<div>Polyamide based reverse osmosis (PA-RO) membranes are applied for the desalination of halide-containing waters such as seawater and brackish groundwater. They are the industry standard because of their high selectivity and ability to withstand a wide range of pH. However, one of their pitfalls is their propensity to undergo biofouling, which is deterioration due to biological growth. Biofouling is known to dramatically decrease membrane performance and increase energy consumption. In order to overcome biofouling, a disinfectant, typically free chlorine, is applied; however, free chlorine is known to react with the polyamide layer and result in further membrane deterioration and performance loss.<br></div><div>One topic that has garnered less attention is the application of chloramines and their interactions with the PA-RO membrane when applied as a biofouling control. Furthermore, the role of halides (e.g. chloride, bromide, and iodide) in the presence of chloramines must be further explored because they are known to react to form secondary species which are reactive toward PA-RO membranes. In Chapter 2, the PA based monomers benzanilide (BA) and N-Methyl-N-phenylbenzamide (N-CH₃-BA) were used to model the PA layer. Monomers were exposed to halide containing waters and chloraminated with pre-formed NH₂Cl over a wide range of pH. The decay and by-product formation after exposure were evaluated using HPLC-DAD, LC/MS, and/or GC/MS. Results indicated that pH of the system and bromide concentration controlled parent compound decay and brominated by-product formation, where low pH and high bromide concentrations led to the highest formation of brominated by-products.</div><div>In Chapter 3, commercially made PA-RO membranes (SWC4-LD) were chloraminated or chlorinated with and without halides over a wide pH range. Their performance was evaluated after exposure through flux experiments using a dead-end flow cell. Results indicated that exposure to free chlorine led to the greatest change in flux and monochloramine resulted in the smallest change in flux. During chloramination of the membranes, the reactors containing bromide led to further change in flux than the chloramine only conditions. This was likely due to formation of secondary species that were reactive toward the PA membrane. Furthermore, Chapter 4 summarizes overall research contributions from this work and proposes future work pertaining to this topic.</div>

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering, 2015 / The scarcity of water and strict environmental regulations have made sustainable engineering a prime concern in the process and manufacturing industries. Water minimisation involves the reduction of freshwater use and effluent discharge in chemical plants. This is achieved through water reuse, water recycle and water regeneration. Optimisation of the water network (WN) superstructure considers all possible interconnections between water sources, water sinks and regenerator units (membrane systems). In most published works, membrane systems have been represented using the “black-box” approach, which uses a simplified linear model to represent the membrane systems. This approach does not give an accurate representation of the energy consumption and associated costs of the membrane systems. The work presented in this dissertation therefore looks at the incorporation of a detailed reverse osmosis network (RON) superstructure within a water network superstructure in order to simultaneously minimise water, energy, operating and capital costs. The WN consists of water sources, water sinks and reverse osmosis (RO) units for the partial treatment of the contaminated water. An overall mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) framework is developed, that simultaneously evaluates both water recycle/reuse and regeneration reuse/recycle opportunities. The solution obtained from optimisation provides the optimal connections between various units in the network arrangement, size and number of RO units, booster pumps as well as energy recovery turbines. The work looks at four cases in order to highlight the importance of including a detailed regeneration network within the water network instead of the traditional “black-box’’ model. The importance of using a variable removal ratio in the model is also highlighted by applying the work to a literature case study, which leads to a 28% reduction in freshwater consumption and 80% reduction in wastewater generation. / GR2016

