this purpose, a treatment chain has been developed within the framework of the EU-funded
project Zero Brine, whose aim is to build pilot plants to treat different types of industrial brines
and to recover raw materials from them. The chain provides a nanofiltration (NF) stage, in order
to concentrate the bivalent cations in the retentate, which is sent to a two-step crystallization, in
which Mg++ and Ca++ precipitate via the employment of an alkaline reactant. Conversely, the nano-
filtration permeate is fed to a multi-effect distillation (MED) plant, where the required salinity of
the regenerant solution is restored.
For each of the three accounted processes, a techno-economic model was implemented and the
models were interconnected in an integrated simulation environment. In this way, it was possible to
assess the feasibility of the whole chain via the estimation of a novel performance parameter, the
levelized brine cost (LBC): a measure of the cost of the brine produced via the treatment chain.
Firstly, the performances of the single processes were evaluated varying several parameters
including the nanofiltration membrane properties, the number of effects of the MED plant, the
quality of the supplied heating steam and the presence of a thermo-vapour compressor coupled
with the MED. We found that the nanofiltration membrane properties affect dramatically the per-
formance. Membrane properties are responsible for the ion rejection influencing the overall amount
of recoverable minerals. The availability of waste heat at a low cost plays also a key role, since it
radically reduces the operating costs of the MED plant. In particular, depending on the quality of
the available heat and on its cost, the optimum number of effects was assessed.Then, the feasibility
of the whole chain was evaluated, varying the nanofiltration recovery and taking into account the
optimum MED configuration with a low pressure waste heat. It resulted that the LBC increases in
the whole range of nanofiltration recovery because the reduction of the produced brine prevails
on the variation of the annualized cost, which presents a minimum at an intermediate recovery
(65%). Finally, we found that the revenues resulting from Mg(OH)2 and Ca(OH)2 production and
the cost of the alkaline reactant have the most prominent role in the definition of the LBC.
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On overall, the described treatment chain for the waste brines produced by the regeneration
of spent ion exchange resins results competitive for a wide range of operating conditions and it
allows reducing the environmental impact of the industrial process and promoting the recycle of
waste streams and waste heat.
Keywords: Industrial brines, Nanofiltration, Crystallization, Multi-effect distillation,Techno-economic
analysis, Circular economy

159
Adsorption of phenol with resin technology:
phenol removal and resin recovery
M. Àngels Tejero, Das Supriyo,Verónica Gómez,
Javier Villa, Blanca Salgado
Autova Tarragona-Salou s/n,Tarragona,Tarragona 43006 Spain
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +34 977 55 94 70

The wastewaters of the heavy petrochemical and oil refining industries carry important amounts
of organics that include aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds and short-chain organic acids.
The conventional oil separation systems typically operated in these facilities often fail to remove
them consistently. Phenolic compounds are amongst the most common and problematic within
this organic fraction. They are hazardous to human health and toxic to aquatic environments with
long-lasting effects even at low concentrations. Therefore, they are currently classified as priority
pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the European Union
(EU). Their concentration usually not only exceeds the levels for safe discharge, in keeping with
current regulations, but also the levels of organic content recommended for other more sensitive
downstream technologies for water treatment such as reverse osmosis membranes.Therefore, such
wastewaters with large organic content typically need to be treated for phenol removal. Adsorp-
tion is an established method for removing phenol from water streams that can achieve very low
concentration in the effluents. Most adsorbent materials however, have a challenging recovery.This
paper studies the adsorption of phenol with DOWEX OPTIPORETM L493 Adsorbent, a polymeric
adsorbent designed for easy desorption and regeneration under mild temperature conditions.
Equilibrium adsorption and desorption studies have been carried out. The results obtained show
that temperature has a great impact on contaminant adsorption, indicating that resin recovery
through thermal desorption is possible. Experiments in different conditions have showed that the
regeneration of the resin is can be achieved with demineralized water at 100ºC and 1 bar ( ≥ 97%),
without the use of solvents of chemical solutions.
Keywords: Phenol removal; Adsorption; Polymer resins; Regeneration
™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow

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160
Direct renewable energy powered desalination (DrepD)
Mercedes Kovacsics,* Matt Folley, David Rooney, Trevor Whittaker
School of Natural and Built Environment,
David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road,
Belfast, BT9 5AG, United Kingdom
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +44 2890974751

All current reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants powered by renewable energy operate by
first generating electricity and then using this electricity to power a conventional RO desalination
plant. However, directly pressurising seawater rather than producing electricity has the potential
to improve reliability, reduces costs and energy loss through conversion. On the other hand, this
complicates the design as traditionally RO desalination plants are intended for operation under
unvarying power, unlike that produced by renewable energy. These conditions may be detrimental
to product quality, quantity and membrane structure. A variable speed RO laboratory rig has been
built to study the restrictions of this process.Volumetric flow and pressure variations produced by
wave, wind and tidal energy can be replicated on the test rig to investigate the feasibility of directly
driving an RO plant. The DrepD project compares RO performance under different intermittent
energy sources, using a variable speed motor and an actuated valve to control flow and pressure,
respectively. The experimental design allows for the constant monitoring of performance, energy
input to output ratio, as well as product salinity. This is used to formulate the feasible range of
variations in the feed. Adding appropriate control equipment to the model of a device can account
for deviations from the suitable range. Through the physical experiments and numerical model of
the plant, different configurations can be tested, in order to devise a robust and efficient design.
This study is on-going and preliminary results will be presented.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis, Desalination, Marine energy,Variable operation

161
Impact of permeate flux on biofilm development
in forward osmosis membrane systems
Szilard Bucs*, Lan Hee Kim*, Johannes Vrouwenvelder*,**
*King Abdullah University of Science and Technology,Water Desalination and Reuse Center,
Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +966 544701574
**Department for Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology,
Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft,The Netherlands

In membrane-based water treatment, biofilm formation on the membrane surface is a major

problem. Current physical and chemical cleaning strategies are not successful in biofilm removal in
most of the cases. A better understanding of the biofilm morphology and mechanical properties
may lead to more effective biofilm control strategies.The objective of this study was to investigate

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the morphological and mechanical changes of the biofilms under different water fluxes (through
the biofilm) in membrane systems and the impact thereof on membrane performance.The impact
of permeate flux on biofilm thickness and structure were investigated in-situ with Optical Coherence
Tomography (OCT).To characterize the deposited biomass, total cell number, cell viability, adenosine
tri-phosphate (ATP), total organic carbon (TOC), and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)
concentrations were analysed. Based on the results an increase in water permeate flux resulted
in (i) higher EPS concentration in the biofilm, (ii) thicker biofilm, but (iii) no significant difference in
membrane performance decline. OCT imaging provided useful structural information on biofilms
developed in membrane systems under various operating conditions. Biofilm formed under high
flux condition tend to be thicker and more heterogeneous than the biofilm formed under the low
flux.These insights may lead to better understand the biofilm formation in membrane systems and
more effective knowledge-based biofouling control strategies.
Keywords: Biofouling; Biofilm mechanics; Spiral wound membrane systems

162
The impact of geothermal water RO concentrate volume minimization
on the possibility of comprehensive further use
Barbara Tomaszewska, Magdalena Tyszer
AGH - University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection,
Department of Fossil Fuels, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Kraków, Poland,
[email protected]; corresponding author: [email protected];

Reverse osmosis (RO), as one of membrane processes, is well-known technology increasingly

applied for providing fresh drinking water around the world, due to high efficiency, low energy
consumptions and other improvements in energy recovery systems made over past years. More-
over, RO technology is becoming a useful method of desalination geothermal waters which often
contain elevated concentrations of specific macro and microelements potentially valuable for reuse.
Using membrane processes, especially RO, to concentrate geothermal waters can provide to obtain
good quality new products, such as permeates possible to use as drinking waters and concentrates.
Optimal selection of process parameters and recovery values of permeates and concentrates will
directly influence on theirs compounds and possible comprehensive further reuse.
RO concentrates are conventionally are treated as waste and are disposed of by several means,
which is disposal to surface waters, sewers, via deep injection, disposal in evaporation ponds and
land application of concentrate. However recently, RO concentrates are also considered as a valu-
able resources for production mineral salts or solutions, metals, precious chemicals and other
products for cosmetology, balneology and other industries.
The suitable hydro-geochemical composition of recovery geothermal water concentrates will
strictly determine applicable management and reuse. Additionally, curative properties of natural
geothermal water can be concentrated by use membrane processes to produce curative solution
or crystalline salt used for therapeutic treatments and in cosmetic industry.
The work presents the results of the assay oriented towards examine the influence of recovery
value of geothermal water on the quality of concentrate obtained by means of reverse osmosis
process. The survey was carried out on the example of geothermal waters extracted from wells

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located in Poland area.They exhibit elevated concentrations of magnesium, potassium, sodium, sul-
phates, silica and other components significant for therapeutic industry. Conducted RO processes
in laboratory-scale have allowed for a detailed recognition of the influence of the concentrate
volume minimization, in adopted process parameters of desalination, on theirs composition. The
research was established for 50 and 75% permeate recovery.
The study results revealed that concentrates gained from RO tests with 75% recovery of
permeate are characterized with significantly higher value of total dissolved solids and due to
the concentration of the desired and undesired ingredients, can be a potential source of mineral
solutions in different industries.
Keywords: Concentrate, Desalination, Reverse osmosis, Balneology, Mineral recovery

Acknowledgements
The work presented was financed by AGH University of Science and Technology, grant No.
15.11.140.002 and 11.11.140.031.

163
Mechanical properties of microorganisms that comprise
membrane biofouling using using bio-force spectroscopy
Edo Bar-Zeev*, Mihal Blaschkauer,Yair Kaufman
Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research,The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Israel
* Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Biofouling is still considered as one of the main hurdles for efficient operation of all membrane-
based technologies. Biofilm often comprise a complex microbial community that includes microalgae
and fungi as well as heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria.To date, much research has been done
to define biofilm characteristics under various physicochemical conditions.Yet, limited information
is available in respect to the effects of hydraulic pressure on biofilm consortiums. In this study we
carried dynamic experiments using gram positive and gram negative bacteria as well as cyanobac-
teria and microalgae in which mechanical properties of each organism were measured in-vivo under
various pressures using bio-force spectroscopy. Our results show that under pressure of 10 nN
and 15 nN, gram positive bacteria compressed by 139.8±43.8 nm in one, stable step. Differently,
gram negative bacteria compressed by 165.2 ± 80.4 nm under pressure of 10 nN and by 219 ±
113.8 nm under pressure of 15 nN. The deformation of these gram negative cells was achieved
gradually over time (~55 sec.). In addition, gram positive deformation did not change once pressure
was relieved, while gram negative bacteria structure was partly (88%) recovered. Cyanobacteria,
similarly to gram positive bacteria were also found to deform in one single step by 800 ± 100 nm
under the same pressure conditions. Our results provide new insights over the impact of pressure
on the structure and mechanical properties of microorganisms that comprise membrane biofoul-
ing. We surmise that these insights will enable new developments in pretreatment technology and
biofouling control.
Keywords: Membrane biofouling, Mechanical properties, Atomic force microscope

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164
New approach for concentrate utilisation obtained during geothermal
water desalination
Barbara Tomaszewska
AGH - University of Science and Technology,
Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection,
Department of Fossil Fuels,
Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Kraków, Poland, [email protected]

The use of geothermal energy plays an important role of renewable energy utilisation. World-
wide, geothermal water offers significant resources that are widely available and use to generate
electricity in power stations, for heating purposes, greenhouses, agriculture, for generation of warm
water, therapeutic and recreational purposes. In physical and chemical terms, the geothermal water
present in the structures examined exhibit different properties. There are both fresh waters, in
which total dissolved substances (TDS) are below 1.0 g/L, brackish waters (TDS from 1 to 10 g/L),
saline waters (TDS from 10 to 30 g/L) and brine (TDS more than 30 g/L). All kind of geothermal
waters are used for heating purposes, but low mineral content and fresh geothermal waters are
especially made available for both heating and leisure purposes. The objective of this article is to
present concept for multidirectional use of waste geothermal water, used in traditional manner.
The Author previous research done on a semi-production scale showed that waste geothermal
water can be purified by membrane processes (ultrafiltraion/nanofiltration/reverse osmosis) and
after that re-used as drinking water. In these processes concentrate is generated as a by-product
of the separation of the minerals from the source water used for desalination.
The paper presents two innovative approaches, but both of them based on geothermal water
treatment processes. First, presents the result of research of the use of concentrate as a new
product for therapeutic, balneological purposes and/or a source of medicinal raw materials. The
analysis was based on the result of 21 concentrates which including: macroelements and specific
therapeutic components, potentially toxic elements (heavy metals), radioactive elements. The re-
search showed that the concentrations of potentially toxic metals in most concentrates do not
exceed the limits recognized as safe for human health, independent of the way of contact with
its body. These concentrates can be used: 1) for inhalation of the airways and rinsing the nose
and mouth for the purpose of loosening and removing mucus and relieving inflammation; 2) for
cosmetic purposes in the form of cleansing and moisturizing liquids; 3) for bathing both individual
in baths as well as recreational or rehabilitation pools. The second innovative approach is related
to energy harvesting from the salinity gradient. The objective of this conception is to clean geo-
thermal water and also extraction of energy created by mixing of effluents with various salinity.
RO process results in discharge of concentrate brine that can be considered as source of salinity
gradient energy (SGE). In these cases two methods are considered: reverse electrodialysis (RED)
and capacitive mixing (CAPMIX).
Keywords: Concentrate, Membrane processes, Human health, Salinity gradient; Energy

Acknowledgements
The work presented was financed by the Polish National Centre for Research and Develop-
ment (Project No. POLTUR2/1/2017) and partly from AGH University of Science and Technology
statutory research 11.11.140.031.
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165
CFD study of the vapor route within MED evaporator
for seawater desalination plants
Abdelnasser Mabrouk1,2, Ahmed Abotaleb
Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute,
1

Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation,

P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar, [email protected]
2
College of Science and Engineering,
Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar

This work aims to perform a thermal and fluid flow analysis of the vapor route of the trans-
porting vapor from one effect to another in multiple effect distillation evaporators (MED). Two
configurations of MED evaporator are considered. The thermal losses encountered in the vapor
route along with the vapor uniformity at the entrance of the next tube bundle are analyzed. The
effect of demister numbers and orientations for both configurations are investigated under dif-
ferent process recovery. Steady state 3D and 2D CFD simulation are performed using COMSOL
Multiphysics non-isothermal two-phase flow package on a MED pilot scale.
The CFD analysis showed that, the side vapor box (MED-S) configuration with three inclined
demisters records slightly better uniformity than the back vapor box (MED-B) configuration with
one inclined demister; however, the footprint of MED-B is 40 % lower the MED-S configuration.
The lower footprint reflects a lower evaporator layout space and consequently lower capital cost.
Therefore, a tradeoff between the better uniformity and the capital cost would dictate the superior
of MED-B to the MED-S configuration.
Keywords: Desalination; MED; Thermal losses; CFD;Vapor route;Vapor box

166
The change of membranes properties during desalination of water
Mariola Rajca
Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Gliwice, Poland,
email: [email protected]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects mineral foulants on the membranes
properties. Experimental tests were performed using a nanofiltration and riverse osmosis mem-
branes (new membranes and used for water purification). The analysis the changes of membranes
properties were performed using an optical tensiometer.The contact angle of the membranes was
tested. The study showed the change hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes properties.
Keywords: Membranes, Water pollutants, Desalination, Optical tensiometer

Acknowledgement
Publication supported as a part of the Rector’s grant in the area of scientific research and de-
velopment works. Silesian University of technology, No 08/040/RGJ/17/0064.

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167
Design of experiments in water treatment processes — data reliability
Ewa Kmiecik
AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Kraków, Poland [email protected]

The ultimate purpose of testing the quality of waters is always a decision on e.g. chemical status
of water or the effectiveness of the treatment method used.
The effectiveness of the treatment process is monitored on the basis of the results of chemi-
cal analyses of raw waters, retentate and permeate. It is therefore important that these results be
highly reliable. Obtaining sufficiently certain and reliable measurements of chemical parameters
of water in practice entails the need for the laboratory to implement quality assurance/quality
control (QA/QC) procedures.
The water treatment processes are highly dependent on many factors (i.a. treated water quality
or process parameters). Therefore, apart reliable data, it is important to use well planned experi-
ments, with the optimum conditions.
Experimental design is “statistical technique for planning, conducting, analysing, and interpreting
data from experiments” (VIM). Statistically designed experiments allow to collect appropriate data
during relatively small number of measurements, which may be analysed by statistical methods
resulting in valid and objective conclusions.
Paper presents the example of design of experiment which was aimed at evaluation of effective-
ness of nanofiltration process used for treating of geothermal water. The QA/QC procedure was
implemented into the experiment. JMP Software was used to planning experiment. Data analysis
(and verification) was done using PS IMAGO system (based on IBM SPSS Statistics software).
The work presented was financed by the Polish National Centre for Research and Develop-
ment (Project No. POLTUR2/1/2017) and partially by AGH-UST statutory research 11.11.140.797.
Keywords: Design of experiments, QA/QC, Water treatment

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168
Experimental and theoretical investigations on performance evaluation
of different spacers on a DCMD process
Lijo Francisa*,Young-Deuk Kimb , Jung-Gil Lee c,
Min-Gyu Ham d, Noreddine Ghaffourc
a
Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI),
Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), P.O. Box: 34110, Qatar
*
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +974 50332142
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University,
55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Korea
c
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),Water Desalination and Reuse Center
(WDRC), Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE),
Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
d
Department of Mechanical Design Engineering, Hanyang University,
222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Korea

This study provides a more comprehensive and systematic understanding on the fundamental
characteristics of heat and mass transfer in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process
that employs different types of spacers in feed, permeate or both flow channels. Detailed theoreti-
cal investigations were carried out to demonstrate the effect of spacers on heat and mass transfer
enhancement in the DCMD with a PTFE/PP composite membrane, complemented with experimental
data for model validation. Thus, this work aimed on proposing and demonstrating heat transfer
correlation for spacer-filled channels to more reliably predict the heat and mass transfer improve-
ment by non-woven net spacers in the DCMD process. The results showed that the permeate
flux enhancement by the spacers were 7% – 19% only for the spacer-filled permeate channels and
21% – 33% only for the spacer-filled feed channels even at higher flow rate, indicating lower flux
enhancements in the spacer-filled permeate channels. This was because the influence of spacers
on flux improvement became more evident at higher temperatures with a high temperature po-
larization. In this study, the maximum flux enhancement was at about 43% with the spacer having
a hydrodynamic angle of 90° and a spacer porosity of 0.86 at both feed and permeate channels.
Keywords: DCMD, Spacer, Temperature polarization, Heat and mass transfer, Desalination

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169
Effect of size and concentrations of bead immobilized Chlorella vulgaris
on wastewater nutrients removal
H.K Lee, Dawoon Jeong, Am Jang *
Graduate School of Water Resources,
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU),
2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 440-746, Korea
*Corresponding Author’s e-mail: [email protected]

Excess discharge of nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)
leads to eutrophication and poor water quality in water bodies [1]. Microalgae have been attracted
as an alternative biological treatment to remove nutrients from WWTPs. Compared with conven-
tional activated sludge process, microalgae offers more advantages, such as reduction of aeration
cost and consumption of carbon dioxide, due to their photosynthetic metabolism [2]. The use of
immobilization is an interesting technology for a successful microalgae cultivation. In particular,
Chlorella vulgaris has been widely used to treat wastewater. Nutrients removal efficiency by im-
mobilized C. vulgaris could be affected by numerous factors such as light penetration and substrate
diffusion. Nevertheless, there is little information available for nutrients removal by immobilized C.
vulgaris. The aim of this study was to determine the alginate bead size affecting nitrogen and phos-
phorus removal rates. The nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates were examined under various
diameters of alginate gel beads (2, 4, and 6 mm). The effective thickness was measured by confocal
laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and SYTOX Blue dye in alginate beads, which enables to evaluate
both viability and total counts of C. vulgaris. The optimized cell immobilization technology would
accelerate nutrient uptake rate for high efficiency treatment system.
Keywords: Microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris, Nutrients Removal, Alginate bead, Encapsulation,Waste-
water Treatment, Optimization, Immobilization, Removal efficiency, Bead size

Acknowledgement
This work is supported by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA)
grant funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Grant 18IFIP-B116952-03).

References
[1] G. Mujtaba, K. Lee, (2017) “Treatment of real wastewater using co-culture of immobilized Chlorella vulgaris and
suspended activated sludge”. Water Research, 120, p.174-184.
[2] S.A. Razzak, M. M. Hossain, R.A. Lucky,A. S. Bassi, H. Lasa (2013) “Integrated CO2 capture, wastewater treatment and
biofuel production by microalgae culturing—A review”. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 27, p.622-653.

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170
Degradation of triclosan and reducing by-products formation
using non-transfer arc plasma
Hyeonho Lee, Sanghyun Jeong, Am Jang*
Graduate School of Water Resources,
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU),
2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 440-746, Korea
*Correspond Author’s e-mail: [email protected]

It is well known that micro-pollutants cause various problems in securing safe water because they
are concentrated in aquatic eco-systems. In particular,Triclosan [5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)
phenol;TCS] is commonly detected micropollutants in surface waters, wastewater treatment plant
effluents. TCS is an antimicrobial that is globally being used as disinfectants, soap, and detergent.
Previous studies showed that TCS is toxic to aquatic eco-systems. It has also been reported that
the transformation of TCS by photochemical or ozone treatment can cause a biological toxic effect.
Therefore, it is important to effectively remove or degrade them.
In this study, TCS is treated by non-transfer DC arc plasma directly into the water. It is one of
methods in advanced oxidation process and it shows different patterns of decomposition in various
organic materials containing TCS depending on plasma generation types. At different voltages and
currents, temperatures and pHs, non-transfer arc plasma treatment was operated. As treatment
time increases from 0 to 5 min, degradation rate and byproducts of TCS were measured.
It shows new method of non-transfer arc plasma in micropollutants treatment for securing safe
water and applicability to areas where micropollutants can cause environmental problem, such as
water reuse and algal toxin control.
Keywords: Plasma, Arc, Micro-pollutants, Triclosan, AOP

Acknowledgement
This research was supported by a grant (code 18IFIP-B088091-05) from Industrial Facilities
& Infrastructure Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of
Korean government.

171
Identification of major factors affecting the fouling in cartridge filters
prior to SWRO membrane
Minhyung Song, Dawoon Jeong, Am Jang *
Graduate School of Water Resources,
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU),
2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 440-746, Korea
*Corresponding Author’s e-mail: [email protected]

Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane fouling results in water flux decline and frequent membrane
cleaning in desalination plants.To overcome these problems, a good quality pre-treatment process

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is essential for the successful operation of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. In general,
deep bed filters or ultrafiltration (UF) membrane are employed as pre-treatment systems, they
can minimize the reaching foulants to the SWRO main system [1]. Also, cartridge filter (CF) has
been widely used to prevent RO membrane fouing and to extend the lifetime of the RO mem-
brane. Nevertheless, research on CF fouling has not been reported in the SWRO system due to
low replacement costs of CFs. The purposes of this study were to identify the major foulants and
evaluate the performance of CF with respect to fouling and removal efficiency. Seawater was taken
from the reservoir tank prior to RO process to conduct CF fouling experiments. The fouling ex-
periments of CF with pore size of 5 μm were systematically investigated upon constant flux (60 L/
m2/h) filtration of the seawater. The CF surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscope
(SEM)-energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to verify the deposition of foulants on CF surfaces.
Permeate samples were analyzed by total organic carbon (TOC), liquid chromatography organic
carbon detection (LC-OCD), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to evalu-
ate the filtration performance. This study can contribute to the understanding of fouling behavior
in CFs, which enables to improve desalination performance.
Keywords: Cartridge filter, Fouling

References
1. N. Peña, S. Gallego, F. del Vigo, S.P. Chesters, Evaluating impact of fouling on reverse osmosis membranes performance.
Desal. Water Treat., 51, p.958-968.

Acknowledgement
This work is supported by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA)
grant funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Grant 18IFIP-B116952-03).

172
Effect of charged surfactants on nanoparticles in feed solution
of forward osmosis membrane system
Sang-Hun Oha, Kyung-Jo Kimb, Am Janga *
a
Graduate School of Water Resources,
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU),
2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 440-746, Korea
b
School of Energy and Environment,
City University of Hong Kong,Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
*Corresponding Author’s e-mail: [email protected]

Forward osmosis (FO) is an osmotically driven membrane process in which the driving force
for separation is the difference in chemical potential between a concentrated draw solution and a
broad range of aqueous solutions, including contaminated wastewater.
Surfactants are deadly toxic substances in fish, causing endocrine disruption, affecting the growth
rate and metabolism of algae in the water system, inhibiting photosynthesis, causing protein dena-
turation and skin disorders in the human body. Despite these problems, research on surfactants in
the FO process is still insufficient. Among the fatal problems of the FO process, in addition, pore

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clogging is a phenomenon in which voids are clogged by the particles, which reduces the life of
the membrane and lowers the whole process efficiency. The similarity between these substances
is that they all have electrostatic force, which results in a cohesion. Electrostatic force is known
to be one of the factors causing the change in performance of the membrane. Other pressurized
membranes have been shown to utilize this electrostatic force to improve the process performance
of the membrane [1,2]. It is expected that the electrostatic properties of the two substances will
increase the removal efficiency and permeability of the membrane.
In this experiment, we investigate the characteristics of the mixtures composed of nanopar-
ticles and surfactants having different polarities. The effects of such nanoparticles and surfactants
on the membrane and its performance are also examined. It is expected that the materials having
the same polarity as the membrane have positive impact on the removal efficiency, helping reduce
the membrane fouling.
Keywords: Surfactants, Nanoparticles, Forward osmosis, Membrane, Desalination

References
1. H.-J. Lee, S.-H. Moon, S.-P. Tsai (2002), Effects of pulsed electric fields on membrane fouling in electrodialysis of
NaCl solution containing humate. Separ. Purif. Technol., 27, p.89-95.
2. B.Van der Bruggen, J. Schaep, D.Wilms, C.Vandecasteele (1999), Influence of molecular size, polarity and charge on
the retention of organic molecules by nanofiltration. J. Membr. Sci., 156, p.29-41.

