O tratamento de efluentes industriais tem sido objeto de estudos no sentido da busca de soluções que minimizem impactos ambientais e promovam a conservação do bem natural que é a água. Nesta linha de pensamento, o presente trabalho propôs-se avaliar a viabilidade de recuperação de efluentes industriais contaminados com pesticidas do tipo piretróides em específico: a deltametrina e beta-ciflutrina. A justificativa na escolha deste tipo de componente está fundamentada na alta demanda alimentícia por parte da população mundial e o consequente acréscimo no uso dos agrotóxicos a fim de garantir a eficiência e o elevado volume de produção de alimentos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a remoção da deltametrina e da beta-ciflutrina de efluentes sintéticos aquosos por meio dos processos de osmose inversa e nanofiltração, com a utilização de membranas de poliamida. O presente estudo se justifica pelo atendimento aos padrões ambientais de concentração de piretróides no meio ambiente e reafirma o uso do sistema com membranas no tratamento de efluentes e remoção destes contaminantes. Para caracterização das membranas, foi realizado o teste de permeabilidade hidráulica, constatando diferentes linearidades de fluxo entre os dois processos, com a variação de pressão de trabalho. O desempenho dos processos foi verificado pela variação de parâmetros de meio reacional, variando a concentração dos piretróides em solução, analisando os princípios ativos isolados e também em mistura de ambos piretróides. Primeiramente se estudou a remoção da deltametrina e da beta-ciflutrina isoladamente em solução, nas concentrações de 5, 25, 50 e 100 mg L-1, sob a pressão de 5 bar. Posteriormente, avaliou-se o desempenho das membranas na remoção dos piretróides em mistura nas soluções sintéticas, com ambos os princípios ativos na concentração de 50 mg L-1, na pressão de 5 bar. Foi estudada a remoção da deltametrina e da beta-ciflutrina nos dois processos: osmose inversa e nanofiltração. Os resultados foram tratados estatisticamente por análise de variância (ANOVA) e pela análise por comparação de amostras independentes a fim de verificar a significância dos valores obtidos e a influência da variação dos parâmetros analisados. Para a faixa de concentração estudada (5, 25, 50 e 100 mg L-1) os valores encontrados de concentração de permeado foram todos consideravelmente baixos. O maior valor encontrado foi de 0,026 mg L-1 no ensaio de nanofiltração com concentração inicial de 5 mg L-1 de beta-ciflutrina em água. Os resultados apresentaram excelentes rejeições em todos os testes, seja com princípio ativo isolado ou em mistura, com rejeições maiores que 99,5% para ambos os piretróides nas concentrações testadas, sob a pressão de 5 bar. O processo de nanofiltração apresentou maiores e melhores fluxos de permeado do que a osmose inversa. Contudo, no que diz respeito à eficácia da separação, ambos processos indicaram ótimo desempenho na remoção dos piretróides, viabilizando assim, a escolha destes métodos para tratamento de efluentes contaminados com este pesticida / Treatment of industrial effluents has been the subject of numerous studies aimed at finding solutions that minimize environmental impacts and promote the recovery and / or reuse of the natural benefit which is the water. With this in mind, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of recovery of industrial effluents contaminated with pyrethroid pesticide - in particular: the beta-cyfluthrin and deltamethrin. The justification for choosing this type of component is based on the high demand for food for the world population and consequent increase in the use of pesticides to ensure efficiency and high volume food production. The aim of this work was to study the removal of deltamethrin and beta-cyfluthrin from synthetic effluents through process of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration, with the use of polyamide membranes. This study is justified by attendance to environmental standards for pyrethroids concentration in the environment and it reaffirms the use of membranes system in wastewater treatment and in the removal of contaminants. For membranes characterization an hydraulic permeability test was performed, noting different flow linearities between the two processes, under variation of pressure. The process performance was verified by variation of parameters of reaction environment, by varying the concentration of pyrethroids in solution, examining the active ingredients alone and in mixture of both pyrethroids. First of all, we have studied the removal of deltamethrin and beta-cyfluthrin alone in solution, on concentrations of 5, 25, 50 and 100 mg L-1, under the pressure of 5 bar. Subsequently, we assessed