Utilization of renewable energy sources, as an approach to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, have been globally popular in the last few decades. Among renewable energy sources, pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) has been scrutinized by scientists since the mid 70's. However, even today, the existing river-sea PRO systems can only marginally meet the generally approved criterion of 5 W/m2 power density, a threshold for an economically feasible PRO system. As an approach to increase the performance of PRO systems, multi-staging of PRO modules are investigated. A mathematical model of the scaled up PRO process is proposed with consideration for internal and external concentration polarization, reverse salt flux, and spatial variations along the membrane. A thermodynamic model is also developed with consideration for entropy generation and losses in the process. It predicts the percentile of each work loss source compared to the net work in the system. Several confi gurations of dual stage PRO system are presented and compared to single stage PRO. The comparison is based on three proposed target functions of power density (PD), specifi c energy (SE), and work per drawn freshwater (Wdrawn). Applied hydraulic pressures and flow rates of draw and feed solutions are optimized for maximizing the target functions. The results indicate that overall performance of the system could be improved by up to 8 % with a dual stage PRO in the case of SE. The system performance is not improved by depressurizing the draw solution before the second module in cases of SE and Wdrawn. The thermodynamic analysis demonstrate the contribution of each work loss and justify the reason of diminishing the net work over the losses. The effect of membrane area and membrane characteristics on the SE target function is also investigated. The distribution of membrane area in each module depends on the selected con figuration and inlet draw solution. In the dual stage systems, the SE value increases up to 14% by improving the membrane characteristics. Reducing the salt rejection coefficient (B) is the most e ective membrane characteristic in our con figurations. Replacing seawater with RO brine in draw solution results in a signifi cant improvement in SE values. / Graduate

Grande parte da população rural do Semiárido brasileiro sofre com problemas de acesso à água de qualidade. A exploração da água subterrânea representa uma das principais alternativas para o abastecimento dessa parcela da população, mas muitas vezes os poços perfurados encontram-se longe da rede elétrica. A região apresenta abundante recurso solar e, assim, essa dificuldade poderia ser contornada com a utilização de sistemas fotovoltaicos de bombeamento. Mas, além da questão da energia para o funcionamento dos sistemas de bombeamento, pelo fato da maior parte do Semiárido estar localizada sobre escudo cristalino, muitos poços apresentam água com altos níveis de salinidade, o que inviabiliza a utilização desses mananciais para o fornecimento de água potável ou faz com que a população rejeite seu consumo, por conta do gosto. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo verificar se a adaptação de sistemas de dessalinização de pequeno porte disponíveis comercialmente a sistemas fotovoltaicos domiciliares pode potencializar a difusão dos sistemas fotovoltaicos de bombeamento em poços de água com alto teor de sais dissolvidos e se essa opção pode representar uma alternativa de fornecimento de água para a população rural de áreas com problemas de salinização dos mananciais de abastecimento. A opção analisada consiste em um sistema duplo de fornecimento de água, com tratamento do tipo ponto de uso da água para consumo humano. Foi verificado que os sistemas de dessalinização atualmente disponíveis no mercado podem funcionar acoplados a geradores fotovoltaicos e utilizados para fornecimento de água potável a partir de água salobra. / Much of the rural population of the Brazilian Semiarid region suffers from problems related to access of improved water quality. The exploitation of ground water is the main alternative for water supply solutions regarding this population, but often the boreholes are away from power lines. The region has abundant solar source and therefore this problem could be overcome with the use of photovoltaic pumping systems. Beyond the issue of energy for operation of the borehole systems, considering that most of the semiarid region is located on crystalline shield, many boreholes have water with high level of salinity, which hinder their use for drinking water supply solutions, as the population rejects the water because of its taste. This study aims to determine whether the adaptation of commercially available small household desalinization systems adapted to photovoltaic systems can enhance the diffusion of photovoltaic pumping systems of boreholes with high concentrations of dissolved salt, by proposing this water supply solution as an alternative for water supply systems in rural areas with problems of salinization of the main water sources. The proposed technical solution consists of a dual water supply system with the use a point of use water treatment for human consumption. It was found that desalination systems available on the market can operate coupled to photovoltaic generators and used to supply drinking water from brackish water.

