An investigation was conducted focusing on how NOM affects coagulation in a United States south eastern coastal surface water. Current water treatment practice at Savannah Water I and D was investigated to determine the efficacy of NOM removal using existing coagulation methods. A robust assessment of alum and ferric sulfate for use as coagulants in the removal of disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursor material was conducted using composite water created from sample sites within the SWID watershed. Both coagulants were optimized for the removal of NOM. Pragmatic methods of NOM size analysis and its reactivity with chlorine was investigated. UF membranes were used in conjunction with a permeation coefficient model (PCM) to determine an apparent molecular weight distribution of NOM present in the watershed. Individual size classes were assessed for their potential to form trihalomethanes (THMs) upon chlorination. Coagulation using alum and ferric sulfate was assessed to determine removal efficiency of individual NOM size classes under various coagulation scenarios. Finally, UV254 absorbance (UVA) was assessed to determine its potential use as an indicator of DOC concentration in raw and treated water at SWID. Additionally, an investigation into the relationship between specific UVA (SUVA) and THM formation potential (THM-FP) was conducted.

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia Ambiental e Recursos Hídricos, 2016. / Submitted by Fernanda Percia França (fernandafranca@bce.unb.br) on 2016-07-08T16:37:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_ClaudiaPatriciaPereiraSimões.pdf: 4749646 bytes, checksum: 79ad7e2f8b45e3af4441a27eb7a6fa99 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Raquel Viana(raquelviana@bce.unb.br) on 2016-07-11T16:19:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_ClaudiaPatriciaPereiraSimões.pdf: 4749646 bytes, checksum: 79ad7e2f8b45e3af4441a27eb7a6fa99 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-11T16:19:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_ClaudiaPatriciaPereiraSimões.pdf: 4749646 bytes, checksum: 79ad7e2f8b45e3af4441a27eb7a6fa99 (MD5) / Os problemas de qualidade e disponibilidade de água nos grandes centros urbanos são crescentes e demandam soluções preventivas e corretivas. Com relação à segurança da qualidade da água de consumo humano, um dos desafios é a remoção de microcontaminantes e patógenos emergentes e os processos de separação por membranas (PSM) têm se mostrado como uma opção promissora. As membranas de ultrafiltração (UF) são empregadas na remoção de material em suspensão e patógenos, e as de nanofiltração (NF) e osmose inversa (OI) são utilizadas na remoção de substâncias dissolvidas, entre elas o bisfenol-A (BFA). No presente trabalho foi avaliado, em escala piloto, o tratamento de água por três tipos de PSM, considerando o desempenho operacional, a rejeição de BFA e de outros contaminantes físico-químicos e microbiológicos. Foram utilizadas quatro membranas distintas, sendo: uma de UF (GS-5101U-S4); duas de NF (NF270 e NF90); e uma de OI (TW30). A UF foi empregada no tratamento da água do lago Paranoá e o seu permeado utilizado para alimentar a OI, enquanto as membranas de NF foram alimentadas com o efluente dos filtros ETA Brasília (DF). Tanto no caso da OI, como das NF, a água de alimentação foi enriquecida com bisfenol-A. A UF apresentou elevados valores de rejeição de turbidez (92%), coliformes (100%) e clorofila-a (97%) para valores iniciais de, respectivamente, 5,6UT, >24.196NNP/100mL e 3,9μg/L. Nas condições definidas como padrão o fluxo de permeado (Jp) médio da UF foi de 62L/(h.m2), a pressão transmembrana (PTM) média foi de 37,8kPa e a recuperação média foi de 96,1%. O aumento do tempo entre limpeza, do Jp e a adoção de etapa de coagulação influenciaram negativamente o desempenho operacional da UF. Entre as membranas de alta pressão estudadas, a NF90 apresentou melhor desempenho operacional, com Jp médio de 39,4L/(h.m2) e recuperação média de 22%. A membrana NF270 apresentou Jp médio de 8,7L/(h.m2) e recuperação média de cerca de 5%, e no caso da membrana de OI o Jp médio foi de 17,2L/(h.m2) e a recuperação média 8%. A rejeição de BFA pelas membranas TW30 e NF90 foi praticamente 100%, enquanto, a membrana NF270 apresentou rejeição entre 43 e 54%. Por outro lado, a rejeição de BFA pela membrana de UF foi praticamente inexistente. