AWWA MTC61207

Membrane processes with nanofiltration (NF) and tight-ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were proven to be very effective in removing organic electrolytes such as acidic pharmaceuticals and/or natural organic matter (NOM). This high efficiency results from both back-diffusion and electrostatic repulsion in the concentration polarization layer, and hindered transport of pharmaceuticals and NOM in membrane pores. In the transport equation for charged membranes, membrane physicochemical structures, solution chemistries, and solute characteristics may be important transport parameters. The filtration of aqueous mixtures containing charged solutes (acidic pharmaceuticals), NOM, and/or strong electrolytes was conducted. This study verified several hypotheses that included the effect of membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and NOM, with respect to membrane performance such as ibuprofen and NOM rejections. Includes 10 references, tables, figures.