the performance of the membranes in the removal of pyrethroid in mixture in the synthetic solutions, with both active ingredients at a concentration of 50 mg L-1, at a pressure of 5 bar. We studied the removal of deltamethrin and beta-cyfluthrin in two processes: reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. The results were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis by comparison of independent samples in order to verify the significance of the values obtained and the influence of variation of parameters. For the concentration range studied (5, 25, 50 and 100 mg L-1) the values found in the permeate concentration were all pretty low. The highest value obtained was 0.026 mg L-1 in nanofiltration test with initial concentration of 5 mg L-1 of beta-cyfluthrin in water. The results showed excellent rejections in all tests, either with isolated active ingredient or in coexistence of them, attesting rejections greater than 99,5% for both pyrethroids, under the pressure of 5 bar. The nanofiltration process had higher and better permeate fluxes than the reverse osmosis. However, regarding the effectiveness of separation, both processes showed excellent performance in the removal of pyrethroids, thus enabling the choice of these methods for treatment of wastewater which are contaminated with this kind of pesticide

Sistemas de membranas filtrantes, principalmente os de osmose reversa, estão sendo cada vez mais utilizados em diversos seguimentos de empresas (farmacêutica, tratamento de água, alimentícia e química), devido à diminuição do preço dos elementos filtrantes e da alta qualidade do produto obtido. Apesar do preço dos elementos de osmose reversa terem caído nos últimos tempos, a substituição destes continua sendo o fator mais dispendioso de um sistema de osmose reversa. A autópsia de membranas é uma técnica utilizada para investigar a causa que levou à colmatação de um elemento, contribuindo no melhoramento do pré-tratamento da água de alimentação e consequentemente aumentando a vida útil dos elementos. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo incrementar a técnica de autópsia de membranas de osmose reversa através da análise da volatilização dos principais compostos inorgânicos presentes nestas membranas, modificação na metodologia de quantificação de açúcares e proteínas, comparação de diferentes técnicas de remoção do material depositado sobre as membranas e análise da distribuição de biofilmes sobre elementos colmatados de osmose reversa. A análise dos resultados mostrou que dentre os inorgânicos, ocorreu volatilização completa do cloreto de amônio e pequena variação no composto cloreto férrico; a quantificação de proteínas e açúcares, através da fortificação das amostras, apresentou valores diferentes quando comparados com os valores obtidos diretamente da curva padrão, devido à diferença de inclinação entre as retas de fortificação e padrão; os resultados também mostraram que a trituração foi mais eficiente na remoção do material aderido quando comparado com a raspagem e a sonicação e a distribuição de biofilmes se mostrou uniforme nos dois elementos analisados. / Filter membrane systems, especially reverse osmosis, are being increasingly used in various business segments (pharmaceutical, water treatment, food and chemical) due to decrease in the price of the filter elements and high quality product. Although the price of reverse osmosis elements have fallen in recent times, the replacement of the part remains more expensive a reverse osmosis system. The autopsy of membranes is a technique used to investigate the cause that led to clogging of one factor contributing to the improvement of pre-treatment of water feeding and consequently increasing the life of the elements. This study aimed to improve the technique of autopsy reverse osmosis membranes by examining the volatilization of major inorganic compounds present in these membranes, modification the methodology for quantification of sugars and proteins, comparison of different techniques for removal of material deposited on the membranes and distribution analysis of biofilms on elements obscured reverse osmosis. The results showed that among the Inorganic volatilization was full of ammonium chloride and small variation in the compound ferric chloride, the quantification of proteins and sugars, by fortifying the samples showed different values when compared with values obtained directly the standard curve due to the difference in slope between the lines of and fortification standard, the results also showed that the blending was more efficient in removing adhered material when compared with the scraping and sonication and distribution of biofilms showed uniform the two elements analyzed.