Acknowledgement
This research was supported by a grant(code 18IFIP-B088091-05) from Industrial Facilities &
Infrastructure Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Ko-
rean government.

173
Evaluating the impact of flux and recovery on reverse osmosis elements
treating wastewater
Gerard Massons*, Guillem Gilabert, Sonia Vila, Claudia Niewersch
Dow Water Solutions, Autovia Tarragona-Salou s/n, Spain
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Increased demand in the water markets focuses the latest innovation researches on developing
new products with improved characteristics and fouling resistance capabilities, that help to reduce
the chemical and energy consumption, lower the fouling rates, increase recovery rates and achieve
higher removal of dissolved contaminants.
The new DOW FILMTEC™ FORTILIFE™ CR100 reverse osmosis (RO) element is designed to
address the most challenging fouling situations limiting water treatment plants.This element has an
optimized design to improve its fouling resistance characteristics.This paper will present case stud-
ies where DOW FILMTEC™ FORTILIFE™ CR100 RO elements are benchmarked under difficult
fouling conditions. Feed water was pre-treated with DOW™ Ultrafiltration to ensure high quality
filtrate water for the RO system.The operational data from the municipal wastewater reclamation
plants, show the reduction on overall pressure drop and chemical cleanings that the element can
offer compared to previous generations of fouling resistant products.

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This research proves that RO systems with DOW FILMTEC™ FORTILIFE™ CR100 elements
can offer a reduction in the cleaning frequency of 40–50% per year. Less chemical cleanings results in
higher system availability, productivity and membrane lifetime. It also offers a low feed-concentrate
pressure drop during the long term operation, which represents energy savings for the system,
thanks to the 53% reduction in pressure drop achieved.
Keywords: Flux, Recovery, Fouling, Wastewater, Membrane, Reverse osmosis

174
Decomposition of phenol from aqueous media
by electrocoagulation technique using bi-polar aluminum electrodes:
investigation of adsorption isotherm and kinetic models
Manal M. El-Sadaawy, Abeer A. Moneer*, Ghada F. El-Said, Fadia A.M. Morsy
Marine Pollution Department, Environmental Division,
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries,
Kayet Bay, El-Anfushy, Alexandria, Egypt
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +20 1222590830, +20 1009421960

Phenols are toxic carcinogenic compounds can cause mutagenic and teratogenicity defects to
human beings. Due to its harmful effects on health, phenol is on the USEPA priority pollutants list,
and represents as one of the most challenging classes of pollutants requiring urgent removal from
water bodies and waste streams. Several technologies such as oxidation, adsorption, biological
treatment, precipitation, distillation, solvent extraction, ion exchange, membrane processes, reverse
osmosis, and electrochemical methods are used to remove phenolic pollutants. In the present study,
the electrocoagulation (EC) process is used to remove phenols from aqueous media using aluminum
electrodes.The effect of several experimental parameters of the EC treatment, such as initial phenol
concentration, initial pH, number of electrodes, type and quantity of supporting electrolyte and the
distance between the electrodes were investigated. A complete removal of 100 mg/L phenol was
achieved within 10 min at pH of 2, 0.5 g NaCl, 750 rpm, 9 sheets, and 25°C. Amongst the studied
adsorption isotherms models, Langmuir and Dubinin and Radushkevich were the most applicable
ones. The kinetic of adsorption of aluminum hydroxide during the EC operation was studied by
using the pseudo-first order, pseudo-second-order, and intra particulate diffusion models.The per-
formed energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR analyses to the flocs and aluminum sheets indicated
that the phenol compound was completely decomposed and only aluminum hydroxide species was
the main component in the flocs and on the sheets. Accordingly, it seems advisable to use the EC
technique in the removal of phenol rather than any other applicable techniques.
Keywords: Electrocoagulation, Phenol, Bipolar aluminum electrodes, FTIR, SEM, EDAX

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175
Water Master Plan.The San Luis Case
Lucas Caymes, Gabriela Puerto Mestre*
Capital Building, Ground Floor.
Terrazas del Portezuelo Complex. San Luis, Capital. C.P: 5.700 Argentina.
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +55 54 9 4452000 Int. 3437

Under the premise of considering water resource as the basis foundation for the environment,
productivity and provincial development, a Water Master Plan was implemented, positioning itself
as the only Argentinean state having a tool that allowed to carry on a series of programs such as
studies, land planning and strategic designs in the construction of dams, everything that has been
a continuous improvement in quality of life.
The water reservoir system is composed by 20 dams, totaling 470 hm3 of water reserves for
490.000 inhabitants. Local water policy allows having strategies to face the current challenges for
growing population and food provision in a world requiring of new productive matrices.
The reservoir system, exclusively through summer rainfall, has doubled its storage volume increas-
ing it in more than 50% in the last years, ensuring the resource provision for human, industrial and
agricultural-livestock use, for the whole province and for decades. Over 4.000 km of aqueducts and
canals were built to transport this water from the central mountains to the rest of the province.
In this natural setting, creating an artificial reservoir, has necessarily responded to a strict planning
in response to a focused State Policy in the Peace between Progress and Environment Treaty.
The commitment to democratize water access to the whole community is solved in San Luis via
the Water Master Plan, covering a complex water system integrated by many reservoirs; a ground-
water harvesting system and public wells, plus a great technology and infrastructure investment.
Keywords: Water policy, Strategic planning, Reservoirs increase.

176
Role of non-Newtonian behavior in effecting complete desalination
of simulated seawater by the emulsion liquid membrane technique
M.M. Naim(1), A.A. Moneer(2)*, A.A. El-Shafei(3), M.M. Elewa(4)
(1)
Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]
(2)
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail:yrwah@[email protected]
(3)
Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]
(4)
Arab Academy for Science,Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]

In the present work it was managed to desalinate simulated seawater (35% sodium chloride
solution) on a bench-scale work, by applying the emulsion liquid membrane technique in one single

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stage resulting in the removal of 99% of the NaCl under specified conditions. Different factors were
examined, which included: the effect of quantity of emulsifier, quantity of mobile carrier, type and
quantities of sequestering agent and type and quantity of selected polymers which was added to the
liquid membrane phase to improve the percent extraction, and to effect desalination in one stage
only at room temperature (20°C). It was found that the polymer improved desalination, and that
an optimum quantity of emulsifier existed which assisted in stabilizing the emulsion and improved
desalination. In addition, an optimum quantity of the selected mobile carrier existed which enhanced
mass transfer and that the presence of sequestrant was required to sequester the NaCl within
the receptor phase. Finally, it is worth mentioning that only in the presence of specific quantities
of the aforementioned reagents together, that 99% desalination could be achieved in a single stage.
Keywords: Desalination, Emulsion liquid membrane, Dibenzo-18-crown-6, Mobile carrier, Emulsifier,
Span 80, Sequestering agent, Soluble starch, Chlorobenzene, Polymer.

177
Different membrane technologies for potable water production
from surface water
Frans Knops, Sergi Lluch
Pentair X-Flow B.V., P.O. Box 739, 7500 AS Enschede (The Netherlands)

Surface water
The quality of surface water is determined by hydrodynamic, biological, chemical, physical and
meteorological processes. Intensive rainfall and flood in the catchments area can cause quite con-
siderable degradation of the surface water quality. Surface waters contain inorganic and organic
particulate substances. Inorganic particulate constituents are amongst others clay, silt and minerals.
Organic particulate substances can include microorganism like viruses, bacteria and protozoan. One
of the major problems of using surface water as source for drinking water is the high content of
natural organic matter (NOM). NOM can cause odour, can influence the taste and can increase
corrosion and biofilm growth in the distribution network. Furthermore NOM could be a source
for the formation of disinfections by-products when water is disinfected. Hence, NOM removal is
one of the most important treatment requirements for the production of drinking water.

Introduction
In recent years, surface water purification with membranes has become an attractive alternative
to conventional clarification. No or less need of chemical agents, good quality of produced water
independent of feed water quality, good removal efficiency towards microorganisms, less produc-
tion of sludge, compact process, and easy automation are some of the advantages of ultrafiltra-
tion compared to conventional treatment. Originally, ultrafiltration was used to remove turbidity
and microorganism from good-quality surface water. Nowadays the main goal is to improve this
technology and to apply it to worse quality sources for the removal of microorganisms, natural
organic matter (NOM), dissolved organic matter (DOC), disinfection by-products (DBPs), and
other components.

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An alternative technology is spiral wound nanofiltration membranes. Although this has the po-
tential for addressing high organic content without the need for upfront coagulation, it has major
draw backs:
• Spiral wound membranes require extensive pretreatment, even to the extent of upfront
coagulation. This means that this technology is not replacing existing technology but is merely
an additional ‘polishing’ step.
• Nanofiltration removes ions, such as calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate, that preferably should
not be removed.
• Spiral wound membranes have problems in addressing microbiology. It cannot be tested and
repaired and is therefore not accepted as microbiological barrier.
This paper describes the use of ultrafiltration with coagulated feed water (direct coagulation)
and a newly developed hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane that addresses the disadvantages of
traditional spiral wound membranes.

Direct coagulation
In drinking water production coagulation as a pre-treatment process for membrane filtration
(UF/MF) can enhance significantly the efficiency of the filtration process, resulting in a higher flux
level and increasing NOM removal. Common coagulants are salts from trivalent iron and aluminium
ions as well as pre-hydrolysed products, such as polyaluminium chloride (PACl).The main objective
of coagulation process is to aggregate small water ingredients to larger ones. Thus the removal of
such substances by following applications is possible and easier respectively:
• • Advanced removal of colloidal and suspended matters
• • Removal of dissolved organic matter (DOC), especially humic acids.
• • Removal of inorganic trace metals and phosphate
In the application of ultrafiltration the coagulation can furthermore reduce fouling on the mem-
brane and enhance the efficiency of the process This paper gives an technical overview of existing
potable water production plants in Scandinavia where the technology is already applied:
• Seljord (Norway)
• Kvarnagarden (Sweden)

Hollow fiber nanofiltration

This paper describes a hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane specifically designed for removal
of dissolved organics from water with low mineral content.This membrane exhibits high rejection
for dissolved organics (up to 90%) and low rejection (around 20%) for dissolved inorganics.
Benefits over spiral wound membranes are:
• Chlorine resistant and a wide pH range for cleaning
• Backwashable, easier to clean
• Open feed channels, no blocking of feed channel spacer
• Capability for Direct Integrity Testing according to the membrane filtration manual
• Repairable, confirmed 5+ LRV rating for bacteria and viruses
This paper gives an technical overview of existing potable water production plants in Australia
where the technology is already applied:
• Ringarooma (Tasmania)
• Rosebery (Tasmania)
Keywords: Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration, Hollow fiber, Natural organic matter (NOM), Coagulation

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178
Designer probiotics model: novel strategies for controlling and
combating membrane biofouling by using beneficial bugs
Reyed M. Reyed
City For Scientific Research and Technology Application
SRTA-city, Egypt.
Tel. +20 1025000220
[email protected], [email protected]

If your reverse osmosis membrane in desalination plant does not seem to be working correctly,
this system called leaky system “ biofouling membrane “ Leaky membrane is perceived by its ef-
fect on process performance or product quality and quantity.The bacterial populations on leaky
membranes were herein focused due to their significant involvement in biofilm formation .Biofilm
development commonly cause biofouling in nanofilteration and reverse osmosis water microbiome
is the very strong network architecture structure from bacterial population of water colonized
in membrane layers causing microbial bio-fouling The effect of biofouling on membrane operation
including a reduction in a flux, increase in pressure drop, salt passage and potentially membrane
degradation and failure
This review explores the strategic process how to survive with biofilm, biofouling , biocorrosion
and maintain their outcome under the level of crossing point in the most resourceful way.
Keywords: Water treatment membranes, Cleaning, Biofilm, Biofouling, Probiotics

179
Comparison of scale formation between inside-out and outside-in
hollow fiber membrane distillation (MD) modules
Youngkyu Park,Yongjun Choi, Jihyeok Choi, Dongha Kim, Sangho Lee†
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, 77, Jeongmeung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02707, Korea
Email: [email protected], telephone: 82-2-910-4529, fax: 82-2-910-4939

Recently, hollow fiber membrane distillation (MD) modules have drawn attention as a novel
approach due to its advantages such as high packing density, potential for scale-up, and lower
module cost per membrane area. However, relatively few works have been done in hollow fiber
MD modules, leading to challenges in their system design and operation. One of the issue is the
selection of flow direction because hollow fiber MD modules may be operated either inside-out
or outside-in modes. Preliminary works revealed that their performances are similar under no
fouling conditions. Nevertheless, little information is available on the performances of such modules
under severe fouling conditions.
Accordingly, this study focused on the comparison of inside-out or outside-in MD modules under
the conditions where fouling due to scale formation occurs. Experiments were carried out using
a laboratory-scale direct contact MD setup. Synthetic feed water containing NaCl or CaSO4 was
used as well as the reverse osmosis (RO) brine from a desalination pilot plant. In-house MD mini
modules were fabricated for these tests.The rate of fouling due to scale formation and the recovery
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ratio of membrane permeability after physical cleaning and chemical cleaning were examined using
the inside-out and outside-in MD modules. Results showed that the flux and thermal efficiency of
the inside-out MD module were higher than the outside-in MD module under no fouling conditions.
However, a more severe fouling due to scale formation occurred in the inside-out MD modules in
a long-term operation compared with the outside-in MD modules. The cleaning efficiencies were
also lower in the inside-out MD modules than in the outside-in MD modules, suggesting that dif-
ferent guidelines for the feed waters for these modules due to their different configurations.
Keywords: Membrane distillation (MD), Hollow fiber membrane, Scale formation, Inside-out and
outside-in MD modules

References
1. D.M.Warsinger, J. Swaminathan, E. Guillen-Burrieza, H.A. Arafat, J.H. Lienhard V, Scaling and fouling in membrane
distillation for desalination applications: A review. Desalination, 356 (2015) 294-313
2. M. Gryta, Fouling in direct contact membrane distillation process, J. Membr. Sci., 325 (2008) 383-394
3. D.Wirth, C. Cabassud,Water desalination using membrane distillation: comparison between inside/out and outside/
in permeation, Desalination, 147 (2002) 139-145

180
Understanding oily wastewater treatment via membrane distillation
Le Han,Yong Zen Tan, Tanmay Netke, Anthony G. Fane, Jia Wei Chew*
62 Nanyang Dr, Singapore 637459
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +65 6316 8916

Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging green technology, but very few reports are available
on its use for treating oily feeds, despite produced water representing a significant source of oily
wastewater. Accordingly, this study was targeted at understanding the primary impediments of
oily water MD by systematically investigating the influence of the key components (namely, oil-in-
water emulsion, surfactant and salt) in such feeds. When the feed contained all three components
typical in produced water, the MD performance severely deteriorated in terms of permeate flux
and quality. Interestingly, for feeds containing oil or SDS or NaCl alone, the MD performance was
reasonable, which indicates each component on its own did not impact the MD process sig- nifi-
cantly. Furthermore, the performance was also reasonable when the feed contained oil and NaCl,
and improved when the feed contained oil and SDS. The adverse impact on the MD process was
thereby traced to the combined presence of SDS and NaCl. Even in the absence of oil, increasing
the concentrations of SDS and NaCl in the feed progressively deteriorated the permeate flux and
quality.Therefore, to use MD for treating oily feeds necessitates a pre-treatment step to remove or
significantly dilute either the surfactant or the salt. More understanding of the interaction between
NaCl and SDS via molecular dynamics simulations would be useful to not only provide information
on the interaction strength but also on means to circumvent such issues.
Keywords: Membrane distillation; Surfactant; Salt; Oil-in-water emulsion; Membrane wetting; Mem-
brane fouling

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181
Application of nanomaterials in desalination, agriculture and
wastewater remediation: A review
Mona M. Naim(1), Mahmoud M. Elewa(2), Ahmed A. El Shafei(3)
(1)
Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]
(2) Arab Academy for Science,Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]
(3)
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]

Clean water is an essential requirement for all life. Scarcity of fresh water is an increasingly
serious problem around the world due to growing populations and diminishing supplies of fresh
water. Despite that over 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, most of it is unsuit-
able for neither human nor animal consumption. Lakes, rivers and underground aquifers represent
only 2.5 per cent of the world’s total freshwater supply.The demand for fresh water has no doubt
increased tremendously, with agricultural, industrial and domestic sectors consuming 70, 22 and
8% of the available freshwater, respectively. Desalination could help alleviate these shortages, but
it has traditionally been an extremely expensive process. Recently, the application of nanotechnol-
ogy (NI) has emerged as a fascinating area of interest for removal of various contaminants from
wastewater effluents. NT will play a great role in averting future water shortages. But, hoping that
the ‘magic’ of NT will solve all water problems, is still far away to be true, since the basic problems
of accessibility to technologies, affordability, and NT-based applications are still in the R&D stage.
None of them has been scaled up to industrial levels yet. Nevertheless, desalination should not be
used as a quick solution to our water shortage problems. Recycling and conservation programs
are usually much less expensive and less risky alternatives to building desalination plants. The use
of NT in water could be in monitoring, desalinization, purification and waste water treatment. It
would provide novel opportunities to develop more efficient and cost effective nanostructured and
reactive membranes for water purification and desalination. NPs can be functionalized with various
chemical groups to enhance their affinity toward a target contaminant. Consequently, NPs provide
high capacity/ selectivity and recyclable ligands for various toxic contaminants in wastewater.They
can also be employed as adsorbents and/or catalysts for efficient water clean-up. Agriculture is an
area where new technologies are often applied to improve the yield of crops. Today, application of
agricultural fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, and nutrients is typically by spray or drench applica-
tion to soil or plants, or through feed or injection systems to animals. Delivery of pesticides or
medicines is either provided as “preventative” treatment or is provided once the disease-causing
organism has multiplied and symptoms are evident in the plant. In this context, NT offers a great
opportunity to develop new products against pests. NT improves their performance and accept-
ability by increasing effectiveness, safety, patient adherence, as well as ultimately reducing health
care costs. The employment of NPs in agriculture will impart some beneficial effects to crops. The
emergence of NT and the development of new nanodevices and nanomaterials (NMs) open up
potential novel applications in agriculture. NMs have a number of key physicochemical properties
that make them particularly attractive as separation media for water purification. On a mass basis,
they have much large surface areas than bulk particles.They can also be functionalized with various
chemical groups to increase their affinity toward a given compound. They can also serve as high
capacity/selectivity and recyclable ligands for toxic metal ions, radionuclides, organic and inorganic

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solutes/anions in aqueous solutions. NMs also provide unprecedented opportunities to develop

more efficient water-purification catalysts and redox active media due to their large surface areas
and their size and shape-dependent optical, electronic and catalytic properties. NMs are also being
used to develop chlorine-free biocides through functionalization with chemical groups that selectively
target key biochemical constituents of waterborne bacteria and viruses. NT would provide novel
opportunities to develop more efficient and cost effective nanostructured and reactive membranes
for water purification and desalination. NMs which could be used in water purification and desali-
nation include metal and metal oxide NPs, graphene and carbon nanotubes. For combined water
desalination, solar energy and NT, NT could enhance the performance of solar concentrator which
collect the solar energy and focus the light into the target. Also, NMs could absorb light efficiently
and transfer it into solar heat.The application of nanotechnology in wastewater remediation can be
summarized as follows: employing the NPs as nanoadsorbents for adsorbing pollutants by seques-
tration, applying NPs as nanocatalysts to oxidize and breakdown contaminants, merging NPs with
membrane filtration techniques, using NPs as nanosensors for rapid detection and identification of
pathogens and viruses. Nanoscale devices are envisioned that would have the capability to detect
and treat an infection, nutrient deficiency, or other health problem, long before symptoms were
evident at the macro-scale. This type of treatment could be targeted to the area affected with a
greater awareness of the hazards associated with the use of synthetic organic insecticides, there
has been an urgent need to explore suitable alternative products for pest control.
Keywords: Nanotechnology, Water purification, Desalination, Nanoparticles, Nanomaterials

182
Desalination by sweeping-air pervaporation
with modified cellulose-based membranes
Ahmed A. El-Shafei(1), Mona M. Naim(2), Mahmoud M. Elewa(3)*, Rana S. Atito(4)
(1)
Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]
(2)
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]
(3)
Research and Development Dept., Arab Academy for Science,Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria,
Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]
(4)
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

Scarcity of fresh water is nowadays posing serious threats to mankind all over our planet Earth,
due to several reasons including global warming which has caused a reduction in rainfall and de-
sertification, as well as the rapidly increasing population across the globe. Man needs fresh water
for drinking, irrigation and industrialization, accordingly numerous desalination techniques have been
developed throughout the years to overcome this critical situation, of which pervaporation is only a
young member of those methods which rely on the use of membranes. In this context, the present
work deals with the fabrication of hydrophilic asymmetric modified cellulose-based membranes by
the phase-inversion method and used to desalinate simulated seawater by sweeping-air pervapora-
tion in a specially designed and constructed set-up. Numerous variables were investigated for their
effect on the flux and salinity of the pervaporate, which included as the major variable the addition
of each of caprylic-, capric-, lauric- and palmitic- acids in definite quantities to a cellulose acetate

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casting dope; the pervaporation temperature; cooling temperature; saline water and air flowrates.
The performance of each membrane was compared to a standard membrane free from any additive,
and the membranes were examined by SEM and FT-IR and their thicknesses determined. Results
showed that the membranes exhibited superior performance relative to the standard membrane,
with very high salt rejections and fluxes that reached 10 L/m2h in some cases, and that they were
all asymmetric and superhydrophilic.
Keywords: Desalination, Pervaporation, Cellulose acetate, Fatty acids

183
Desalination by humidification-dehumidification
using a novel green packing material
Mona M. Naim(1), Mahmoud M. Elewa(2)*, Ahmed A. El Shafei(3)
(1)
Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]
(2)
Research and Development Dept., Arab Academy for Science,Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria,
Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]
(3)
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]

Humidification-dehumidification (H-D) is a non-traditional desalination process which involves

vaporizing water from a saline liquid stream into an air stream, then condensing the vapor to form
purified water. In nature, sea water gets heated by solar irradiation and evaporates into the air
thereby humidifying it then the humidified air rises to form clouds, which eventually dehumidify
as rain which in turn falls over land to be collected for human consumption. This is known as rain
cycle. The man-made version of this cycle is called H-D desalination cycle. The latter has received
great attention in recent years and many researchers have investigated the intricacies of the technol-
ogy. In the present work, the H-D process has been critically reviewed, followed by experimental
work in which a simple set-up was devised and constructed consisting of a humidification column
followed by a condenser in which, the humidified air is dehumidified to produce fresh water. A
novel unique packing material was used in the humidifier which consists of a cellulosic plant which
is grown on the banks of the river Nile. In all previous work, the main problem was the type of
packing material which could provide intimate and uniform contact between the aqueous stream
and air stream. Accordingly, this novel packing material proved to be extremely suitable in terms
of hydrophilicity and interconnectivity. Different variables including mass of packing of each stage,
number of stages, air and saline water flow rates, saline water concentration and temperature of
inlet saline water and condensation temperature, were investigated for their effect on the fresh
water production and its salinity.
It was found that a high production of fresh water could be produced by this present set-up
which can be coupled with solar heating to make the process cost-effective and competitive com-
pared with other commercial processes.
Keywords: Desalination, Humidification-dehumidification, Packing material

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184
Shifting the discharge mind-set from harmful to habitat:
Exploring inventive designs and benefits
of underwater discharge structures
Riaan van der Merwe 1*Ϯ, Robin Morelissen 2Ϯ
1
Department of Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering,
Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2
Department of Hydraulic Engineering,
Deltares, Delft,The Netherlands
*Corresponding author: [email protected];Tel. +971 26075219
Ϯ These authors have contributed equally to this work

The effects (or lack thereof) of desalination concentrate vary widely. It is not only site depen-
dent, but also subject to the marine organisms around the discharge area (the biotic community),
the type of the concentrate, and to what degree it is been disperse. From an environmental point
of view, the design of the particular discharge structure must be adequate so that the effluent dis-
charged adheres to the receiving water guidelines (ambient standards) beyond the mixing zone, and
also to ensure that critical salinity limits will not be exceeded at the boundary of the regulatory
mixing zone. Commonly, limits apply at the boundary of the regulatory mixing zone, depending on
the significance value and depth at the discharge area (normally to a maximum distance of 100 m).
However, the habitual benefits of underwater discharge structures have often been overlooked, as
a result of a predominant focus on the discharge limits (e.g. temperature and salinity) and regula-
tory compliance.
We certainly can’t change ambient conditions, but together with selecting the most suitable
discharge location, the obligatory salinity reduction can be achieved through sufficient near field
hydrodynamic mixing, achievable through appropriate outfall/discharge design. This paper therefore
aims to contribute in shifting the ‘typical mind-set’ that discharges and associated structures are
always detrimental to the environment. The traditional approach (typically focused on minimizing
the environmental (and operational) impacts only)) often overlooks the opportunities that could
be associated with discharge- stream (dilution) and underwater structures (habitats). As part of a
collaborative effort, we propose different methodologies that combines natural processes, discharge
matrices and possible environmental benefits of underwater structures.
Keywords: Desalination, Concentrate discharge, Underwater discharge structures, Habitat, Envi-
ronmental impact assessment

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185
A smart and innovated membrane distillation crystallization technique
for zero liquid discharge
Mona M. Naim(1), Mahmoud M. Elewa(2)*, Shaaban A. Noseir(3), Ahmed A. El-Shafei(4),
Mahmoud A. Mahmoud(3), Mohamed R. Lofty(3), Mostafa I. Mohamed(3), Ghada Z. Qutit(3)
(1)
Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]
(2)
Research and Development Dept., Arab Academy for Science,Technology and Maritime Transport,
Alexandria, Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]
(3)
Chem. Eng. Dept.,Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
(4)
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]

Scarcity of fresh water is a worldwide problem that has recently emerged as a significant chal-
lenge to human life on the planet, due to the continual increase in population around the globe
together with the gradual change in the environment due to global warming resulting from rapid
industrialization and spreading wars. As a result, shortage of potable water has been remedied by
desalination of seawater either by thermal means or by membranes. The most widely established
membrane technique is reverse osmosis, in which the water recovery is in the vicinity of 40%,
while the remaining concentrate is dumped back into the seawaters, which causes a gradual rise
in salinity thereby causing a threat to aquatic life and endangering the ecosystem.
Accordingly, the present work aims at solving this critical situation by recovering most of the
lost water in the brine instead of wasting it, together with its contained salts, by a novel technique
named membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) which is not limited by high concentration of
feed as is RO, and in which hydrophobic membranes are used instead of hydrophilic ones.
A set-up of the air gap membrane distillation configuration was initially devised and constructed
for conducting the experiments. Hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene membranes of four different
pore sizes purchased from STERLITECH-Corp, USA, were used for comparison. Numerous factors
were investigated for their effect on the flux and salinity of the desalinated water, and these were:
membrane pore size, initial feed solution concentration and temperature, cooling water temperature,
difference in temperature between the two streams, feed flowrate along the membrane surface,
and air-gap distance. Results indicated that very high fluxes and extremely high salt rejections were
obtained when intermediate pore sized membranes were used; flux is inversely proportional to
feed solution concentration; flux varies directly with feed solution temperature, with temperature
difference between the two streams, and with solution flowrate, and that a smaller air-gap distance
leads to higher flux.
It was also found that MD using the membranes in question produced almost deionized water,
in some cases, which suggests their application in the production of ultrapure water for medical
purposes, from ordinary tap water or otherwise. The technique was applied successfully to both
distilled water, and actual brine from RO units, then MDC was effected by introducing a crystalliza-
tion step within the retentate loop, by which a mixture of salts were harvested concommittantly
with the desalinated water, each from a different outlet stream. Finally, a complete design of a smart
MDC desalination unit is proposed, which is to be energized totally by solar energy. In this way,

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operating costs will be nullified, and only the fixed cost will be needed. Therefore, the proposed
method will present an altogether smart and cost-effective MDC process.
Keywords: Desalination; Membrane distillation crystallization; Zero liquid discharge; Hydrophobic
membranes; Reverse osmosis brines; Ultrapure water; Pore size; Solar energy.

