Brackish waters are now considered valuable alternative water resources. Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are the most promising candidate for drinking water production through desalination. Low recovery (the fraction of influent water that becomes product water) prevents widespread application of RO inland because of the high cost of waste disposal. The recovery of a brackish RO system is limited by sparingly soluble salts that become supersaturated and precipitate on the membrane surface. Precipitation is controlled through pH adjustment and antiscalant addition; however, at high salt supersaturation, antiscalant control is overcome and precipitation occurs. To further increase RO recovery and avoid precipitation, a three-stage process treated the waste stream (concentrate) of a brackish water RO system through antiscalant degradation, salt precipitation, and solid/liquid separation. Ozone (O3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were used to degrade antiscalants, pH elevation and base (NaOH/NaHCO3) addition were used to precipitate sparingly soluble salts, and microfiltration (0.1 μm) was used to separate precipitated solids from the water. Optimal parameters (pH, ozone dose, H2O2/O3 ratio, antiscalant type and concentration, water composition) for antiscalant oxidation were determined. The influence of antiscalant type and concentration and pH was investigated for the precipitation and filtration stages. Results were obtained for particle size distribution, extent of precipitation, particle morphology, and particle composition. The effect of ozonation on precipitation and filtration was evaluated, with a comparison to two-stage treatment consisting of precipitation and filtration. Antiscalant oxidation is controlled by bivalent cation coordination, while pH and ozone dose significantly affect the extent of oxidation. The addition of antiscalant prior to precipitation caused changes to particle size and morphology, and results varied with water composition and antiscalant type and concentration. Ozonation, even for small times such as one minute, prior to precipitation and filtration increased calcium precipitation and decomposed the antiscalant enough to remove the effect of the antiscalant on particle characteristics. During ozonation, antiscalants were not completely oxidized, but the partial oxidation products did not seem to affect precipitation. Ozonation also reduced the fouling of microfiltration membranes used for solid/liquid separation. Results indicated concentrate treatment can significantly increase the overall recovery of an RO system. / text

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / This project presents a brackish water desalination plant via Reverse Osmosis (RO) powered by Photovoltaic Modules (PV) with Maximum Power Tracking (MPPT) and a self â regulating pressure valve. The developed unit is installed on Alternative Energy Laboratory (LEA), which is located on the campus of PICI at Federal University of CearÃ. To extract maximum power from the PV module a Buck type converter was developed for this application. The Incremental Conductance algorithms (IncCond) is used. The MPPT technique was simulated, tested and validated, showing an efficiency of 86.8%. An innovation in this plant is the use of a self-regulating pressure valve installed in the concentrate output, which ensures a smaller pressure and power variation in the pump that is responsible for pressurizing the water to the membranes. The technical feasibility of the RO plant is checked in two phases: one without the presence of the self- regulating pressure valve in the concentrated output and other with the self-regulating pressure valve in the concentrated output. The plant is tested for two salinity levels 1000 and 1500 mg/L of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) levels. These salinity levels chosen are commonly found in most brackish water wells of the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil. For operation without selfregulating pressure valve the obtained average values are: recovery rate 8.03% (relation between permeate flow and feed water flow), 151.7 L of daily production of drinking water with 130 mg/L of TDS, specific energy consumption of 2.68 kWh/m3. For operation with self-regulating pressure valve the obtained average values are: recovery rate 8.14%, 175.3 L of daily production of drinking water with 120 mg/L of TDS, specific energy consumption of 2.56 kWh/m3. Thus the configuration system using the self â regulating valve showed better results / O presente projecto apresenta uma planta de dessalinizaÃÃo de Ãgua salobra por osmose reversa (OR) acionada por mÃdulos fotovoltaicos (FV) com seguimento de potÃncia mÃxima (MPPT - Maximum Power Point Tracking) e vÃlvula autoreguladora de pressÃo. A planta desenvolvida està instalada no LaboratÃrio de Energias Alternativas (LEA), situado no Campus do PICI da Universidade Federal do CearÃ. Para extraÃÃo da mÃxima de energia do mÃdulo FV foi desenvolvido um conversor do tipo Buck, usando a tÃcnica CondutÃncia Incremental (CondInc). A tÃcnica de MPPT foi simulada, testada e validada, apresentando uma eficiÃncia de 86,8% no seguimento do ponto de potÃncia mÃxima. Uma inovaÃÃo na planta proposta à o uso de uma vÃlvula autoreguladora de pressÃo instalada na saÃda do concentrado, que garante uma menor variaÃÃo de pressÃo e corrente eletrica na motobomba responsÃvel por pressurizaÃÃo da Ãgua para as membranas. A planta de OR foi testada em duas etapas: uma sem a presenÃa da vÃlvula auto-reguladora de pressÃo e a outra com a vÃlvula, para uma Ãgua de alimentaÃÃo entre os nÃveis de salinidade de 1000 e 1500 mg/L de STD (SÃlidos Totais Dissolvidos). Estes nÃveis de salinidade adotados sÃo geralmente encontrados em poÃos com Ãgua salobra do semiÃrido do Nordeste do Brasil e noutros casos maior 1500 mg/L de STD. Para a operaÃÃo sem a vÃlvula autoreguladora de pressÃo foram obtidos os seguintes valores mÃdios: taxa de recuperaÃÃo 8,03%, produÃÃo de Ãgua potÃvel de 151,7 L/dia com 130 mg/L de STD, consumo especÃfico de energia de 2,68 kWh/m3. Para a operaÃÃo com a vÃlvula autoreguladora de pressÃo foram obtidos os seguintes valores mÃdios: taxa de recuperaÃÃo 8,14%, produÃÃo de Ãgua potÃvel de 175,3 L/dia com 120 mg/L de STD, consumo especÃfico de energia de 2,56 kWh/m3. No entanto a configuraÃÃo da planta operando com a vÃlvula autoreguladora de pressÃo apresenta melhores resultados relativamente a operaÃÃo sem a vÃlvula.