O tratamento de efluentes industriais tem sido objeto de estudos no sentido da busca de soluções que minimizem impactos ambientais e promovam a conservação do bem natural que é a água. Nesta linha de pensamento, o presente trabalho propôs-se avaliar a viabilidade de recuperação de efluentes industriais contaminados com pesticidas do tipo piretróides em específico: a deltametrina e beta-ciflutrina. A justificativa na escolha deste tipo de componente está fundamentada na alta demanda alimentícia por parte da população mundial e o consequente acréscimo no uso dos agrotóxicos a fim de garantir a eficiência e o elevado volume de produção de alimentos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a remoção da deltametrina e da beta-ciflutrina de efluentes sintéticos aquosos por meio dos processos de osmose inversa e nanofiltração, com a utilização de membranas de poliamida. O presente estudo se justifica pelo atendimento aos padrões ambientais de concentração de piretróides no meio ambiente e reafirma o uso do sistema com membranas no tratamento de efluentes e remoção destes contaminantes. Para caracterização das membranas, foi realizado o teste de permeabilidade hidráulica, constatando diferentes linearidades de fluxo entre os dois processos, com a variação de pressão de trabalho. O desempenho dos processos foi verificado pela variação de parâmetros de meio reacional, variando a concentração dos piretróides em solução, analisando os princípios ativos isolados e também em mistura de ambos piretróides. Primeiramente se estudou a remoção da deltametrina e da beta-ciflutrina isoladamente em solução, nas concentrações de 5, 25, 50 e 100 mg L-1, sob a pressão de 5 bar. Posteriormente, avaliou-se o desempenho das membranas na remoção dos piretróides em mistura nas soluções sintéticas, com ambos os princípios ativos na concentração de 50 mg L-1, na pressão de 5 bar. Foi estudada a remoção da deltametrina e da beta-ciflutrina nos dois processos: osmose inversa e nanofiltração. Os resultados foram tratados estatisticamente por análise de variância (ANOVA) e pela análise por comparação de amostras independentes a fim de verificar a significância dos valores obtidos e a influência da variação dos parâmetros analisados. Para a faixa de concentração estudada (5, 25, 50 e 100 mg L-1) os valores encontrados de concentração de permeado foram todos consideravelmente baixos. O maior valor encontrado foi de 0,026 mg L-1 no ensaio de nanofiltração com concentração inicial de 5 mg L-1 de beta-ciflutrina em água. Os resultados apresentaram excelentes rejeições em todos os testes, seja com princípio ativo isolado ou em mistura, com rejeições maiores que 99,5% para ambos os piretróides nas concentrações testadas, sob a pressão de 5 bar. O processo de nanofiltração apresentou maiores e melhores fluxos de permeado do que a osmose inversa. Contudo, no que diz respeito à eficácia da separação, ambos processos indicaram ótimo desempenho na remoção dos piretróides, viabilizando assim, a escolha destes métodos para tratamento de efluentes contaminados com este pesticida / Treatment of industrial effluents has been the subject of numerous studies aimed at finding solutions that minimize environmental impacts and promote the recovery and / or reuse of the natural benefit which is the water. With this in mind, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of recovery of industrial effluents contaminated with pyrethroid pesticide - in particular: the beta-cyfluthrin and deltamethrin. The justification for choosing this type of component is based on the high demand for food for the world population and consequent increase in the use of pesticides to ensure efficiency and high volume food production. The aim of this work was to study the removal of deltamethrin and beta-cyfluthrin from synthetic effluents through process of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration, with the use of polyamide membranes. This study is justified by attendance to environmental standards for pyrethroids concentration in the environment and it reaffirms the use of membranes system in wastewater treatment and in the removal of contaminants. For membranes characterization an hydraulic permeability test was performed, noting different flow linearities between the two processes, under variation of pressure. The process performance was verified by variation of parameters of reaction environment, by varying the concentration of pyrethroids in solution, examining the active ingredients alone and in mixture of both pyrethroids. First of all, we have studied the removal of deltamethrin and beta-cyfluthrin alone in solution, on concentrations of 5, 25, 50 and 100 mg L-1, under the pressure of 5 bar. Subsequently, we assessed the performance of the membranes in the removal of pyrethroid in mixture in the synthetic solutions, with both active ingredients at a concentration of 50 mg L-1, at a pressure of 5 bar. We studied the removal of deltamethrin and beta-cyfluthrin in two processes: reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. The results were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis by comparison of independent samples in order to verify the significance of the values obtained and the influence of variation of parameters. For the concentration range studied (5, 25, 50 and 100 mg L-1) the values found in the permeate concentration were all pretty low. The highest value obtained was 0.026 mg L-1 in nanofiltration test with initial concentration of 5 mg L-1 of beta-cyfluthrin in water. The results showed excellent rejections in all tests, either with isolated active ingredient or in coexistence of them, attesting rejections greater than 99,5% for both pyrethroids, under the pressure of 5 bar. The nanofiltration process had higher and better permeate fluxes than the reverse osmosis. However, regarding the effectiveness of separation, both processes showed excellent performance in the removal of pyrethroids, thus enabling the choice of these methods for treatment of wastewater which are contaminated with this kind of pesticide

Orientador: Maria Regina Wolf Maciel / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T23:42:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Perioto_FabianoRomero_D.pdf: 1193759 bytes, checksum: 59c15d9b760f3098c6e92c822d878e78 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Neste trabalho de tese, foram realizadas a modelagem e a simulação dos processos de separação pervaporação e osmose inversa aplicados a sistemas binários. A premissa empregada foi o desenvolvimento de metodologias de predição das variáveis de processo da pervaporação e osmose inversa independentes de dados experimentais destes processos; os dados necessários para a predição destas variáveis foram propriedades fundamentais dos componentes puros da alimentação. A partir de uma revisão bibliográfica dos modelos existentes para o processo de pervaporação, foi definida uma metodologia de predição das variáveis de processo baseado no modelo solução-difusão. A etapa inicial da metodologia foi o desenvolvimento de um programa de cálculo das composições de sorção na membrana, baseado no modelo UNIQUAC e no método de contribuição de grupos UNIFAC, adaptados ao uso de polímeros. O programa foi validado pela aplicação a sistemas ideais e não-ideais sob o ponto de vista termodinâmico. Os resultados empregando o modelo UNIQUAC apresentaram boaconcordância com os dados experimentais; no caso dos resultados obtidos via UNIFAC para solventes orgânicos obteve-se um bom ajuste dos dados experimentais, mas, no caso da água, os resultados obtidos pelo modelo não foram adequados. Na segunda etapa da metodologia, foram realizados o estudo da predição do coeficiente de difusão na membrana, a partir do modelo do volume livre, seguindo a abordagem de Fick e Maxwell-Stefan; a determinação dos parâmetros necessários ao respectivo modelo; a aplicação a casos estudos e uma análise paramétrica. Os resultados obtidos concordaram bem com os dados experimentais. Com isto, a partir dos valores de sorção e coeficientes de difusão, foi elaborado um programa para a predição do processo de pervaporação; o programa foi aplicado a casos estudos citados na literatura. Foi também estudada a aplicação da pervaporação ao sistema fenol-água, considerando uma membrana de poli (dimetil siloxano) como agente de separação. Os resultados concordaram bem com os dados experimentais disponíveis e mostraram que uma melhor seletividade e performance de separação foram obtidos em concentrações de fenol na alimentação inferiores a 0,2 % molar. A etapa final do trabalho foi a elaboração de um programa para simulação do processo de osmose inversa tendo como base um modelo derivado da mecânica-estatística. A partir dos parâmetros do modelo, foram preditos a rejeição e fluxo do permeado da mistura etanol-água em uma membrana de poliamida. O coeficiente de difusão de Maxwell-Stefan em alta pressão foi predito e empregado na simulação da osmose inversa / Abstract: In this work, the modelling and simulation of pervaporation and reverse osmosis processes for binary mixtures were carried out. The development of prediction methodologies for process variables of pervaporation and reverse osmosis without the necessity of experimental data was the general guideline followed; the experimental data used in these methodologies were the fundamental properties of pure components of feed. Based on the literature review for available models for pervaporation process, a prediction methodology according to the solution-difusion model was choosen and developed. The inicial step for the methodology elaboration was the development of a software for sorption composition determination in the membrane, based on the UNIQUAC model and UNIFAC group contribution method, both suitable for polymer applications. The software was validated applying it forideal and non-ideal systems on thermodynamic viewpoint. The results obtained according to the UNIQUAC model agreed well with