The effects of pretreatment on nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane filtration for desalination of oil sands process-affected water

Unveiling the revolutionary role of nanoparticles in the oil and gas field: Unleashing new avenues for enhanced efficiency and productivity

Prominent oil corporations are currently engaged in a thorough examination of the potential implementation of nanoparticles within the oil and gas sector. This is evidenced by the substantial financial investments made towards research and development, which serves as a testament to the significant consideration given to nanoparticles. Indeed, nanoparticles has garnered increasing attention and innovative applications across various industries, including but not limited to food, biomedicine, electronics, and materials. In recent years, the oil and gas industry has conducted extensive research on the utilization of nanoparticles for diverse purposes, such as well stimulation, cementing, wettability, drilling fluids, and enhanced oil recovery. To explore the manifold uses of nanoparticles in the oil and gas sector, a comprehensive literature review was conducted. Reviewing several published study data leads to the conclusion that nanoparticles can effectively increase oil recovery by 10 %-15 % of the initial oil in place while tertiary oil recovery gives 20-30 % extra initial oil in place. Besides, it has been noted that the properties of the reservoir rock influence the choice of the right nanoparticle for oil recovery. The present work examines the utilization of nanoparticles in the oil and gas sector, providing a comprehensive analysis of their applications, advantages, and challenges. The article explores various applications of nanoparticles in the industry, including enhanced oil recovery, drilling fluids, wellbore strengthening, and reservoir characterization. By delving into these applications, the article offers a thorough understanding of how nanoparticles are employed in different processes within the sector. This analysis may prove highly advantageous for future studies and applications in the oil and gas sector.

Performance evaluation of an industrial ceramic nanofiltration unit for wastewater treatment in oil production

An industrial ceramic nanofiltration membrane (pore size 0.9 nm) was tested in a Canadian oil field for more than 12,500 h to treat wastewater directly from daily operations, without any type of pre-treatment. This wastewater contained a high content of total suspended solids (13 to 510 mg/kg), and total organic carbon (31 to 134 mg/kg). The membrane unit was operated at different transmembrane pressure (TMP) set points (4-16 bar) and recovery set points (40-80%). The data show that ion and compound rejection depend strongly on a combination of both TMP and recovery, with the largest rejection occurring at low recovery values and high TMP values. Two mechanisms were responsible for rejection: sieving, which mostly impacted compound rejection, and electrostatic phenomena that impacted ion rejection. It is shown that ion rejection depends linearly on charge density of the ion. Ion rejection was measured as high as 85% and compounds (such as TSS) were rejected as high as 100%. The specific flux varied between 1-10 L/(m².h.bar). Results from this field testing indicate the possibility of using these types of ceramic membranes for oil field wastewater treatment.

A Rotary Spacer System for Energy-Efficient Membrane Fouling Control in Oil/Water Emulsion Filtration

Membrane fouling deteriorates membrane filtration performances. Hence, mitigating membrane fouling is the key factor in sustaining the membrane process, particularly when treating fouling-prone feed, such as oil/water emulsions. The use of spacers has been expanded in the membrane module system, including for membrane fouling control. This study proposed a rotating spacer system to ameliorate membrane fouling issues when treating an oil/water emulsion. The system’s effectiveness was assessed by investigating the effect of rotating speed and membrane-to-disk gap on the hydraulic performance and the energy input and through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The results showed that the newly developed rotary spacer system was effective and energy-efficient for fouling control. The CFD simulation results proved that the spacer rotations induced secondary flow near the membrane surface and imposed shear rate and lift force to exert fouling control. Increasing the rotation speed to an average linear velocity of 0.44 m/s increased the permeability from 126.8 ± 2.1 to 175.5 ± 2.7 Lm⁻²h⁻¹bar⁻¹. The system showed better performance at a lower spacer-to-membrane gap, in which increasing the gap from 0.5 to 2.0 cm lowered the permeability from 175.5 ± 2.7 to 126.7 ± 2.0 Lm⁻²h⁻¹bar⁻¹. Interestingly, the rotary system showed a low energy input of 1.08 to 4.08 × 10⁻³ kWhm⁻³ permeate when run at linear velocities of 0.27 to 0.44 ms⁻¹. Overall, the findings suggest the competitiveness of the rotary spacer system as a method for membrane fouling control.