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT / Water quality and availability in urban areas is a matter of growing concern and claim for preventive e corrective solutions. Regarding the safety of drinking water, one of the challenges is the removal of emerging micropollutants and pathogens and membrane separation processes (MSP) are promising technologies. Ultrafiltration membranes (UF) are mainly applied for the removal of suspended solids and pathogens, while nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) are recommended for the retention of dissolved substances, bisphenol-A (BPA) amongst them. In this study it was evaluated, in pilot scale, the capabilities of three types of MSP in treating water, considering their operational performance, BPA rejection, as well as the rejection of other physicochemical and microbiological contaminants. Four membranes were evaluated: one UF membrane (GS-5101U-S4), two NF membranes (NF270 and NF90) and one RO membrane (TW30). The UF membrane was fed with Paranoá lake water, and the UF permeate was used to feed the pilot RO system. The filtrated water from a local water treatment plant (ETA Brasilia, DF) was used as raw water for the NF membranes pilot plant. The feed water of both RO and NF membranes was spiked with bisphenol-A. High rejection of turbidity (92%), chlorophyll-a (97%) and coliforms (100%) was obtained when UF was evaluated, for initial values of, respectively, 5.6NTU, >24,196NNP/100mL e 3.9μg/L. For the standard operation conditions, UF permeate flux was 62 L/(h.m2), transmembrane pressure (TMP) was 37.8kPa and average recovery was 96%. The adoption of chemical coagulation stepprior to UF and the increase of cleaning intervals or permeate fluxes, resulted in adverse influence on UF operational performance. The NF90 membrane showed the best overall performance amongst the high pressure membranes. NF90 average permeate flux was 39.4L/(h.m2), while NF270 and TW30 were, respectively, 8.7 and 17.2 L/(h.m2). Average recoveries were 22%, 5% and 8% for NF90, NF270 and TW30, respectively. Both NF90 and TW30 (tighter membranes) provided BPA rejections, around 100%, while the NF270 membrane (looser membrane) showed BPA rejection between 43 and 54%. There was no detectable BPA rejection by the UF membrane whatsoever.

Bei der Behandlung von Tumoren und Metastasen werden neben der moderaten Hyperthermie auch minimalinvasive, thermotherapeutische Verfahren als Alternativen zur chirurgischen Resektion und / oder zur Unterstützung der Radio- und Chemotherapie angewandt, bei denen das Gewebe lokal begrenzt zur gezielten Zerstörung durch Koagulation auf Temperaturen bis zu 100 °C erhitzt wird. Dabei zeigen besonders die interstitiellen Techniken bei der Behandlung von Lebermetastasen und Prostataerkrankungen vielversprechende Ergebnisse, jedoch steht derzeit neben der Magnetresonanztomographie kein kostengünstiges, routinemäßig einsetzbares Verfahren zur nicht-invasiven on-line Therapiekontrolle zur Verfügung, so daß diese Eingriffe meist "blind", auf anatomische Normwerte und praktische Erfahrungen des Arztes gestützt, durchgeführt werden. In dieser Arbeit werden die Möglichkeiten der nicht-invasiven Ultraschall Kontrolle der Thermotherapien am Beispiel der laserinduzierten interstitiellen Thermotherapie untersucht und zwei Ultraschallverfahren zur Therapiekontrolle vorgeschlagen. Das erste Verfahren basiert auf der Auswertung von lokalen Veränderungen der Laufzeit des Schallsignals zur Ermittelung der Temperaturverteilung im Gewebe. Es beruht physikalisch auf der Temperaturabhängigkeit der Schallgeschwindigkeit. Das zweite Verfahren basiert physikalisch auf den Dämpfungseigenschaften von biologischem Gewebe und deren Abhängigkeit von der Gewebestruktur. Mit diesem Verfahren werden Veränderungen in der Frequenzabhängikeit der Dämpfung quantitativ ausgewertet und somit auf den Gewebezustand geschlossen. Beide Verfahren werden im Hinblick auf den klinischen Einsatz entwickelt und in ein experimentelles System zur Therapiekontrolle implementiert, wobei besonderes Augenmerk auf die Entstehung von Störungen und Artefakten durch Patientenbewegungen gelegt und eine Methode zur Kompensation dieser Bewegungen vorgestellt wird. Anhand von in vitro Experimenten und einer ersten in vivo Messung wird gezeigt, daß beide Verfahren zur Therapiekontrolle von thermischen Therapien in Echtzeit tauglich sind. Sowohl anhand von Temperaturkarten als auch anhand von Strukturkarten kann die Läsionsausbreitung während der Therapie nicht-invasiv ermittelt und dargestellt werden. / As alternatives to surgical resection and/or supportive to radio- or chemo-therapy of tumors and metastases minimal invasive thermal treatment procedures besides the moderate hyperthermia are used, by which the tissue is heated up locally to temperatures up to 100 ° C. Particularly the interstitial techniques show promising results with the treatment of liver metastases and prostate cancer. However beside nuclear magnetic resonance tomography there is no economical, by routine applicable procedure for non invasive therapy control at present disposal, so that these interventions are usually executed "blind" by means of anatomical standard values and practical experience of the physician. By the example of the laser induced interstitial thermo-therapy in this work the possibility of non invasive control of thermal therapies by means of ultrasound are evaluated. Two different ultrasonic procedures are proposed for therapy control. The first procedure is based on the analysis of local modifications in the time of flight of the ultrasound signal for determination of the temperature distribution in