Microfiltration is one of the most important processes in membrane sciences that can be used for separating drops/particles above 1 ??m. Depth microfiltration membranes retain drops/particles inside the surface of the membrane, the process is expensive and membranes quickly become fouled. On the other hand, surface microfiltration membranes stop drops/particles on the surface of the membrane and the process is less fouling. Higher permeate flux and lower trans-membrane pressure is obtained with a shear enhanced microfiltration technique. Production of specific size of drops and stability of the drops are very important in testing the microfiltration of crude oil drops/water emulsions. Oil drops from 1-15 ??m were produced with a food blender, operated at its highest speed for the duration of 12 mins. In addition, vegetable oil drops were stabilised with 1% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Tween 20 and gum Arabic, stability was assessed on the basis of consistency in the size distribution and number of drops in each sample analysed at 30 mins interval. A slotted pore Nickel membrane with the slot width and slot length of 4 and 400 ??m respectively has been used in the filtration experiments. The slot width to the slot length ratio (aspect ratio) of the used membrane is 100. Vibrating the membrane at various frequencies created shear rates of different intensities on the surface of the membrane. Membrane with a tubular configuration is preferred over the flat sheet because it is easy to control in-case of membrane oscillations both at lab and industrial scale. Besides this, a tubular membrane configuration provides a smaller footprint as compared to the flat sheet. The influence of applied shear rate on slots/pore blocking has been studied. Applying shear rate to the membrane reduced the blocking of the slots of the membrane; and reduction of slots blocking is a function of the applied shear rate. At higher shear rate, lower blocking of the slots of the membrane was verified by obtaining lower trans-membrane pressure for constant rate filtration. The experiments are in reasonable agreement with the theoretical blocking model. Divergence of the experimental data from the theory may be due to involvement of deforming drops in the process. During microfiltration of oil drops, the drops deform when passing through the slots or pores of the membrane. Different surfactants provided different interfacial tensions between the oil and water interface. The influence of interfacial tension on deformation of drops through the slots was studied. The higher the interfacial tension then the lower would be the deformation of drops through the slots. A mathematical model was developed based on static and drag forces acting on the drops while passing the membrane. The model predicts 100% cut-off of drops through the membrane. Satisfactory agreement of the model with the experiments shows that the concept of static and drag force can be successfully applied to the filtration of deformable drops through the slotted pore membranes. Due to the applied shear rate, inertial lift migration velocities of the drops away from the surface of the membrane were created. Inertial lift velocities are linear functions of the applied shear rate. A mathematical model was modified based on inertial lift migration velocities. The critical radius of the drops is the one above which drops cannot pass through the surface of the membrane into the permeate due to the applied shear rate and back transport. The model is used as a starting point and is an acceptable agreement with the experiment. The model can be used to predict the 100% cut-off value for oil drops filtration and a linear fit between this value and the origin on a graph of grade (or rejection) efficiency and drop size to slot width ratio was used to predict the total concentration of dispersed oil left after filtration. Hence, it is shown how it is possible to predict oil discharge concentrations when using slotted filters.

The work described by this thesis is a comparison of pore opening geometry for true surface microfilters. True surface microfilters can be thought of as very fine sieves, with pore sizes less than 10 microns. All other types of so-called microfiltration membranes do not rely on sieving, but obtain their pore retention rating by particle collection mechanisms similar to depth filters. Particle deposition within such microfilters results in permeate flow rate dechne, for a fixed pressure filtration, or pressure drop rise, for a fixed rate filtration. The true surface microfilter pore geometnes considered were circular and slotted, and microfilters with filtering dimension of less than 10 microns were used. The slotted pore microfilters are not commercially available and had to be made in the laboratory as part of this study. The technique used was to plate nickel onto an existing substrate, thereby reducing the pore dimension until It was within the microfiltration range. The plating was by electroless nickel solution and not by galvanic means. Significant development of the electroless platmg technique led ultimately to the successful manufacture of process scale slotted surface microfilters.