186
Ultrasonic-assisted cleaning for inorganic scales on high salinity
wastewater treatment using membrane distillation
Hyeongrak Cho, Jihuck Choi,Yongjun Choi, Sangho Lee†
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University,
Jeongneung-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02707, Korea
(Email: [email protected],Tel. +82-2-910-4529, Fax +82-2-910-4939)

Although reverse osmosis (RO) is widely used for desalination of seawater and brackish water, its
application is limited by the total dissolved solids (TDS) of feed water. If the TDS exceeds 60,000 g/L,
it is not practically possible to apply RO to produce fresh water. Accordingly, other desalination
techniques have been explored to overcome this barrier, including membrane distillation (MD). MD
is a thermal membrane separation, which performance is not affected by the osmotic pressure of
the feed water.This allows to use MD for the treatment of feed waters with high TDS. Nevertheless,
fouling due to scale formation may occur during the concentration of such feed waters, leading to
the limit of MD application. Since the scale formation is highly irreversible, it is not easy to recover
the performance of the fouled MD membranes by conventional cleaning methods including physical
cleaning (i.e. flushing) and chemical cleaning (i.e. use of acids or chelating agents).
In this study, we focused on ultrasonic-assisted cleaning of MD membranes fouled by inorganic
scales during the treatment of high TDS feed waters. The conditions for the ultrasonic application
were optimized to maximize the cleaning efficiency and to minimize physical damage of the mem-
brane. First, fouling tests of MD were carried out using synthetic feed waters with various TDS.
After the fouling tests, cleaning experiments were performed by immersing the membrane cell
into an ultrasonic generator and operated with a citric acid solution. The recovery of membrane
permeability, liquid entry pressure, and ion rejection were measured as well as the visual obser-
vation of membrane surface using scanning electron microscopy. Response surface methodology
was also applied to optimize the cleaning conditions. Results showed that the ultrasonic-assisted
cleaning was effective under the optimum condition. However, since the excess application of ul-
trasonic resulted in serious damage, it appears that the accurate prediction of cleaning efficiency
and membrane damage is crucial to apply this method.
Keywords: Ultrasonic, Membrane distillation, Inorganic salts, Membrane cleaning, Ultrasonic assisted
acid

References
J.Wang, Ultrasonic-assisted acid cleaning of nanofiltration membranes fouled by inorganic scales in arsenic-rich brackish
water, Desalination 377 (2016) 172-177

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187
Voltage regulation of solar-powered EDR systems
for brackish water desalination
Anne-Claire Le Henaff*, Wei He, Amos G. Winter V
GEAR LAB , Building 31-141 , MIT,
32 Vassar Street, 02139 Cambridge, MA, USA
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

This work presents a novel approach to substantially reduce the capital cost of photovoltaic
(PV), batch-operated electrodialysis reversal (EDR) systems for community scale applications. By
operating the ED stack in a time-variant manner, the system accommodates the variability of
both the power source (solar energy) and load (ED stack). As a result, the power consumption of
the PV-EDR system can be varied in sync with the solar power available, and directly utilize more
power compared to constant voltage operation. We show that time- variant operation increases
salt removal rate and the number of batches for a given solar- powered EDR system design. This
suggests that PV-EDR systems can be made less expensive by down-sizing the power system and
the batteries and still achieve the daily production target through time-variant operation.
The presented study builds upon earlier investigations, both at lab and pilot scales, on solar-
powered EDR systems for brackish water desalination as a cost-effective way to meet potable water
demand for small communities ([1], [2], [3]).The recent drop in PV power cost has motivated our
research on accurate modeling and cost optimization of PV-EDR systems. In particular, by coupling
robust parametric models of both ED [4] and solar behaviors, a full PV- EDR model has been built
and demonstrated to accurately predict energy consumption of batch PV-EDR systems in the field
[5]. This enabled Bian et al. [5] to co-optimize the PV power and ED subsystems in a constant-
voltage, batch system, achieving a 42% cost reduction compared to existing design practices for
a community-scale PV-EDR system. A drawback of the resulting design is that 38.7% of the solar
energy available to the system is redundant and not captured for desalination.
Our work shows both theoretically (by simulation) and experimentally (by lab-scale experi-
ments) the benefits of varying the voltage applied to the ED stack versus constant voltage opera-
tion to better utilize available solar power.We investigated voltage-regulated single batches, where
allowing for increased power consumption at the beginning of the batch reduces desalination time.
Additionally, the voltage-regulated batch model was coupled to a variable solar daily profile to as-
sess the performance of time-variant operation in tracking the solar variance and increasing daily
water production. We defined and implemented control rules for the voltage applied to the ED.
The instantaneous voltage maximizes salt removal rate while ensuring that current density does
not exceed 80% of limiting current density, and power consumed cannot exceed the available solar
power. We simulated the behavior of a reference, small-scale system under such operation. It was
used to generate the optimum voltage profile (both for a single batch and during a solar day) to
be applied to the ED stack and predict the corresponding power consumption evolution and PV-
EDR performance.We validate the feasibility of voltage control and the validity of our time-variant
model with a bench scale setup controlling voltage in real-time for a single batch first, then a full
mimic solar day.
Both simulation and experimental results show that a 30% reduction in single batch time can
be achieved for a water volume of 1 L desalinated from 1500 mg/L to 300 mg/L when changing
voltage on the ED stack every 10 s (Fig. 1). Simulations of the daily time-variant operation with con-

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strained solar power predicted that 12.5 batches of 0.7L each can be desalinated in one simulated
solar day at the lab scale, which we confirmed experimentally (Fig. 2). This simulation indicates a
50% increase in water production during hours with sunlight, and a 58% increase in solar energy
that is directly utilized through variable voltage regulation compared to the direct-drive, constant
voltage case. These results also show that a direct drive system can potentially reduce battery
capacity by ~70% to achieve a typical daily production requirement at the lab-scale. Motivated by
these preliminary findings, we are planning to use the lab-scale validated model to investigate the
effect of voltage-regulation to reduce cost in community-scale PV-ED desalination systems both
theoretically and experimentally.

Fig. 1. Power consumption during a single batch at lab scale, with three different voltage control frequencies
(constant voltage, 60 s time step, and 10 s second time step). Experimental parameters: 1 L batch size, 68
LPH flow rate, 71% recovery, initial concentration: 1500 ppm, target concentration: 300 ppm.

Fig. 2. Provided solar power and pump+ED power consumption during one mimicked day for two distinct
cases: constant voltage with batteries and direct drive variable voltage. Experimental parameters: 0.7L batch
size, 68 LPH flow rate, 71% recovery, initial concentration: 1500 ppm, target concentration: 300 ppm.

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Keywords: Renewable energy for desalination; Brackish water desalination; Photovoltaic electro-
dialysis-reversal (EDR) system; Direct-drive system; Voltage-regulated ED batch; Solar
to desalination energy efficiency

[1] Adiga et al, Desalination, 1987

[2] Soma et al., International Journal of Solar Energy, 1992.
[3] Ortiz et al., Journal of membrane science, 2006
[4] Wright et al., Desalination, 2018
[5] Bian et al., Desalination, 2018 (in review)

188
Renewable energy powered desalination in SIDS –
opportunities and challenges in the Caribbean Region
Monica K. Boodhan
The University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Lots 74–98 O’Meara Industrial Estate. Arima.
Trinidad and Tobago.West Indies.
Tel. +1 868 483 2864
Email: [email protected], [email protected]

The issue of water security continues to be a global issue as millions of people have dire chal-
lenges accessing secure, adequate sources of potable water. As the global population continues to
increase steadily, the need for fresh water will continue to increase.These issues continue to plague
Small Island Developing States.The SIDS located in the Caribbean Region are in close proximity to
the oceans and possess a wealth of Renewable Energy Resources. The cost of electricity in these
SIDS tend to be very high and the islands often face water scarcity issues. As such, therein lies the
ideal opportunity to use renewable energy resources to power desalination processes in these
SIDS. In this paper, the status and perspectives of developing coupled renewable energy systems
with desalination units in SIDS are reviewed. Moreover, keys opportunities and challenges across
the various islands are discussed.
Keywords: Desalination, Renewable energy powered desalination, Solar energy, Small island devel-
oping states, Renewable energy

189
MPPT with robust fuzzy control of squirrel-cage induction generator
Samir Bellarbi, A. Djoudi
Centre de développement des énergies renouvelables CDER, BP. 62 Route de l’Observatoire Bouzareah,
16340, Alger, Algérie
E-mail : [email protected]

When connecting to power grid, Squirrel-cage induction generator (SCIG), whose stator con-
nected with grid directly, is very sensitive to voltage variation and has limited ability to resist to
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drop of grid voltage. Supervising the uncertainity and intermett ance in wind speed and grid faults
is a major challenge to agree with the modern grid code requirements. The objective of this study
is the extraction of the maximum wind power (M PPT) by robust fuzzy controller for nonlinear
systems which is reconized enough to stabilize a nonlinear system with parametric uncertainties
and wind disturbance.The systems in question are Takagi-Sugeno type characterized by a nonlinear
representation and the corresponding algorithm uses the local system models. This is obtained
from the around operating points and is established by human expertise in the form of IF-THEN
rules type. The algorithm was developed with a Squirrel-cage induction generator (SCIG) as shown
by the model of the wind energy systems to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
The proposed algorithm maximizes power output and maintain a stable system in the parameter
uncertainties.
Keywords: Wind turbine, Energy, SCIG, MPPT, Fuzzy controller, Parameter uncertainties.

190
Nanofiltration polishing membrane process for fluoride removal
N. Meftaha,b, A.Mejdib, A. Ezzeddinea, A.Bedouib, A. Hannachia
a
Chemical Process Department, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes,
Omar Ibn El khattab Street, 6029 Zrig, Gabes,Tunisia
b
Faculty of Sciences of Gabes, Department of Chemistry, University of Gabes,
Erriadh City, 6072 Zrig, Gabes Tunisia
E-mail : [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Despite their harmful effects, several industrial wastewater effluents are still rejected to the
marine environment. It is necessary to treat this effluent in order to respect the environmental
standards before discharge into the sea. Several techniques have been developed for fluoride treat-
ment in effluents. A neutralization associated to a membrane process can achieve this goal when
the concentration of fluorides are very high such as for some industrial effluents. Each step requires
an optimization to get the best overall result.
The objective of this study is to investigate the removal efficiency of nanofiltration (NF) mem-
branes to reduce fluorides from a real industrial wastewater adequately neutralized with lime.
This study demonstrated that the neutralization with hydrated lime using excess of about 36%
at pH 6-7 led to fluoride removal rates higher than 98.7 %. The effect of several operating param-
eters on the permeate quality was determined. As a result, an optimum operating pressure must
was choosing when using NF for treating the effluent. The best removal conditions of fluorides
were identified.
Keywords: Industrial wastewater; Fluoride; Treatment; Neutralization; Nanofiltration; Optimization

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191
Influence of vapor compression cooling with packing
on the dehumidifier performance in (HDH) desalination process
S.E. AbdElhafez1,2,a, A.H. El-Shazly1,b, A.H. El-Maghraby2,c
1
Chemical and Petrochemicals Engineering Department, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology,
New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt.
2
Department of fabrication technology, Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute,
City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications , New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria21934 , Egypt
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

This work investigates the effect of using an external heat transfer area inside the dehumidifier
tank with different packing materials on the performance of the dehumidification section and the
overall unit productivity. the investigation was carried out under different conditions such as: type of
packing material on the humidifier trays, adding external heat transfer area inside the dehumidifier
tank, temperature and flow rate of feed water, the flow pattern of inlet vapor to dehumidifier and
the dehumidifier temperature.The results show that using high temperature and flow rate of feed
water have increased the productivity of HDH unit, while presence of Raschig ring of copper or
polyethylene as a packing material have decreased the productivity of the unit. In the dehumidifier
section, it was also found that one inlet feed vapor stream in the middle of the tank and adding
the coil inside the dehumidifier tank were preferable to the unit performance. It is also found that
decreasing the temperature of humid air nearer to the zero-degree using vapor compression cycle
approximately doubled the unit productivity. The average productivity of this unit under optimum
conditions was found out to be 0.3356 L/h.
Keywords: Humidification-dehumidification, Desalination,Vapour compression cycle, Packing

192
Microbial desalination cell:
the golden MIDES low energy desalination technology
Marina Ramírez1, Pau Rodenas1, Juan M. Ortiz1*, Abraham Esteve-Núñez 1,2, Eduard Borràs3,
Martí Aliaguilla3, Pau Bosch3, Patricia Zamora4, Juan Arevalo4,Víctor M. Monsalvo4, Frank Rogalla4.
1
Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados IMDEA Agua,
Av. Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
2
Departamento de Química, Universidad de Alcalá,
Alcalá de Henares, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid (Spain)
3 Leitat Technological Center,Terrassa, Spain
4FCC Aqualia, Departamento de Innovación y Tecnología,
Av. del Camino de Santiago 40, 28050, Madrid, Spain
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +34 918 30 59 62; Fax +34 91 830 59 61

Microbial Desalination Cell (MDC) is the integration of a MFC and an electrodialysis (ED) cell
in order to treat wastewater and desalinate seawater [1]. By using the energy provided by the
oxidation of organic matter, contained in the wastewater, this system drives the migration of ions
and the desalination process.

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Fig. 1. A) MIDES overall process and B) Lab-MDC configuration.

Thus, MDC technology is able to desalinate saline water without consuming electric or thermal
energy and allowing the use of the energy for any other processes. In this sense, MDC technology
could be employed to save energy and avoid the greenhouse gases related to the conventional
processes (seawater RO produces 1.78 kg of CO2 per m3 using 600 g CO2 kWh-1 in the average
European Union (EU) energy mix).The versatile and simultaneous applications of MDC have made
it a real and feasible alternative for both desalination and wastewater treatment.

Fig. 2. Left) Desalination curves for different saline streams. Right) MDC pre-pilot system (unit cell, 550 cm2
cross section).

In this sense, the merge of microbial electrochemical cells with ion exchange membranes could
bring new processes and concepts in the field of waste water treatment and sustainable desalination,
opening the chances of integration of such technologies with other biotechnological processes. In
this communication, a rational discussion on the future applications of such technology is presented
as well as results related to the performance of the technology for different saline streams
Keywords: Microbial desalination cell, Desalination, Wastewater treatment.

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References
[1] Borjas, Z.; Esteve-Núñez, A.; Ortiz, J.M. (2017), Strategies for merging microbial fuel cell technologies in water
desalination processes: Start-up protocol and desalination efficiency assessment, J. Power Sources, 356, 519-528.

Acknowledgement
Project “MIDES – H2020” has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 re-
search and innovation programme under grant agreement No 685793.

193
Performance evaluation of a novel vacuum-enhanced air-gap membrane
distillation module for regeneration of salinity gradients
J.A. Andrés-Mañas1, F.G. Acién1, G. Zaragoza2,*
1Universidad de Almería – CIESOL, Ctra. de Sacramento, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, Spain.
2CIEMAT – Plataforma Solar de Almería, Ctra. de Senés s/n,Tabernas, 04200 Almería, Spain
*Corresponding author.Tel.: +34 950387941; Fax: +34 950365015. Email address: [email protected]

Membrane distillation (MD) technology is studied as a thermal regeneration step in a salinity gradi-
ent heat engine based on reverse electrodialysis in a closed-loop system.A very low thermal energy
consumption is required for the process to produce electricity with acceptable energy efficiency
(a target specific thermal energy consumption of 45 kWh/m3 is estimated in order to reach about
4-8% efficiency). Current MD technologies at pilot scale show generally higher values of specific
thermal energy consumption (STEC). Spiral-wound modules with long channels for improved internal
heat recovery have shown to be the ones with the best heat efficiency. Values of specific thermal
energy consumption as low as 107 kWh/m3 have been measured using spiral-wound modules in
air-gap MD configuration with 5 m channel length for seawater feed. Two main improvements of
that particular technology are considered in this evaluation. The first is the operation of the mod-
ules in vacuum-enhanced air-gap MD configuration. Suctioning the air from the gap minimizes mass
resistance of vapour diffusion and decreases conductive heat losses. A novel system to achieve this
suction with a minor impact on electric consumption has been devised by Aquastill and was used in
this work. The second is batch operation of the module, which allows reusing the sensible heat of
the feed when increasing its concentration.According to model predictions, this can result in up to
7% savings of thermal energy consumption compared to multi-stage operation. Both improvements
were evaluated in experimental tests at pilot scale using two spiral-wound modules from Aquastill:
one with total surface area of 24 m2 and 5 m channel length, and another with total surface area
of 7.2 m2 and 1.5 channel length. Experiments were performed with different solutions optimized
for the reverse electrodialysis process (aqueous solutions of NaCl and KCH3COO), at increasing
concentration values from 0.5 to 4 molar. Different operating conditions of feed temperature and
velocity were used to characterize their influence and to identify the most favourable cases for
improving the thermal efficiency of the process. The maximum concentration that both modules
can reach with each solution was determined, as well as the corresponding thermal performance.
Keywords: Membrane distillation; Vacuum-enhanced air-gap membrane distillation; Pilot-scale ex-
periments; Energy efficiency

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Acknowledgements
This work has been performed within the RED-Heat-to-Power project (Conversion of Low
Grade Heat to Power through closed loop Reverse Electro-Dialysis) - Horizon 2020 programme,
Grant Agreement n. 640667.

194
Membrane processes for valorization of agro-industrial effluents
including water recycling
S.I. Patsios, K.N. Kontogiannopoulos, A.J. Karabelas
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Renewable Energies,
Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute,
Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH),
6th km Charilaou - Thermi Road, GR57001,Thessaloniki, Greece.
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected],Tel. +30-2310-498181; Fax +30-2310-498189

Throughout Europe more than 700 Mton of Agricultural Wastes, Co-products and By-products
(AWCB) are produced annually [1], constituting a serious environmental issue. AWCB effluents
mainly originate from processing of various agricultural commodities; e.g. in olive oil and table olive
production, fruit and tomato processing, fruit-juice and wine production, etc. [2]. Such effluents
are characterized by high organic content, including significant concentration of valuable bio-active
compounds. Integrated valorization of AWCB is currently pursued, including extraction of valuable
marketable compounds and further processing leading to bio-energy and bio-fertilizers production
as well as clean water for reuse. Conventional wastewater treatment technologies are clearly unfit
for such integrated effluent processing. However, as shown in this presentation, membrane-based
processes are most appropriate for valorization of such streams. Most of these results have been
obtained in the context of AGROCYCLE, a three-year H2020 project aiming to develop, demon-
strate and validate novel processes, practices and products for the sustainable use of AWCB. The
authors Laboratory at CERTH is a major participant in this project, dealing with the development
and demonstration of such novel processes. Results from three membrane-based processes will
be summarized as follows.
Winery wastewater from cleaning red wine tanks, containing polyphenolic substances with anti-
oxidant activity, was treated in bench-scale dead-end filtration test cells and in a lab-scale cross-flow
filtration pilot unit, for separation and recovery/concentration of polyphenolic compounds. Both
UF and NF commercial membranes were tested concerning their polyphenolic rejection efficiency
and flux performance. Results show that NF membranes of typical pore size approx. 1000 Da,
exhibit the best selectivity for polyphenolic compounds, combined with very good fluxes. More
than 70% of polyphenols were recovered in the NF concentrate stream that possessed enhanced
anti-radical activity.
For fruit-juice wastewater valorization, a two-stage scheme, involving anaerobic wastewater
treatment followed by an aerobic MBR for final polishing, was tested in a lab-scale pilot unit. Two
experimental campaigns were carried out, for treating either low- or high-strength Fruit Processing
Wastewater (FPW) representative of the seasonal production variability. In both cases the removal
efficiencies of organic matter and the biogas production were satisfactory. The treated effluent
resulting from the final stage of aerobic MBR was of very good quality, and its characteristics met
the strict standards for irrigation, suggesting that valorization of this waste stream is possible with
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water reuse.
Aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology was selected as an appropriate technology
for developing an effective table olive processing wastewater (TOPW) treatment method. TOPW
is particularly difficult to bio-degrade mainly due to the presence of polyphenols. Systematic
long-term studies in a lab-scale MBR proved effective in substantially biodegrading TOPW, after
appropriate biomass acclimatization. Average total organic carbon removal was 91.5%, whereas
nitrogen and phosphorus removal were also satisfactory. The membrane exhibited stable perfor-
mance at moderate biomass concentration (e.g. 8.0 g/L), with a tendency to deteriorate at higher
biomass concentration. Fouled membrane permeability could be fully restored by implementing
usual chemical cleaning protocols [3].
The proposed technologies appear to have notable attributes. Further, their performance and
economic feasibility will be assessed in a full-scale demonstration unit for the case of TOPW, and
in an industrial-scale pilot plant for the case of FPW; these pilot facilities are currently under con-
struction.
Keywords: Valorization of agro-industrial effluents, Water recycling, Membrane-based processes,
Recovery of valuable bio-active compounds, Anaerobic-Aerobic MBR treatment

1 Pavwelczyk A. (2005). XIIth International Congress, ISAH, Warsaw, Poland.

2 Patsios et al. (2017),A methodology for estimating AWCB during fruit processing in European Union: Implementation
in six ftuits of Greek interest, 11th National Scientific Conference of Chemical Engineering,Thessaloniki, 25-27 May
20017. In Greek.
3 Patsios et al. (2016), J Chem Technol Biotechnol 91: 2253-2262.

Acknowledgements
This work has been performed within the European Union’s Horizon H2020 research and innovation
programme AGROCYCLE: Sustainable techno-economic solutions for the agricultural value chain, under
Grant Agreement No 690142.

195
Novel methodology for RO membrane fouling and scaling predictions
and monitoring - Beyond indices
Anastasios J. Karabelas
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Renewable Energies,
Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute,
Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas
6th km Charilaou - Thermi Road, GR57001,Thessaloniki, Greece.