Surface characterization of thin-film composite membranes using contact angle technique: Review of quantification strategies and applications

Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes are the most widely used membranes for low-cost and energy-efficient water desalination processes. Proper control over the three influential surface parameters, namely wettability, roughness, and surface charge, is vital in optimizing the TFC membrane surface and permeation properties. More specifically, the surface properties of TFC membranes are often tailored by incorporating novel special wettability materials to increase hydrophilicity and tune surface physicochemical heterogeneity. These essential parameters affect the membrane permeability and antifouling properties. The membrane surface characterization protocols employed to date are rather controversial, and there is no general agreement about the metrics used to evaluate the surface hydrophilicity and physicochemical heterogeneity. In this review, we surveyed and critically evaluated the process that emerged for understanding the membrane surface properties using the simple and economical contact angle analysis technique. Contact angle analysis allows the estimation of surface wettability, surface free energy, surface charge, oleophobicity, contact angle hysteresis, and free energy of interaction; all coordinatively influence the membrane permeation and fouling properties. This review will provide insights into simplifying the evaluation of membrane properties by contact angle analysis that will ultimately expedite the membrane development process by reducing the time and expenses required for the characterization to confirm the success and the impact of any modification.

Review of New Approaches for Fouling Mitigation in Membrane Separation Processes in Water Treatment Applications

This review investigates antifouling agents used in the process of membrane separation (MS), in reverse osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), microfiltration (MF), membrane distillation (MD), and membrane bioreactors (MBR), and clarifies the fouling mechanism. Membrane fouling is an incomplete substance formed on the membrane surface, which will quickly reduce the permeation flux and damage the membrane. Foulant is colloidal matter: organic matter (humic acid, protein, carbohydrate, nano/microplastics), inorganic matter (clay such as potassium montmorillonite, silica salt, metal oxide, etc.), and biological matter (viruses, bacteria and microorganisms adhering to the surface of the membrane in the case of nutrients) The stability and performance of the tested nanometric membranes, as well as the mitigation of pollution assisted by electricity and the cleaning and repair of membranes, are reported. Physical, chemical, physico-chemical, and biological methods for cleaning membranes. Biologically induced biofilm dispersion effectively controls fouling. Dynamic changes in membrane foulants during long-term operation are critical to the development and implementation of fouling control methods. Membrane fouling control strategies show that improving membrane performance is not only the end goal, but new ideas and new technologies for membrane cleaning and repair need to be explored and developed in order to develop future applications.

A Review on the Nanofiltration Process for Treating Wastewaters from the Petroleum Industry

Activities and/or processes in different segments of the petroleum industry, including upstream and downstream, generate aqueous waste streams containing oil and various contaminants that require treatment/purification before release/reuse. Nanofiltration (NF) technology has been approved as an efficient technology for treating wastewater streams from the petroleum industry. The primary critical issues in an NF treatment process can be listed as mitigation of membrane fouling; selection of appropriate pre-treatment process; and selection of a suitable, cost-effective, non-hazardous cleaning strategy. In this study, NF separation mechanisms, membrane fabrication/modification, effective factors on NF performance, and fouling are briefly reviewed. Then, a summary of recent NF treatment studies on various petroleum wastewaters and performance evaluation is presented. Finally, based on the gaps identified in the field, the conclusions and future perspectives are discussed.

Application of coagulation/flocculation in oily wastewater treatment: A review

Volumes of oily wastewater are inevitably generated by every walk of life. The removal of oil particles from oil-contaminated wastewater which is characterized as huge amounts, intricate composition, and great threats to human health and the ecological environment is a research hotspot in water treatment fields. Due to high treatment costs and undesirable treatment efficiencies, oily wastewater treatment remains a topical and urgent issue. At present, coagulation/flocculation as an indispensable oily wastewater treatment technology receives much attention because it is very well established, economical, practical and relatively efficient. The influencing factors of oil wastewater treatment by coagulation/flocculation have also been summarized in-depth, like dosage, pH, etc. In consideration of its complex composition and treatment difficulty, this paper will also compare the treatment effects of different coagulants/flocculants used alone and combined effects in oily wastewater treatment: inorganic coagulants, organic synthetic polymeric flocculants, natural flocculants and modified polymeric flocculants. Additionally, in this review, the mechanisms of removing oily substance by coagulation/flocculation are emphasized. Given strict emission standards and the refractory nature of oily wastewater, the combination process with coagulation/flocculation, such as electrocoagulation, coagulation-membrane filtration hybrid process, and coagulation/flocculation-flotation can present better application potential and are discussed in this review. To provide a proper choice in practical application, the operating cost of coagulation and several conventional technologies are also compared. Finally, the existing challenges in the treatment of oily wastewater by coagulation are analyzed, and the feasible research direction is proposed.