the tissue. It is based on the physical dependence of the sound velocity on temperature. The second procedure is based on the physical attenuation characteristics of biological tissue and their dependence on the tissue structure. With this procedure changes in the frequency dependence of the ultrasound attenuation are quantitatively analyzed yielding information on the tissue status. Both procedures are developed with regard to the clinical application and are implemented in an experimental system for therapy control, whereby special attention was given to disturbances and artifacts due to patient movement and a method for compensating these movements is presented. With in vitro experiments and a first in vivo measurement it is shown, that both procedures are feasible for real time control of thermal therapies. During the treatment the formation of the therapeutic lesion can be observed and displayed through temperature mapping as well as structural mapping.

Syftet med denna studie är att med hjälp av Bourdieus kapitalbegrepp synliggöra hur nyanlända elever upplever de hinder och möjligheter som uppstår när eleverna arbetar med det koncept som Ung Företagsamhet har utformat samtidigt som de studerar på Språkintroduktionen. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer har elevernas berättelser tolkats med hjälp av Bourdieus begrepp med fokus på kulturellt kapital, utbildningskapital, språkligt kapital och habitus. Studien har visat att nyanlända elever arbetar hårt med att finna sin nya identitet (habitus) eftersom de upplever att de har mycket att lära sig i sitt nya land oavsett om det handlar om det kulturella kapitalet, utbildningskapitalet eller språkliga kapitalet. Eleverna beskriver arbetet med Ung Företagsamhet med positiva termer då eleverna upplever att deras tidigare tillgångar blir användbara men också att de får en bättre inblick i det svenska samhället. / The aim of this study is, by using Bourdieu's capitalconcept, visible how newly arrived students experiencing the obstacle and opportunities that arise when the students work with the concept that Junior Achievment Program has designed while they study at the program languageintroduction. Through semi-structured interviews the students stories have been interpreted by using Bourdieu's concept with focus on cultural capital, educational capital, linguistic capital and habitus. The study has shown that newly arrived students are working hard to find their new identity (habitus) because they feel like they have a lot to learn in their new country whether it is about culture capital, educational capital or linguistic capital. Students describe their work with Junior Achievment Program only in positive terms because they feel like their previous skills become useful but also that they learn more about the Swedish country.

During the recent years the interest in entrepreneurial education has increased both in terms of research being made in the subject, but also in the extent of entrepreneurial courses in Swedish secondary schools, where as the concept Junior Achievement (JA) is particularly being used. A common goal of the entrepreneurial education is apart from teaching the students how to start and run a business, to develop the students’ entrepreneurial skills and competences. The main purpose of the essay is to describe and illustrate the role of the teacher in the entrepreneurial pedagogy being used in courses with the JA concept and to investigate which entrepreneurial skills are being developed by the students participating in these courses. There is also the purpose of investigate what the characteristics are of this entrepreneurial pedagogy being used in the courses using the JA concept. The main theoretical foundation underpinning this study is the pedagogical philosophy formulated by John Dewey and the theory of situational leadership. My study took place in a secondary school in the area ofStockholm, where the JA concept was used in economical and project work courses. Two teachers teaching on these courses were interviewed and a questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain data from the teachers’ students. The main findings from this study are that the entrepreneurial pedagogy being used in the courses with the JA concept show high similarities with the philosophy of John Dewey. The role of the teacher is to be a tutor, guiding the students through the work process, by being more directional and instructive at start, and more supportive and encouraging in the end. However, the results show that it‘s unclear if the amount of help and support the students receive from the teacher is sufficient. The entrepreneurial skills, for example communication ability and creativity are being developed the most when they are connected to economical work assignments. Regarding the cooperation ability it is unclear if the ability is being developed due to the fact that the results show that students tend to cooperate with their friends and the work load being unequally shared in the JA business.

