Abstract

The stability of oil-in-water emulsions is enhanced by the presence of surfactants in the water, thereby increasing difficulty of remediation. In this study, mineral oil and a standard bilge mix (SBM) were used as model oils for forward osmosis (FO) performance evaluation and two different high-concentration feed solutions (FS) were tested: 10,000 and 100,000 ppm oil/surfactant (9:1 Oil/Surfactant, wt %). It was hypothesized that the charge-charge interactions between the surfactant portion of the micelles and the membrane would play an important role in membrane fouling. Therefore, the effects of both an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS]) and a nonionic surfactant (Type 1) on fouling propensity as well as water and reverse salt flux (RSF) rates were evaluated. Water flux rates as high as 12.7 and 10.1 LMH (L m-2 h-1) were achieved for emulsion solutions using SDS as the emulsifier and containing mineral oil and SBM at concentrations of 10,000 ppm (9:1, oil/SDS), respectively, over a one-hour run-time. Furthermore, a 98% flux recovery resulting from a three-hour physical membrane cleaning using deionized (DI) water was observed for solutions containing 10,000 ppm mineral oil/SDS when run under FO mode, and an 87% recovery when run under pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) mode following a 10-hour run time. Salt (NaCl) addition in the FS demonstrated a destabilization effect of the emulsions, which led to increased water permeation across the membrane when the osmotic pressure gradient was restored. These combined qualities endorse potential use of this FO membrane system as a potential low-cost treatment technology for bilgewater.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2020

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Lee, Woo Hyoung

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering

Degree Program

Environmental Engineering; Environmental Engineering Sciences

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008422; DP0023858

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0023858

Language

English

Release Date

November 2020

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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