Insight into the Mechanism of Arsenic(III/V) Uptake on Mesoporous Zerovalent Iron-Magnetite Nanocomposites: Adsorption and Microscopic Studies

Mesoporous zerovalent iron-magnetite nanocomposites (ZVI-MNCs) were developed to circumvent the limitations of magnetite, such as its susceptibility to phase transition in air-water interfaces. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images revealed the presence of Fe⁰ and Fe₃O₄ in the as-prepared adsorbent. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HR-XPS) Fe 2p deconvoluted spectra showed that electron transfer between Fe⁰ and Fe₃O₄ controlled the magnetite transformation. The isotherm equilibrium data for As(III) and As(V) are described by the Sips model, which suggests single- and multilayer formation onto a heterogeneous surface with different binding sites, whereas adsorption is controlled by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, which indicates chemisorption. The maximum sorption capacities (q_m) for As(III) and As(V) are 632.6 and 1000 μmol g^-1, respectively, which are larger than the q_m of similar adsorbents. The greater q_m for As(V) is attributed to a higher multilayer formation and a stronger bonding force compared with As(III). The arsenic uptake capacity showed that the as-prepared adsorbent was effective over a wide pH range, and an optimal uptake capacity was recorded between pH 5.0 and 9.0 for As(III) and 3.0 and 7.0 for As(V). The adsorbent exhibited a remarkable regeneration performance for As(III) and As(V) uptake. Several microscopic analytical tools, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, HR-XPS, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure together with zeta potential, confirmed that the binding mode of As(III) and As(V) on ZVI-MNCs was predominantly inner-sphere coordination. Partial redox transformation occurred for As(III) and As(V) on nearly 10 nm of the adsorbent, which indicates that a surface redox mechanism contributed partially to arsenic uptake on the near surface of the ZVI-MNCs. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectral analysis proposed that a corner-sharing monodentate mononuclear (¹V) complex occurred for As(III) with a small portion of a corner-sharing bidentate binuclear (²C) complex, whereas As(V) formed a corner-sharing bidentate binuclear (²C) complex with octahedral Fe bonding.

Mesoporous carbon xerogel material for the adsorption of model naphthenic acids: structure effect and kinetics modelling

The study examined the preparation, characterization and the use of carbon xerogel (CX) material for the adsorption of three model naphthenic acids (NAs); such as, heptanoic acid (HPA), 5-cyclohexanepentanoic acid (CHPA), and 5-phenylvaleric acid (PVA). CX was synthesized by sol-gel method from resorcinol and formaldehyde. The characterization results showed that CX was a mesoporous material with large surface area (573 m²/g) and high pore volume (1.55 cm³/g), which was mainly composed of carbon (93.20%) and oxygen (6.71%). Adsorption studies revealed that PVA, the NA having an aromatic ring was adsorbed more easily by CX (87 mg/g) due to π-π interactions, followed by HPA (65 mg/g) and CHPA (61 mg/g). In addition, by studying the effect of solution pH, the result confirmed that repulsion greatly hindered the adsorption of HPA onto CX at pHs above that of the pH_PZC and at lower pHs attractive electrostatic forces promoted adsorption. Adsorption kinetics fitted the pseudo-first-order model, which suggested that physisorption was most likely the means of adsorption. For the intraparticle diffusion model, the rate of film diffusion was higher than the rate of pore diffusion for each model compound regardless of their structure. Accordingly, this confirmed that pore diffusion was the rate-limiting step, although film diffusion still maintained a significant role in the rate of diffusion. In general, CX exhibited excellent adsorption performance due to its highly mesoporous character so it could be used as a passive treatment method in tailing ponds for removal of organic matters.