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. O biofouling corresponde a um tipo de fouling inevitável, caracterizado pelo crescimento de microrganismos na superfície das membranas e liberação de EPS pelos mesmos; por isso, um melhor conhecimento sobre estas estruturas é necessário. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar o biofouling em diferentes membranas de osmose reversa colmatadas de diferentes indústrias pela técnica da autópsia e comparar com resultados obtidos com biofilmes de cultura pura formados em membranas de osmose reversa; além de verificar a influência de biofilmes na deposição de sais e ação de compostos químicos utilizados na limpeza química de membranas nos mesmos. A autópsia dos elementos colmatados mostrou uma grande quantidade de células viáveis porém, com concentrações de carboidratos muito baixas; diferentemente do que ocorreu quando biofilmes de cultura pura isolados destas membranas foram analisados, apresentando correlações fortes entre quantidade de células viáveis e macromoléculas como proteínas e, principalmente, carboidratos. Com relação à influência dos biofilmes na deposição de sais, dois dos quatro biofilmes de cultura pura apresentaram incorporação de bário em sua estrutura (revelado por análises de fluorescência de raios X), esta incorporação, provavelmente, ocorreu por troca iônica e não pela deposição de sulfato de bário. Compostos como hidróxido de sódio (pH = 12) e ácido clorídrico (pH = 2) apresentaram bons resultados na diminuição de células viáveis porém, a recuperação dos microrganismos foi menor com a utilização do ácido. Os compostos EDTA e SDS não foram eficazes na diminuição de viáveis. / Systems of filter membranes, especially reverse osmosis, are being increasingly used in various segments of companies (pharmaceutical, water treatment, food and chemical industries) due to the decrease in the price of the filter elements and high quality of the product. The biofouling corresponds to a type of inevitable fouling characterized by growth of microorganisms on the surface of the membrane and release of EPS by them; so a better understanding of these structures is necessary. This study aimed to characterize the biofouling in different reverse osmosis membranes addressed from different industries by the technique of autopsy and compared with results obtained with pure culture biofilms in reverse osmosis membranes; and to verify the influence of biofilms in the deposition of salts and action of chemical compounds used in chemical cleaning of membranes in them. The autopsy of clogged elements showed a lot of viable cells but with very low carbohydrate concentrations; unlike what occurred when biofilms isolated pure culture of these membranes were analyzed, showing strong correlation between number of viable cells and macromolecules such as proteins and especially carbohydrates. Regarding the influence of biofilms in the deposition of salts, two of the four pure culture biofilms showed barium incorporation in its structure (revealed by fluorescence analysis X-ray), this merger probably occurred by ion exchange and not by deposition barium sulfate. Compounds such as sodium hydroxide (pH = 12) and hydrochloric acid (pH = 2) showed good results in the decrease of viable cells however, the recovery of microorganisms was lower with use of the acid. EDTA and SDS compounds were not effective in reducing viable.

O presente trabalho avaliou o desempenho de um sistema de pré-tratamento para água do mar constituído por um filtro lento de areia, com uma etapa prévia de filtração por um filtro de discos. O sistema demonstrou eficiência na remoção de fatores causadores de fouling em membranas de osmose reversa, removendo aproximadamente 97% dos sólidos suspensos totais presentes na água bruta, e gerando um filtrado com turbidez entre 0.1 e 0.2 UNT. As concentrações de microrganismos e AOC, principais fatores causadores da formação de biofouling, foram ambas reduzidas em cerca de 90%. Em sistemas de dessalinização de água do mar por osmose reversa, o pré-tratamento da água de alimentação constitui a principal estratégia no controle da formação do biofouling, que é gerado pelo estabelecimento de biofilmes sobre a superfície da membrana. A formação de biofouling gera impacto no desempenho do processo de osmose reversa e nos custos de operação. / This study evaluated the performance of a pretreatment system for seawater comprising of a slow sand filter, with a preliminary stage of filtration by disc filtration system. The system proved to be efficient in removing factors causing fouling in reverse osmosis membranes removing around 97% of the total suspended solids present in the raw water, and yielding a filtrate with turbidity between 0.1 and 0.2 NTU. The bacterial concentrations and AOC, main factors causing biofouling formation, were both reduced by about 90%. In seawater reverse osmosis systems, pretreatment of the feeded water is the main strategy to control biofouling, which is formed by the establishment of biofilms on a membrane surface. The biofouling formation produces an impact in the performance of the reverse osmosis process and operating costs.