experimental data; in the case of the results obtained by the UNIFAC method when applied for organic solvents, it was obtained a good agreement with experimental data, but, on the other hand, for the water, the results showed that the model must be improved. In the second step of methodology development, the study of the prediction of the diffusion coefficient in the membrane according Fick and Maxwell-Stefan approaches, the determination of models parameters, the validation of the prediction method with experimental data and a parametric sensitivity analysis were carried out. The results agreed well with experimental data. So, using the sorption compositions and diffusion coeficients calculated, it was developed a software for pervaporation prediction; the software was applied for some cases of literature. It was also studied the application of pervaporation to phenol-water system using poly(dimethylsiloxane) as selective barrier. The results agreed well with available experimental data and showed that a best selectivity and separation performance were achieved for phenol concentration lesser than 0.2% molar in the feed side. The final step of this work was the development of a software for simulation of reverse osmosis process based on a mecanical-statistical model. By using the model parameters, the rejection and permeate flux of ethanol-water mixture were predicted in a poliamide membrane. The diffusion coefficient of Maxwell-Stefan in high pressure was predicted and used in the reverse osmosis simulation / Doutorado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Doutor em Engenharia Química

L’utilisation du procédé d’osmose inverse (OI) pour le traitement d’effluents nucléaires aqueux pose la problématique des effets de radiolyse et de vieillissement des membranes sous irradiation ɣ. Les performances des membranes (perméabilité, taux de rétention en strontium et césium) après irradiation ɣ ont été étudiées. L’irradiation par une source externe (60Co) a été réalisée dans différentes conditions représentatives de situations réelles (0,1 à 1 MGy, à 0,5 et 5 kGy.h-1, présence ou absence d’eau et d’oxygène). Une démarche analytique innovante et complémentaire (FTIR-ATR, XPS, production de gaz et d’espèces hydrosolubles) a été mise en œuvre afin d’obtenir des informations pertinentes sur les effets de l’irradiation sur les matériaux constitutifs. La chute des performances, débutant entre 0,2 MGy et 0,5 MGy, en présence d’oxygène et d’eau (débit de dose 0,5 kGy.h-1), est liée à des scissions de chaînes localisées sur la couche active de la membrane. Les dégradations se sont révélées plus faibles en absence d’oxygène et d’eau et à débit de dose à élevé. Les performances des membranes ont ensuite été évaluées sur trois matrices aqueuses différentes représentant respectivement des effluents radioactifs issus de situation post-accidentelle, accidentelle ou procédé. Les essais menés à l’échelle laboratoire et pilote montrent que dans chaque cas, l’utilisation de l’OI est possible en choisissant des membranes et des conditions opératoires adaptées. Pour finir, le temps pour atteindre une valeur seuil de dose intégrée reçue par les membranes a été estimé grâce au logiciel RABBI : une dizaine de jours pour l’effluent accidentel, plusieurs années pour les deux autres cas. / The treatment of nuclear liquid wastes by reverse osmosis (RO) involved issues of the water radiolysis and the membrane ageing due to ɣ irradiation effects. Membrane performances (permeability, strontium and cesium retention) were assessed after ɣ irradiation. Irradiation was carried out with an external 60Co source in different conditions that simulated real used of the process (dose from 0.1 to 1 MGy, dose rate of 0.5 and 5 kGy.h-1, with or without oxygen or water). Several analytical methods were performed to evaluate irradiation effects (ATR-FTIR, XPS, gas production, water soluble species released from the membrane). The methodology developed led to relevant information due to an innovative analytical protocol. Membrane performances started dropping between 0.2 and 0.5 MGy with oxygen and water (dose rate 0.5 kGy.h-1). This shift was linked to chains scissions inside the membrane active layer. The membrane degradation was weaker without oxygen or water or at high dose rate (5 kGy.h-1). Results showed that each analysis comforted each other. Membrane performances were also evaluated with three different types of liquid effluents, representing radioactive effluents from a post-disaster situation (groundwater type), disaster situation (seawater) or process water. Experiments were carried out at lab and pilote scales. Results indicated that the treatment of each effluent was possible by RO with an adequate choice of membrane and operating parameters. Finally, the time to reach an integrated dose threshold for the membrane in real conditions was estimated with the RABBI software : a dozen of days in the case of disaster situation to several years in the two other cases.