The feasibility of UF-RO integrated membrane system combined with coagulation/flocculation for hairwork dyeing effluent reclamation

This paper aims to validate the feasibility of hairwork dyeing effluent (HDE) reclamation using an ultrafiltration (UF)-reverse osmosis (RO) integrated membrane system combined with coagulation-flocculation and sedimentation acquiring the highest possible product water recovery rate along with both satisfactory separation performance and well controlled membrane fouling. Under the circumstance of only physical cleaning involved, the laboratory-scale test yielded a higher and satisfactory reuse ratio of 76% for HDE, and the corresponding RO product as reclaimed water contained only 223 mg·L^-1 of TDS, 3.87 mg·mL^-1 of DOC and 10.3 mg·mL^-1 of total hardness, which was obviously better than the quality of existing feedwater in hairwork dyeing process. After each processing unit, the distributions of fulvic (region III) and humic (region V) organics decreased continuously, while an overall rising trend in distribution of protein-like organics (regions I and II) was observed. Contact angle for the fouled UF and RO membranes significantly increased by 19.5° and decreased by 19.7°, respectively, which suggested that different polarity of organic or inorganic adsorption rather than membrane roughness was the main factors affecting wetting properties of the fouled employed membranes. Both ATR-FTIR and XPS spectra indicated that organic fouling on UF membrane surface under harsh condition (R_UF = 90%) was mild and tolerable, whereas a surprising amount of hydrophilic micromolecular organics riched in carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups were absorbed on RO membrane surface after permeation.

Adsorption of organic matter in oil sands process water (OSPW) by carbon xerogel

This study illustrated the preparation, characterization and the use of carbon xerogel materials for the adsorption of acid-extractable fractions (AEF) and naphthenic acids (NAs) from oil sands process water (OSPW). Adsorption results demonstrated that the mesoporous carbonaceous material can successfully be used to adsorb persistent and toxic organic contaminants from OSPW. Carbon xerogel (CX) made at pH 5.5 showed high surface area (573 m²/g) and removed a larger amount of AEF than CX made at pH 6.9 (391 m²/g). The adsorption equilibrium was reached by 24 h for both AEF and classical NAs. 74.6% of AEF and 88.8% of classical NAs were removed by CX5.5 during 24-h adsorption. With respect to classical NAs, a larger the carbon number resulted in higher NA removal. Carbon number had more influence on NA removal when compared with hydrogen deficiency resulting from rings or unsaturated bonding formation (-Z number). The equilibrium adsorption capacity was found to be 15 mg AEF/g and 7.8 mg NAs/g for CX5.5. Adsorption of AEF and classical NAs onto CX5.5 followed pseudo-second order kinetics. With respect to diffusion of AEF and NAs, there were three distinct diffusion regions: bulk, film and pore. Pore diffusion had the lowest rate constant in all cases analyzed and was thus the rate limiting step. The results of this study showed that a mesoporous carbonaceous material such as CX may have the potential to be utilized in a fixed bed adsorption/filtration systems for continuous treatment of OSPW or as a semi-passive treatment method in pit lakes for the removal of organic constituents from OSPW.

Probing molecular interaction mechanisms of organic fouling on polyamide membrane using a surface forces apparatus: Implication for wastewater treatment

Surface fouling is the dominant fouling mechanism of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes used in reverse osmosis (RO) technology. Understanding the complex interactions between foulant-membrane which drive the attachment and growth of foulants on membrane surface is of both fundamental and practical importance. This work aims to understand the molecular interaction mechanisms of organic fouling on RO-TFC membranes. A surface forces apparatus (SFA) was employed to directly measure the interaction forces and time-dependent adsorption behaviors between model organic foulants: humic acid (HA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and a polyamide (PA) thin film. PA thin film was prepared by interfacial condensation polymerization on mica substrates using m-phenylenediamine and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyltrichloride. The interaction forces between PA films and different foulant (HA, BSA, LPS) were directly measured under controlled solution chemistries in an asymmetric configuration (foulant-deposited PA films vs. PA films). The adsorption behaviors of these foulants on PA films were directly monitored in a symmetric configuration (PA films vs. PA films). These interactions were examined as a function of both contact time and solution chemistry (ionic strength). In asymmetrical configuration, both HA and BSA show repulsion with PA surface during approach and adhesion during separation, but LPS demonstrates repulsion only. In symmetrical configuration, all the foulants show adsorption on PA surface and the initial adsorption rate of foulant to PA surface follows the order of BSA>LPS>HA. The interaction mechanisms between PA films and foulants were discussed based on the interaction forces and interaction dynamics measurement.