This study was to investigate theory and application of Osmotic Distillation (OD). OD is a new novel membrane separation process used for the concentration of aqueous solutions such as fruit juices without the application of heat. The present work was undertaken to investigate flux limitations focusing on feedside, membrane and stripper side characteristics of OD. Once the limiting areas were identified, further studies were undertaken to determine methods of minimizing those limitations without losing the quality and integrity of the liquid feed. A laboratory scale OD system was used to simulate the industrial process which takes place during the production of grape juice concentrate for the fruit juice industry. Results of a UF pretreatment study showed that the use of UF membranes with pore diameters of 0.1 fÝm or less as a pretreatment for the subsequent OD of grape juice resulted in significant increases in OD flux over that observed for juice not subjected to UF. The study of the physical properties of the feed played an important role in the explanation of the OD process. The increase in OD flux was attributed to a reduction in juice viscosity as the result of the removal of protein and other high molecular weight components. Apart from an increase in OD flux, UF pretreatment of the grape juice proved to be beneficial in other areas of the OD process. HPLC measurements showed that the normal concentration of fermentable sugars in standard 68 oBrix concentrate can be achieved at a lower Brix value in feed subjected to UF pretreatment, further reducing the need to handle highly viscous feeds. UF pretreatment also resulted in an increase in juice surface tension consequently reducing the tendency for membrane wet-out to occur. The study of the deoxygenation of the feed solution shows that the removal of dissolved gases by the pre boiling method and the perstraction with chemical reaction (PCR) method both had a positive affect on OD flux. Pre boiling the brine resulted in an indirect reduction in dissolved oxygen in the feed. Pre boiling both the feed and brine, further increased the flux. Throughout the PCR study, it was evident that stripper side mass transfer of O2 was not limited by flowrate but was limited by higher stripper concentration. However, the latter had an insignificant effect when the sulfite-oxygen reaction was catalysed. The use of a catalyst and increase in temperature gave a significant improvement in overall mass transfer coefficient. Ten types of hydrophobic microporous membranes were tested for their influence on OD flux. While the pore diameter is a considerable factor in mass transport of gases through the membrane, it was also noted that the type of membrane material used had an affect on the overall mass transfer. All top three performing membranes had pore diameters of 0.2 x 10-6 m and were made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The choice of brine to use as the stripper was based on criteria that were confirmed by the brine studies performed here. The best performing stripper solutions demonstrating the greatest improvement in OD flux over the most commonly used brines, NaCl, CaCl2 and CH3COOK were aqueous solutions of potassium salts of phosphoric acid, pyrophosphoric acid and blends thereof. These salts agreed with all the required characteristics of a suitable brine, demonstrating high solubility rates, supporting the ability to lower water vapour pressure. The study of the corrosion effects of brine salts confirmed the phosphate salts are superior demonstrating some of the lowest corrosion rates and highest pH.

