Colour Removal Without Chemical Addition Using Nanofiltration

Colour Removal Without Chemical Addition Using Nanofiltration 

Eddy Ostarcevic 

2006

Special Report From the Winner of the 2005 Kwatye Prize (Prize Sponsored by Environmental & Process Technologies (Biolab)) 

The 2005 Kwatye (Water) Prize awarded by WIOA and sponsored by Environmental & Process Technologies provided an outstanding opportunity to investigate an alternative treatment process to remove natural organic matter (NOM), that generally colours raw water supplies, without the need to add metal salts such as aluminium sulphate. The Australian experience in reducing colour is largely through the use of one or more conventional treatment steps such as coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, flotation, media or membrane filtration. The difficulty with these conventional processes include limited removal of the NOM leading to the production of disinfection byproducts, a continued supply of food for the production of biofilms in distribution networks, increasing the disinfectant demand and the need to introduce chemicals such as aluminium salts into the treatment process. Nanofiltration has been used to deliver finished water with low NOM, and consequently colour, in various countries throughout the world. Membrane technology has provided another set of tools to deliver safe drinking water to our communities. The Kwatye (Water) Prize provided the opportunity to visit researchers, membrane manufacturers and water treatment plants in USA, Scotland, and Europe to learn from their experiences.

Taxonomy

• Treatment
• Water Treatment & Control
• Waste Water Treatments
• Purification
• Filtration
• Nanofiltration