Tasmania, Australia
River water
Potable water
Taswater
60 m3/hr
Pentair X-Flow did identify a material (modified Poly Ether Sulphon) that allowed for a single step spinning process of a membrane without a thin film top coating. The mechanical stability of this material allowed for production of unsupported hollow fibers with excellent mechanical properties (high burst and collapse pressure).
The membrane has been validated under NSF61 and NSF419. Size exclusion for all microbiology, including viruses.
An additional benefit is the very low retention for dissolved inorganics: typical retention for hardness is 20%. Valuable minerals are not being removed from the potable water, furthermore it facilitates concentrate discharge.
This hollow fiber nanofiltration is marketed by Pentair X-Flow as HFW1000 Membrane Element. The figure below shows a comparison of TOC retention of UF, assisted with coagulation and hollow fiber NF, for different process settings.
units | feed water | HFW PERMEATE | final outlet | |
Turbidity | NTU | 1.3 - 1.4 | 0.020 - 0.027 | 0.06 - 1 |
Color (true) |
Hazen | 45 - 50 | 2 | |
pH |
- |
6.0 - 6.5 | same |
7.8 - 8 |
DOC |
mg/l | 5 | < 450 |
1 |
Total THM |
mg/l | < 80 | < 5 |
This new Hollow Fiber Nanofiltration membrane allows for chemical free one-step production of potable water from surface water high in organics and micro biology. Especially in environmentally sensitive locations, where handling and discharge of chemicals is restricted, the hollow fiber nanofiltration provides significant benefits