A necessidade de atendimento à legislação ambiental aumenta a necessidade da implantação de aterros sanitários. Associada à adequada disposição dos resíduos a legislação vigente também exige maiores eficiências no tratamento do lixiviado gerado nos aterros sanitários. A alta concentração de poluentes e a diversidade de compostos existentes no lixiviado apresentam necessidade de melhores sistemas e equipamentos para o adequado tratamento destes resíduos líquidos. Uma das mais promissoras tecnologias é o uso de sistemas anaeróbios de fluxo ascendente com leito fluidizado, devido à característica operacional destes sistemas que aumentam o tempo de contato entre a biomassa e o efluente, com melhora na eficiência global do tratamento, além da redução do tamanho dos reatores necessários. Associado a isto, sistemas de membranas tem sido objeto de pesquisas em sistemas de tratamento de efluentes, pois além da retenção de biomassa, o efluente final de um sistema de membranas tem possibilidade de reuso em função de suas excepcionais características físico-químicas. Para avaliação desta possibilidade foi feito o desenvolvimento de um reator anaeróbio de leito fluidificado associado a um sistema de membranas de microfiltração. O leito do reator anaeróbio foi constituído de areia de rio com granulometria 28/35Mesh. A vazão ascensional de alimentação do leito apresentou resultados de velocidades ascensionais de 0,00629 m.s-1 segundo Leva. Considerando a seção transversal do reator livre o resultado da velocidade ascensional foi 0,0099 m.s-1. A velocidade ascensional calculada através de Leva foi 63% da velocidade ascensional calculada através da seção transversal do reator. O tempo de residência hidráulica no interior do reator foi de 16,5 a 33,0 horas, durante o experimento. As membranas de microfiltração apresentaram resultados operacionais satisfatórios, tendo sido submetido a limpezas químicas e limpezas com água ao longo do processo. A limpeza química se mostrou mais efetiva na recuperação do fluxo de permeado, que apresentou valor de 62,55 L.m-2.h-1 imediatamente após a limpeza, enquanto que o valor após a limpeza com água foi de 14 Lm-2.h-1. Apesar destes valores a resistência da membrana ao fluxo foi reduzida em até 91% com a limpeza com água, o que pode ser considerada como uma estratégia viável para períodos curtos na operação do sistema. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-05-23T18:56:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Paulo A Boff.pdf: 1607938 bytes, checksum: a915f637c8a81295536201e670cd23f3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-23T18:56:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Paulo A Boff.pdf: 1607938 bytes, checksum: a915f637c8a81295536201e670cd23f3 (MD5) / The requirements to achieve what is demanded by the environmental laws make important the use of areas for sanitary landfills. The adequate disposal of waste associated with the current legislation also demands larger efficiencies to the treatment processes of the leachate generated in the sanitary landfills. The high concentrations and the different kind of pollutant compounds in the leachate, require more adequate treatment processes to the wastewater. One of the most promising technologies is the use of anaerobic fluidized bed reactors due to the possibility of increasing the contact between the biomass and the wastewater, with improvement in the global efficiency of the treatment, besides the reduction of the size of the reactors. Associated to this, membrane systems have been object of researchers in wastewaters treatment processes, because besides the biomass retention, the final wastewater of a process using membranes shows a possibility of reuse due to the good physical-chemical characteristics. It was made an experimental unit consisted of an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor associated with a microfiltration membranes unit for evaluation of this process. The bed of the anaerobic reactor was constituted of river sand with granulometry of 28/35 Mesh. The feeding flow rate resulted in the upflow velocities 0.000479 m.s-1 and 0.00118m.s-1, according Leva and of 0.00364 m.s-1, according to Ergun. It was calculated a upflow velocity of 0.0099 m.s-1 when was considered only the cross-sectional area. The upflow velocity calculated by Ergun equation was 63% that calculated using the cross-sectional area, only. The hydraulic detention time laid in the range of 16.5 to 33.0 hours, during the experiment. The system of membranes presented satisfactory operational results, having been submitted to chemical cleanings and cleanings with water along the process. The chemical cleaning was better than water when executed in the recovery of the flow of having permeated. The permeate flux value was 62.55 L.m-2.h-1 immediately after the chemical cleaning, while the value after the cleaning with water reaching 14 L.m-2.h-1. Despite these flux values, the membrane resistances during the operation time were reduced in up to 91% with the cleaning with water only, proving the viability of this strategy cleaning for short periods in the operation of these systems.