O consumo de cervejas não alcoólicas tem aumentado nos últimos anos devido, principalmente, às novas e restritivas leis de trânsito, às preocupações com a saúde ou por razões religiosas. Entre as estratégias de produção das cervejas não alcoólicas ou com baixo teor de álcool estão os processos de separação por membranas, alternativas de grande interesse na remoção do etanol de cervejas tradicionais, pois não promovem impacto térmico no produto. A osmose direta é uma técnica de membranas que tem passado por avanços significativos na última década, apresentando potencial de aplicação na remoção de etanol de soluções aquosas e, consequentemente, na obtenção de cervejas não alcoólicas. No entanto, até o momento, nenhum estudo relacionado à sua utilização na remoção de compostos orgânicos voláteis, como o etanol de soluções aquosas ou bebidas, é encontrado na literatura. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a viabilidade da utilização da técnica de osmose direta para a esse fim. Em um primeiro momento, membranas comerciais de osmose direta foram caracterizadas de acordo com suas propriedades morfológicas, químicas e de desempenho hidráulico para que pudessem ser comparadas no restante do trabalho, que foi dividido em diversos estudos. Estes estudos avaliaram os efeitos de variáveis de operação sobre o desempenho do processo de remoção de etanol de soluções aquosas: a velocidade de escoamento, a temperatura, a concentração e o tipo do agente osmótico, o pH da solução osmótica e o tipo de membrana. Finalmente, um estudo efetivo sobre a desalcoolização completa de cerveja comercial foi realizado para suportar a aplicabilidade da técnica de OD. Os resultados mostraram que os parâmetros estudados possuem influência sobre as variáveis de resposta do processo, como fluxo permeado total, fluxo inverso de soluto e fluxo de etanol e que estes podem ser otimizados para aumentar o desempenho na desalcoolização. As características da cerveja sem álcool obtida no último estudo foram diferentes daquelas da cerveja tradicional com álcool e alguns motivos como elevado tempo de operação, baixa seletividade da membrana para compostos de aroma e alto fluxo inverso do agente osmótico foram responsáveis pelas alterações. O trabalho demonstrou que é possível utilizar a osmose direta para a remoção de etanol de soluções aquosas e, consequentemente, para a desalcoolização de cervejas. / The consumption of non-alcoholic beer has increased in the last years mainly due to the stricter traffic laws, to personal health concerns or even due to religious reasons. Among the strategies for production of non-alcoholic or low alcohol beers are the membrane separation processes. Membrane-based processes are alternatives of great interest for removing the ethanol from beer because low operating temperatures can be used, avoiding the thermal impact caused on the product by traditional thermal technologies. Forward osmosis (FO) is a membrane technology that has been significantly improved in the last decade, presenting a potential of application to ethanol removal from aqueous solutions and, consequently, for producing non-alcoholic beers. However, until now, no study related to the removal of ethanol from aqueous solutions or beverages using FO is found in the literature. In this context, the main objective of this doctorate thesis is to evaluate the possibility of using the forward osmosis technology for ethanol removal from beer and other aqueous solutions. Initially, commercial forward osmosis membranes were characterized according to morphological and chemical properties and to their hydraulic performance in order to be compared in the following work, which was divided in several studies. These studies evaluated the effects of operating parameters, such as the crossflow velocity, the osmotic solution temperature, concentration and pH, the osmotic agent characteristics, and the membrane characteristics on the performance of ethanol removal from aqueous solutions process. Finally, an effective study about beer dealcoholization was performed to support the applicability of the forward osmosis. Results showed that the studied parameters have influence on response variables such as total permeate flux, reverse solute flux and ethanol flux, and that these parameters can be optimized to enhance the dealcoholization performance. The characteristics of the dealcoholized beer obtained in the last study were different from that of traditional beer in the beginning of dealcoholization process and some reasons such as the prolonged experiment time, the low selectivity of the membrane to flavor compounds and high reverse osmotic agent flux were responsible for these significant changes. This thesis demonstrated that it is possible to take advantage of the forward osmosis technology to remove ethanol from aqueous solutions and consequently dealcoholize beer.