At present, predictions on the membrane fouling and scaling propensity of feed-water to RO/NF
desalination processes are made through indices (SDI, MFI for fouling – Langelier, other for scaling)
that have well-known drawbacks. Considering that fouling/scaling evolve in time with significant
spatial non-uniformity throughout the pressure vessels (comprised of multiple SWM modules), the
main weaknesses of these indices are as follows :
• They provide a single value, corresponding to fluid composition and conditions of the particular
test; thus, no predictions of spatial-temporal fouling/scaling evolution along a vessel can be made.
• There is weak (if any) physical foundation underpinning most of these indices. Therefore, they

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provide poor (or unreliable) representation of the fouling and scaling processes.
• The data on indices (collected over the years) have not been formally correlated with the main
process variables; therefore, such data are of no archival value and are essentially wasted.
In general, fouling and scaling predictions, at the plant design stage, are dealt with separately
and inadequately, in a manner (particularly for scaling) that does not allow optimization of process
parameters and of chemical additives used for fouling/scaling control.The above-mentioned limita-
tions of present practices (involving indices) also hold regarding RO process monitoring for fouling/
scaling. Indeed, despite the development of some novel techniques to detect fouling/scaling on RO/
NF membranes, there is lack of a generalized methodology to properly adapt these techniques
and permit reliable monitoring.
The novel methodology, presented in this lecture, involves: a) Laboratory studies of fouling and
scaling phenomena, under conditions representative of those prevailing in SWM modules, to select
and determine the most appropriate parameters for each case (i.e. the specific cake resistance for
fouling, the rate of mass deposition for scaling). b) Correlation of such parameter data with key
RO process variables (i.e. flux) and fluid composition characteristics (i.e. foulants concentration,
supersaturation ratio of scale-forming compounds), thus developing generalized expressions akin
to constitutive relations of the phenomena involved. c) Integration of these relations into an ap-
propriate comprehensive modeling framework, implemented in a computer-aided simulator, that
permits projections of the fouling and scaling temporal evolution throughout the membranes along
the pressure vessels of RO plants.
The typical cases of organic fouling and scaling will be discussed in the context of the afore-
mentioned approach. Appropriate experimental techniques will be presented for determining
representative parameter values for fouling and scaling. The effect of process conditions and fluid
characteristics on these data will be assessed, that can lead to generalized correlations for fouling
and scaling parameters.The latter can be integrated in an available modeling/simulation framework
of SWM module performance for making projections; some typical examples will be presented for
membrane fouling and scaling. Potential applications of this novel approach, remaining challenges
to fully develop it, as well as related R&D work, will be discussed.
Keywords: RO membrane desalination, Methodology for fouling/scaling predictions and plant
monitoring, Comprehensive modeling of RO process performance, Determination of
appropriate fouling and scaling parameters

196
Polishing membrane process for fluoride removal:
nanofiltration vs. reverse osmosis
N. Meftaha,b, A. Ezzeddinea, A.Bedouib, A. Hannachia
aChemical Process Department, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes,
Omar Ibn El khattab Street, 6029 Zrig, Gabes,Tunisia
bFaculty of Sciences of Gabes, Department of Chemistry, University of Gabes,
Erriadh City, 6072 Zrig, Gabes Tunisia
E-mail : [email protected], [email protected]

In recent decades, industrialization, domestic and agricultural activities, and other environmental
changes have constantly increased the pollution of the marine environment. This problem has re-

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inforced the efforts to treat the effluents in order to respect the environmental standards before
discharge into the sea. For this reason, several techniques have been developed for fluoride treat-
ment in effluents.When fluoride concentrations are very high, a neutralization with lime associated
to a membrane process could be an appropriate approach for dealing with industrial wastewaters.
The main objective of this study is to investigate the removal efficiency of reverse osmosis (RO)
and nanofiltration (NF) membranes to reduce fluorides from a real industrial wastewater optimally
neutralized with lime.
This study demonstrated that the neutralization with hydrated lime using excess of about 36%
at pH 6-7 led to fluoride removal rates higher than 98.7 %. The effect of several operating param-
eters on the permeate quality and the optimal pressure for membrane process treatment were
determined.The best removal conditions of fluorides in accordance with the Tunisian standard NT
106 002 were identified.
Keywords: Industrial wastewater; Fluoride;Treatment; Neutralization; Reverse osmosis; Nanofiltra-
tion; Optimization

197
Ceramic filtration as a pretreatment for reverse osmosis
in industrial wastewater treatment and reuse
Elena Meabe*, Jaione Ollo, Javier Lopetegui
Likuid Nanotek. San Sebastian Technology Park,
Pº Mikeletegi, 71 – 1st Floor,
20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
* Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

The robustness of ceramic membranes drives their use in demanding applications, dealing with
complex and highly variable wastewaters under difficult operational conditions. Reverse osmosis
(RO) installations require high quality feed water to ensure stable operation, as a result of which
there is an increasing demand for ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) technology as a pretreatment stage,
especially when dealing with industrial effluents.
The Oil&Gas industry is considered one of the eight most water-intensive sectors, and efficient
water/wastewater management - focused at reuse – is one of the biggest challenges in the sector.
In this scenario, the H2020 Integroil project aims at developing and demonstrating a robust and
flexible treatment solution for both the upstream and downstream sectors in the Oil&Gas industry,
where ceramic membrane filtration is one of the technologies applied before the final RO process.
Based on the foregoing, the work presented is related to the experimental results related to
the implementation of ceramic membranes in the following scenarios:
i Ceramic UF for the treatment of the so-called produced water, which is the oily wastewater
generated during Oil&Gas exploration and production activities.
ii Ceramic membrane bioreactor (MBR) for the treatment of the industrial wastewater generated
during the oil refining process.

Treatment of produced water has been studied and optimized at both laboratory and pilot
scales. It has been concluded that ceramic UF allows removing the highly stable emulsified oil and

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obtain an effluent which is free of turbidity, solids and bacteria. This effluent presents optimum
quality for being subsequently treated by RO or other polishing technologies such as advanced
oxidation processes.
Treatment of refinery wastewater is addressed by ceramic membranes with a completely different
approach. This effluent contains significant amount of biodegradable organic matter and biological
treatment is applied as a general rule. When a final desalination stage is required for salt removal
the MBR process brings major benefits by coupling the ceramic ultrafiltration to the biological
reactor. In this way, high-quality ultrafiltered water is produced, which can be directly fed to the
RO system without the need for further pretreatment.
Keywords: Ceramic membranes; RO pretreatment; Oil and gas; Ultrafiltration; Membrane bioreactor.

Acknowledgement
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon H2020 research and in-
novation programme under grant agreement No 688989.

198
Development of a new integrated textile wastewater treatment and
hydrogen production system with bipolar membrane
B.Yuzer a,b, H. Selcuk a*, I. Dincer b
a
Department of Environmental Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul,Turkey
b
Clean Energy Research Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of
Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 7K4, Canada
* Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +90 5325525627

Bipolar membranes have been used for many years to generate organic and inorganic acid, base
and desalinated fresh water in various industries. A bipolar membrane is generally composed of
anion- and cation exchange membrane layers and can split water at the junction point of these
membranes into hydrogen ion and hydroxyl ion under the applied electrical field.The electrodialysis
process with the bipolar membrane (BPMED) is a proven technology for the treatment of textile
wastewater with high salt concentration (40-80 g/L) while producing acid and base[1]”ISSN” :
“21680485”, “abstract” : “In this work, textile wastewater is explored for resource recovery in a
hybrid loose nanofiltration (NF. However, a high dye concentration content of textile wastewater
causes fouling to the membranes and decreases the ion transfer efficiency of the bipolar membrane
electrodialysis process. The color of the wastewater should be removed before the BPMED pro-
cess to prevent membrane fouling.The hardness of the wastewater is considered another problem
that causes membrane fouling in the BPMED system, and it has to be removed before the BPMED
process. Since many studies reported different color removal methods [2]metal coagulation, (ferric
chloride and alum, ion exchange process is an effective and cost-saving treatment method prior to
the BPMED process. The strong base anion exchange resins are capable of removing dye solution
from wastewater while releasing Cl- and OH-ions into the wastewater[3]. Also, other anions that
might be present in the content of the wastewater can easily be removed. In this way, the possibil-
ity of contamination of the produced acid can be prevented. The other advantage of the anion

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exchange process is the ability of hardness removal from wastewater with the precipitation of Ca2+
and Mg2+ by the help of OH- ions that are released from ion exchange resins.

Fig. 1. Water splitting hydrogen production cell with bipolar membrane.

Hydrogen is an environmental-friendly alternative fuel source which can potentially be used in

various industries as gas or liquid. The water electrolysis is known as the most common hydrogen
production method that decomposes the water into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The electrolysis
process is composed of anode and cathode compartments.The placement of the bipolar membrane
between anode and cathode side will increase the pH of anolyte and decrease the pH of catholyte
(Fig. 1) while producing hydrogen gas at the cathode side and oxygen gas at the anode side [4].This
change in pH can increase the hydrogen production efficiency and decrease the required energy
consumption.

Textile
Wastewater
(High Salt Content)

H2 gas
Acid Base Treated Water
Dye (Reuse)
Anion
Exchange
Resin H2 Generation
Bipolar
Cl-, OH- with Bipolar
Membrane
Membrane Hardness Electrodialysis
removal (60 %)
(secondary
Color removal >90% precipitation)
Hardness removal
(precipitation )≈60%

Regeneration
with Chlorine

Fig. 2 Integrated hydrogen production and textile wastewater treatment system flow diagram.

In the present study, an integrated hydrogen production and the treatment of textile wastewater
is investigated conceptually and experimentally with an aim to achieve zero waste discharge (Fig.
2).The textile wastewater is treated with a strong base ion exchange resin inside the ion exchange
column to remove the color of the wastewater. Also, after the ion exchange process with the in-
crease in pH of the textile wastewater is resulted in a decrease of the hardness causing ions (Ca2+

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and Mg2+) concentration.After ion exchange process, the hydrogen gas is generated from the textile
wastewater by using the bipolar membrane in the electrolysis process. Finally, the textile wastewater
is treated with the BPMED process to remove salt from the wastewater while producing acid, base
and clean water that can be reused in the wet textile processes. Numerous performance param-
eters, such as current efficiency, limiting current efficiency, current utilization efficiency, hydrogen
production efficiency, and the water quality parameters, such as color, conductivity, absorbance,
pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), etc. are monitored while running all integrated processes. It
can be concluded that the proposed hydrogen generation and wastewater treatment system is a
promising method that can generate hydrogen while treating the wastewater.
Keywords: Hydrogen production, Textile wastewater treatment, Bipolar membrane, Electrodialysis

References
[1] J. Lin et al., Toward resource recovery from textile wastewater: dye extraction, water and base/acid regeneration
using a hybrid NF-BMED process, ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., vol. 3, no. 9, pp. 1993–2001, 2015.
[2] M. I. Aydin, B. Yuzer, A. Ongen, H. E. Okten, H. Selcuk, ‘Comparison of ozonation and coagulation decolorization
methods in real textile wastewater’, Desal. Water Treat., vol. 103, 2018.
[3] S. Karcher, A. Kornmüller, M. Jekel, Anion exchange resins for removal of reactive dyes from textile wastewaters’,
Water Res., vol. 36, no. 19, pp. 4717–4724, 2002.
[4] D.A.Vermaas, M. Sassenburg,W.A. Smith,‘Photo-assisted water splitting with bipolar membrane induced pH gradients
for practical solar fuel devices’, J. Mater. Chem. A, vol. 3, no. 38, pp. 19556–19562, 2015.

199
The miracle of chitosan as a biosorpent in desalination,
wastewater treatment and biomedical engineering—a review
Mona M. Naim1*, Mervette El-Batouti2, Micheal E.G.Tawadrous1
1
Chem. Eng. Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
2
Chemistry Dept., Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

Man needs water throughout his life.Without water there would be no life on planet Earth. Man
needs water for various purposes including drinking, agriculture and industrial processes as well
as for sanitary purposes. Despite that water is renewable, yet the growing populations around the
world, together with their concomitant needs have led to unavoidable water shortages in many
areas across the globe. In addition recently, global warming has been posing a serious threat to
mankind due to changes of environment, and wars everywhere, which both contribute largely to
this change, and have resulted in scarcity of rainfall.
Accordingly, to solve this water deficiency problem, scientists have sought for alternative solutions
which can overcome this drastic situation, by either desalinating saline water such as seawater and
brackish underground water, or reclaiming wastewater (WW) from various industries, municipal
WW or from irrigation. In this regards, health and aesthetics, come as the principal reasons for
WW treatment.Acute waterborne diseases, such as typhoid and cholera, spurred the development
of chlorination and filtration plants, in the early 1900s. Then more elaborate pretreatments to en-
hance disinfection resulted, upon subsequent identification of additional diseases and contaminants
in WW. Diversified unit operations such as filtration, adsorption, sedimentation, biosorption, and

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many others, have been used in removing different contaminants from WW. Granular activated
carbon has been used as the main commercial adsorbent of choice for several decades , however,
scientists have been searching since then, for other cheaper and easier to prepare adsorbents, that
might be more ubiquitous in nature, of which chitin and , the by-product in the seafood industries
and its derivative chitosan, have been lately used in different forms in the remediation of organic
and inorganic contaminants in WW, such as toxic heavy metals, dyestuffs, pesticides, phenols, etc….
In the present paper, the different applications and modification of chitin and chitosan have
been reviewed in removal of heavy metals, nitrate, dyes, desalination, as well as in the application
to blood and biomedical engineering.
Keywords: Applications of chitosan; Modification of chitin and chitosan; Desalination; Biosorption;
Chitin; Wastewater treatment; Biomedical engineering; Heavy metals; Dyestuffs; Pesti-
cides; Nitrate; Blood.

200
Role of tight ultrafiltration on reducing fouling potential
of SWRO feed water
Nirajan Dhakal*, Sergio Salinas,
Jan C. Schippers, Maria Kennedy
IHE Delft,Westvest 7, 2611 AX Delft,The Netherlands
* Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +31 686089140

The failure of conventional pre-treatment to provide acceptable feed water quality for seawater
reverse osmosis (SWRO) during algal blooms underlines the significance of robust pre-treatment
systems. This study investigated the effectiveness of tight ultrafiltration (10 kDa) membrane as
pre-treatment in delaying the onset of organic/biological fouling in SWRO feed water during algal
blooms. The proof of principle experiments were performed in laboratory and pilot plant using
various MF/UF membranes and algal organic matter (AOM) produced by Chaetoceros affinis as a
feed solution.The feed and permeate of MF/UF membranes were analyzed in terms of biopolymer
concentration, and bacterial regrowth potential (BRP). Furthermore, biofouling experiments were
also performed using membrane fouling simulators (MFS) to simulate biofouling in spacer-filled
RO membrane channels.
Results illustrated that the rejection of algal biopolymer produced by Chaetocerous affinis was
3–4 times higher with tight UF (10 kDa) compared to the high molecular weight cut off MF/UF
membranes. The lower biopolymer concentration in permeate coincide with the lower bacterial
regrowth potential.The relationship between the bacterial regrowth and biopolymer concentration
was found linear with R2 = 0.88. Moreover, no substantial difference was observed in measured net
bacterial regrowth in permeate collected from tight UF (10 kDa) and standard UF (150 kDa) from
pilot experiments. It could be attributed to the contribution of passage of low molecular weight
organics from both UF membranes. The biofouling experiments performed using MFS monitor
fed with permeate of 150 kDa and 10 kDa UF at a cross flow velocity of 0.2 m/s also showed no
substantial increase in the feed channel pressure drop in the MFS monitor. Moreover, the result
of membrane autopsy showed biomass accumulation of 860 pg ATP/cm2 in MFS fed with 10 kDa

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UF permeate, which was 2 times lower than in MFS fed with 150 kDa UF permeate. Overall, the
results illustrated the potential of tight UF membranes towards delaying the occurrence of biofoul-
ing in SWRO membranes. Nevertheless, the non-backwashable fouling rates development after
each succeeding CEB cycles were approximately 1.5 times higher for 10 kDa UF compared to 150
kDa UF. Therefore, it is still important to improve the backwashability performance of the tight
UF membrane for the better future application. It is expected that improving the surface porosity
of the membrane can better remove the cake/gel layer formed on the membrane surface during
backwashing/CEB and improves the backwashability of the membranes.
Keywords: Membrane fouling, Tight ultrafiltration, Conventional ultrafiltration, Algal blooms, Algal
organic matter

201
Alternative energies in desalination – present status
and future prospects
Mona M. Naim1*, Mervette El Batouti2, Mahmoud M. Elewa3, Ahmed A. El-Shafei4,
Micheal E. Tawadrous1
1
Chem. Eng. Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt,
e-mail: [email protected]
2
Chemistry Dept., Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
3
Arab Academy for Science,Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt.
e-mail: [email protected]
4
Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. e-mail: [email protected]

Continuing depletion of energy, in the form of fossil fuels, has lately become a problem of great
concern all over the globe. Accordingly, continual research in optimal techniques by which to tap
alternative energies such as solar, wind, geothermal, ocean, tidal and wave energies, are taking place
by scientists worldwide. Concomitantly, shortage of potable water in many areas around the world,
such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has been posing a threat to life as a whole,
and lack of fresh water for drinking, irrigation and industrialization due to environmental changes,
as well as increase in world population, has necessitated desalination of seawater and ocean waters,
as a solution to this critical catastrophe which endangers life altogether on our planet.
Accordingly, in the present paper, numerous diversified applications of different types of alterna-
tive energies in desalination, accompanied with various explanatory figures, have been thoroughly
reviewed. The paper presents an in-depth coverage on different types of solar stills such as multi-
effect and double-effect basin type stills, vertical stills, tubular-type stills, various designs of wick-type
stills, as well as other alternative energy-driven desalination technologies. Future prospects of the
alternative energies in desalination are also outlined.
Keywords: Desalination;Alternative energies; Solar energy;Wind energy;Wave energy; Geothermal
energy; Ocean energy; Tidal energy; Solar still; Wick-type still; Basin-type still; Vertical
still; Tubular still; Multi-effect still.

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202
Solar-powered desalination for irrigation in the Jordan Valley
Liam Burlace1, Tim Naughton1, Hala Abu Ali2, Maya Mark2, Areen Majali2,
Suleiman Halasah2,3, Clive Lipchin2, Monther Hind4
Sustainable Environment Research Group, Aston University, Birmingham, UK, B4 7ET
1

2
Center for Transboundary Water Management, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies,
Kibbutz Ketura, D. N. Eilot, 88840 Israel
3
i.GREENs, Jordan
4
Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group, Birzeit Road, 1st Floor, Al Bireh, P.O. Box 3665, Palestinian Authority,
*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Irrigation in the Jordan valley is becoming more difficult due to increasing salinity in its under-
ground aquifers. Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian farmers living side-by side share the same depleted
water resources. All parties have a common interest in finding sustainable solutions to irrigation
in this arid area where traditional cultivations of some of the crops have declined drastically due
to lack of good quality water supplies.
Aston University, the Arava Institute and the Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group have
begun a project that brings Middle Eastern and UK students together to develop technical and
social solutions to the farmer’s wells issue. This project is aimed to help the students to develop a
sustainable develop solar desalination system that will provide irrigation to the farmers in the Jordan
valley. On the 2nd phase of the project, the Arava Institute students started building and running
the system side-by side with Aston University students for educational purposes as a prototype
system located on the Arava Institute campus with conducting some water analysis tests for the
system’s permeate. Besides that, some mechanical tests were done to confirm the efficiency of
reducing the power consumption of the system.
The assembly system (prototype) needs to be scaled up in order to increase the capacity to be
more suitable for installation in a farm as 3rd phase of this project.
Keywords: Solar desalination, Jordan Valley, Desalination

203
Multi-stage analysis of pressure retarded osmosis for scale up operation
Samira Soltani1, Henning Struchtrup2
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria,Victoria, BC, Canada
E-mail: 1 [email protected]; 2 [email protected]

A global trend toward the renewable and sustainable sources of energy has been increased due
to greenhouse gas emissions. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) can be considered as a renewable
source of energy released from the mixing of freshwater with saltwater using a semipermeable
membrane. A model of a scaled up multi stage PRO power plant is presented in this work. The ef-
fects of reverse salt flux, concentration polarization, flow and pressure drop along the membrane
have been investigated. To maximize the power density and reduce the irreversible energy loss
multi-stage PRO systems have been introduced in large scale. For a system in co current opera-

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tion with a river and sea water solutions with the loss considerations we compared the thermo-
dynamic efficiency of single and multi-stage systems with the same membrane area used. In this
model the hydraulic pressure applied in the draw side and water flow rate has been optimized. In
spite of other dual stage PRO studies which have been conducted in laboratory scale, the scale
up considerations like pressure and flow drop along the membrane area and salinity change have
been taken into account in our study. The effect of spacers in pressure drop and mass transfer
in both draw and feed side have been investigated. Furthermore, we compared the effectiveness
of multi-stage PRO system with the single stage one with consideration of the same membrane
area. With the new description of the efficiency and using the optimum operating conditions, the
results indicate that overall performance of the system can be improved significantly in the case
of multi-stage PRO in large scale.
Keywords: Pressure retarded osmosis, Multi stage configuration,Thermodynamic efficiency, Power
density

204
One year operation of integrated ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis
system for challenging industrial wastewater from chemical industry
Claudia Niewersch1*, Lorena Barbera1, Javier Suarez Martin1, Oscar Ruzafa1, Luis Carod1,
Patricia Carmona1, Jozef Kochan2, Jan Koppe4, Lex van Dijk5, Christian Kazner6
1
Dow Chemical Ibérica, Dow Water & Process Solutions,Tarragona, Spain
* Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +34-977559924
2
Clariant , Frankfurt am Main, Germany
3
MOL Katalysatortechnik GmbH, Schkopau, Germany
4
BLUE-tec bv, Renkum,The Netherlands
5
University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of Life Sciences, Muttenz, Switzerland
™Trademark The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow

This presentation will show the first year of operational experiences of a combination of ul-
trafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) for treatment of challenging industrial wastewater.
The feed water of this pilot operation is coming from the chemical industry and represents a high
challenge both for UF and RO due to high fouling and scaling potential and high variability regard-
ing the composition.
The configuration demonstrated in the pilot operation includes one DOW IntegraFlux™ SFP-
2880XP module, which contains PVDF fibers with a nominal pores size of 30 nm being operated in
out-in mode. Part of the pilot operation was a study for optimization of operating conditions and
cleaning strategy. For improving the cleaning efficiency, influence of parameters for backwashing
are being studied. Optimization potential for the chemically enhanced backwash and the cleaning
in place are being investigated. Additionally, an alternative cleaning strategy, in which the chemically
enhanced backwash us replaced by periodical short cleanings-in-place is being studied.
For the RO operation, 4 inch prototypes of the fouling resistant DOW FILMTEC™ FORTILIFE™
CR100 elements are being tested.These elements show high resistance especially against biofoul-
ing and a low differential pressure along the feed channel. The pilot configuration for RO consists

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of a first stage with six reverse osmosis elements and a second stage with three elements. Due to
high fouling and scaling potential, the RO operation was started with very conservative conditions.
Flux and recover are being increased stepwise. Prevention of scaling is studied using anti-scalants.
Keywords: Ultrafiltration, Reverse osmosis, Industrial wastewater

205
Continuous solar desalination unit (CSDU):
design and performance investigation
Mays Shadeed*, Lama A’raj, Reem Ashqar
An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestinian Authority
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +970 597821641

Desalination techniques –to remove salts from water – have been used widely around the world,
to reduce the water crisis, since there are nearly 1 in 10 people lack access to safe water. Solar
desalination is one of the most promising technique among all of other desalination techniques
especially in remote areas that suffer from lack of fresh water.
Most of the available solar designs are batch which gave commonly low productivity, therefore,
this project aims to design and build a continuous solar desalination unit (CSDU), and study the
effect of environmental and operational conditions on its productivity where rotating belt, suction
fan and compressor were added and classified into five cases.
The solar still has been experimentally tested for three months. Promising results were achieved,
the productivity was measured along several days during February to April.The maximum and mini-
mum evaporation fluxes achieved were 11.4 and 6.9 (L/m2.d), respectively, while solar irradiation at
those days were (5.03 and 4.11kWh/m2.day), respectively.The average productivity for conventional
solar stills was (3-4) L/m2.d, which lower than CSDU’s average productivity that reach approximately
9.73 L/m2.d, where 64.02% enhancement is obtained.
The tested results confirmed that running the apparatus with rotating belt, compressor, and fans
at average solar radiation= 5.65kWh/m2 has a high significant effect than running the unit while they
are turned off.The improvement was 86%, which mean that integrating of these enhancements will
improve the productivity of solar still.
In addition, results indicate that the evaporation rate was highly affected by weather conditions.
Since the evaporation rate increases with increasing solar radiation and temperature and decreases
with increasing the relative humidity.These prove that the constructed apparatus is working in the
right way.
Keywords: Desalination, Solar desalination

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206
Process modeling and simulation of a SWRO desalination pla nt:
Case study of Gijang SWRO desalination plant in Korea
Younggeun Leea*,Yongjung Leea, Kwanghee Shina, Jungjune Leea, Seokho Choia,
Jungwon Parkb, Hyungkeun Roha
a
Cooperate R&D Institute, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction,Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16858, Korea
*Corresponding author,Tel. +82-31-326-2302, E-mail: [email protected]
b
Water BG, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Seoul, 06611, Korea

Recently, an operator training simulator (OTS) is essential for a cost effective training in an
identical operator environment and accumulation of operation and maintenance (O&M) know-
how in a SWRO desalination plant. In this study, a dynamic process model replicating the Gijang
SWRO desalination plant in Korea was developed as key elements of OTS with a distributed
control system (DCS) control logic. The entire process model includes all the unit process model
such as a dissolved air flotation (DAF), a dual media filtration (DMF), an ultrafiltration (UF), and a
reverse osmosis (RO) with an energy recovery device (ERD), which are components of the plant.
All the properties of unit processes were based on the actual design values of the plant. As a re-
sult, it shows good agreement between the simulation values of the developed process model and
designed performance values of the plant. Also, both the increases of different pressure (DP) and
cleaning activities such as backwash, chemically enhanced backwash (CEB), and cleaning in place
(CIP) at DMF, UF, and RO unit process, respectively, were well simulated with a decay rate according
to the process time. Collectively, the process model developed in this study can be firstly applied
to develop an OTS system of Gijang SWRO desalination plant and furthermore it can be used for
digital twin technology of a desalination plant after improving it more in detail
Keywords: Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO), DAF, DMF, UF, RO, Process modeling, Operator
Training Simulator (OTS)

This document is the informational asset of Doosan affiliates and overseas subsidiaries. Thus, unauthorized access,
revision, distribution and copying of this document are strictly prohibited.

