Project Overview
A large aerospace manufacturer needed to reduce OPEX at their location in Singapore. The abrasive composition of the wastewater resulted in the complete replacement of their existing polymer membrane solution every 2 months. Additionally, they needed to more effectively concentrate the wastewater to reduce disposal costs.
Objective
Eliminate wastewater surcharges • Reduce membrane replacement costs • Provide high quality permeate which would meet Singapore's stringent disposal requirements.
Challenges
Due to the highly abrasive nature of the wastewater they were replacing their polymer membranes every 2 months • Singapore’s effluent discharge standards are extremely strict.
Solution
With OPEX continuing to rise and operating efficiency declining due to constantly replacing polymer membranes, the client needed a more efficient wastewater treatment solution. With i2m’s innovative CERA~DUR ultrafiltration (UF) technology, the aerospace manufacturer was able to reduce their monthly disposal wastewater volume by 75%. Also, by replacing the existing polymer membranes with the i2m CERA~DUR ceramic hollow fiber membranes the client completely eliminated membrane replacement cost for the remainder of the project. (2014 – 2016). We also successfully met the discharge requirements with 100% retention of suspended solids and a permeate water containing less than 1 ppm TSS and less than 5 ppm of oil and grease.
Technology and Operating Conditions
Pore Size (D90): 30 nm
Feed Water Rate
Average Flux
Transmembrane Pressure
Water Parameters
Feed Water
Permeate
Outcome
Reduced monthly wastewater volume by 75% No membrane replacements for entire length of project. Reduced overall OPEX by $49K per year.