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Spent caustic wastewater treatment using direct contact membrane distillation with electroblown styrene-acrylonitrile membrane

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Abstract

Spent caustic is classified as a highly polluted and high-risk hazardous wastewater, which severely threatens the environment. In this work, a novel approach was proposed to treat the neutralized spent caustic wastewater using an electroblown nanofibrous styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) membrane for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The obtained results revealed that the permeate flux of the SAN membrane was lower compared to the commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane owing to the thicker structure. The higher surface hydrophobicity of the SAN membrane limited the intrusion of the feed water into the membrane pores. Therefore, extremely pure permeate water was produced. Stable permeate flux (12.03 kg/m2 h) and rejection factor (99.98%) were achieved for the hot-pressed SAN membrane during 96 h continuous DCMD test. Water contact angle of ˃ 90° was remained for both PTFE and SAN membranes, showing that DCMD performance was considerable even after 96 h operation. Besides, the chemical oxygen demand and sulfide removal factor for the fabricated membrane were 99.2 and 99.99%, respectively. Overall, the neutralization followed by the DCMD process can be considered as a proper alternative for treating the spent caustic wastewater.

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Abbreviations

A :

Effective membrane area

AOPs:

Advanced oxidation

BOD:

Biological oxygen demand

C :

Concentration

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

CTAB:

Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

DCMD:

Direct contact membrane distillation

DMF:

Dimethylformamide

EC:

Electrical conductivity

FD:

Permeate flux decline

IPA:

Isopropyl alcohol

J :

Permeate flux

LEP:

Liquid entry pressure of water

LPG:

Liquefied petroleum gas

m :

Permeate weight

MD:

Membrane distillation

NSC:

Neutralized spent caustic

PP:

Polypropylene

PTFE:

Polytetrafluoroethylene

r :

Mean pore size

R (%):

Dilute rejection factor

S-2:

Neat nanofibrous membrane

SAN:

Styrene-acrylonitrile

SC:

Spent caustic

SEM:

Scanning electron microscope

SP-2:

Hot-pressed nanofibrous membrane

t :

Given time

TOC:

Total organic carbon

V :

Volume

WAO:

Wet air oxidation

WCA:

Water contact angle

ρ :

Density

ε :

Porosity

δ :

Thickness

∆:

Difference

σ :

Stress at break

d:

Dry

f:

Feed

i:

IPA

p:

Permeate/polymer

w:

Wet

0:

Initial time

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Acknowledgements

We thankfully acknowledge the Pars Oil and Gas Company for their financial support (Contract No. 972-96-35) and kindly supplying spent caustic wastewater. We want to thank Mr. Portheghali, Mr. Falahnezhad, Mr. Sahraee, Ms. Khoram, Mr. Torabi, Ms. Rahehagh, as well as Mr. Barani for their helpful and comprehensive support. Last but not least, Mr. Rasouli (Amirkabir University of Technology) is gratefully appreciated for his generous assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanopolymer Research Laboratory (NPRL), Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    A. S. Niknejad & S. Bazgir

  2. Department of Polymer Engineering, Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Faculty, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    S. Bazgir

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    M. Ardjmand

  4. Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

    M. M. A. Shirazi

  5. Membrane Industry Development Institute, Tehran, Iran

    M. M. A. Shirazi

Authors
  1. A. S. Niknejad
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  2. S. Bazgir
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  3. M. Ardjmand
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  4. M. M. A. Shirazi
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Correspondence to S. Bazgir.

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Editorial responsibility: Samareh Mirkia.

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Niknejad, A.S., Bazgir, S., Ardjmand, M. et al. Spent caustic wastewater treatment using direct contact membrane distillation with electroblown styrene-acrylonitrile membrane. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 18, 2283–2294 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02972-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02972-x

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