A necessidade de atendimento à legislação ambiental aumenta a necessidade da implantação de aterros sanitários. Associada à adequada disposição dos resíduos a legislação vigente também exige maiores eficiências no tratamento do lixiviado gerado nos aterros sanitários. A alta concentração de poluentes e a diversidade de compostos existentes no lixiviado apresentam necessidade de melhores sistemas e equipamentos para o adequado tratamento destes resíduos líquidos. Uma das mais promissoras tecnologias é o uso de sistemas anaeróbios de fluxo ascendente com leito fluidizado, devido à característica operacional destes sistemas que aumentam o tempo de contato entre a biomassa e o efluente, com melhora na eficiência global do tratamento, além da redução do tamanho dos reatores necessários. Associado a isto, sistemas de membranas tem sido objeto de pesquisas em sistemas de tratamento de efluentes, pois além da retenção de biomassa, o efluente final de um sistema de membranas tem possibilidade de reuso em função de suas excepcionais características físico-químicas. Para avaliação desta possibilidade foi feito o desenvolvimento de um reator anaeróbio de leito fluidificado associado a um sistema de membranas de microfiltração. O leito do reator anaeróbio foi constituído de areia de rio com granulometria 28/35Mesh. A vazão ascensional de alimentação do leito apresentou resultados de velocidades ascensionais de 0,00629 m.s-1 segundo Leva. Considerando a seção transversal do reator livre o resultado da velocidade ascensional foi 0,0099 m.s-1. A velocidade ascensional calculada através de Leva foi 63% da velocidade ascensional calculada através da seção transversal do reator. O tempo de residência hidráulica no interior do reator foi de 16,5 a 33,0 horas, durante o experimento. As membranas de microfiltração apresentaram resultados operacionais satisfatórios, tendo sido submetido a limpezas químicas e limpezas com água ao longo do processo. A limpeza química se mostrou mais efetiva na recuperação do fluxo de permeado, que apresentou valor de 62,55 L.m-2.h-1 imediatamente após a limpeza, enquanto que o valor após a limpeza com água foi de 14 Lm-2.h-1. Apesar destes valores a resistência da membrana ao fluxo foi reduzida em até 91% com a limpeza com água, o que pode ser considerada como uma estratégia viável para períodos curtos na operação do sistema. / The requirements to achieve what is demanded by the environmental laws make important the use of areas for sanitary landfills. The adequate disposal of waste associated with the current legislation also demands larger efficiencies to the treatment processes of the leachate generated in the sanitary landfills. The high concentrations and the different kind of pollutant compounds in the leachate, require more adequate treatment processes to the wastewater. One of the most promising technologies is the use of anaerobic fluidized bed reactors due to the possibility of increasing the contact between the biomass and the wastewater, with improvement in the global efficiency of the treatment, besides the reduction of the size of the reactors. Associated to this, membrane systems have been object of researchers in wastewaters treatment processes, because besides the biomass retention, the final wastewater of a process using membranes shows a possibility of reuse due to the good physical-chemical characteristics. It was made an experimental unit consisted of an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor associated with a microfiltration membranes unit for evaluation of this process. The bed of the anaerobic reactor was constituted of river sand with granulometry of 28/35 Mesh. The feeding flow rate resulted in the upflow velocities 0.000479 m.s-1 and 0.00118m.s-1, according Leva and of 0.00364 m.s-1, according to Ergun. It was calculated a upflow velocity of 0.0099 m.s-1 when was considered only the cross-sectional area. The upflow velocity calculated by Ergun equation was 63% that calculated using the cross-sectional area, only. The hydraulic detention time laid in the range of 16.5 to 33.0 hours, during the experiment. The system of membranes presented satisfactory operational results, having been submitted to chemical cleanings and cleanings with water along the process. The chemical cleaning was better than water when executed in the recovery of the flow of having permeated. The permeate flux value was 62.55 L.m-2.h-1 immediately after the chemical cleaning, while the value after the cleaning with water reaching 14 L.m-2.h-1. Despite these flux values, the membrane resistances during the operation time were reduced in up to 91% with the cleaning with water only, proving the viability of this strategy cleaning for short periods in the operation of these systems.