Une étude a été menée sur la faisabilité technique du traitement de potabilisation des eaux de forage contaminées à l’arsenic par procédé membranaire. Pour ce faire, l’efficacité de deux membranes commerciales (NF270 et TW30) vis-à-vis de la rétention des espèces d’arsenic, arsénite [As (III)] et arséniate [As (V)], a été d’abord comparée sous différentes conditions expérimentales. Ensuite, la contribution des différents mécanismes intervenant dans l’élimination des espèces d’arsenic a été identifiée. Enfin, la membrane la plus performante a été utilisée pour le traitement d’une eau souterraine naturellement riche en arsenic. Il ressort de cette étude que la pression opératoire et le pH sont les paramètres importants sur lesquels il faut agir pour améliorer l’efficacité du système membranaire pour le traitement de l’arsenic. L’As(V) est facilement éliminé par rapport à l’As (III) aussi bien avec la membrane de nanofiltration que d’osmose inverse. Toutefois, la membrane d’osmose inverse (TW30) permet une meilleure élimination des différentes espèces d’arsenic que la membrane NF270. Cela est dû au fait que la membrane TW30 est une membrane dense. L’application de cette membrane pour la production d’eau potable à partir d’une eau de forage contenant 413,74µg/L d’arsenic total dont 405,63µg/L d’As (V) et 8,11 µg/L d’As (III) a donné une concentration d’arsenic total dans l’eau traitée de 9,99 µg/L soit un taux de rétention de 97,6% et un volume d’eau traité correspondant à 70% du volume d’eau brute. Il est donc possible de mettre en place un procédé de traitement de ces eaux de forage à partir de la membrane TW30 afin de produire de l’eau potable pour les populations du nord du Burkina Faso. La performance de ce procédé peut être encore améliorée en oxydant l’As (III) en As (V) avant filtration. / In order to produce potable water for human consumption, a study was carried out on the technical feasibility of arsenic-rich borehole water treatment by membrane process. Firstly the efficiency of two commercial membranes (NF2Une étude a été menée sur la faisabilité technique du traitement de potabilisation des eaux de forage contaminées à l’arsenic par procédé membranaire. Pour ce faire, l’efficacité de deux membranes commerciales (NF270 et TW30) vis-à-vis de la rétention des espèces d’arsenic, arsénite [As (III)] et arséniate [As (V)], a été d’abord comparée sous différentes conditions expérimentales. Ensuite, la contribution des différents mécanismes intervenant dans l’élimination des espèces d’arsenic a été identifiée. Enfin, la membrane la plus performante a été utilisée pour le traitement d’une eau souterraine naturellement riche en arsenic. Il ressort de cette étude que la pression opératoire et le pH sont les paramètres importants sur lesquels il faut agir pour améliorer l’efficacité du système membranaire pour le traitement de l’arsenic. L’As(V) est facilement éliminé par rapport à l’As (III) aussi bien avec la membrane de nanofiltration que d’osmose inverse. Toutefois, la membrane d’osmose inverse (TW30) permet une meilleure élimination des différentes espèces d’arsenic que la membrane NF270. Cela est dû au fait que la membrane TW30 est une membrane dense. L’application de cette membrane pour la production d’eau potable à partir d’une eau de forage contenant 413,74µg/L d’arsenic total dont 405,63µg/L d’As (V) et 8,11 µg/L d’As (III) a donné une concentration d’arsenic total dans l’eau traitée de 9,99 µg/L soit un taux de rétention de 97,6% et un volume d’eau traité correspondant à 70% du volume d’eau brute. Il est donc possible de mettre en place un procédé de traitement de ces eaux de forage à partir de la membrane TW30 afin de produire de l’eau potable pour les populations du nord du Burkina Faso. La performance de ce procédé peut être encore améliorée en oxydant l’As (III) en As (V) avant filtration.70 and TW30) for different arsenic species removal, arsenite [As (III)] and arsenate [As (V)], was compared under various experimental conditions. Afterward, the contribution of mechanisms in As species removal was determined. Finally, the most efficient membrane was used for As-rich groundwater treatment. Results show that, applied pressure and feed pH are the important parameters which must be considered if As removal wants to be improved. As (V) is much easily removed than As (III) both NF270 and TW30 membranes. Nevertheless, TW30 membrane has a better removal of As species than NF270 membrane. It is due to the fact that TW30 membrane is a compact membrane. The application of this membrane for potable water production from naturally contaminated groundwater containing 413.74 µg/L of total arsenic (405.63 µg/L of As (V) and 8.11 µg/L of As (III)) gave a treated water of 9.99 µg/L (97.6% of rejection) of total As concentration and water produced volume equivalent to 70% of raw water volume. Therefore, it is possible to implement a treatment process with TW30 membrane to remove arsenic from naturally contaminated groundwater coming from the northern part of Burkina Faso. The efficiency of this process can be improved again by oxidizing As (III) in As (V) before filtration.