Abstract Oily wastewaters are heterogeneous, containing various types of oils, surfactants from detergents, metals etc. Oily wastewaters are produced from a wide range of industries such as metalworking, petroleum refineries, the petrochemical industry, transportation as well as the textile and food industries. Oily wastewaters, especially those containing stable oil-in-water emulsions, require advanced treatment as conventional treatment methods have their limitations to meet ever-stricter environmental regulations. Ultrafiltration is a widely accepted and commonly used treatment method for oily wastewaters. The first aim of this thesis was to increase knowledge concerning the performance of an industrial-scaled ultrafiltration-based process treating concentrated real oily wastewaters. The demand for a more effective pre-treatment method for ultrafiltration to enhance performance and decrease fouling of membrane was observed. The second aim of the thesis was to investigate the suitability and efficiency of different methods for treating concentrated model oil-in-water emulsions and real oily wastewaters. The treatment methods studied were electrocoagulation (electrolytic dissolution of anodic metal), conventional coagulation-flocculation followed by either sedimentation or dissolved air flotation, and dissolved air flotation utilising cationic air bubbles. Electrocoagulation was discovered to be a promising treatment method for various types of oil-in-water emulsions. Dissolved air flotation with cationic modified air bubbles was proven to be an efficient method with even higher treatment results with smaller chemical doses when compared to conventional coagulation-flocculation followed by dissolved air flotation. The biodegradation of various components is an important measure of their impact on the environment in case of spillage. The third aim of the thesis was to explore the biodegradability of different types of oils and surfactants in solution conditions and soils. It was discovered that the biodegradation of light fuel oil continued during a three-month time period, reaching a biodegradation degree of over 60% in mineral-rich soil. For surfactants, their distinct effect on the biodegradation of organic material in soil was observed, and it masked the biodegradation of the surfactants themselves. / Tiivistelmä Öljyiset jätevedet ovat heterogeenisiä, sisältäen mm. erityyppisiä öljyjä, metalleja ja pesuaineiden pinta-aktiivisia aineita. Öljyisiä jätevesiä muodostuu laajalti eri teollisuuksista, kuten metallintyöstöstä, öljyn jalostuksesta, petrokemian teollisuudesta, ruoka- ja tekstiiliteollisuudesta sekä liikenteestä. Öljyiset jätevedet, varsinkin stabiileja öljyemulsioita sisältävät, vaativat tehokkaan käsittelymenetelmän, jotta ympäristölainsäädännön ja luvituksen ehdot täyttyvät. Ultrasuodatus on yleisesti käytössä oleva öljyisten jätevesien käsittelymenetelmä. Tämän väitöstyön ensimmäinen tavoite oli lisätä tietoutta teollisen mittakaavan konsentroituneiden öljyisten jätevesien ultrasuodatusprosessien tehokkuudesta. Prosessien strategisista kohdista kerättyjen öljyisten jätevesien karakterisointitulosten perusteella havaittiin, että ennen ultrasuodatusta tarvitaan tehokas esikäsittelyvaihe prosessin tehostamiseksi ja ultrasuodattimen tukkeutumisen vähentämiseksi. Täten toinen väitöstyön tavoite oli selvittää eri menetelmien soveltuvuutta ja tehokkuutta konsentroituneiden malliaineina käytettyjen öljyemulsioiden ja öljyisten jätevesien käsittelyssä. Tutkitut käsittelymenetelmät olivat elektrokoagulaatio (sähkökemiallinen flokkaavien metalli-ionien liuottaminen anodilta), koagulaatio-flokkulaatio ja laskeutus/korkeapaineflotaatio sekä korkeapaineflotaatiomenetelmä, joka hyödyntää kationisia ilmakuplia. Elektrokoagulaation todettiin olevan erittäin tehokas käsittelymenetelmä, jolla saavutettiin korkeat puhdistustulokset erityyppisille öljyemulsioille. Korkeapaineflotaatiolla, joka hyödyntää kationisia ilmakuplia, saavutettiin hyvät puhdistustulokset jopa pienemmillä kemikaalimäärillä verrattuna perinteiseen koagulaatio-flokkulaatioon ja korkepaineflotaation. Erilaisten komponenttien biohajoavuus on tärkeä suure arvioitaessa niiden ympäristövaikutuksia. Väitöstyön kolmas tavoite oli selvittää erilaisten öljyjen ja pinta-aktiivisten aineiden biohajoavuutta erilaisissa liuosolosuhteissa ja maa-aineksissa. Tärkeimmät biohajoavuustutkimustulokset olivat, että kevyt polttoöljy saavutti kolmen kuukauden mittauksen aikana yli 60 % biohajoavuusasteen mineraalirikkaassa maa-aineksessa. Pinta-aktiivisten aineiden havaittiin lisäävän huomattavasti maan orgaanisen aineksen biohajoamista, ja tämä vaikeutti itse pinta-aktiivisten aineiden biohajoamisen arviointia.

