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Membrane-integrated physico-chemical treatment of coke-oven wastewater: transport modelling and economic evaluation

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Abstract

A modelling and simulation study with economic evaluation was carried out for an advanced membrane-integrated hybrid treatment process that ensures reuse of water with recovery of ammoniacal nitrogen as struvite from coke-oven wastewater. Linearized transport model was developed based on extended Nernst-Plank and concentration polarization modulus equation. Effects of pH, transmembrane pressure and cross-flow rate of interest on membrane charge density, solute rejection and solvent flux were investigated. The membrane module was successful in yielding a pure water flux as high as 120 L m−2 h−1 removing more than 95 and 96 % of the cyanide and phenol, respectively, while permeating more than 90 % NH4 +-N at a transmembrane pressure of only 15 × 102 KPa and at a pH of 10 for a volumetric cross-flow rate of 800 L h−1. The Fenton’s reagents were used to degrade more than 99 % of pollutants present in the concentrated stream. The developed model could successfully predict the plant performance as reflected in the very low relative error (0.01–0.12) and overall high correlation coefficient (R 2 > 0.96). Economic analysis indicated that such a membrane-integrated hybrid system could be quite promising in coke wastewater treatment at low cost i.e. $0.934/m2 of wastewater.

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Abbreviations

c m,i :

Concentration in membrane of ion i (mol m−3)

c m,i av :

Average concentration of ion i (mol m−3)

C p,i :

Concentration in permeate of ion i (mol m−3)

C f,i :

Feed concentration of ion i (mol m−3)

D s,i :

Hindered diffusivity of ion i (m2 s−1) (D s,i = D B,i × K d,i)

D B,i :

Bulk diffusivity of ion i (m2 s−1)

d :

Thickness of oriented solvent layer (m)

F:

Faraday constant

J s,i :

Ion flux (mol m−2 s−1)

J v :

Volumetric flux (m3 m−2 s−1)

K c,i :

Hindrance factor for convection of ion i

K d,i :

Hindrance factor for diffusion of ion i

k :

Boltzmann constant, 1.38066 × 10−23 J K−1

∆P :

Applied pressure difference (KPa)

∆P T :

Effective pressure difference (Kpa)

P ei :

Peclet number of ion i, dimensionless

R j,i :

Rejection (%) of ion i

r p :

Effective pore radius (nm)

r s,i :

Solute radius of ion i (nm)

R :

Universal gas constant (J mol−1 K−1)

T :

Absolute temperature (K)

∆x m :

Effective membrane thickness (m)

X d :

Effective charge membrane density (mol m−3)

z i :

Valence of ion i

η ws :

Dynamic viscosity of the wastewater (kg m−1 s−1)

Φ i :

Steric coefficient of ion i

λ i :

Ratio of solute radius to pore radius of ion i

∆Ψ s :

Donnan potential difference (V)

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for financial support under Start-up research grant for young scientist (SERB) (SB/FTB/ETA-59/2013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Membrane Technology laboratory, Chemical Engineering Department, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Mahatma Gandhi Avenue, Durgapur, West Bengal, 713209, India

    Ramesh Kumar, Sankha Chakrabortty & Parimal Pal

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  1. Ramesh Kumar
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  2. Sankha Chakrabortty
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  3. Parimal Pal
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Correspondence to Ramesh Kumar.

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Responsible editor: Bingcai Pan

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Kumar, R., Chakrabortty, S. & Pal, P. Membrane-integrated physico-chemical treatment of coke-oven wastewater: transport modelling and economic evaluation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 6010–6023 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3787-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3787-6

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