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. O biofouling corresponde a um tipo de fouling inevitável, caracterizado pelo crescimento de microrganismos na superfície das membranas e liberação de EPS pelos mesmos; por isso, um melhor conhecimento sobre estas estruturas é necessário. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar o biofouling em diferentes membranas de osmose reversa colmatadas de diferentes indústrias pela técnica da autópsia e comparar com resultados obtidos com biofilmes de cultura pura formados em membranas de osmose reversa; além de verificar a influência de biofilmes na deposição de sais e ação de compostos químicos utilizados na limpeza química de membranas nos mesmos. A autópsia dos elementos colmatados mostrou uma grande quantidade de células viáveis porém, com concentrações de carboidratos muito baixas; diferentemente do que ocorreu quando biofilmes de cultura pura isolados destas membranas foram analisados, apresentando correlações fortes entre quantidade de células viáveis e macromoléculas como proteínas e, principalmente, carboidratos. Com relação à influência dos biofilmes na deposição de sais, dois dos quatro biofilmes de cultura pura apresentaram incorporação de bário em sua estrutura (revelado por análises de fluorescência de raios X), esta incorporação, provavelmente, ocorreu por troca iônica e não pela deposição de sulfato de bário. Compostos como hidróxido de sódio (pH = 12) e ácido clorídrico (pH = 2) apresentaram bons resultados na diminuição de células viáveis porém, a recuperação dos microrganismos foi menor com a utilização do ácido. Os compostos EDTA e SDS não foram eficazes na diminuição de viáveis. / Systems of filter membranes, especially reverse osmosis, are being increasingly used in various segments of companies (pharmaceutical, water treatment, food and chemical industries) due to the decrease in the price of the filter elements and high quality of the product. The biofouling corresponds to a type of inevitable fouling characterized by growth of microorganisms on the surface of the membrane and release of EPS by them; so a better understanding of these structures is necessary. This study aimed to characterize the biofouling in different reverse osmosis membranes addressed from different industries by the technique of autopsy and compared with results obtained with pure culture biofilms in reverse osmosis membranes; and to verify the influence of biofilms in the deposition of salts and action of chemical compounds used in chemical cleaning of membranes in them. The autopsy of clogged elements showed a lot of viable cells but with very low carbohydrate concentrations; unlike what occurred when biofilms isolated pure culture of these membranes were analyzed, showing strong correlation between number of viable cells and macromolecules such as proteins and especially carbohydrates. Regarding the influence of biofilms in the deposition of salts, two of the four pure culture biofilms showed barium incorporation in its structure (revealed by fluorescence analysis X-ray), this merger probably occurred by ion exchange and not by deposition barium sulfate. Compounds such as sodium hydroxide (pH = 12) and hydrochloric acid (pH = 2) showed good results in the decrease of viable cells however, the recovery of microorganisms was lower with use of the acid. EDTA and SDS compounds were not effective in reducing viable.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar o desempenho de uma membrana comercial na remoção de um metal pesado (níquel) de efluentes sintéticos, por osmose inversa. Na primeira etapa foi realizada uma comparação com os resultados obtidos com soluções de alimentação contendo sais, como NaCl, NaNO3 e Ni(NO3)2.6 H2O, nas concentrações de 50, 100 e 200 ppm, e nas pressões de 10, 20 e 26 bar. Os resultados mostraram que a influência da concentração e da pressão aplicada ao sistema não afetaram as rejeições de forma significativa. Na segunda etapa, como os parâmetros não influíram significativamente na rejeição dos sais, optou-se, pela aplicação de uma pressão de operação de 10 bar, para avaliar a eficiência de remoção de níquel. A membrana utilizada, constituída de poliamida, modelo HR98PP e fornecida pela DOW/Filmtec, apresentou uma boa permeabilidade hidráulica. Os resultados mostraram que para todas as concentrações testadas, as rejeições de níquel ultrapassaram 96%, comprovando a boa seletividade deste tipo de membrana na rejeição do referido metal, com fluxos de permeado variando entre 4,78 e 5,55 L/h.m2 , sob pressão de operação de 10 bar. Para estudar o efeito do tamanho iônico na rejeição da membrana, o níquel foi complexado pela adição de um agente quelante na solução de alimentação. O agente escolhido foi o Na2EDTA, devido à formação de um complexo estável com o níquel e por ser um agente não prejudicial à saúde humana. Os resultados com adição de EDTA indicaram um aumento na rejeição de níquel, atingindo o índice máximo de 98,22 %, partindo-se de uma solução com 40,39 ppm de Ni2+, e confirmam que o processo de osmose inversa com a membrana HR98PP é altamente adequado para o tratamento de efluentes contendo níquel / The present work aim to investigate the performance of commercial membrane (HR98PP) at reverse osmosis process for nickel removal from synthetic effluents. The results was obtained by using salt solution of NaCl, NaNO3 and Ni(NO3)2.6 H2O at different feed concentration (50, 100 and 200 mg/L) and pressure (10, 20 and 26 bar), as drive-force of process. The membrane performance showed a good hydraulic permeability (Lp) and nickel removal at 10 bar. This condition was used to investigate the influence of EDTA, as chelate agent, on nickel rejection when a feed solution with lower Ni2+ concentration (&#8776; 40 mg/L) was prepared. The EDTA was chosen due to the stable complex formations and because this agent in not a prejucial element to human health and to environment. In this case, the HR98PP membrane was showed a high nickel rejection (&#8776; 98%), using feed solution containing 40,39 mg/L Ni2+. However, it is suitable for the wastewater nickel treatment