Study on bubble column humidification and dehumidification system for coal mine wastewater treatment

Water is important resource for human survival and development. Coal mine wastewater (CMW) is a byproduct of the process of coal mining, which is about 7.0 × 10¹⁰ m³ in China in 2016. Considering coal mine wastewater includes different ingredients, a new bubble column humidification and dehumidification system is proposed for CMW treatment. The system is mainly composed of a bubble column humidification and dehumidification unit, solar collector, fan and water tank, in which air is used as a circulating medium. The system can avoid water treatment component blocking for reverse osmosis (RO) and multi effect distillation (MED) dealing with CMW, and produce water greenly. By analysis of heat and mass transfer, the effects of solar radiation, air bubble velocity and mine water temperature on water treatment production characteristics are studied. Compared with other methods, thermal energy consumption (TEC) of bubble column humidification and dehumidification (BCHD) is moderate, which is about 700 kJ/kg (powered by solar energy). The results would provide a new method for CMW treatment and insights into the efficient coal wastewater treatment, besides, it helps to identify the parameters for the technology development in mine water treatment.

Naphthenic acids removal from high TDS produced water by persulfate mediated iron oxide functionalized catalytic membrane, and by nanofiltration

Oil industries generate large amounts of produced water containing organic contaminants, such as naphthenic acids (NA) and very high concentrations of inorganic salts. Recovery of potable water from produced water can be highly energy intensive is some cases due to its high salt concentration, and safe discharge is more suitable. Here, we explored catalytic properties of iron oxide (FexOy nanoparticles) functionalized membranes in oxidizing NA from water containing high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) using persulfate as an oxidizing agent. Catalytic decomposition of persulfate by FexOy functionalized membranes followed pseudo-first order kinetics with an apparent activation energy of 18 Kcal/mol. FexOy functionalized membranes were capable of lowering the NA concentrations to less than discharge limits of 10 ppm at 40 °C. Oxidation state of iron during reaction was quantified. Membrane performance was investigated for extended period of time. A coupled process of advanced oxidation catalyzed by membrane and nanofiltration was also evaluated. Commercially available nanofiltration membranes were found capable of retaining NA from water containing high concentrations of dissolved salts. Commercial NF membranes, Dow NF270 (Dow), and NF8 (Nanostone) had NA rejection of 79% and 82%, respectively. Retentate for the nanofiltration was further treated with advanced oxidation catalyzed by FexOy functionalized membrane for removal of NA.

Hydrophilic and Compressible Aerogel: A Novel Draw Agent in Forward Osmosis

Forward osmosis (FO) technology is an efficient route to obtain purity water for drinking from wastewater or seawater. However, there are some challenges in draw solution to limit its application. We first introduce a novel sodium alginate-graphene oxide (SA-GO) aerogel as draw agent for highly efficient FO process. The GO nanosheets covalently cross-linked to SA matrix to form a three-dimensional and highly porous aerogel to provide excellent water flux and operation stability, together with the property of compressibility served by SA-GO aerogel resulting in easy water production and regeneration process. When deionized water was used as the feed solution, the SA-GO aerogel exhibited a higher water flux (15.25 ± 0.65 L m^-2 h^-1, abbreviated as LMH) than that of 1 mol L^-1 NaCl (1 M), and there was no nonreverse osmosis phenomenon. The water fluxes were stabilized in the range of 5-6.5 LMH during recycle process of absorbing and releasing water as high as 100 times. It also had a great desalination capacity (water flux was 7.49 ± 0.61 LMH) with the seawater (Huanghai coast) as the feed solution. Moreover, the water production and regeneration process of the SA-GO aerogel can be rapidly and cost-effectively accomplished with low-strength mechanical compression (merely 1 kPa). The results present that the SA-GO aerogels as a promising, innovative draw agent can make the FO process simpler, more efficient, and lower energy consumption. It can be a potential material for hydration bags to fast and repeatable product fresh water from saline water or wastewater.

Forward osmosis as an approach to manage oil sands tailings water and on-site basal depressurization water

As the volume of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) stored in tailings ponds increases, it is urgent to seek for water management approaches to alleviate the environmental impact caused by large quantity of toxic water. Forward osmosis (FO) utilizes osmotic pressure difference between two solutions, thereby giving a potential to manage two wastewaters. In this study, FO was proposed to manage OSPW, using on-site waste basal depressurization water (BDW) as draw solution. To investigate its feasibility, both short and long-term OSPW desalination experiments were carried out. By applying this process, the volume of OSPW was decreased>40% and high rejections were achieved, especially, the major organic toxicity source - naphthenic acids (NAs). Although comparative low water flux (≤3L/m²h) was obtained, water flux caused by membrane fouling can be completely recovered using water physical cleaning. Moreover, calcium carbonate precipitation was observed on the OSPW-oriented membrane side. With respect to flux decline, the active layer facing the feed solution (FO mode) and active layer facing draw solution (PRO mode) did not demonstrate a significant difference on anti-fouling performance. The advantages provided by this approach include zero draw solution cost, less reversible membrane fouling and beneficial reuse/recycle of diluted BDW.