207
Performance evaluation of a multi-effect distillation unit
with a polymer tube heat exchanger
Patricia Palenzuela1*, Thomas Orth2, Diego C. Alarcón-Padilla1, Guillermo Zaragoza1
CIEMAT-Plataforma Solar de Almería, Ctra. de Senés s/n, 04200 Tabernas, Almería, Spain
1

2
Technoform Kunststoffprofile GmbH – Germany
*Corresponding author.Tel. +34 950387800 Ext. 909; Fax +34 950365015. Email: [email protected]

The high capital costs of multi-effect distillation (MED) plants are mainly due to the evaporator
tubes existing in each cell. Cu-Ni evaporator tubes are the most frequently used in the industry
due to their heat conductive properties and low cost compared to others (e.g., titanium). However,
they are sensitive to corrosion and scaling, which make the heat transfer and therefore the distillate
production decrease with operation time.The idea of replacing these metal tubes by cheaper ones

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made of polymer materials has been already discussed in the scientific literature [1,2]. However,
standard polymers have poor heat conductive properties, which would lead to a huge increase of
the required heat exchange surface, making this option unprofitable.
Technoform Kunststoffprofile company (Germany) has developed a thermally conductive
compound which is based on polymers with a large amount of thermal conductive filler.This com-
pound is processed by extrusion to form heat exchanger profiles in any shape that can deliver
the required properties in terms of corrosion resistance and heat transfer. They have very good
chemical resistance and a confirmed long term operating temperature of 80ºC [3,4]. In order to
check the behavior of those polymeric tubes in a real MED plant, experiments have been performed
in a pilot plant located at Plataforma Solar de Almería. The specific thermal energy consumption
(performance ratio) and distillate production of the plant were investigated by replacing one of
the Cu-Ni 90/10 evaporator cells with the polymeric cell developed by Technoform. The replace-
ment was initially done in the third cell and experiments were performed for different external
energy source (hot water) temperatures (65, 70 and 75ºC), different feed water flow rates (6, 7
and 8 m3/h) and different vapor temperatures (30, 35ºC). The results were compared with those
performed with a Cu-Ni 90/10 cell and it was observed that the distillate production was higher
in all cases with the polymeric evaporator (about 10% at inlet hot water temperature of 65ºC and
last effect vapor temperature of 30ºC, 15% at inlet hot water temperature of 70ºC and last effect
vapor temperature of 35ºC, and about 17% at inlet hot water temperature of 75ºC and last effect
vapor temperature of 30ºC). Regarding the performance ratio, it was always lower in the case of
the MED plant with the polymeric cell (between 3-9% lower). After the test campaign, the poly-
meric cell was removed to check the scaling on the tubes. It was observed that the amount of salt
precipitated over the tubes was considerably lower than in case of a Cu-Ni 90/10 cell. Moreover,
the cleaning procedure required for the former was much easier than for the latter (the polymeric
one was cleaned simply by a brush, while the metal cell had to be cleaned by the required acid
cleaning). Another test camping was performed changing the position of the polymeric cell to
the last effect in order to avoid its influence over the rest of effects. These experiments were car-
ried out keeping the inlet hot water temperature and the last cell vapor temperature at 70ºC and
35ºC, respectively, and changing the feed water flow rate from 6 to 8 m3/h.The results found were
even better than in the previous test campaign, obtaining an increase percentage of 25% with the
polymeric cell compared with the metal one at a feed water flow rate of 6 m3/h (24% in case of
7 m3/h and 16% in case of 8 m3/h). In this case, the performance ratio was higher with the polymeric
cell for feed water flow rates of 6 m3/h (3% higher) and 7 m3/h (7% higher), but lower for 8 m3/h
(5% lower). More experiments at different operating conditions should be performed in order to
check the goodness of polymeric cells against traditional metal ones.
Keywords: Polymeric tubes; Multi-effect distillation; Performance ratio; Distillate production

References
[1] L. Zaheed, R.J.J. Jachuck, Review of polymer compact heat exchangers, with special emphasis on a polymer film
unit, Appl. Thermal Eng. 24 (2004) 2323–2358.
[2] H.T. El-Dessouky, H.M. Ettouney, Plastic/compact heat exchangers for single-effect desalination systems, Desalination
122 (1999) 271-289.
[3] E. Bauer, S.Brinkmann, T.Osswald, E.Schmachtenberg, Saechtling Kunststoff Taschenbuch, Carl Hanser Verlag
GmbH&Co. KG 2007
[4] G.W. Ehrenstein, S. Pongratz, Resistance and Stability of Polymers, Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Germany,
2013

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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge funding support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Com-
petitiveness and ERDF funds under the National R+D+I Plan Project DPI2014-56364-C2-2-R of
the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and ERDF funds.

208
Spiral wound electrolysis modules of Archimedean
and non-Archimedean form
Natasha C. Wright, Amos G. Winter,V
MIT, 77 Massachusetts Ave. Office 31-141 Cambridge MA 02139 (USA)
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]

This work proposes methods of reducing the cost of electrodialysis brackish water desalination
systems, as motivated by use in rural India, where 60% of the groundwater is too saline to drink.
First, a robust model that predicts desalination rate and total energy consumption (desalination
plus pumping) previously developed by the authors is used within an optimization routine to deter-
mine the lowest cost operating mode and stack design, assuming existing, flat-stack architectures.
Common operating modes including constant-voltage batch and multi-stage continuous systems
were considered alongside novel operation modes, including voltage-regulated batch and hybrid
batch-continuous systems. For the production and desalination rates required for a village-scale
application, a voltage-regulated hybrid system that is fully optimized for membrane width, length,
and channel thickness reduces the 10-year total cost and capital cost of the system by 37% and
47%, respectively, in comparison to a commercially available stack optimized under the same op-
eration modes.

(a) Achimedean Spiral (b) Ideal Spiral

Fig. 1. Representation of the spiral pattern in the optimized Archimedean and ideal spiral. In both cases the
design in which equal importance is placed on total cost and capital cost is presented and 1/15th of the
total cell pairs are shown for visual clarity.

By matching the applied current density as closely as possible to the limiting current density at
any given location in a stack, the voltage-regulated batch operation minimizes the required amount
of membrane area required, reducing capital cost. However, this requires a potentially costly DC
power supply and control system. As a result, this work proposes a constant-voltage, continuous
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system that uses a spiral-wound electrodialysis module such that the diluate stream flows from
an inner electrode to an outer electrode along a spiral path, achieving the same matching effect.
In this configuration, the effective membrane area increases causing the applied current density to
decrease, as the concentration in the diluate stream and associated limiting current density also
decrease. Both a standard Archimedean spiral (as spiral reverse osmosis modules are wound) and
an ideal non-Archimedean spiral shape are presented. The ideal spiral shape would reduce the 10-
year total cost and capital cost by 21% and 39%, respectively, in comparison to the Archimedean
spiral, and is cost-competitive with the optimized hybrid voltage-regulated flat-stack design.
Keywords: Electrodialysis, Brackish desalination, Spiral-wound modules

209
Membrane technology for water treatment in Malaysia –
a new entry point
Mohmad Asari Daud (1), Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor (1), Zaini Ujang (3)
(1)
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
(2)
Ministry of Energy, Green Technology & Water, Secretary General.
Email: [email protected]

Membrane applications in water treatment in Malaysia have seen more setback than success. Its
early applications in few location encountered operational problems which had seen many system
ceased operations due to membrane fouling due to poor raw water quality that entered the mem-
brane. There also experiences of high operation and maintenance costs for electricity and spares
which are by large more than conventional system operations.
In few European countries there has been wide awareness of high raw water quality which has
not been a concern in the developing nations like Malaysia. There have been extensive efforts to
produce high raw water quality for treatment at the water treatment plants. It is evident that raw
water quality in Europe is as good as treated water quality adopted by the developing nations.
Hence the introduction of membrane in the water treatment plants in this poor raw water qual-
ity is considered oxymoron and had always been futile. There is a need to change the paradigm. A
new entry point is needed.
Based on the standard of raw water set in the developed countries, it is imperative that develop-
ing nations need to raised water quality standards by introducing utilising high quality raw water
by prior treatment either through natural process or forced, physically or chemically.
Downstream reservoir, river bank infiltration and radial well system have been applied inde-
pendently in several projects in Malaysia and had successfully resulted in high quality raw water at
its exit point. However it has always been restricted from being implemented fully due to financial
constraints. Hybrid off-river storage (HORAS) implemented as interim measure to improve raw
water quantity had indicated prospect of improving raw water to reach the European standards.
This paper will compare the raw water quality of the non-conventional raw water abstraction,
discuss and demonstrate the possible entry point of a cost effective membrane system in Malaysia.
Keywords: Raw water, Membrane, Quality, Treatment, River bank filtration

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210
Water security in Libya and the ability of the Man Mad River Project
to provide Libya›s water needs
Hamza Goumma El Nawal
Man-Made River Authority, P.O. Box 641, Hawari Road, Benghazi, Libya
E-mail: [email protected]

Due to of the increase in the population in recent decades and the increase in demand for water
with limited resources and sometimes non-renewable and the large change in the demand for wa-
ter for drinking and agriculture and the industry, etc.To increase the consumption of stored water,
Resulting in much loss of surface water resources more than underground for easy accessibility.
The urgent need to provide water of quality and cost suitable for a country such as the size of
Libya is large and the difficulty of access to surface water, although Libya has almost 2000 km on
the sea, who is little used desalination because of the high costs of producing large quantities of
clean water,This led to the implementation of the Man Mad River Project, which is one of the most
important strategic projects in the world, which worked on the transfer of water from the south
the richly water availability to the north, For majority of the population of Libya and less clean
water, Implementation and Success of this project requires a set of Procedures and measures to
ensure the supply of water and realize water security, Then water flow continuous without inter-
ruption despite difficulties and risks ,This is what the paper concludes.
Keywords: Water security; Risks; Aspirations; Failures; Man Mad River Project

211
Coagulation effectiveness comparison for turbid water treatment
using Medicago sativa and its blended mixture
Arfa Iqbal, Nayab Zahra
Institute of Environmental Engineering and Research, UET, Lahore, Pakistan.
Corresponding Author: Arfa Iqbal
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +92 3434033405

Environmental friendly natural coagulants are favorable for turbid water treatment because they
are safe for human beings and environment.The aim of present study was to identify and study the
applicability of locally available pure natural coagulant (Medicago sativa) and its blended mixture with
the most commonly used chemical coagulant (alum) for turbid water treatment. By mixing different
proportions of Medicago sativa and alum, the blended mixture was prepared. Maximum turbidity
removal efficiencies of pure natural coagulant and its blended mixture were then compared with
each other. At optimum dosage and pH for pure natural coagulant and its blended mixture, the
maximum turbidity removal efficiencies achieved were 96.8% and 98.5% respectively. Also FTIR
(Fourier Transformed Infrared) analysis was employed for characterization of natural coagulant.
Protein specific functional groups identified in natural coagulant were medium 1o amines, medium
aliphatic amines group and medium, strong and broad 1o and 2o amines groups, responsible for
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coagulation phenomenon. Micro photographic analysis was also performed to observe floc sizes
produced after coagulation of natural coagulant and its blended mixture, indicating floc sizes of upto
22 µm and 35 µm respectively whereas the charge neutralization phenomenon was observed for
both coagulants. The blended mixture of Medicago sativa was proved as a very potential coagulant
for turbid water treatment.
Keywords: Alum; Coagulation phenomenon; Medicago sativa; Turbid water

212
Temperature and thermal stress distribution of high concentrator
solar cell under different environmental conditions
Essam M. Abo-Zahhad1, 2, a, A. H. El-Shazly1, Shinichi Ookawara3, Ali Radwan4, M. F. El-Kady1
1
Chemical and Petrochemicals Engineering Department,
Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology,
New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt.
2
Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Energy Engineering,
Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
3
Department of Chemical Science and Engineering,
Tokyo Institute of Technology,Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
4
Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Energy Engineering,
El-Mansoura University, El-Mansoura, Egypt
a
[email protected]

A three-dimension thermal model of the typical Triple-junction solar cell was performed in finite
volume software. Depending on the 3D model, the temperature distribution of the cell layer and
thermal stresses were analyzed and simulated.The effects of meteorological conditions such as wind
speed and ambient temperature on the local temperature and thermal stress distribution of solar
cell were examined.The temperature and thermal stress contours showed that the solar cell layer
possessed the highest temperature and thermal stress at the solar cell center. The effect of wind
speed on cell performance was very limited when it increases from 0 to 15 m/s compared with the
effect of ambient temperature.The results elucidated that the low ambient temperature conditions
enhanced the heat dissipation that improves the electrical efficiency of the Triple-junction solar cell.
Keywords: High concentrator photovoltaic, Simulation, Temperature distribution, Thermal stresses

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213
The REvivED water project:
Electrodialysis for advanced desalination concepts
N. Tiggelmana, M. Papapetroub
a
FUJIFILM Manufacturing Europe B.V., Oudenstaart 1, P.O. Box 90156, 5000LJ,Tilburg,The Netherlands
b
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID) – Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica, Mecca-
nica, Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) – viale delle Scienze Ed. 6,90128 Palermo, Italy.
*e-mail: [email protected]

Approximately two billion people live in areas of water scarcity†. If the efforts to combat climate
change are not intensified, by 2025 two thirds of the world’s population could be under water
stress conditions‡. The desalination industry has responded well to the increasing demand and is
constantly evolving by reducing the costs and improving the reliability of producing high-quality
water. Despite remarkable progress so far, the high costs and energy requirements are still critical
factors preventing the wider adoption of desalination. Continuous innovation is necessary to make
the desalination technology more affordable.
REvivED water, a European Commission-funded pilot project led by Fujifilm Manufacturing Eu-
rope BV, is focusing on the potential of electrodialysis for desalination applications.The logos of all
partners are shown in Fig. 1 and more information on them and the project is available on www.
revivedwater.eu.

Fig. 1. The partners of the REvivED water proejct

The project builds on the progress achieved in the performance and cost of ion exchange mem-
branes.This allows the industry to benefit from the inherent advantage of electrodialysis, whereby
only the ions (salt) flow through the membranes, rather than the water.
The application of these innovative ion exchange membranes will allow for the use of elec-
trodialysis to desalinate seawater. The REvivED water project will go one step further, applying a
reverse electrodialysis (RED) unit as a pre-desalination step, for sites where a low salinity water
stream (such as treated wastewater) is available. The RED pre-desalination step can also be used
in (existing) reverse osmosis plants.
If there is no treated water available, a simple electrodialysis system can be added to reverse
osmosis plants to pre-desalinate the sea water. The hybrid system with electrodialysis as a pre-
desalination can increase the water recovery of reverse osmosis systems, producing more drinking
water from the same amount of seawater at low energy consumption and at affordable costs.

† UN Water, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Coping with Water Scarcity, 2007, http://www.fao.org/3/a-aq444e.
pdf
‡ UNESCO, the 4th edition of the UN World Water Development Report (WWDR4), 2012, http://www.unesco.
org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr4-2012/

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The REvivED water project is also addressing the brackish water desalination field, where it
brings together past experience and new technological developments in solar powered system
targeting remote areas in developing countries that are threatened by water stress.
Finally, the project tests the application of the electrodialysis principle for water softening.
Several pilot projects are developed around the world to demonstrate the role of electrodialysis
in the provision of drinking water for the world’s growing population. All system configurations
described above will be tested in real conditions, demonstrating the operation of electrodialysis in
different settings and for various applications.The seawater desalination solutions will be tested in
Europe. The brackish water systems powered by solar energy will be tested in remote locations
of developing countries in Africa and in Asia.
Keywords: Ion exchange membrane; Electrodialysis; Reverse electrodialysis; Seawater, Brackish
water, Pilot plants.

Acknowledgements
This work has been performed within the REvivED water (Low energy solutions
for drinking water production by a REvival of ElectroDialysis systems) projects,
Horizon 2020 programme, Grant Agreement no. 685579, www.revivedwater.eu.

214
Impact of pretreatment of seawater and impaired water on fouling
of ionic exchange membranes in reverse electrodialysis systems
Leo Gutierrez*, Marjolein Vanoppen, Lingshan Ma, Arne Verliefde
Particle and Interfacial Technology group, Ghent University, Belgium
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. +32-468358104

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an electrochemical membrane technology that has received

significant research attention for pre-desalination of seawater/brines. the use of impaired water
(e.g. secondary treated wastewater) has been suggested as an appropriate option as a low salin-
ity stream for RED processes. Although electrochemical membrane systems (i.e., ionic exchange
membranes-IEMs) are less prone to fouling compared to pressure-driven membrane systems, an
adequate pre-treatment would be required for both low and high salinity streams. In the current
study, robust pretreatment strategies were performed on secondary-treated wastewater (i.e., river
bank filtration-RBF, rapid sand filtration-RSF, or 100 mm cartridge filtration) and on seawater (RSF,
bead filtration, and UV disinfection); where their performances were compared to RED efficiency
without pretreatment (Reference), during six weeks of experiments, using commercial Fujifilm IEMs
type-10. Also, a microscopy study was conducted on fouled membranes to assess the efficiency of
pretreatments.
Both 100 µm filtration and RSF significantly reduced fouling on IEM surfaces, resulting in lower
pressure drops, lower frequency of cleanings, and a higher permselectivity (Fig. 1). RBF showed no
improvement compared to Reference, possibly due to the difficulties in reproducing this technology
on a lab-scale and the nature of the feed water (i.e. wastewater). Pretreated seawater also consider-
ably reduced fouling on IEMs. The gross power density was comparable for all pretreatments and

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slightly decreased during experiments.The pressure drop had an impact in the net energy. Specifically,
the pumping energy increased 22-fold over the course of the experiment for the reference stack,
while only 5-fold and 4-fold after RSF and 100 µm filtration, respectively. Also, membrane autopsies
were conducted on all IEMs. ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) and carbohydrates concentrations
were considerably higher on reference samples and inlets, indicating favorable conditions for biofilm
formation. Quantitative nanomechanical analysis (atomic force microscopy) of the foulant layers
were conducted. At the microscale, foulant layers covered from 14-37% and 3-15% of membranes
subjected to reference and pretreated-feeds, respectively. At the nanoscale, the morphology and
nanomechanical properties of foulant layers highly differed from those of virgin membranes; indi-
cating stiff, low elastic, and highly adhesive fouling layers (i.e., high Modulus, dissipation energy, and
adhesion force, respectively) (Fig. 2). The presence of these foulants after extended operation and
chemical cleaning and their high adhesion would be a nanoscale evidence of irreversible fouling.
This study provided insights into simple, robust, and inexpensive treatment methods and their
ability to ensure a stable long-term RED operation, which is valuable information considering any
type of application using ion-exchange membranes with natural water.

Fig. 1. Pressure drop over the wastewater compartment in RED following the different
pre-treatment options

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a b

c d

e f

Fig. 2: a) Height sensor, b) DMT modulus, c) Log DMT modulus, d) Adhesion, e) Deformation, and e) Dis-
sipation of reference cation exchange membrane-seawater.

Keywords: Ion exchange membrane, Reverse electrodialysis, Fouling, Nanomechanical properties

Acknowledgements
This work has been performed within the REvivED water (Low energy solutions
for drinking water production by a REvival of ElectroDialysis systems) projects,
Horizon 2020 programme, Grant Agreement no. 685579, www.revivedwater.eu.

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215
Donnan dialysis for tap-water softening
A. Brysa, L. Pinoya, A. M. M. Alhadidib, R. Guecciac, A. Cipollinac, J. W. Postd
a
Faculteit Industriële Ingenieurswetenschappe,Technologiecampus Gent,
Gebroeders Desmetstraa , 9000 Gent, Belgium
b
Frontier Core Technology Laboratory-EU, Fujifilm Manufacturing Europe B.V.
P.O. Box 90156, 5000 LJ Tilburg,The Netherlands
c
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID),
Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica, Meccanica, Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA)
viale delle Scienze Ed. 6,90128 Palermo, Italy
d
Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology,
Agora 1, 8934 CJ Leeuwarden,The Netherlands
*e-mail: [email protected]

Hard water is a problem in both domestic and industrial applications and is caused by an excess
of calcium and magnesium ions. It significantly decreases the lifetime and efficiency of equipment
which has negative technical and economic consequences. Existing water softening technologies
have several disadvantages, such as a high chemical use (crystallization, ion exchange), water and
energy consumption (nanofiltration).A promising technology for the softening of tap water is based
on Donnan dialysis (DD). DD is a separation process with which divalent cations can be removed
from tap water using cation-exchange membranes (CEMs) and a concentrated salt solution (re-
ceiver). No external driving force is used in DD, ion-exchange is only due to a chemical potential
gradient across the CEMs. In this study, a technical and economical assessment is made to create
more insight into the potential of DD to become a competitive water softening technology.
The technical assessment consisted of the optimisation of a lab-scale setup for DD, the inves-
tigation of operational parameters that influence the hardness removal and ion fluxes and the
theoretical modeling to make predictions possible. Accumulation of divalent ions in the CEMs was
discovered, therefore a conditioning step was required to have the same starting point in every
experiment. In contrary to theory, it was observed that higher salt concentrations in the receiver
did not improve the performance, it even deteriorated at high concentrations. The influence of
the receiver composition showed that up to 8.4 g L-1 Ca2+ can be added before replacing of the
solution is necessary. The driving force remains high enough to move Ca2+ against its concentra-
tion gradient. Corresponding to the theory it was observed that a decrease of the recovery and
an increase of the flow rate both resulted in an increase of the removal. Different types of Fujifilm
CEMs were examined. The electrical resistance (ER) and permselectivity (PS) of the CEMs were
found to be crucial as they directly determine the ion flux, a higher ER results in a decrease of the
ion flux. Influence of water permeability (WP) was not noticed due to the fact that the experiments
performed with a relatively short residence time. The DD process can soften hard water in one
pass through the system if sufficient CEM area is available.Theoretical modeling enables to predict
equilibrium and ion fluxes, these ion fluxes were validated by experimental results.
The economical assessment in terms of CAPEX and OPEX showed that further improvement
of DD is necessary to compete with other water softening technologies. Relatively high amount
of salt usage comparing to the ion-exchange resin is the biggest issue that needs to be solved first.
Keywords: Donnan dialysis, Water softening, Cation-exchange membrane

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Acknowledgements
This work has been performed within the REvivED water (Low energy solutions
for drinking water production by a REvival of ElectroDialysis systems) projects,
Horizon 2020 programme, Grant Agreement no. 685579, www.revivedwater.eu.

216
RevivED Water: Small-scale ED desalination systems for brackish water
Experiences from field test in Somaliland
T. Zwirner1*, H-J. Rapp2, A. Al Habibi3, L. Gutierrez4, A. Cipollina5
1
Phaesun GmbH, Brühlweg 9, 87700 Memmingen, Germany
2
Deukum GmbH, Germany,
3
FUJIFILM Manufacturing Europe B.V.,The Netherlands,
4
Ghent University, Belgium, 5University of Palermo, Italy
Address: Phaesun GmbH, Germany
*Corresponding Author e-mail:[email protected]
Tel. +49 8331 9904224; Fax +49 8331 9902012

One of the electrodialsyis based solutions developed by the REvivED water project are small-
scale desalination units powered by off-grid solar systems for the use in developing countries.
In 2017 a first prototype for the desalination of brackish water based on capacitive electrodi-
alysis has been developed.
For the first pilot plant the project partners of Ghent University, Deukum GmbH, Fujifilm Manu-
facturing Europe B.V., Phaesun GmbH and the University of Palermo worked on improving and
scaling up all system components. The complete system was constructed and tested in laboratory
in April 2018. It includes the following modules:

A) Pre-treatment unit: slow sand filter and active carbon

⇒ The slow sand filter technology and activated carbon was chosen out of seven pre-treatment
options due to its robustness, simplicity, and economic viability.
B) Capacitive electrodialysis (CED) desalination unit
⇒ A desalination unit with capacitive electrodes, new generation of ion exchange membranes
and innovative stack design that is able to run three operation modes (single pass, batch, feed
& bleed) was developed.
C) Post-treatment: chlorine cartridge
⇒ A chlorine treatment of the out-coming water and for the system’s cleaning purposes was
chosen as the most viable option.
D) Concentrate disposal: evaporation pond for brine
⇒ The salt concentrate water as waste product of the system is being collected in an evaporation
pond.
E) Solar power supply
⇒ The PV system to serve all power needs of the system was sized with the further developed
EasySizing RevivED software.

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F) Control and user interface

⇒ The remote monitoring and control software is in the process of being implemented in the
system to offer the possibility to transfer data via GSM from all parts of the world.

For the first field test a salted well in the desert of Somaliland was selected. The PV powered
pilot plant was installed in May 2018 at the site in the village Beeyo Gulan to collect data from the
operation under the Somali sun.
The presentation will give an insight into the technology used, the performance of the first pilot
run in the field and the experiences collected during the preparation and operation of the field test.
Also information will be provided on the plans and progress for the other pilot units that will
be tested under real conditions in Asia and Africa within the REvivED water project.
Keywords: Desalination, Electrodialysis, PV power, Stand-alone, Brackish water

Aknowledgement
EU Disclaimer
The RevivED water project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 685579. This output reflects the
views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein.

217
Fluid-structure interaction in electromembrane processes:
modelling of membrane deformation, fluid dynamics and mass transfer
G. Battagliaa, L. Gurrerib,*, A. Tamburinib, A. Cipollinab, M. Ciofalob, G. Micaleb
a
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali (DICAM),
Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) – viale delle Scienze Ed. 8, 90128 Palermo, Italy
b
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID) – Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica,
Meccanica, Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) – viale delle Scienze Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
*e-mail: [email protected]

In recent years, water and energy supply issues have boosted a noticeable interest in the scientific
community on electromembrane processes such as electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis. In
order to gain an important place in the industrial market, technological challenges on various aspects
are involved for the optimization of these processes. In this context, profiled membranes exhibit
interesting performances and offer countless geometric alternatives. However, the mechanical be-
havior of the membranes and its interaction with fluid dynamics has been poorly investigated so far.
In membrane-based processes, a trans-membrane pressure (Ptm) between the different solutions
flowing through a module may be a design feature or may arise for various reasons, including flow
arrangement and differences in physical properties, flow rate or friction coefficient. This leads to
local deformations of membranes and channels, affecting flow and mass transfer characteristics,
thus causing uneven distributions of flow and mass fluxes, which worsen the process performance.
In this work, we developed an integrated model for the numerical simulation of local mechanical
deformations and of fluid dynamics and associated mass transport phenomena inside deformed
channels. Two diverse profiled membrane types (“overlapped cross filaments”, OCF, and “round

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pillars”, RP) were simulated under conditions representative of (reverse) electrodialysis and under
the assumption of perfectly elastic behaviour. 3-D simulations of a couple of membranes and of the
interposed fluid were conducted by the unit cell approach (periodic domain). The Ansys Mechanical
18 (Workbench) and the Ansys CFX 18 software was used.
The selected geometries were simulated under Ptm ranging from -0.4 to +0.4 bar, computing
expanded and compressed configurations. Then, CFD simulations of the deformed channels were
performed, showing significant effects of the deformation on fluid flow and mass transfer. The
influence of Ptm was to increase friction under compression conditions (up to ∼2.2-2.5 times) and
to reduce it under expansion conditions (but to a lesser extent, i.e. up to ∼50-60%). Overall, com-
pression enhanced mass transfer and expansion reduced it, but with smaller and more complex
effects than on friction. The influence of the flow attack angle was negligible for friction, but more
significant for mass transfer.
In future works the same simulation approach will be adopted in order to compute also the
Ohmic resistance in deformed configurations.The simulation results will be implemented in the form
of correlations into higher-scale models, in order to study distributions of flow, mass transfer and
Ohmic resistance in whole channels. The method proposed can be extended to other membrane
applications with minor modifications.
Keywords: Ion exchange membrane; Electrodialysis; Reverse electrodialysis; Membrane deflection;
Fluid-structure interaction; CFD.

Acknowledgements
This work has been performed within the RED-Heat-to-Power (Conversion of Low Grade
Heat to Power through closed loop Reverse Electro-Dialysis) and REvivED water (Low energy
solutions for drinking water production by a REvival of ElectroDialysis systems) projects, Horizon
2020 programme, Grant Agreement no. 640667 and 685579, www.red-heat-to-power.eu, www.
revivedwater.eu.

