Location: Jiansu Kunshan, China
OEM Partner: Nanjing Centre Electricity
Product: Tubular UF membranes
Produced permeate: 2,784 m3/day
Membrane type: 5 mm PVDF, chemical resistant, non-backwashable
In order to meet stringent water reuse standards, the Kunshan plant set out to find a cost-effective solution to treat its reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate and improve overall RO system recovery. Ultimately, the company’s goal was to achieve zero liquid discharge (ZLD), recycling treated water back into the process stream and reducing the amount of concentrate that is ultimately routed to the evaporator/crystallization system.
The Kunshan Zhong Yan plant contracted Berghof Membranes (BMT) to install its unique tubular ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, becoming the first commercial plant in China to use tubular membrane technology in soda ash production. The original system requirements called for a treatment capacity of 2,784 m3/day, a flux of 15O l/m2/h (LMH) and a crossflow rate 3,0 m/s. The Berghof Membrane system was designed with a total of 12 modules installed in two skids. In each skid, six modules are connected in series using Berghof’s 5mm-diameter PVDF tubular UF membranes which are rated to a maximum operating temperature of 60° Celsius to withstand rigorous Clean-In-Place (CIP) procedures.
One week after installation and seven days of continuous operation, the Berghof Membranes system circulation flow rate was measured at 4,560 m3/day for each skid, and a crossflow velocity of about 2.4 m/s.
The inlet feed pressure for skid #1 was at 3.0 bar and the outlet pressure registered at 0,5 bar, with a treated water capacity of 1,416 m3/day and a flux rate of 145 LMH.
Skid #2 treated 1,296 m3/day, at a flux rate of 134 LMH, with an inlet feed pressure of 3.5 bar and outlet pressure of 0.5 bar.
Today, more and more industries are employing zero liquid discharge processes to meet stringent environmental regulations. However, operating costs can present real challenges as conventional membrane filtration technologies typically require high pressure equipment, are easily susceptible to fouling and are not robust enough to withstand rigorous chemical cleaning processes.
Berghof Membranes offers a full line of tubular membranes that are a cost-effective solution to treat high-strength wastewater streams, deliver excellent permeate results and reduced energy consumption.
The tubular UF membranes from Berghof Membranes proved to be an effective and efficient method in improving overall recovery from Kunshan’s RO system and producing less concentrate that, in turn, required less energy for the plant’s evaporation/crystallization process.
This case study demonstrates how tubular ultrafiltration enables efficient RO concentrate treatment in the chemical industry, supporting water reuse and ZLD.
This case study shows how a thermal solar plant uses membrane filtration to treat RO concentrate, prevent scaling, and achieve zero liquid discharge with high water reuse.