Orientador: Valéria Maia Merzel / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-28T00:18:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Belgini_DaianeRodriguesBarbosa_M.pdf: 4350336 bytes, checksum: 998807ac1631e5c151a33202b7d5f9a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Com o intuito de otimizar o consumo de água do meio ambiente, o reuso de efluentes têm sido cada vez mais empregado. Dentre as diferentes tecnologias utilizadas no tratamento de efluentes para reuso, os sistemas de osmose inversa se destacam por oferecer vantagens como: economia, alta produtividade e alta eficiência na remoção de sais. Entretanto, estes sistemas estão constantemente sujeitos à contaminação por micro-organismos, o que leva à perda da eficiência e aumento nos custos operacionais e de manutenção. Neste contexto, este trabalho tem por objetivo a caracterização da diversidade bacteriana de um sistema de membranas de osmose inversa que trata efluente de uma refinaria de petróleo, a fim de determinar quais são os micro-organismos relacionados com a formação de biofilme. A diversidade planctônica do sistema, i.e., água de alimentação, foi analisada através de plaqueamento e cultivo e de bibliotecas de genes RNA ribossomal 16S. A diversidade bacteriana associada às membranas foi analisada através de fingerprinting genético (DGGE ¿ Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) e construção de bibliotecas de genes ribossomais 16S. A partir das amostras de água de alimentação, foram obtidos 37 isolados bacterianos e 211 clones. A análise das membranas foi realizada através do sequenciamento e identificação de 13 bandas excisadas a partir do fingerprinting genético, assim como pela construção de duas bibliotecas gênicas, com 73 e 57 clones cada uma. Dentre os gêneros encontrados nas diferentes amostras, os mais representativos e com potencial para formação inicial de biofilmes foram: Acidovorax, Bosea, Methylibium, Novosphingobium, Rhizobium, Shinella, Sphingomonas, Sphingobium, Devosia, Microbacterium e Sphingopyxis. De acordo com a literatura, alguns destes gêneros são constantemente encontrados em sistemas aquáticos e são importantes na formação inicial de biofilmes em sistemas de osmose inversa. O conhecimento da diversidade de micro-organismos presentes nestes sistemas fornece subsídios para entender a dinâmica e os mecanismos de formação de biofilmes na superfície de membranas, permitindo o o desenvolvimento de estratégias de controle e remoção mais específicas / Abstract: In order to reduce the environmental water consumption, reuse of wastewater has been increasingly employed. Among the different technologies used in the treatment of wastewater for reuse, reverse osmosis system stands out because of its advantages such as economy, high productivity and high efficiency in the removal of salts. However, these systems are constantly subjected to contamination by microorganisms, which causes loss of efficiency and increase in operating and maintenance costs. In this context, this study aims to characterize the bacterial diversity of a reverse osmosis membrane system treating effluent of an oil refinery in order to determine which are the microorganisms related to biofilm formation. The planktonic diversity of the system, i.e. feed water, was analyzed by cultivation techniques and 16S ribosomal gene clone libraries. Bacterial diversity associated with membranes was analyzed through genetic fingerprinting (DGGE - Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) and the construction of 16S ribosomal gene libraries. Approximately 37 isolates and 211 clones were obtained from the feed water samples. Analysis of the membranes was performed by sequencing and identification of 13 excised bands from DGGE gel, as well as the construction of two 16S rRNA gene libraries. Among the genera found in the samples, the most representative and with potential to initial biofilm formation were Acidovorax, Bosea, Methylibium, Novosphingobium, Rhizobium, Shinella, Sphingomonas, Sphingobium, Devosia, Microbacterium and Sphingopyxis. According to the literature, some of these genera are constantly found in aquatic systems and are important in the initial formation of biofilms in reverse osmosis systems. Knowledge of the diversity of microorganisms in these systems provides subsidies to understand the dynamics and mechanisms of biofilm formation on the surface of membranes, allowing further development of control and more specific removal strategies / Mestrado / Genetica de Microorganismos / Mestra em Genética e Biologia Molecular