Yes / Reverse Osmosis (RO) process accounts for 80% of the world desalination capacity. Apparently, there is a rapid increase of deploying the RO process in seawater desalination due to its high efficiency in removing salts at a reduced energy consumption compared to thermal desalination technologies such as MSF and MED. Among different types of membranes, spiral would membranes is one of the most used. However, there is no in-depth study on the performance of spiral wound membranes in terms of salt rejection, water quality, water recovery and specific energy consumption subject to wide range of seawater salinity, temperature, feed flowrate and pressure using a high fidelity but a realistic process model which is therefore is the focus of this study. The membrane is subjected to conditions within the manufacturer's recommendations. The outcome of this research will certainly help the designers selecting optimum RO network configuration for a large-scale desalination process.

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.

Cette étude s’intéresse à la conception systémique intégrant simultanément les questions de dimensionnement et de gestion optimale de l'énergie. Le système étudié concerne un procédé de pompage intégrant un processus de dessalement d’eaux saumâtres alimenté par des sources de puissance hybrides renouvelable incluant un minimum de stockage électrochimique. Ce cas d’étude appartient à une classe typique de systèmes autonomes alimentés par des sources intermittentes dont profil de puissance a une forme "donnée" : « selon les conditions climatiques (ensoleillement, vent), avec un minimum de stockage d’électricité, la puissance offerte doit être convertie ou stockée hydrauliquement sous peine d’être gaspillée ». L'influence des conditions d'environnement et la robustesse du processus d’optimisation est enfin aussi discutée dans cette thèse. Deux types de modèles mathématiques, dynamiques et quasi-statiques, sont mis en œuvre pour décrire l'ensemble du dispositif. Le système est tout d’abord modélisé dynamiquement par Bond Graphs. Pour une simulation plus rapide, plus adaptée à l’optimisation globale du système, un modèle quasi-statique est créé pour être simulé dans l'environnement Matlab. Pour de tels dispositifs, étant donné une certaine puissance offerte au fil du vent et du soleil, trouver le point optimal de fonctionnement à chaque période consiste en un partage de puissance entre les sous systèmes de pompage et de traitement de l’eau : ce processus est plutôt complexe compte tenu des non linéarités (courbes rendement – puissance) et de la présence de nombreuses contraintes relatives aux limitations de puissance des pompes, aux conditions de niveau des réservoirs, ainsi qu’aux limitations de pression et de débit dans les processus hydrauliques (pompes osmoseur). Nous montrerons qu’il n’est pas si trivial de choisir une fonction objectif qui assure simultanément la performance et la robuste du système vis-à-vis des conditions d’environnement : une fonction objectif robuste quel que soit le profil de puissance des sources est ainsi proposée pour mettre en œuvre une gestion optimale de l’énergie. Le problème d’optimisation étant posé sous forme standard, consistant en la maximisation d’une fonction objectif sous contraintes, des approches d’optimisation efficaces par programmation non linéaire sont employées. La question du dimensionnement et son couplage à la gestion énergétique est finalement étudiée. En particulier, l’intérêt de la modularité des systèmes, considérant plusieurs pompes connectées en parallèle pour la même fonction, est investigué. / This study focuses on systemic design, integrating simultaneously issues of sizing and optimal energy management. The system under study consists of a pumping process including a brackish water desalination system fed by hybrid renewable power sources with minimum electrochemical storage. Such a device belongs to the class of “autonomous systems” supplied by intermittent sources whose power profile has a “given” waveform: “with minimum electrical storage, power has to be converted, stored in water tanks, or wasted following climatic (sun, wind) conditions”. Influence of environment conditions and robustness of the optimization process is then also discussed in this thesis. Both dynamic and quasi static models are implemented for representing the whole system. The device is firstly modeled dynamically by Bond Graph methodology. For faster simulations, which are more suitable for system optimization, a quasi static model is created to be simulated in the Matlab environment. For such systems, given a certain source power, finding optimal operation point at each period consists of a power sharing between all pumping devices: it is a complex process with huge nonlinearities (efficiency vs power curves) and with many constraints as for the limitation of pump powers, tank level conditions, or pressure and flow limitations in hydraulic network and pumping devices. It is not so trivial to define an objective function which ensures system performance and robustness versus environment conditions: a convenient objective function, whatever the input power profile, is then proposed to implement the optimal management. The optimization problem being mathematically expressed, consisting of objective function maximization under constraints, efficient optimization methods by non linear programming are implemented. The issue of sizing and its coupling with system management efficiency is finally studied. In particular, the interest of modular operation with several pumps connected in parallel is also concerned in this research.