Application of forward osmosis membrane technology for oil sands process-affected water desalination

The extraction process used to obtain bitumen from the oil sands produces large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). As a newly emerging desalination technology, forward osmosis (FO) has shown great promise in saving electrical power requirements, increasing water recovery, and minimizing brine discharge. With the support of this funding, a FO system was constructed using a cellulose triacetate FO membrane to test the feasibility of OSPW desalination and contaminant removal. The FO systems were optimized using different types and concentrations of draw solution. The FO system using 4 M NH4HCO3 as a draw solution achieved 85% water recovery from OSPW, and 80 to 100% contaminant rejection for most metals and ions. A water backwash cleaning method was applied to clean the fouled membrane, and the cleaned membrane achieved 77% water recovery, a performance comparable to that of new FO membranes. This suggests that the membrane fouling was reversible. The FO system developed in this project provides a novel and energy efficient strategy to remediate the tailings waters generated by oil sands bitumen extraction and processing.

A hybrid froth flotation-filtration system as a pretreatment for oil sands tailings pond recycle water management: Bench- and pilot-scale studies

Through sustainable water management, oil sands companies are working to reduce their reliance on fresh water by minimizing the amount of water required for their operations and by recycling water from tailings ponds. This study was the first pilot-scale testing of a hybrid technology consisting of froth flotation combined with filtration through precoated submerged stainless steel membranes used to treat recycle water from an oil sands facility. The results indicated that the most important factor affecting the performance of the hybrid system was the influent water quality. Any rise in the levels of suspended solids or total organic carbon of the feed water resulted in changes of chemical consumption rates, flux rates, and operating cycle durations. The selections of chemical type and dosing rates were critical in achieving optimal performance. In particular, the froth application rate heavily affected the overall recovery of the hybrid system as well as the performance of the flotation process. Optimum surfactant usage to generate froth (per liter of treated water) was 0.25 mL/L at approximately 2000 NTU of influent turbidity and 0.015 mL/L at approximately 200 NTU of influent turbidity. At the tested conditions, the optimal coagulant dose was 80 mg/L (as Al) at approximately 2000 NTU of influent turbidity and <40 mg/L (as Al) at approximately 200 NTU of influent turbidity. Precoat loading per unit membrane surface area tested during the pilot study was approximately 30 g/m(2). The results of this study indicated that this hybrid technology can potentially be considered as a pre-treatment step for reverse osmosis treatment of recycle water.

Effects of different pretreatments on the performance of ceramic ultrafiltration membrane during the treatment of oil sands tailings pond recycle water: a pilot-scale study

Membrane filtration is an effective treatment method for oil sands tailings pond recycle water (RCW); however, membrane fouling and rapid decrease in permeate flux caused by colloids, organic matter, and bitumen residues present in the RCW hinder its successful application. This pilot-scale study investigated the impact of different pretreatment steps on the performance of a ceramic ultrafiltration (CUF) membrane used for the treatment of RCW. Two treatment trains were examined: treatment train 1 consisted of coagulant followed by a CUF system, while treatment train 2 included softening (Multiflo™ system) and coagulant addition, followed by a CUF system. The results indicated that minimum pretreatment (train 1) was required for almost complete solids removal. The addition of a softening step (train 2) provided an additional barrier to membrane fouling by reducing hardness-causing ions to negligible levels. More than 99% removal of turbidity and less than 20% removal of total organic carbon were achieved regardless of the treatment train used. Permeate fluxes normalized at 20 °C of 127-130 L/m(2) h and 111-118 L/m(2) h, with permeate recoveries of 90-93% and 90-94% were observed for the treatment trains 1 and 2, respectively. It was also found that materials deposited onto the membrane surface had an impact on trans-membrane pressure and influenced the required frequencies of chemically enhanced backwashes (CEBs) and clean-in-place (CIP) procedures. The CIP performed was successful in removing fouling and scaling materials such that the CUF performance was restored to baseline levels. The results also demonstrated that due to their low turbidity and silt density index values, permeates produced in this pilot study were suitable for further treatment by high pressure membrane processes.