Estrogen compounds are a subgroup of the environmental pollutants named Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. It is a large group of chemicals which are capable of causing hormonal imbalance of an organism and affecting its reproductive, developmental or behavioral functions. In the environment, they are found in very low concentrations (below ng/l). This makes their detection and elimination highly problematic. The Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX) has been developing an experimental device which employes reverse osmosis (RO) to concentrate the trace amounts of micropollutants (e.g. estrogens). The aim is to lower the detection limit of subsequent analytical methods. RO seems to be a promising alternative to commonly used methods which are more time consuming and costly. The aim of this thesis is to create a mathematical model of RO, which would describe the process of estrogen concentration and therefore could contribute to the optimization of experimental device. The mathematical model was created in MATLAB-simulink and verified by comparison to thirteen experimental results. The solutions used to test the model were NaCl at 0.002–2 g/l and drinking water with 17-ethinylestradiol of 25 ng/l. In order to concentrate the retentate on a flat-sheet RO membrane the model achieves a mean relative error in the range of 0.9–4.9 % for NaCl and drinking water. For the concentration of estrogens the deflection is 3.6 %. Comparing the model and experimental concentration of NaCl on a spiral wound RO-membrane, the deviation is in the range of 5.9–8.7 %. So far, ratio of retentate volume from the beginning to the end of the process has been used to determine the process recovery. However, due to the results obtained in the thesis, this approach appears inaccurate. A more accurate recovery would likely be achieved by using the theoretical concentration value obtained by the proposed mathematical model. However, to increase reliability, the further measurements with estrogens are needed, and also to determine the causes of deflection of model and experimental retentate volume values at the end of the concentration

Water crises are predicted to be amongst the risks of highest concern for the next ten years, due to availability, accessibility, quality and management issues. Knowledge of the microbial communities indigenous to drinking water is essential for treatment and distribution process control, risk assessment and infrastructure design. Drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) ideally should deliver to the consumer water of the same microbial quality as that leaving a treatment plant (“biologically stable” according to WHO). At the start of this Ph.D. program water microbiology comprised conventional culturedependent methods, and no studies were available on microbial communities from source to tap. A method combining 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing with flow cytometry was developed to accurately detect, characterize, and enumerate the microorganisms found in a water sample. Studies were conducted in seven fullscale Dutch DWDSs which transport low-AOC water without disinfectant residuals, produced from fresh water applying conventional treatment. Full-scale studies were also conducted at the desalination plant and DWDS of KAUST, Saudi Arabia where drinking water is produced from seawater applying RO membrane treatment and then transported with chlorine residual. Furthermore, biological stability was evaluated in a wastewater reuse application in the Netherlands. When low-AOC water was distributed without disinfectant residuals, greater bacterial richness was detected in the networks, however, temporal and spatial variations in the bacterial community were insignificant and a substantial fraction of the microbiome was still shared between the treated and transported water. This shared fraction was lower in the system transporting water with chlorine residual, where the eukaryotic community changed with residence time. The core microbiome was characterized and dominant members varied between the two systems. Biofilm and deposit-associated communities were found to drive tap water microbiology regardless of water source and treatment scheme. Network flushing was found to be a simple method to assess water microbiology. Biological stability was not associated with safety. The biological stability concept needs to be revised and quantified. Further research is needed to understand microbial functions and processes, how water communities affect the human microbiome, and what the “drinking” water microbiome is like in undeveloped countries. / The research presented in this doctoral dissertation was financially supported by and conducted in collaboration with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and Evides Waterbedrijf in the Netherlands.

Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka en alternativ slamningsreducerande teknik till spolning, som effektivt kan ta bort biologisk påväxt. Ultraljud undersöktes som en möjlig metod för att ta bort igenslamningen från omvänd osmos med ett spirallindat membran. Tidigare forskning har föreslagit att ultraljud skulle kunna vara effektivt på platta membran men inte på spirallindade membran, på grund av packningsdensiteten som spirallindan medför. Därför genomfördes inom denna studie försök med spirallindade membran och ultraljud, för att få en förståelse av dess effekter inom det spirallindade membranet. För det första undersöktes tidsberoendet av ultraljud, vilket visade liknande resultat som tidigare forskning, att ultraljudet uppnådde effekt inom några minuter. För det andra behandlades två membran en gång om dagen under 12 dagar, med undantag för dag 6 och 7. Ett behandlades med ultraljud och ett med spolning, och den mikrobiologiska kontamineringen i permeatet analyserades sedan. Det ultraljudsbehandlade membranet producerade mindre kontaminering under de 12 dagarna. Det krävs dock fler experiment och analyser för att bekräfta detta, eftersom tidsbegränsningar inte möjliggjorde repetitioner. En ekonomisk utvärdering genomfördes också för att undersöka möjligheten att implementera ultraljud i kommersiell skala. Den ekonomiska aspekten är en avvägning mellan vattenkostnad och energikostnad, som är beroende av geografiskt läge. Överlag indikerar resultaten att det sparade vattnet kostar mer än den energi som krävs, vilket är fördelaktigt för implementering av ultraljudsbehandling. Sammanfattningsvis visade ultraljudsbehandlingen bättre resultat än spolning inom några minuter, och hade även en ekonomisk fördel, men kostnaden för energi till vatten är beroende av geografisk plats. / The purpose of this study was to investigate an alternative fouling mitigation technique to flushing, that can efficiently remove biological fouling. Ultrasound was investigated as a possible method of removing fouling from a reverse osmosis spiral wound membrane. Previous research had suggested ultrasound to be efficient on flat sheet membranes but not on spiral wound membranes, due to the packing density. Therefore, this study conducted experiments on spiral wound membranes with ultrasound, as to get an understanding of its effects within the spiral wound membrane. Firstly, the time dependency of ultrasound was investigated, and showed similar results to that of previous research, that the ultrasound was efficient within a matter of minutes. Secondly, two membranes were subject to treatment once a day over the span of 12 days, with an exception for days 6 and 7. One was treated with ultrasound and one with flushing, and the microbiological contamination in the permeate was then analysed. The ultrasonically treated membrane produced less contamination throughout the 12 days. However, more experiments and analysis would be required to confirm this, as time constraints did not allow for repetitions. An economic assessment was also performed, as to evaluate the feasibility implementing ultrasound on a commercial scale. This is a weigh-off between water cost and energy cost, which is dependent on geographical location. Overall, the results indicate that the water saved costs more than the energy required though, which is favourable for the implementation of ultrasonic treatment. To conclude, the ultrasonic treatment showed better results than flushing within a matter of minutes, and also economically had an advantage but the cost of energy to water is relative to geographical location.

The Reverse Osmosis (RO) process has been considered to be one of the most widely utilised techniques for brackish water desalination for its capabilities to produce high-quality water. The RO process characterised by its low energy consumption compared to thermal distillation processes, leading to reduced overall water production cost. To systematically understand the transport phenomena of solvent and solutes via the membrane texture, several mathematical models were developed. This interestingly aids to conduct a huge amount of simulation and optimisation studies to judge the influence of control variables on the performance indexes and to adjust the key variables at optimum values to realise optimum production indexes. In this research, a specific accurate model for a single spiral wound RO process has been successfully developed and used to build accurate models for the multistage brackish water RO desalination process of two different designs. The robustness of the model developed was confirmed via validation against the experimental data collected from simple design of RO system and complicated design of RO system of Arab Potash Company (APC). This is followed by a thorough simulation of the RO process to explore the influence of operating conditions on the process performance indicators. Recently, several contributions were made in this thesis that specifically comprises the improvement of the original design of brackish water RO desalination process. The influence of a retentate recycle design is investigated on the process performance. Moreover, evaluation and minimisation of specific energy consumption (expressed in kWh/m3 of freshwater production) is carried out on the simple and complicated designs of RO process by implementing an energy recovery device. Also, the most suitable brand of membranes was explored for the RO system from a set of different brands of membrane to attain the highest-performance rejection at lowest energy consumption compared to the original membrane. Furthermore, a single optimisation framework was developed to mitigate the specific energy consumption of simple and complicated designs of brackish water RO desalination process. Finally, a thermodynamic limitations and exergy analysis of the complicated design of RO system are outlined via a thoroughly study to investigate the locations of high exergy destruction. These contributions were verified as they promoted the separation performance at a significant energy saving. / Mutah University, Jordan