Modification of microfiltration membranes with ultraviolet radiation to separate oil-in-water emulsions

Abstract

© International Research Publication House Oil traps and sedimentation tanks are used to treat emulsified wastewater containing oil products. Their disadvantages are the duration of the process, insufficient degree of purification. Poorly treated wastewater is subjected to repeated dilution, or stored for a long time in tanks, after which it enters water bodies, which leads to degradation of biocenoses. Based on the foregoing, it is relevant to use high-performance and low-energy technologies, one of such methods for wastewater treatment is membrane methods. To increase the efficiency of the process of microfiltration of the emulsion, a membrane of cellulose acetate, PTFE and hydrophilic PTFE was treated with UV radiation. As a result, a decrease in the initial mass of the membrane, an increase in the specific productivity with a slight decrease in the delaying ability was revealed. A 1.5-fold increase in specific productivity was established for a water-oil emulsion. The retention capacity of the membrane after processing for petroleum products decreased by 8.6%. The retention capacity of membranes with a hydrophobic surface, on the contrary, increases. The calculations determined that after the PTFE membrane treatment, the degree of NP removal from the model oil emulsion increased by 15.2%. The treatment of membranes with UV radiation leads to an increase in the specific productivity of the membranes with a slight decrease in the retention ability for hydrophilic membranes, and leads to an increase in the retention ability of a hydrophobic PTFE membrane.