Die vorliegende Doktorarbeit befasst sich mit der optimalen Steuerung von einem Cahn–Hilliard–Navier–Stokes-System mit variablen Flüssigkeitsdichten. Dabei konzentriert sie sich auf das Doppelhindernispotential, was zu einem optimalen Steuerungsproblem einer Gruppe von gekoppelten Systemen, welche eine Variationsungleichung vierter Ordnung sowie eine Navier–Stokes-Gleichung beinhalten, führt. Eine geeignete Zeitdiskretisierung wird präsentiert und zugehörige Energieabschätzungen werden bewiesen. Die Existenz von Lösungen zum primalen System und von optimalen Steuerungen für das ursprüngliche Problem sowie für eine Gruppe von regularisierten Problemen wird etabliert. Die Optimalitätsbedingungen erster Ordnung für die regularisierten Probleme werden hergeleitet. Mittels eines Grenzübergangs in Bezug auf den Regularisierungsparameter werden Stationaritätsbedingungen für das ursprüngliche Problem etabliert, welche einer Form von C-Stationarität im Funktionenraum entsprechen. Weiterhin wird ein numerischer Lösungsalgorithmus für das Steuerungsproblem basierend auf einer Strafmethode entwickelt, welche die Moreau–Yosida-artigen Approximationen des Doppelhindernispotentials einschließt. In diesem Zusammenhang wird ein dual-gewichteter Residuenansatz für zielorientierte adaptive finite Elemente präsentiert, welcher auf dem Konzept der C-Stationarität beruht. Die numerische Realisierung des adaptiven Konzepts und entsprechende numerische Testergebnisse werden beschrieben. Die Lipschitzstetigkeit des Steuerungs-Zustandsoperators des zugehörigen instantanen Steuerungsproblems wird bewiesen und dessen Richtungsableitung wird charakterisiert. Starke Stationaritätsbedingungen für dieses Problem werden durch die Anwendung einer Technick von Mignot und Puel hergeleitet. Basierend auf der primalen Form der Bouligard-Ableitung wird ein impliziter numerischer Löser entwickelt, dessen Implentierung erläutert und anhand von numerischen Resultaten illustriert wird. / This thesis is concerned with the optimal control of a Cahn–Hilliard–Navier–Stokes system with variable fluid densities. It focuses on the double-obstacle potential, which yields an optimal control problem for a family of coupled systems in each time instant of a variational inequality of fourth order and the Navier–Stokes equation. A suitable time-discretization is presented and associated energy estimates are proven. The existence of solutions to the primal system and of optimal controls is established for the original problem as well as for a family of regularized problems. The consistency of these approximations is shown and first order optimality conditions for the regularized problems are derived. Through a limit process with respect to the regularization parameter, a stationarity system for the original problem is established, which corresponds to a function space version of ε-almost C-stationarity. Moreover, a numerical solution algorithm for the optimal control problem is developed based on a penalization method involving the Moreau–Yosida type approximations of the double-obstacle potential. A dual-weighted residual approach for goal-oriented adaptive finite elements is presented, which is based on the concept of C-stationarity. The overall error representation depends on dual weighted primal residuals and vice versa, supplemented by additional terms corresponding to the complementarity mismatch. The numerical realization of the adaptive concept is described and a report on numerical tests is provided. The Lipschitz continuity of the control-to-state operator of the corresponding instantaneous control problem is verified and its directional derivative is characterized. Strong stationarity conditions for the instantaneous control problem are derived. Utilizing the primal notion of B-differentiability, a bundle-free implicit programming method is developed. Details on the numerical implementation are given and numerical results are included.

This dissertation reports on research related to ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in drinking water applications. A pilot-scale investigation identified seasonal surface water quality impacts on UF performance and resulted in the development of a dynamic chemically enhanced backwash protocol for fouling management. Subsequent analysis of UF process data revealed limitations with the use of specific flux, transmembrane pressure (TMP), and other normalization techniques for assessing UF process fouling. A new TMP balance approach is presented that identifies the pressure contribution of membrane fouling and structural changes, enables direct process performance comparisons at different operating fluxes, and distinguishes between physically and chemically unresolved fouling. In addition to the TMP balance, a five component optimization approach is presented for the systematic improvement of UF processes on the basis of TMP variations. Terms are defined for assessing process event performance, a new process utilization term is presented to benchmark UF productivity, and new measures for evaluating maintenance procedures are discussed. Using these tools, a correlation between process utilization and operating pressures was established and a sustainable process utilization of 93.5% was achieved. UF process capabilities may be further enhanced by pre-coating media onto the membrane surface. Silicon dioxide (SiO2) and powdered activated carbon (PAC) are evaluated as precoating materials, and the applicability of the TMP balance for assessing pre-coated membrane performance is demonstrated. The first use of SiO2 as a support layer for PAC in a membrane pre-coating application is presented at the laboratory-scale. SiO2-PAC pre-coatings successfully reduced physically unresolved fouling and enhanced UF membrane organics removal capabilities.

No description available.