218
New innovative thermal system for improving the performance
of HCPV cell and its application in solar desalination system
Essam M. Abo-Zahhad1, 2, a, Shinichi Ookawara3, Ali Radwan4 , A.H. El-Shazly1, M.F. El-Kady1
Chemical and Petrochemicals Engineering Department,
1

Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology,

New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt.
2
Mechanical Power Engineering Department,
Faculty of Energy Engineering, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
3
Department of Chemical Science and Engineering,
Tokyo Institute of Technology,Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
4
Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Energy Engineering,
El-Mansoura University, El-Mansoura, Egypt
a
[email protected]

High concentrating solar cells technology is one of state of the art solar energy technologies,
which recorded an electrical conversion efficiency up to 43%.The high concentration photovoltaic

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(HCPV) has the potential to abandon the expensive normal photovoltaic material with lower cost
optical components which also augment the overall yield. The main challenge of HCPV in produc-
ing electricity proficiently is maintaining the cell under the recommended operating temperature
by applying an efficient cooling to allow peak performance in all situations. Furthermore, availing
and collecting of the waste heat to enhance the overall system efficiency also stills challenging.
Overcoming these two challenges will prompt more economical, effective and reliable high con-
centrating photovoltaic systems.
The high concentration photovoltaic combined with thermal systems (HCPV/T) were imple-
mented in the current work to take the advantage of rejected heat at the same time maintain the
PV under the permitted operation conditions and propose the solution of the main challenges of
HCPV. The main objective of the current work is to investigate the probability of different cool-
ing techniques to maintain triple-junction solar cell under the recommend range and enhance the
electrical performance under high solar concentration and different weather conditions.The triple
junction III-V solar cells were selected as they are more efficient and have a good response to high
concentration. To increase the overall convergence efficiency of HCPV/T a solar still desalination
unit can be attached to HCPV/T as a subsystem to utilize the rejected heat from HCPV/T. The
proposed system gives a promising solution for several Egyptian regions which endure from the
lack of fresh water and electricity. For carbon savings, these units can eliminate many tons of CO2
every year.
A three-dimension thermal model of the typical Triple-junction solar cell was performed in finite
volume software. From on the 3D model, the temperature distribution of the cell layer and were
analyzed and simulated. This model had a thermal model for the current state-of-the-art triple-
junction solar cell integrated with a thermo-fluid model for four distinct designs of confined jet
impingement heat sinks.The results revealed that increasing the coolant inlet mass flow rate, im-
proved the cell electrical efficiency. It was observed that low-temperature distribution non-uniformity
can be achieved by the jet impingement configurations. Additionally, the use of jet impingement
configurations consumed a very slight pumping power, which accounted for 1% of the generated
power in the solar cell. Exergetic analysis shown that the single confined jet impingement heat sink
attained the maximum total exergy efficiency.
Keywords: Photovoltaic/thermal systems, Water desalination and triple junction III-V solar cells

219
Operational efficiency and benefits of using positive displacement
pumps and isobaric energy recovery devices for SWRO
J. Lorenzo
Danfoss A/S, High pressure Pump,
Nordborgvej 81, 6430 Nordborg, Denmark
Tel. +34 689724522; email: [email protected]

Based on the SWRO technology and different setups depending on plant size, this presentation
will describe the operational efficiency and benefits of using high pressure positive displacement
pumps and energy recovery devices from Danfoss.

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Among several desalination techniques, the SWRO technology has emerged as the preferred
method.
Considering energy saving and reduction of CO2 emission, the desalination industry is looking
for more efficient pumps.
About 50-60% of the energy consumed in the SWRO plant is from HP pump, so it is important
to reduce the consumption of the high pressure pump to the maximum.
For that reason, the high pressure positive displacement pump from Danfoss is a perfect choice.
The focus of energy consumption has also led to world wide acceptance of using Isobaric en-
ergy recovery device (ERD) resulting in an average power reduction of 60%. Here Danfoss offers
a competitive solution with its range of iSave isobaric ERDs.
Keywords: Operational efficiency, Energy saving, retrofit, Energy cost, Uptime

220
The application of composite GO/PAN membranes
for removing surfactants from laundry wastewater
Beata Fryczkowska*, Lucyna Przywara
University of Bielsko-Biała, Faculty of Materials, Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Institute of Textile Engineering and Polymer Materials,Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
* Corresponding Autor e-mail: [email protected]

Domestic and industrial laundry wastewater (LWW) is relatively ‘clean’ in comparison to other
industrial effluents but it does not mean that there is no need to process them.Treatment of laun-
dry wastewater can be cleaned by the following methods: biological, electrocoagulation, advanced
oxidation processes, photoelectrochemical and electrochemical processes. Membrane processes
are very suitable for LWW treatment.
The paper presents the possibility of removing anionic and non-ionic surfactants from laundry
wastewater on ultrafiltration membranes (UF). For the research, prepared composite membranes
based on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) modified with graphene (RG) were used. The content of anionic
surfactants in LWW was tested using the MBAS (methylene blue active substances) method,
whereas the content of non-ionic surfactants was determined by CTAS (cobalt thiocyanate active
substances) method. The tests have shown that GO/PAN composite membranes can be success-
fully used for cleaning LWW from detergents.
Keywords: Laundry wastewater, Ultrafiltration, Composite membranes, Polyacrylonitrile, Graphene
oxide

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221
Electrophoretic deposition of graphene oxide on copper pipe
for corrosion prevention
EssamEldin Mahmoud1, 2*, A.H. Elshazly1, M.F. Elkady1, 3, A.S. Hammad1, 4
1
Chemical and Petrochemicals Engineering Department,
Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology,
New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt
2
Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Energy Engineering,
Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
*Corresponding author Tel. +201024423039; email: [email protected]
3
Fabrication Technology Department, Advanced Technology and New Materials and Research Institute (ATNMRI),
City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Alexandria, Egypt.
4
Chemicals and Petrochemicals Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering Port Said University,
Port Said, Egypt

Copper and its alloys are widely employed in water desalination plants as it has excellent ther-
mal properties. One of the main challenges of copper metal is the high corrosion especially under
non-inert environment, such as seawater and rich oxygen media.
The current work introduces innovative corrosion resistant coatings for copper pipes which
can be utilized for high saline media applications. The electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique
was implemented during the current work. Graphite oxide was produced from graphite powder
by chemical oxidation of graphite using modified Hummers’ method. An aqueous colloidal suspen-
sion of graphene oxide (GO) nanoplatelets were prepared by exfoliation of the graphite oxide
via ultrasonic treatment. GO coatings were deposited on copper pipes through EPD from stable
GO aqueous suspension. The EPD parameters such as voltage, time and GO concentration were
optimized to obtain uniform GO coatings.The optimal EPD conditions for well-formed deposits
were observed when the operating voltage was equal to 20 V and 90 s deposition time.
Different characterization methods were applied for the final coating. Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectrum confirmed that GO was partially reduced during the EPD process
itself due to the removal of oxygen containing functional groups.The corrosion resistance of GO-
coated samples was evaluated by electrochemical measurements under corrosion condition in
NaCl solution. The GO coatings are promising techniques for protecting copper from corrosion
as the corrosion potentials reduced significantly in the GO-coated pipes when it was compared
with the non-coated pipes.
Keywords: Desalination, Coating, Graphene oxide, Electrophoretic deposition

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222
The fallacy of energy efficiency for desalination processes comparison
Muhammad Wakil Shahzad*, Muhammad Burhan, Doskhan Ybyraimkul, Kim Choom Ng
Water Desalination and Reuse Centre, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology,
Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
[email protected]*

The major concern of desalination industry is the inadequate approach in energy efficiency of
diverse seawater desalination processes by omitting the grade of energy supplied.These conventional
approaches would suffice if the efficacy comparison were to be conducted for the same energy
input processes.The misconception of considering all derived energies as equivalent in desalination
industry has severe economic and environmental consequences. In the realms of the energy and
desalination system planners, serious judgmental errors in process selection of green installations
are made unconsciously as the efficacy data are either flawed or inaccurate. The inferior efficacy
technologies implementation decisions were observed in many water stressed countries that can
burdened a country’s economy immediately with higher unit water and energy costs, as well as
causing greater undesirable environmental effects to the surroundings. In this article, a standard
primary energy (SPE) based thermodynamic framework is presented that addresses the energy
efficacy fairly and accurately. It clearly shows that thermally driven process consume less than 1%
of SPE when combined with power plants.We also presented that standard universal performance
ratio (SUPR) for all desalination processes varies from 13-20% of thermodynamic limit but with
best technologies mix and proper economic analysis approach, up to 23% energy savings are pos-
sible. The proposed roadmap is important to achieve 2030 sustainability goals.
Keywords: Standard primary energy, Primary energy, Standard universal performance ratio,
Desalination

223
Evaluating desalination’s sustainability under the ecosystems approach
Nikolaos Voulvoulis
Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, London, UK
[email protected]

As freshwater supplies become more limited and economic development comes with increasing
water demand, technologies such as desalination and water re-use offer a great potential in reduc-
ing the gap between availability and demand. However, most desalination technologies are energy
intensive, and the establishment of desalination plants around the world has not always been at an
opportune time. On the other hand, economic competitiveness of RO versus conventional ground
and surface water supplies will also tend to be location-specific, making most financial sense where
water is scarce or the supply is perceived as being unstable. Economic evaluation of desalination
projects is therefore important because it aids in determining whether the public supports proposed
projects and in estimating the degree to which they are willing to pay for the benefits. Evaluating
the sustainability of desalination as part of an integrated water management strategy for water se-

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curity under the ecosystem approach is therefore proposed here. Considering ecosystem services
in the decision making process can lead to well informed decisions, strengthening the economic
and environmental argument of actions that can deliver environmental quality.
Keywords: Ecosystem services, Desalination, Nexus, Water security

224
Multi-stage filtration in Iraqi drinking water plants
Jasim Mohammed Salman*, Abed Jawad Kadhim
Al-Nisour University College, Baghdad, Iraq
*Email: [email protected], Mobile: +964 7832742860

Producing drinking water within the suspended particles less than 0.5 micron by the combination
of classic filtration (sand filters) with centrifugal separation (Vortex effect) has been studied in this
research work in one of Iraqi drinking water plants in Baghdad. Horizontal and vertical sand filters
with multi-layered media filter (vortex sand) were connected together and used to extend remov-
ing the suspended solids and significantly increases the effective filter surface within the tank. The
turbulence produces a sustained cleaning action that forces the suspended solids to accumulate on
top of the media surface. As a result, much finer sand can be used without clogging the media. The
water, which is now largely free of impurities, is then filtered through the media and subsequently
collected. Contaminants trapped above the sand are removed using an automatic backwash cycle
which Vortex sand requires less water and a shorter operating time than traditional sand filters.
This process contributes to longer run cycles and much finer filtration levels.
Keywords: Drinking water plants; Micron filtration;Vortex sand; Sand filters

225
Development of standard protocol for MFI-UF method
to assess particulate fouling in RO systems
Mohanad Abunada*, Nirajan Dhakal, Noreddine Ghaffour, Jan C. Schippers, Maria Kennedy
Delft,The Netherlands
Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected];Tel. +31 687543519

Particulate/colloidal and organic fouling in reverse osmosis (RO) systems results in flux decline,
higher energy cost, increased salt passage, increased cleaning frequency, and use of chemicals. In
practice, ASTM standard indices like SDI (D4189) and MFI-0.45 (D8002) are used to assess par-
ticulate fouling. Both are performed using 0.45 um filter which does not capture the smaller col-
loidal particles (<0.45 um), and they are operated at constant pressure unlike the case in real RO
systems. To address these issues, MFI-UF based on constant flux has been developed. However, no
standard protocol is designated yet for the method.Various factors such as membrane properties,
equipment accuracy and artifacts can affect the accuracy and reproducibility of MFI-UF. For that, this
research aims to propose calibration procedures within new standard protocol for MFI-UF method.
Calibration procedures of MFI-UF were investigated using two solutions prepared by; i) Poly-

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styrene microspheres with nominal diameter of 25 nm (aqueous state) at concentration range of

5–20 mg/L, using ultrapure water (Milli-Q water) as a solvent. ii) dextran polymers with molecular
weight of 150 kDa (powder state) at concentrations range of 0.1–400 mg/L, using 0.05 mol/L
KH2PO4 as a solvent where the pH of buffer was adjusted to 7.0 ± 0.1 by adding NaOH. The pre-
pared calibration solutions were validated by checking the linear relationship between the sample
concentrations and corresponding MFI-UF values measured at constant flux of 100 L/m2/h using
100 KDa PES membrane. Prior to the experiments, accuracy and reproducibility of instruments
used in MFI-UF setup (i.e. pump and pressure sensor) were checked.
The preliminary results showed good linearity between the polystyrene concentrations and
corresponding MFI-UF values.The linear correlation was also between the dextran concentrations
and corresponding MFI-UF values greater than 2,000 s/L2, where irregular trend was found in the
lower MFI-UF values produced by low dextran concentration. The reason of this could return to
the adsorption of dextran during the process of preparation (onto beaker, pipette, etc.) and fil-
tration (onto membrane surface, membrane holder, syringe, etc.), which had higher effect on the
accuracy of MFI-UF value in the case of low dextran concentrations. Alternatively, MFI-UF value of
dextran with low concentration might be close to the detection limit value relevant to the pre-
pared dextran solution. These preliminary results could indicate the invalidity of used dextran to
calibrate the MFI-UF values below 2,000 s/L2, while this was not yet proved for polystyrene. Both
dextran and polystyrene could be appropriate for the calibration of MFI-UF values higher than
2,000 s/L2, but still further investigation is ongoing.The future work will include more investigation
using different concentrations of dextran and polystyrene at several testing conditions such as dif-
ferent flux rates, membrane materials and membrane pore sizes.
Keywords: Particulate fouling, MFI-UF, Constant flux, Standard protocol, Calibration standards

226
Operating experience and process optimization to maintain
the low energy consumption for a 15 MiGD SWRO plant in UAE
Larry Millar
Aquatech International, One Four Coins Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317, USA
Tel. +1 724 746 5300 x (304); [email protected]

Aquatech was awarded the contract for the 68,130m3/d seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)
plant in Ras-Al-Khaimah, UAE, one of the most fiercely contested tendering processes in the Gulf
Municipal Desalination market.
In predetermined and widely published evaluation criteria of contract Aquatech had lowest life
cycle cost of water. Apart from selection of technologically superior components in terms of its
energy efficiency, some of the innovative design concepts were applied during construction of the
plant.
After successful completion of the reliability test and the initial performance test, customer has
taken over the plant operation since 1st April 2015. Plant is achieving the desired performance in
terms of quality and quantity from the SWRO membrane units after almost 3 years of continuous
operation.
Specific power consumption i.e. power consumed per cu meters of final product water transfer
was 3.014 kWh/m3 which is well below the guaranteed value of 3.1379 kWh/m3.Consumption of

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chemicals across various treatment stages of the desalination system is well within the limits of
guaranteed values.
In this paper, we will share the operating experience and biofouling problems encountered and
process optimization done to mitigate it, in order to maintain the energy consumption within range.

227
Thermodynamic characterisation of novel solutions
for closed-loop reverse electrodialysis
F. Giacalonea,b, C. Olkisa, G. Santoria, A. Cipollinab, S. Brandania* G. Micaleb†
a
School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh (UEDIN),The King’s Buildings,
Mayfield Road Edinburgh, EH93J Scotland, UK
* [email protected]
b
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale
e
Digitale (DIID), Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica e Meccanica,
Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA)- viale delle Scienze Ed.6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
†
[email protected]

Closed-loop reverse electrodialysis is a novel technology to convert low-grade heat directly into
electricity. It consists of a reverse electrodialysis unit coupled with a regeneration unit in which the
waste-heat is used to restore the initial conditions of the two solutions. One of the most impor-
tant advantages of closed-loop system is the possibility to select an ad-hoc salt solution to obtain
high efficiency. In this regard, it is important to assess how the salt solution properties affect the
performance of the energy generation and solution regeneration processes.
The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of thermodynamic properties of non-conventional
salt solutions within a RED closed-loop with evaporative regeneration unit. New data for caesium
and potassium acetate, in terms of activity and osmotic coefficients, in aqueous solutions at tem-
perature between 20 and 90°C are reported as a function of molality.The data are correlated using
Pitzer’s model which is then used to assess the performance in terms of Gibbs free energy of mix-
ing, thermal power consumptions, thermal and exergy efficiency for different salt-water solutions
(i.e. sodium chloride, lithium chloride, sodium acetate, caesium acetate and potassium acetate) are
evaluated and compared considering single and multi-stage regeneration units. Results indicated
that lithium chloride, potassium acetate and caesium acetate are the most promising salts among
those screened.
Keywords: Closed loop reverse electrodialysis, Multi-stage evaporative regeneration unit,
Potassium acetate, Caesium acetate, Osmotic coefficient, Pitzer’s model

Acknowledgment
This work was performed within the RED-Heat-to-Power project (Conversion of Low Grade
Heat to Power through closed loop Reverse Electro-Dialysis), funded by EU within the H2020
research & innovation programme, grant agreement n. 640667. www.red-heat-to-power.eu

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228
Experimental assessment of reverse electrodialysis in closed loop
configuration fed by NH4HCO3-water solutions
F. Giacalone, F.Vassallo, F. Scargiali, A. Tamburini, A. Cipollina*, G. Micale
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID), Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale,
Informatica e Meccanica, Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA)- viale delle Scienze Ed.6, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
*corresponding author: [email protected]

Closed loop reverse electrodialysis is a novel technology for converting low-temperature waste
heat into electric energy. This innovative heat engine consists of two units: (i) a reverse electrodi-
alysis unit where power is produced exploiting the concentration difference between a diluted and
a concentrated salt solution and (ii) a thermally driven regeneration unit where low-grade waste
heat is used to re-establish the original salinity gradient between the two salt solutions.
Among all the possible salt solutions suitable as working fluid in such application, thermolytic
salts solutions, in particular ammonium bicarbonate solutions, may be promising thanks to their
characteristic thermally degradation properties. The thermolytic salt ions dissolved in water are
converted into ammonia and carbon dioxide when heated up above a certain temperature (around
60°C).Then, dissolved thermolytic salt can be removed nearly completely from the dilute solution
by means of a thermal desorption process and absorbed again in the concentrate solution, thus
restoring the salinity gradient exploited by the reverse electrodialysis unit.
In this work, for the first time a lab scale prototype of a closed-loop reverse electrodialysis
fed by ammonium bicarbonate aqueous solutions was built and tested. The proposed prototype
consists of a conventional reverse electrodialysis unit and a regeneration unit constituted by (i)
a vapour stripping column and (ii) a barometric column. The process performances in terms of
power output, thermal power consumption, thermal and exergy efficiency were experimentally
assessed. Also the influence of operating conditions, e.g. solutions concentrations was investigated.
First experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of the process.
Keywords:Thermolytic salts,Ammonium bicarbonate solutions, Reverse electrodialysis heat engine.

Acknowledgment
This work was performed within the RED-Heat-to-Power project (Conversion of Low Grade
Heat to Power through closed loop Reverse Electro-Dialysis), funded by EU within the H2020
research & innovation programme, grant agreement n. 640667. www.red-heat-to-power.eu.

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229
Techno-economic evaluation of reverse electrodialysis process
in different real environments
F. Giacalonea, G. Kosmadakisb, M. Papapetroua, A. Tamburinia*, A. Cipollinaa, G. Micalea
aDipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID), Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica e Mec-
canica, Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA)- viale delle Scienze Ed.6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
b Wirtschaft und Infrastruktur GmbH & Co Planungs-KG (WIP), Sylvensteinstr. 2, 81369, Munich, Germany
*corresponding author: [email protected]

Salinity gradient power is a promising renewable energy source based on the recovery of the
chemical potential released from the mixing of solutions at different concentrations. Natural salin-
ity gradients are extensively available worldwide in natural reservoirs. Reverse electrodialysis is an
innovative technology able to perform a direct conversion of the energy of mixing into electricity.
Salinity gradients coming from natural resources or from human activities are worldwide avail-
able. In the present work a number of different scenarios, including natural resources (e.g. rivers,
seas, lakes and salt ponds), industrial/urban wastes (e.g. brine and treated wastewaters) are analysed.
The aim of the present work is to present a techno-economic model able to evaluate the po-
tential and the economic feasibility of the RED process for the selected different existing scenarios.
A RED model already developed by our group and widely validated is used to estimate the actual
amount of power that can be harvested from real salinity gradients. For each scenario, also the
theoretical mixing free energy and the yield are calculated.
The results from the process model are used to carry out an economic analysis providing the
LCOE for three different stack sizes (0.1 x 0.1, 0.5 x 0.5 and 1.0 x 1.0 m2) in each scenario. Fur-
thermore, a perspective analysis was performed considering future membranes with lower specific
costs and higher performance. Results suggest that the adoption of high performing membranes
in scenarios with large difference in the streams salinity may lead to LCOE values competitive of
even 0.10 €/kWh, highly competitive to other energy technologies.
Keywords: Reverse electrodialysis, Salinity gradient power, Open-loop RED, Gibbs free energy of
mixing

230
Performance analysis of RED-MED heat engine
with non-conventional solutions
B. Ortega-Delgado, F. Giacalone, A. Cipollina*, A. Tamburini, G. Micale
DIID – Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale - Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica,
Meccanica, Università degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) Palermo, Italy
*e-mail: [email protected]

In this work, a thermodynamic analysis of a salinity gradient heat engine (SGP-HE) for the con-
version of low-grade heat into electricity is carried out. In particular, the performances in terms of
thermal and exergy efficiencies of a closed-loop reverse electrodialysis (RED) coupled with multi-
effect distillation (MED) regeneration unit is evaluated.The working fluids adopted for the present
study are sodium chloride and potassium acetate aqueous solutions. Detailed mathematical models
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for the RED and MED systems have been developed in order to investigate the efficiency of the
integrated system. The RED process is described by a hierarchical model, where the low level is
a distributed parameter model discretized along the length of the membranes, and the high level
consists of the electrical equivalent circuit of the entire stack. The MED model is mainly based on
mass and energy balances applied over the different components of the unit, together with the
heat transfer equations associated with the heat exchangers.The overall model implemented in the
engineering equation solver (EES) software, takes into account all the main phenomena involved in
process and after validation proves to be reliable.Also, both working fluids have been characterized
by their thermophysical and transport properties.
The influence of the main operating conditions (i.e. solutions concentration and velocity) and
design features (stack aspect ratio) has been assessed, identifying the most advantageous scenarios.
The effect of new generations of high performing membranes has been considered. Results show the
great potential of this novel and promising power conversion technology, which has a large room
for improvement if high-performing membranes and suitable artificial salt solutions are employed.
Keywords: Salinity gradient power (SGP), Reverse electrodialysis (RED), Multi-effect distillation
(MED), Reverse electrodialysis heat engine (RED-HE), Exergy efficiency

Acknowledgment
This work was performed within the RED-Heat-to-Power project (Conversion of Low Grade
Heat to Power through closed loop Reverse Electro-Dialysis), funded by EU within the H2020
research & innovation programme, grant agreement n. 640667. www.red-heat-to-power.eu

231
Modeling and design of membrane process recovery of HCl and metals
from pickling solutions
S. Randazzo, A. Culcasi, R. Gueccia, A. Cipollina, G. Micale
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Gestionale, Informatica, Meccanica, Università di Palermo
Viale delle Scienze ed.6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
*Corresponding Author. E-mail: [email protected]

Hydrochloric acid pickling is one of the key steps in the hot-dip galvanizing process. It is a process
widely used as a chemical pre-treatment method for cleaning, where metal surfaces with oxides
are immersed into an acid solution. During the pickling process, the acid concentration decreases
with time while the metal is accumulated.Thus, the efficiency of the pickling solution decreases and
fresh solution must be used. Continuous regeneration of pickling solutions enhances pickling rate
and process performance, but also minimises industrial wastewater disposal and chemicals con-
sumption. The recovery and recycling process of valuable substances (e.g. acid and metals) can be
accomplished by coupling diffusion dialysis (DD) and membrane distillation (MD) technologies [1,2].
The integrated process is based on a recovery of more than 80% of the free acid exiting from
the pickling bath by passing through a selective anionic exchange membrane (in the DD), and then,
its concentration by water evaporation through a hydrophobic membrane (in the MD) in order to
be recycled in the pickling tank.The outlet stream from the diffusion dialysis, concentrated of metal
salts, is fed to a reactive precipitation unit to recover iron as valuable product (iron hydroxide) by
adding an alkaline reactant, whereas zinc salt is kept in the solution to be reused.

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In the present work, a steady state process simulator for the integrated process has been de-
veloped, in order to analyze and predict performances of a small pilot-scale unit to be installed
and operated within a hot-dip galvanizing plant. A parametric analysis of the model is performed
varying hydrochloric acid and iron concentration in the pickling tank. In this way, usual operations
of withdrawing of partially exhausted solutions and refilling with fresh acid is avoided allowing to
continuously operating under the optimal pickling conditions.
Keywords: Process simulator; Hydrochloric acid recovery; Diffusion dialysis; Membrane distillation

Acknowledgments
This work has been funded by EU within the ReWaCEM project (Resource recovery from
industrial waste water by cutting edge membrane technologies)–Horizon 2020 program, Grant
Agreement no. 723729. www.rewacem.eu

References
[1] M. Tomaszewska et al., Recovery of hydrochloric acid from metal pickling solutions by membrane distillation,
Separation and Purification Technology 22-23 (2001), 591-600.
[2] J. Luo et al., Diffusion dialysis-concept, principle and applications, Journal of Membrane Science, 366 (2011) 1-16.