Power generation and oil sands process-affected water treatment in microbial fuel cells

Oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), a product of bitumen isolation in the oil sands industry, is a source of pollution if not properly treated. In present study, OSPW treatment and voltage generation were examined in a single chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) under the effect of inoculated carbon source and temperature. OSPW treatment with an anaerobic sludge-inoculated MFC (AS-MFC) generated 0.55 ± 0.025 V, whereas an MFC inoculated with mature-fine tailings (MFT-MFC) generated 0.41 ± 0.01 V. An additional carbon source (acetate) significantly improved generated voltage. The voltage detected increased to 20-23% in MFCs when the condition was switched from ambient to mesophilic. The mesophilic condition increased OSPW treatment efficiency in terms of lowering the chemical oxygen demand and acid-extractable organics. Pyrosequencing analysis of microbial consortia revealed that Proteobacteria were the most abundant in MFCs and microbial communities in the AS-MFC were more diverse than those in the MFT-MFC.

Forward osmosis for application in wastewater treatment: a review

Research in the field of Forward Osmosis (FO) membrane technology has grown significantly over the last 10 years, but its application in the scope of wastewater treatment has been slower. Drinking water is becoming an increasingly marginal resource. Substituting drinking water for alternate water sources, specifically for use in industrial processes, may alleviate the global water stress. FO has the potential to sustainably treat wastewater sources and produce high quality water. FO relies on the osmotic pressure difference across the membrane to extract clean water from the feed, however the FO step is still mostly perceived as a "pre-treatment" process. To prompt FO-wastewater feasibility, the focus lies with new membrane developments, draw solutions to enhance wastewater treatment and energy recovery, and operating conditions. Optimisation of these parameters are essential to mitigate fouling, decrease concentration polarisation and increase FO performance; issues all closely related to one another. This review attempts to define the steps still required for FO to reach full-scale potential in wastewater treatment and water reclamation by discussing current novelties, bottlenecks and future perspectives of FO technology in the wastewater sector.

Coupling bioelectricity generation and oil sands tailings treatment using microbial fuel cells

In this study, four dual-chambered microbial fuel cells (MFC1-4) were constructed and filled with different ratios of mature fine tailings and oil sands process-affected water to test the feasibility of MFCs to simultaneously generate electricity and treat oil sands tailings. After 800 h of operation, the maximum voltage was observed in MFC4 at 0.726 V with 1.2kΩ external resistance loaded. The maximum power density reached 392 ± 15 mW/m(2) during the 1,700 h of MFC4 operation. With continuous electricity generation, MFC4 removed 27.8% of the total COD, 81.8% of the soluble COD and 32.9% of the total acid extractable organics. Moreover, effective removal of eight heavy metals, includes 97.8% of (78)Se, 96.8% of Ba, 94.7% of (88)Sr, 81.3% for (66)Zn, 77.1% of (95)Mo, 66.9% of (63)Cu, 44.9% of (53)Cr and 32.5% of Pb, was achieved.

Evaluation of membrane fouling for in-line filtration of oil sands process-affected water: the effects of pretreatment conditions

Membrane filtration is an effective reclamation option for oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). However, fresh OSPWs contain suspended solids and inorganic constituents in suspended and dissolved forms that can severely foul membranes. Pretreatment of OSPW with coagulation-flocculation (CF) was investigated to determine the effects of different coagulant aids (anionic, cationic, and nonionic polymers) on membrane surface properties and fouling. Our results showed that CF pretreatment effectively enhanced nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane permeate flux and salt rejection ratio through reducing membrane fouling. It was shown that coagulants and coagulant aids applied to OSPW feedwater can affect membrane physicochemical properties (surface hydrophilicity, zeta potential, and morphology), membrane performance, and the fouling indexes. Membrane rejection of ionic species increased significantly with the inclusion of an anionic coagulant aid and slightly with a cationic coagulant aid. Among three coagulant aids tested, anionic coagulant aids led to the most enhanced membrane performance through increasing membrane surface negativity and decreasing the formation of a fouling layer. Conversely, although cationic coagulant aids were the most effective in reducing OSPW turbidity, the application of cationic coagulant aids promoted the adsorption of foulants on membrane surfaces.