232
Experimental investigation and modelling for sulphuric acid recovery
by diffusion dialysis
S. Randazzo, A. Ruiz Aguirre, J. Lopez Rodriguez, R. Gueccia, A. Cipollina, G. Micale
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale, Università di Palermo
Viale delle Scienze ed.6, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
*Corresponding Author. E-mail: [email protected]

Sulphuric acid is known to be one of the key inorganic acid and has been widely used in chemical
reaction and metal industries for surface treatments as in the copper electroplating process. During
these processes, large amounts of waste sulphuric acid solution are generally generated, containing
high concentrations of metals and acid.The possibility of recover and reuse the sulphuric acid in the
process could avoid environmental contamination and reduce costs of the disposal. Among several
separation methods, diffusion dialysis (DD) is becoming more and more attractive thanks to the
recent important advances in ion exchange membranes (IEMs) field and because of its clean nature
and operational simplicity, low installation and operating costs and low energy consumption [1,2].
In the present work, two single-cell diffusion dialysis modules, equipped with commercial anion
exchange membranes, with different dimensions, were employed.The first consisted in a laboratory-
scale DD unit (10 x 10 cm2) operated in a batch configuration to study the effect of process pa-
rameters on the efficiency of H2SO4 recovery. The latter consisted in a large-scale DD unit (80 cm
long) operated in a continuous configuration to simulate the process operation at the industrial
scale. Acid recovery has been evaluated at different operative conditions. In both the cases, the
effect of the presence of copper salt on the acid recovery was also evaluated.

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In addition, the mathematical model for the DD process, developed and validated with experi-
mental data previously obtained for HCl case [3], has been adapted and validated with experimental
data obtained in this work.
Membrane behaviors to H2SO4 diffusion were compared with results obtained for HCl [3].
Opposite to the HCl case, H2SO4 diffusion permeability tends to decrease when increasing the
solution concentration and the presence of copper reduces sulphuric acid recovery.
Keywords: Sulphuric acid recovery; Copper electroplating solutions, Diffusion dialysis

Acknowledgments
This work has been funded by EU within the ReWaCEM project (Resource recovery from
industrial waste water by cutting edge membrane technologies) – Horizon 2020 program, Grant
Agreement no. 723729.

References
[1] Luo et al., Diffusion dialysis processes of inorganic acids and their salts: the permeability of different acidic anions,
Separ. Purif. Technol. 78 (2011) 97-102.
[2] Xu et al., Recovery of hydrochloric acid from the waste acid solution by diffusion dialysis, J. Hazard. Mater. 165
(2009) 832-837.
[3] Gueccia, R., Randazzo, S., Chillura Martino, D., Cipollina, A. and Micale, G., Experimental investigation and modelling
of diffusion dialysis for HCl recovery from waste pickling solution, in preparation

233
Modelling hybrid systems for seawater desalination:
electromembrane processes (RED, ARED and ED) coupled with RO
Mariagiorgia La Cerva, Luigi Gurreri, Andrea Cipollina*, Alessandro Tamburini,
Michele Ciofalo, Giorgio Micale
Dipartimento dell’Innovazione Industriale e Digitale (DIID), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
*corresponding author, email: [email protected]

The need to reduce energy consumption in seawater reverse osmosis processes has pushed
research towards the development of new hybrid systems in which, for example, other membrane
processes can be used to pre-treat seawater. Electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis can act as
a dilution step before seawater enters the RO unit, thus leading to an important energy saving in
RO. In this work, two coupled models are proposed for the RED-RO and ED-RO system. Each
process model was validated before being used for a sensitivity analysis in which the effect of the
integration on the cost saving in the overall process was assessed. The analysis was performed
by changing (R)ED voltage and RO pressure and considering three different scenarios: a standard
scenario, an optimist scenario with a lower membrane cost and a pessimistic scenario with a lower
electricity cost and comparing the result with the a standalone RO process. Negative values of
“Cost Saving” were found when an excessive dilution step was performed before the RO, while
competitive scenarios were found by optimizing the dilution extent, especially for the RED-RO case.
Keywords: Reverse osmosis, Hybrid systems, Electromembrane processes, Coupled model, Cost saving

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Acknowledgements
This work has been performed within the REvivED water (Low energy solutions for drinking
water production by a REvival of ElectroDialysis systems) project, Horizon 2020 programme, Grant
Agreement no. 685579, www.revivedwater.eu.

234
Problems associated with fluctuations in potable water quality —
The Cyprus experience during the last 3 decades and the role of reverse
osmosis desalination
Erineos Koutsakos1, Aristos Loucaides2, Louisa Christodoulou2, Christie Stylianou2
1
M.N. Limassol Water Co Ltd. [email protected], Cyprus
2
Aristos Loucaides Chemical Laboratory Ltd., Cyprus
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

The scarcity of potable water in Cyprus has become a matter of national emergency during
the past few decades. This has been the result of prolonged draught periods and the absence of
a sustainable national policy regarding integrated management of water resources on the island.
Traditionally, potable water reserves have been solely dependent on rainwater collected in reser-
voirs. However, dry climatic conditions, increased demand from the tourism industry, additional
requirements imposed by a diverse range of agricultural and industrial activities as well as the ever
increasing domestic sector demand, have rendered the available water reserves insufficient, both
quantity and quality-wise. The combined pressure to improve on water quality and quantity has
led to the adoption of desalination as the only sustainable means of safeguarding adequate water
reserves on the island. Nowadays, the island enjoys the benefits of 4 fully operational seawater
desalination plants with a total daily production capacity of approximately 220 Km3.
Seawater desalination has been operational since 1997; however, total production is still not
adequate to cover increasing demand and the Water Development Department (WDD) of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, is striving to meet demand by
combining desalinated water with other surface waters. In this context, the government has already
announced restrictions to the allocation of water for irrigation purposes during 2018, in favour of
avoiding cuts in potable water supplies.
This mixing of good quality desalinated waster with water from other sources, of seldom ques-
tionable quality, has been creating a series of problems associated with potable water quality and
other numerous anomalies being observed in the distribution network, the most important of
which are the following:
1. Organoleptic problems observed at consumers outlets (e.g. bad odour and unpleasant smells,
colouration)
2. Elevated pollutant/micro-pollutant concentrations (e.g. nitrates, heavy metals, pesticides)
3. Excessive scale deposition interchangeable with corrosive tendency
4. Elevated THM’s concentrations in potable water supplies.
5. Biofilm formation.

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This study examines these problems with documented evidence from water testing records dur-
ing the past 25 years.At the same time, in the light of the above evidence and based on the authors’
experience in the water sector, constructive comments are made and suggestions are put forward.

235
Renewable energy powered nanofiltration and reverse osmosis:
experience with fluctuating energy
Andrea I. Schäfer1*, Bryce S. Richards2
1
Membrane Technology Department, Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG-MT),
2
Institute of Microstructure (IMT) and Light Technology Institute (LTI),
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1,
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
*[email protected], +49 721 608 26906

Membrane processes such as nanofiltration and reverse

osmosis provide some advantages where water is contami-
nated with predominantly dissolved contaminants such as
TDS, fluoride, arsenic, uranium, nitrate and many other in-
organic as well as organic contaminants. Such water quality
may vary significantly with season and affect treatability [1-3].
In the case where dissolved contaminants are problematic,
rather than turbidity or pathogens, simple filtration tech-
nologies cannot adequately treat water and hence cannot
make many available sources potable.
Decentralized, small-scale and autonomous membrane
systems provide a unique opportunity to supply safe water
in remote regions, in particular in developing countries.
Given the availability of an entire range of membrane pore
sizes, the process can be adapted to the water quality. The
challenges of lacking or dysfunctional infrastructure – water
supply, sewage and electricity – remain in many rural areas
worldwide [4]. Using such ‘advanced’ technologies in rural
areas requires electricity to power the pumps that produce Fig. 1.Typical ‘unprotected’ water source
the driving force, which is typically either not available or used as potable water in Tanzania.
unreliable. Coupling membrane processes to renewable
energies (wind or photovoltaics) can alleviate this problem. To realise robust and decentralised
systems for remote areas, direct coupling (no batteries for energy storage) is recommended. This
lack of energy storage results in fluctuating power availability for system operation. This poses
challenges in terms of water quality, system operation, and maintenance.
During a long term project that is summarised in this paper, the implications of such discontinuous
operation was investigated in a systematic manner. The study has to date focused on short-term
operation (typically one solar day) with a hybrid ultrafiltration (UF) – nanofiltration (NF)/reverse
osmosis (RO) system [5, 6]. This required an investigation of the nature of fluctuations for both

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wind and solar resources in terms of frequency and amplitude [7].The impact of such fluctuations
on water quality was investigated both in a laboratory environment [8, 9], as well as in real waters,
in both Australia [3] and Tanzania [10].This information was then applied to establish the resulting
performance as a function of minimum power requirements and the safe operating window [11].
Short-term energy buffering was investigated via super-capacitor banks [11, 12].

Fig. 2 Directly-coupled wind/solar submerged Fig. 2 Ngurdoto Defluoridation Re-

UF-NF/RO system for research on brackish water search Station (NDRS) Tanzania
treatment (Photos © Schäfer 2013)
In summary, the water quality results with both synthetic as well as real waters indicate for a
variety of dissolved species that the contaminants that are retained by size exclusion are unaffected
by the fluctuation [3]. Contaminants that are retained by other mechanisms respond to the altered
conditions in the boundary layer due to the fluctuation which affects transmembrane pressure and
feed flow depending on power availability. This variability can result in increased permeate con-
centration, hence producing a lower quality water. This variation is however typically negligible in
the cumulative water quality even during the treatment of highly saline or fluoride contaminated
waters.This can be attributed to the fat that in periods of low power availability very little water is
produced and hence this quality is very quickly diluted as soon as power increases and the water
productivity is high.
Future work will investigate the effect of such ‘natural’ fluctuations on membrane scaling and
fouling, while membrane damage resulting from often abrupt variations in transmembrane pressure
and permeate flow direction may affect membrane lifetime. Beyond engineering studies, adapting
such ‘advanced’ technologies that are technically well proven, to harsh and remote environments
will provide transdisciplinary challenges to overcome before dissemination is possible with the
certainty of sustainable long term performance. At the same time such technologies promise to
solve a major global societal challenge: provision of safe water in rural and remote areas.

Selected project related reference

[1] I. Owusu-Agyeman, J. Shen, A.I. Schäfer, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: Impact of pH and ionic
strength on fluoride and natural organic matter removal, Science of the Total Environment, 621 (2018) 138-147.
[2] H.M. Rossiter, P.A. Owusu, E. Awuah, A.M. MacDonald, A.I. Schäfer, Chemical drinking water quality in Ghana:Water
costs and scope for advanced treatment, Science of the Total Environment, 408 (2010) 2378-2386.
[3] L.A. Richards, B.S. Richards, A.I. Schäfer, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: salt and inorganic
contaminant removal by nanofiltration/reverse osmosis, Journal of Membrane Science, 369 (2011) 188-195.
[4] A.I. Schäfer, G. Hughes, B.S. Richards, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: A leapfrog approach to
rural water treatment in developing countries?, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 40 (2014) 542-556.
[5] A. Schäfer, A. Broeckmann, B. Richards, Renewable energy powered membrane technology. 1. Development and

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characterization of a photovoltaic hybrid membrane system, Environmental Science & Technology, 41 (2007) 998-1003.
[6] B. Richards, D. Capão, A. Schäfer, Renewable energy powered membrane technology. 2. The effect of energy
fluctuations on performance of a photovoltaic hybrid membrane system, Environmental Science & Technology, 42
(2008) 4563-4569.
[7] B.S. Richards, D.P. Capão,W.G. Früh, A.I. Schäfer, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: Impact of solar
irradiance fluctuations on performance of a brackish water reverse osmosis system, Separation and Purification
Technology, 156 (2015) 379-390.
[8] G.L. Park, A.I. Schäfer, B.S. Richards, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: The effect of wind speed
fluctuations on the performance of a wind-powered membrane system for brackish water desalination, Journal of
Membrane Science, 370 (2011) 34-44.
[9] B.S. Richards, G.L. Park, T. Pietzsch, A.I. Schäfer, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: brackish water
desalination system operated using real wind fluctuations and energy buffering, Journal of Membrane Science, 468
(2014) 224-232.
[10] J. Shen, B.S. Richards, A.I. Schäfer, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: Case study of St. Dorcas
borehole in Tanzania demonstrating fluoride removal via nanofiltration/reverse osmosis, Separation and Purification
Technology, 170 (2016) 445-452.
[11] B.S. Richards, G.L. Park, T. Pietzsch, A.I. Schäfer, Renewable energy powered membrane technology: safe operating
window of a brackish water desalination system, Journal of Membrane Science, 468 (2014) 400-409.
[12] G.L. Park, A.I. Schäfer, B.S. Richards, Renewable energy-powered membrane technology: Supercapacitors for
buffering resource fluctuations in a wind-powered membrane system for brackish water desalination, Renewable
energy, 50 (2013) 126-135.

236
How to select the correct cartridge element to achieve
the best membrane performance and lowest operating costs
O. Sallangos, C. Christodoulou, P. Plakotas
Caramondani Desalination Plants Ltd, 14 Michalakopoulou street 1075 Nicosia, Cyprus
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Reverse osmosis is a pressure driven process where the feed water is opposed by a semi per-
meable film that is able to retain the concentrate (high salinity) and extract the permeate water
(fresh water). Almost all the conventional pre-treatment systems used in reverse osmosis plants
utilize as final pre-treatment stage cartridge filtration units.
The correct selection of the cartridge elements in a desalination plant is of utmost importance
as they constitute the last barrier to unwanted particles. Cartridge elements can represent a very
large portion of the operational costs of a plant.
This paper outlines the difference in performance of various types of cartridge elements. Com-
parison is based on the use of different elements on a water treatment plant operating under
the same conditions and at the same time. Data on the comparison of seven different high flow
polypropylene depth cartridge elements is given.
Comparative results on SDI, iron content and differential pressure will be presented in this paper
along with elements capacity and duration (life).This paper will also present the operating cost for
the seven tested elements along with comparisons on energy consumption.
Keywords: RO System, cartridge elements, depth filtration, micron

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237
Biological membrane for treatment of wastewater
Pak Chol Hyok
Section Chief, City Administration Institute,
City Administration Pyongyang, DPRK

Anaerobic biological membrane is widely used in the treatment of wastewater. Recently, an-
aerobic biological membrane technology is used in the bioreactor.This bioreactor operates at the
psychrophilic condition and is filtering the water as it passes through. It does not require adding
of external energy and is very low maintenance.
Biological membrane reactors contain filter layers consisting of gravel or plastic gravel beds. It
is used to treat sewage efficiently, which has low-density organic contamination.This process con-
tains 3 steps: primary sediments, anaerobic filters and sludge tanks. The sludge can then be used
to produce organic fertilizers.

238
Water treatment (filtration) by bedrock
Ro Nam Ik
Vice Director, Ministry of the National Resource Development,
Member of PIINTEC (Pyongyang International Information Center for New Technology and Economy), DPRK

Water treatment methods such as the reverse osmosis and ion exchange are being used in order
to get clean water from seawater or from contaminated water, but it is costly since this method
needs continuous upkeep and replacements.
The researchers in this field are using a new water treatment method by bedrock, such as sand-
stone in order to being able to utilize seawater and previously contaminated water for urban areas
as well as seaside settlements of the DPR of Korea. This method has proven very cost effective as
it is based on naturally occurring resources. The newly established trial sites from five years ago
have been very successful and are now being adopted widely.

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239
Journey to brine solution
Seung-Hyun Kim1*, Junesoek Choi2, Taeshin Park3, Jeyong Yoon4
1
Department of Civil Engineering, Kyungnam University, 7 Kyungnamdaehak-ro, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon,
Gyeongsangnam-do 51767, Korea
Email: [email protected], telephone: 82-55-249-2671, fax: 82-2-910-4939
2
Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283, Goyang-daero, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-
do 10223, Korea
3
Gran Seoul 33, Jong-rom Jongno-gu, Seoul 03159, Republic of Korea
4
School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826,
Korea

There is a Korean research group, Global MVP (GMVP) working to find the brine solution in
order to make the seawater desalination plant more environment friendly. Since the brine’s problem
is its high salinity, the GMVP proposed to dilute the brine salinity through mixing with impaired
freshwater.They proposed to apply the technology of pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) during the
mixing to recover the salinity gradient energy between the brine and the impaired freshwater.This
approach allows to eliminate the environmental concern and simultaneously to reduce the energy
consumption of seawater desalination. They also proposed another approach which is two-step
process. The brine volume is first reduced by using the technology of membrane distillation (MD),
and then valuable resources are recovered.This approach allows to reduce the brine discharge and
to add values to seawater desalination through resource recovery. The GMVP demonstrated the
technical feasibilities of PRO and MD at pilot-scale. They have built the pilot plant of SWRO-PRO
(Q=240 m3/d) using the 8” spiral wound PRO membrane modules. They used secondary effluent
from wastewater treatment plant as impaired freshwater source for the mixing.The SWRO-PRO has
been successfully operated for more than 2 years, demonstrating the 25% energy reduction. They
have also built the pilot plant of SWRO-MD based on the hollow fiber MD membrane modules.
The SWRO brines were fed to the MD pilot (Q=400 m3/d), and Li and Sr were recovered from the
MD brine.The remaining MD brine was then used to produce pavement blocks.The 5-year efforts
of GMVP will be explained in this presentation together with the next phase research.

Acknowledgement
This study was supported by a grant(code 18IFIP-C146666-01) from Industrial Facilities & In-
frastructure Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korean
government.
Keywords: Membrane distillation (MD), Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), resource recovery,
pilot-scale

1. Sangho Lee, Juneseok Choi, Yong-Gyun Park, Hokyong Shon, Seung-Hyun Kim, Hybrid desalination processes for
beneficial use of reverse osmosis brine: Current status and future prospects, Desalination, In press, 2018

227
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240
Optimization of commercial scale hollow fiber membrane distillation
module
Yongjun Choi1,Yonghyun Shin1, Sangho Lee1*, Min Soo Park2, Ji Hee Min2,
Juneseok Choi3, Seung-Hyun Kim4
1
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, 77, Jeongmeung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02707, Korea
2
Econity, 2374-41, Jungbu-daero,Yangji-myeon, Cheoin-gu,Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17162, Korea
3
Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283, Goyang-daero, Ilsanseo-gu,
Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 10223, Korea
4Department of Civil Engineering, Kyungnam University, 7 Kyungnamdaehak-ro,
Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea
*Email: [email protected],Tel +82-2-910-4529, fax: +82-2-910-4939

Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermally driven separation process using hydrophobic micro-
porous membranes. Accordingly, its performances are largely dependent on the characteristics of
MD modules. Currently, flat sheet membranes are used for most MD modules that are commer-
cially available, leading to problems associated with low packing density and high manufacturing
cost. Hollow fiber MD modules have potential to overcome such limitations but have been rarely
investigated in pilot- or full-scale systems.
In this context, this study focuses on the design optimization of hollow fiber MD modules that
are used in commercial scales. Porous PVDF membrane fibers were developed with a combina-
tion of TIPS (Thermally Induced Phase Separation) and stretching processes and HDPE membrane
fibers manufactured through a stretching process.A series of experiments were carried out in both
a bench scale equipment and a pilot plant. A mathematical model was developed and applied to
analyze the mass balance and heat balance in MD modules. Results showed that the performance
of MD modules is sensitive to the operating conditions as well as the module dimensions. Since
the flux and thermal efficiency have a trade-off relationship, theoretical optimization of the MD
modules was carried out to explore the way to minimize the total cost of the operation.
Keywords: Membrane distillation(MD), hollow fiber membrane, module, design, optimization

References
1. Leonard D. Tijing,Yun Chul Woo, June-Seok Choi, Sangho Lee, Ho Kyong Shon. Marek Gryta Fouling and its control
in membrane distillation—A review, Journal of Membrane Science, 475, (2015) 215-244
2. Hyeongrak Cho,Yongjun Choi, Sangho Lee, Effect of pretreatment and operating conditions on the performance of
membrane distillation for the treatment of shale gas wastewater, Desalination, 437, (2018) Pages 195-209
3. Sangho Lee, Juneseok Choi, Yong-Gyun Park, Hokyong Shon, Seung-Hyun Kim, Hybrid desalination processes for
beneficial use of reverse osmosis brine: Current status and future prospects, Desalination, In press, 2018

228
 Desalination for the Environment: Clean Water and Energy
3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

241
Design and operation of a 400 m3/d membrane distillation plant
for management of seawater reverse osmosis brine
Juneseok Choi1*,Yongjun Choi2,Yonghyun Shin2, Sangho Lee2, Min Soo Park3,
Ji Hee Min3, Seung-Hyun Kim4
1
Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 283, Goyang-daero,
Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 10223, Korea
2
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kookmin University, 77, Jeongmeung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02707, Korea
3
Econity, 2374-41, Jungbu-daero,Yangji-myeon, Cheoin-gu,Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17162, Korea
4
Department of Civil Engineering, Kyungnam University, 7 Kyungnamdaehak-ro,
Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea
*Email: [email protected],Tel. +82-31-910-0759, fax +82-31-910-0291

Membrane distillation (MD) represents a potential alternative to the management of seawater

reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine because of its ability to treat feed waters with high salinity and to
use low-grade thermal energy. Nevertheless, few works have been attempted to scale-up of MD
technology for desalination and brine management. In this work, a MD pilot plant with the capacity
of 400 m3/d (~ 0.105 MGD) was designed and constructed to demonstrate the technical feasibil-
ity of large-scale MD systems. Hollow fiber MD modules with the effective surface area of 10 m2
were used in a vacuum MD process configuration. The MD process was integrated with a SWRO
desalination plant having a capacity of 1,000 m3/d. The thermal energy remaining water vapor was
recovered using two thermal vapor compressors (TVCs), allowing a high thermal efficiency in each
stage. A systematic approach was carried out to design the MD process. Results showed that the
MD process was successfully operated to fulfill the design requirements. The feasibility of the MD
technology for SWRO brine management was confirmed by the techno-economic analysis based
on the data from the pilot plant.
Keywords: Membrane distillation(MD), hollow fiber membrane, module, design, optimization

References
1. Sangho Lee, Juneseok Choi, Yong-Gyun Park, Hokyong Shon, Seung-Hyun Kim, Hybrid desalination processes for
beneficial use of reverse osmosis brine: Current status and future prospects, Desalination, In press, 2018
2. Yonghyun Shin, Jihyuk Choi, Youngkyu Park, Yongjun Choi, Sangho Lee, Influence of operation conditions on the
performance of pilot-scale vacuum membrane distillation (VMD), 97, (2017) 1-7
3. Kwang-Duk Park, Bongchul Kim, Changkyu Lee, Sangho Lee, June-Seok Choi, Effect of brine concentration on
membrane distillation process for seawater desalination, 77 (2017) 47-51

229
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242
Performance evaluation of a vacuum membrane distillation pilot plant
with solar heat
Minsuk Kong, HeeYoul Kwak*
Solar Thermal Convergence Laboratory, Research Institute for New and Renewable Energy, Korea Institute of
Energy Research, 152 Gajeong-ro,Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34129, Korea
*Email: [email protected],Tel. +82-42-860-3516, fax: +82-42-860-3739

A solar desalination pilot plant has been designed, built, and demonstrated in Korea, which
consisted of a vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) system and a solar thermal collecting (STC)
system. For the VMD system, two membrane distillation (MD) modules having polyvinylidene fluoride
(PVDF) hollow fiber hydrophobic membranes were installed in a parallel. The MD modules have a
membrane surface area of 10 m2 respectively, which allows the VMD system to generate a 4 m3 of
fresh water a day. The STC system used aqueous propylene glycol solution as a heat transfer fluid
and collected heat from the solar thermal collectors having a total collection area of about 462
m2, which consisted of 18 flat-plate (FP) solar collectors with about 175 m2 collection area and 65
evacuated-tube (ET) solar collectors with about 287 m2 collection area. The collected heat was
stored in the thermal energy storage tanks to provide hot water to the VMD system for the de-
salination.The demonstration results showed that the efficiencies of both FP and ET solar thermal
collectors are around 39% and 47%, respectively. In addition, a solar fraction in the VMD system
was approximately 25.8%. The performance ratio (PR) of the VMD system, defined as the ratio of
the vaporization heat associated with the generated fresh water to the heat transferred through
PVDF hollow fiber membranes, was ranged from 1.0 to 1.2, which was in a good agreement with
the performance of VMD modules obtained in the lab-scale tests. Furthermore, unmanned system
operation technologies were additionally acquired from the long-term demonstration.
Keywords:Vacuum membrane distillation, solar thermal collector, unmanned operation

References
1. Hong-Jin Joo, Hee-Youl Kwak, Experimental analysis of thermal performance according to heat pipe working fluids
for evacuated tube solar collector, Heat and Mass Transfer, 53, 2017, 3267-3275
2. Hong-Jin Joo, Hee-Youl Kwak, Freshwater production characteristics of vacuum membrane distillation module for
seawater desalination using a solar thermal system by seawater feed conditions, Desalination and Water Treatment,
57 (51), 2016, 24645-24653
3. Hong-Jin Joo, Hee-Youl Kwak, Experimental evaluation for the freshwater production characteristics according to
the salinity conditions of vacuum membrane distillation module, Desalination and Water Treatment, 57 (22), 2015,
10005-10011

230
 Author Index to Abstracts

A’raj, L. 205: 195 Àngels Tejero, M. 159: 153 Bucs, Sz. 143: 138; 147: 142; 154: 148;
AbdElhafez, S.E. 191: 181 Antar, M. 62: 52 161: 154
Abela, S. 45: 35 Aoudj, S. 1: 1 Burgos, M. 86: 82
Abo-Zahhad, E.M. 212: 201; 218: 209 Arafat, H.A. 22: 17; 60: 51; 65: 55 Burhan, M. 222: 213
Abotaleb, A. 36: 27; 165: 158 Araújo, P.A. 43: 33 Burlace, L. 132: 126; 202: 193
Abu Ali, H. 132: 126; 202: 193 Arévalo, J. 86: 82; 122: 115; 192: 181
Abu Haija, M. 6: 4 Arshia, F. 8: 6 Carmona, P. 204: 194
Abunada, M. 225: 214 Arvanitis, K.G. 76: 69 Carod, L. 204: 194
Abushaban, A. 137: 130 Ashfaq, M.Y. 57: 48 Carratalá, A. 77: 72
Achilli, A. 39: 30 Ashkuri, R. 157: 151 Caruana, L. 45: 35
Acién, F.G. 193: 183 Ashqar, R. 205: 195 Carvaja, F. 61: 52
Adroer, N. 149: 144 Atia, A. 72: 63 Caymes, L. 175: 166
Agrawal, A.K. 145: 141 Atieh, M.A. 104: 100 Chae, Soochun 53: 45
Ahmed, A.M. 40: 30; 142: 138 Atito, R.S. 182: 172 Chae, Sung Ho 121: 114; 139: 132
Ahmed, M. 33: 25; 34: 26 Aumatell, J. 149: 144 Chang,Yoon-Young 129: 123; 130: 124;
Ahmed, M.R. 40: 30; 142: 138 133: 126
Al-Bloushi, M. 52: 44 Bae, Tae-Hyun 120: 113 Chen, Shi 29: 23
Al-Buflasa, H. 110: 105 Banat, F. 6: 4 Chen, Shiao-Shing 9: 7
Al Ghamdi, A. 59: 50 Bandelier, P. 21: 16 Chen, Xue 73: 65
Al-Ghouti, M. 57: 48 Bang, Jun-Hwan 53: 45 Chesters, S. 67: 57
Al Habibi, A. 216: 207 Bar-Zeev, E. 25: 19; 163: 156 Chew, Jia Wei 180: 170
Al-Ketan, O. 60: 51 Barassi, G. 157: 151 Chi,Yuanying 2: 1
Al-Ma’abreh, A. 98: 96 Barbera, L. 204: 194 Cho, Hyeongrak 115: 109; 126: 120; 186:
Al-Mazaideh, G.M. 99: 96 Battaglia, G. 217: 208 176
Al-Mubaddel, F.S. 32: 24 Bayona, C. 146: 141; 148: 143 Choi, Changkyoo 80: 75
Al-Mutairi, K. 62: 52 Bedoui, A. 190: 180; 196: 186 Choi, Jihuck 186: 176
Al-Najdi, O.Y. 14: 11 Belhamdi, B. 89: 85 Choi, Jihyeok 115: 109; 126: 120; 179: 169
Al-Rashid A. 36: 27 Belhamidi, S. 11: 9; 12: 10; 13: 10 Choi, Jong-Soo 129: 123; 130: 124;
Al-Rawajfeh, A.E. 98: 96; 99: 96 Bellarbi, S. 189: 179 133: 126
Al-Rub, R. 60: 51 Ben Bacha, H. 107: 102 Choi, June-Seok 28: 22; 113: 107 239: 227;
Al-Saqarat, B. 98: 96 Berg, P. 23: 18; 24: 19 240: 228; 241: 229
Al-Wazzan,Y. 34: 26 Bergmann, S. 93: 89 Choi, Seokho 206: 196
Aladwani, A.A. 66: 56 Bermad, A. 100: 97 Choi,Yongjun 115: 109; 179: 169; 186: 176;
AlAnsary, H. 17: 13 Bernesco, A. 61: 52 240: 228; 241: 229
Alarcón-Padilla, D.C. 207: 196 Betthalli, S. 127: 121 Choi,Yu-Lim 129: 123; 130: 124
Alawee, W.H. 27: 22 Bevacqua, M. 158: 152 Choi,Yu-Rim 133: 126
Alhadidi, A.M.M. 93: 89; 215: 206 Bianciardi. A. 61: 52 Chong, Tzyy Haur 20: 15
Alharbi, H.F. 32: 24 Bilton, A. 152: 147 Christodoulou, C. 236: 225
Alharthi, M. 54: 45 Biurrarena, A. 149: 144 Christodoulou, L. 234: 222
AlHarti, N.H. 32: 24 Blankert, B. 50: 41; 90: 86 Ciofalo, M. 217: 208; 233: 221
Alhathal, A. 3: 2 Blaschkauer, M. 163: 156 Cipollina, A. 21: 16; 158: 152; 215: 206;
Ali, E. 17: 13 Bodzek, M. 47: 36 216: 207; 217: 208; 227: 216; 228: 217;
Ali, M. 10: 8 Boerrigrer, M. 93: 89 229: 218; 230: 218; 231: 219; 232: 220;
Aliaguilla, M. 93: 89; 192: 181 Boftain, N.B. 66: 56 233: 221
AlMarzooqi, F. 22: 17 Bogler, A. 25: 19 Climente, A.M. 88: 84
Alpatova, A. 54: 45; 103: 99 Boodhan, M.K. 188: 179 Cooley, A. 157: 151
Alrashed, M.M. 32: 24 Borisov, O. 55: 46 Correia, P.B. 43: 33
Alrawashdeh, A.I. 98: 96 Borràs, E. 93: 89; 192: 181 Cortada, E. 149: 144
AlRomaih, H.S. 32: 24 Bosch-Jimenez, P. 93: 89; 192: 181 Couenne, F. 21: 16
Alsaadi, A.S. 54: 45; 103: 99 Bouhafa, M. 11: 9 Culcasi, A. 231: 219
AlShamaileh, E. 98: 96 Boukhriss, M. 107: 102
Altaee, A. 3: 2; 7: 5 Boulahfa, H. 13: 10 Dahad, H.A. 27: 22
Althuluth, M. 151: 146 Brandani, S. 227: 216 Danila, R. 157: 151
Altmann, T. 101: 98 Braun, G. 123: 117; 124: 118; 128: 122 Daud, M.A. 209: 199
Álvarez-Silva, Ó. 87: 83 Bristow, N.W. 154: 148 Dave, L. 145: 141
Amador, D. 86: 82 Brito Espino, S. 111: 105; 112: 107 Davies, P.A. 110: 105; 127: 121; 132: 126
Amy, G.L. 58: 49 Brys, A. 215: 206 de Armas, J.C. 74: 66
Andrés-Mañas, J.A. 193: 183 Buchta, P. 23: 18; 24: 19 Dehwah, A.A.H. 78: 73
Andrianov, A. 136: 129 Buckwalter, P. 39: 30 Del Río-Gamero, B. 131: 125; 134: 128

Numbers denote the abstract number (bold) and page.

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del Vigo, F. 67: 57 Gueccia, R. 215: 206; 231: 219; 232: 220 Kazner, C. 204: 194
Desmond, P. 140: 134 Guimard, L. 21: 16 Kellermeier, M. 91: 87
Dhakal, N. 151: 146; 155: 149; 200: 191; Gulyani, B.B. 8: 6 Kennedy, M.D. 50: 41; 90: 86; 122: 115;
225: 214 Guo,Yali 35: 27 137: 130; 151: 146; 155: 149; 200: 191;
Dimitriou, E. 119: 112; 134: 128; 156: 150 Gupta, S. 30: 24; 145: 141 225: 214
Dincer, I. 198: 188 Gurreri, L. 217: 208; 233: 221 Kerdi, S. 102: 98
Djoudi, A. 189: 179 Gutierrez, L. 214: 203; 216: 207 Khacheba, R. 4: 3
Dominiak, D.M. 150: 145 Khalifa, A. 62: 52
Dorville, J.-F. M. 64: 54 Hafsi, M. 12: 10 Kiefer, F. 71: 62
Drouiche, N. 1: 1; 4: 3; 5: 4 Halasah, S. 132: 126; 202: 193 Kim, Bomin 126: 120
Dudek, G. 79: 74 Ham, Min-Gyu 163: 156 Kim, Bongchul 113: 107
Dzyubenko,V. 26: 20 Hammad, A.S. 221: 212 Kim, Dongha 179: 169
Han, Doseon 46: 35 Kim, In S. 42: 32; 80: 75
Ekhdime, H. 13: 10 Han, Le 180: 170 Kim, Jihye 106: 101; 139: 132
El Batouti, M. 199: 190; 201: 192 Hani, H.A. 125: 119 Kim, Joon Ha 106: 101; 121: 114; 139: 132
El Hachmi, M.C. 11: 9 Hannachi, A. 190: 180; 196: 186 Kim, Kyung-Jo 172: 163
El-Kady, M.F. 212: 201; 218: 209; 221: 212 Hassan Ali, M.I. 65: 55 Kim, Lan Hee 147: 142; 161: 154
El-Ghzizel, S. 12: 10 Hassan, A.S. 16: 12 Kim, Minseok 138: 131
El Nawal, H.G. 210: 200 Hasson, D. 97: 95 Kim, Myoung-Jin 118: 111
El Rhaouat, O. 11: 9 Hater, W. 124: 118 Kim, Seung-Hyun 239: 227; 240: 228;
El-Maghraby, A.H. 191: 181 He, Wei 187: 177 241: 229
El-Sadaawy, M.M. 174: 165 Hegy, M. 78: 73 Kim, Suhan 138: 131
El-Said, G.F. 174: 165 Hernández-Melián, P. 112: 107 Kim, Sung-Jo 46: 35
El Shafei, A.A. 176: 166; 181: 171; 182: 172; Hernandez, C. 61: 52 Kim, Woo-Seung 108: 103
183: 173; 185: 175; 201: 192 Hernandez, H. 60: 51 Kim,Young Mi 121: 114
El-Shazly, A.H. 191: 181; 212: 201; 218: 209; Hickenbottom, K. 39: 30 Kim,Young Soo 117: 110
221: 212 Hind, M. 132: 126; 202: 193 Kim,Young-Deuk 108: 103; 163: 156
El-Toukhy, M.A. 125: 119 Ho, Chia-Hua 56: 47 Kim,Yu Chang 116: 110
Elewa, M.M. 176: 166; 181: 171; 182: 172; Horng, Ren-Yang 56: 47 Kitanou, S. 19: 14
183: 173; 185: 175; 201: 192 Huang, Meng-Shun 56: 47 Kleffner, Ch. 123: 117
Elhannouni, F. 11: 9; 13: 10 Hwang, Moonhyun 46: 35 Kmiecik, E.167: 159
Elmidaoui, A. 11: 9; 12: 10; 13: 10; 19: 14 Hyok, Pak Chol 237: 226 Knops, F. 177: 167
Esteve-Núñez, A. 192: 181 Hyung, Hoon 74: 66 Ko,Y. 152: 147
Ezzeddine, A. 190: 180;196: 186 Koch, C. 146: 141
Ibrahim,Y. 22: 17 Kochan, J. 204: 194
Fane, A.G. 180: 170 Ik, Ro Nam 238: 226 Kochkodan,V. 104: 100; 105: 100
Farhat, N.M. 48: 38; 140: 134 Iqbal, A. 211: 200 Koduru, J.R. 129: 123; 130: 124; 133: 126
Farinha, A.S. 143: 138 Itawi, H. 98: 96; 99: 96 Kologios, Z. 141: 137
Fath, H. 16: 12 Kondardi, H. 92: 88
Fazel, M. 67: 57 Jallut, C. 21: 16 Kong, Minsuk 242: 230
Fedoroff, N. 127: 121 Jalté, H. 12: 10 Konieczny, K. 79: 74
Feo-García, J. 82: 79; 83: 80; 84: 81; 85: 81 Jang, Am 169 :161; 170: 162; 170: 162; Kontogiannopoulos, K.N. 194: 184
Fernández Torquemada,Y. 77: 72 172: 163 Kook, Seungho 42: 32
Ferrer, O. 146: 141; 148: 143 Javier, L. 48: 38; 140: 134 Koppe J. 204: 194
Ferrero, E. 88: 84 Jaworski, J. 124: 118 Kosmadakis, G. 229: 218
Fleischmann, J. 135: 128 Jeong, Dawoon 163: 156; 170: 162 Košovan, P. 55: 46
Folley, M. 160: 154 Jeong, Kwanho 20: 15 Koutsakos, E. 234: 222
Francis, L. 103: 99; 163: 156 Jeong, Sanghyun 170: 162 Kovacsics, M. 160: 154
Freeman, B.D. 43: 33 Jeong, Tae-un 46: 35 Krithika, D. 41: 31
Fridjonsson, E.O. 153 148; 154: 148 Jiménez, A. 146: 141 Kruithof, J.C. 43: 33; 48: 38
Fryczkowska, B. 220: 211 Jimenez, L. 88: 84 Kruse, N. 124: 118
Fthenakis,V. 72: 63 Johns, M.L. 154: 148 Kumar, R. 33: 25
Fuchs, B. 158: 152 Jong, R.C.M. 68: 58 Kumavat, A. 30: 24
Joo, Min 28: 22 Kwak, HeeYoul 242: 230
Garudachari, B. 33: 25 Ju, Min 113: 107 Kyriakarakos, G. 119: 112
Ghaffour, N. 17: 13; 54: 45; 58: 49; 78: 73; Juliani, A.J. 69: 59
102: 98; 103: 99; 168: 160; 225: 214 Jung, In Hyuk 117: 110 La Cerva, M. 233: 221
Giacalone, F. 227: 216; 228: 217; 229: 218; Jung, Jaehak 138: 131 Lagartos, A. 74: 66; 75: 68
230: 218 Lakhlifi, M. 11: 9
Gilabert, G. 173: 164 Kadhim, A.J. 224: 214 Laksaci, H. 89: 85
Gisclair, M. 157: 151 Kaiser Calautit, J. 14: 11 Le Henaff, A.-C. 187: 177
Gissel, R.E. 150: 145 Karabelas, A.J. 194: 184; 195: 185 Lee, Chulmin 80: 75
Glade, H. 94: 91; 95: 92 Karavas, C.-S. 76: 69; 119: 112; 156: 150 Lee, H.K 163: 156
Golovesov,V. 136: 129 Kastl, A. 71: 62 Lee, Hyeonho 170: 162
Gómez,V. 159: 153 Kaufman,Y. 163: 156 Lee, J.G. 54: 45
Gong, Luyuan 35: 27 Kaurwar, A. 30: 24; 145: 141 Lee, Jaewoo 120: 113

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Lee, Jung-Gil 17: 13; 103: 99; 168: 160 Micari, M. 158: 152 Paul, D.R. 43: 33
Lee, Jungjune 206: 196 Migliorini, G. 18: 14 Peña García, N. 67: 57
Lee, Juyoung 115: 109 Millar, L. 226: 215 Pérez-Báez, S.O. 70: 61; 111: 105; 112: 107
Lee, Sangho 115: 109; 126: 120; 179: 169; Miller, D.J. 43: 33 Pervov, A. 136: 129
186: 176; 240: 228; 241: 229 Min, Ji Hee 240: 228; 241: 229 Perz, E. 93: 89
Lee, Seung-Woo 53: 45 Missimer, T.M. 78: 73 Philip, L. 41: 31
Lee, Sungyun 116: 110 Mito, M.T. 110: 105 Pinoy, L. 215: 206
Lee,Yongjung 206: 196 Mohamed, E.Sh. 119: 112; 156: 150 Plakotas, P. 236: 225
Lee,Younggeun 206: 196 Mohamed, M.I. 185: 175 Plappally, A.K. 30: 24; 145: 141
Lefers, R. 127: 121 Mohammad, A.W. 104: 100 Post, J.W. 215: 206
Lefkir, A. 100: 97 Mohammad, T.A. 27: 22 Präbst, A. 71: 62
Leiknes, T. 10: 8; 52: 44; 58: 49; 127: 121 Mohammed, S.A. 27: 22 Price, M.K. 109: 104
León-Zerpa, F. 70: 61 Moll, J.R. 49: 40 Przywara, L. 220: 211
León, F.A. 37: 28; 38: 29 Mondal, S. 137: 130 Puerto Mestre, G. 175: 166
Li, Benwen 114: 108 Moneer, A.A. 174: 165; 176: 166
Li, Hongyou 51: 43 Monsalvo,V. 86: 82; 122: 115; 192: 181 Qabli, H. 19: 14
Li, Sheng 58: 49 Morelissen, R. 184: 174 Qamar, A. 102: 98
Li, Sheying 96: 93 Morillo, D. 93: 89 Qiblawey, H. 57: 48
Li,Yanxia 2: 1; 15: 11 Morsy, F.A.M. 174: 165 Qiu, Qinggang 63: 53; 114: 108
Liang, Teh-Ming 56: 47 Moser, M. 158: 152 Quan, Shenglin 63: 53
Lienhard V, J.H. 65: 55 Moses, D. 95: 92 Qutit, G.Z. 185: 175
Lim, Seung Ji 106: 101 Mu, Xingsen 35: 27
Lingamdinne, L.P. 129: 123; 130: 124; Mule` Stagno, L. 45: 35 Radwan, A. 212: 201; 218: 209
133: 126 Rajca, M. 47: 36; 166: 158
Lipchin, C. 132: 126; 202: 193 Na, Hye-Rim 118: 111 Ramírez, M. 192: 181
Liu, Bo 73: 65 Naim, M.M. 176: 166; 181: 171; 182: 172; Ramos-Martín, A. 37: 28; 38: 29; 70: 61;
Liu, Gang 50: 41 183: 173; 185: 175; 199: 190; 201: 192 111: 105; 112: 107
Liu, Ning 2: 1; 15: 11 Namazi, M.A. 58: 49 Randazzo, S. 231: 219; 232: 220
Liu, Xiaohua 29: 23; 81: 79 Naughton, T. 132: 126; 202: 193 Rapp, H.-J. 216: 207
Liu,Yang 51: 43 Nava-Ocampo, M.F. 143: 138 Ray, S.S. 9: 7
Liu, Zhongliang 2: 1; 15: 11 Navea, S. 88: 84 Reddy, K.S. 41: 31
Lluch, S. 177: 167 Netke, T. 180: 170 Refalo, P. 45: 35
Lofty, M.R. 185: 175 Ng, Kim Choon 52: 44; 222: 213 Repollés, C. 88: 84
Lopetegui, J. 197: 187 Ni, Bing 29: 23; 81: 79 Reyed, R.M. 178: 169
Lopez Rodriguez, J. 232: 220 Nied, S. 91: 87; 92: 88; 94: 91 Rezaul Karim, M. 32: 24
Lorenzo, J. 219: 210 Niewersch, C. 173: 164; 204: 194 Richards, B. 96: 93; 235: 223
Loucaides, A. 234: 222 Noseir, S.A. 185: 175 Rietveld, L.C. 49: 40
Lu, Tao 73: 65 Ntavou, E. 141: 137 Rodenas, P. 192: 181
Nuez, I. 131: 125; 134: 128 Rodriguez, J. 67: 57
Ma, Lingshan 214: 203 Nunes, S. 127: 121 Rogalla, F. 86: 82; 122: 115; 192: 181
Ma, Xianghong 110: 105 Roh, Hyungkeun 206: 196
Mabrouk, A. 36: 27; 163: 156 Odiot, K. 92: 88 Rooney, D. 160: 154
Mahmoud, E.E. 221: 212 Oh, Sang-Hun 172: 163 Rosborg, I. 44: 34
Mahmoud, M.A. 185: 175 Oklejas, E. 157: 151 Rowshan, R. 60: 51
Majali, A. 132: 126; 202: 193 Olkis, C. 227: 216 Rozenbaoum, E. 74: 66
Malfeito, J. 88: 84; 146: 141; 148: 143 Ollo, J. 197: 187 Rud, O. 55: 46
Maliva, R.G. 78: 73 Ookawara, S. 212: 201; 218: 209 Rudakova, G. 136: 129
Manawi,Y. 104: 100 Oommen, J.M. 145: 141 Ruiz Aguirre, A. 232: 220
Mangal, M.N. 90: 86 Orfi, J. 17: 13 Ruiz-García, A. 37: 28; 38: 29; 70: 61;
Marashdeh, A. 99: 96 Ortega-Delgado, B. 230: 218 131: 125; 134: 128; 156: 150
Mark, M. 132: 126; 202: 193 Orth, T. 95: 92; 207: 196 Ruzafa, O. 204: 194
Massons, G. 172: 163 Ortiz, J.M. 192: 181
Meabe, E. 197: 187 Oruc, M. 74: 66 Sacco, D. 74: 66
Meftah, N. 190: 180; 196: 186 Oulebsir, R 100: 97 Safri, A. 100: 97
Megat Mohd Noor, M.J. 209: 199 Ouslimane, T. 1: 1 Salamanca, J.M. 87: 83
Meijlink, M. 93: 89 Salgado, B. 159: 153
Mejbri, S. 107: 102 Palenzuela, P. 207: 196 Salman, J.M. 224: 214
Mejdi, A. 190: 180 Papadakis, G. 76: 69; 119: 112; 156: 150 Salinas Rodriguez, S.G. 50: 41; 90: 86;
Mendieta-Pino, C.A. 37: 28; 70: 61; Papapetrou, M. 213: 202; 229: 218 122: 115; 137: 130; 151: 146; 155: 149;
111: 105; 112: 107 Park, Jungwon 206:196 200: 191
Merzougui, Z. 89: 85 Park, Min Soo 240: 228; 241: 229 Sallangos, O. 236: 225
Mezher, T. 22: 17 Park, SangKwang 46: 35 Salvadó, J.A. 88: 84
Micale, G. 158: 152; 217: 208; 227: 216; Park, Taeshin 239: 227 San Roma Flores, C. 150: 145
228: 217; 229: 218; 230: 218; 231: 219; Park,Youngkyu 179: 169 Sánchez Lizaso, J.L. 77: 72
232: 220; 233: 221 Pastorelli, D. 137: 130 Sang, Lixia 15: 11
Micallef, D. 45: 35 Patsios, S.I. 194: 184 Sanromà, C. 146: 141; 148: 143

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 Desalination for the Environment: Clean Water and Energy
3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

Santori, G. 227: 216 Sun, Shubo 81: 79 Waack, M. 94: 91

Sarker, N.R. 152: 147 Supriyo, D. 159: 153 Wabitsch,V. 49: 40
Satankar, R.K. 30: 24; 145: 141 Swaminathan, J. 65: 55 Wang, Jie 73: 65
Sattelmayer, T. 71: 62 Watson, I. 78: 73
Scargiali, F. 228: 217 Tabatabai, S.A.A. 58: 49 Whittaker, T. 160: 154
Schäfer, A. 96: 93; 235: 223 Tadeo, F. 87: 83 Williams, Z. 64: 54
Schilling, S. 95: 92 Taky, M. 12: 10; 13: 10; 19: 14 Winter V, A.G. 144: 139; 187: 177; 208: 198
Schippers, J.C. 50: 41; 90: 86; 137: 130; Tamburini, A. 158: 152; 217: 208; 228: 217; Winzen, L. 92: 88
155: 149; 200: 191; 225: 214 229: 218; 230: 218; 233: 221 Woo, Seong-Yong 108: 103
Schweiger, A. 23: 18; 24: 19 Tan,Yong Zen 180: 170 Woo,Yunchul 28: 22; 113: 107
Selcuk, H. 198: 188 Tawadrous, M.E.G. 199: 190; 201: 192 Woolschlager, J. 78: 73
Selvaraj, M. 6: 4 Taylor, M. 64: 54 Wright, N.C. 208: 198
Semiat, R. 97: 95 Thomas, J.P. 33: 25; 34: 26 Wu, Jinyan 51: 43
Seo, Jangwon 121: 114 Thomas, N. 60: 51 Wu,YuPeng 14: 11
Shaalan, H.F. 125: 119 Tiggelman, N. 213: 202
Shadeed, M. 205: 195 Tijing, L.D. 28: 22 Xevgenos, D. 49: 40
Shah, S.R. 144: 139 Tiyal, F. 12: 10
Shaheen, P. 91: 87 Tomaszewska, B. 47: 36; 162: 155; 164: 157 Yang, Jae-Kyu 129: 123; 130: 124; 133: 126
Shahzad, M.W. 222: 213 Trari, M 89: 85 Yang, Luopeng 51: 43
Shao, Hsin 56: 47 Turczyn, R. 79: 74 Yang, Tsui-Jung 56: 47
Sharif, M.A.R. 145: 141 Tyszer, M. 162: 155 Yangali-Quintanilla,V. 90: 86
Sharon, H. 41: 31 Tytła, M. 47: 36 Yao, Minwei 28: 22
Shemer, H. 97: 95 Yazgan-Birgi, P. 65: 55
Shen, Shengqiang 29: 23; 35: 27; 51: 43; Ujang, Z. 209: 199 Yeh, Mao-Sung 56: 47
63: 53; 73: 65; 81: 79 Ybyraimkul, D. 222: 213
Shin, Kwanghee 206: 196 Valladares, R. 140: 134 Yoon, Jeyong 239: 227
Shin,Yonghyun 240: 228; 241: 229 Van der Meer, W.G.J. 50: 41; 90: 86 Yuzer, B. 198: 188
Shin,Youhwan 117: 110 van der Merwe, R. 184: 174
Shon, Ho Kyong 28: 22 van Dijk, L. 204: 194 Zahra, N. 211: 200
Sillanpaa, M. 98: 96 van Loosdrecht, M.C.M. 43: 33; 48: 38 Zait, M. 12: 10
Singh, B. 145: 141 Vanoppen, M. 214: 203 Zamora, P. 86: 82; 192: 181
Sithole, N. 155: 149 Vassallo, F. 228: 217 Zaragoza, G. 193: 183; 207: 196
Soboyejo, A.B.O. 145: 141 Vega, A. 149: 144 Zarzo Martínez, D. 77: 72
Sohn, Jinsik 126: 120 Velasco,V. 67: 57 Zarzoum, K. 107: 102
Sola Macia, I. 77: 72 Verliefde, A. 214: 203 Zdeg, A. 19: 14
Soltani, S. 203: 193 Vial, D. 23: 18; 24: 19 Zecca, A. 61: 52
Song, Kyungsun 53: 45 Vijay, A. 30: 24 Zhang, Xiaocui 114: 108
Song, Minhyung 170: 162 Vila, S. 173: 164 Zhani, K. 107: 102
Sorour, M.H. 125: 119 Villa, A. 61: 52 Zhao, Pengda 63: 53
Sousi, M. 50: 41 Villa, J. 159: 153 Zhou, John 3: 2
Sreedhar, N. 60: 51 Villacorte, L.O. 150: 145 Zhu, Xiaojing 114: 108
Stärk, A. 94: 91 Villanueva, O. 149: 144 Zimmer, K. 124: 118
Starke, C. 23: 18 Viñas, J.M. 86: 82 Zouari, N. 57: 48
Steinle, P. 128: 122 Vogt, S.J. 154: 148 Zu, R. 10: 8
Steve-Nuñez, A. 122: 115 Voulvoulis, N. 223: 213 Zwirner, T. 216: 207
Struchtrup, H. 203: 193 Vrouwenvelder, J. 17: 13; 43: 33; 48: 38;
Stylianou, C. 234: 222 102: 98; 140: 134; 143: 138; 147: 142;
Suarez Martin, J. 204: 194 154: 148; 161: 154

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