Influence of operating parameters on the arsenic removal by nanofiltration

Arsenic contamination of surface and groundwater is a worldwide problem in a large number of Countries (Bangladesh, Argentina, Italy, USA, New Zealand, etc.). In many contaminated areas a continuous investigation of the available arsenic removal technologies is essential to develop economical and effective methods for removing arsenic in order to meet the new Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standard (10 mg/l) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In this work the removal of pentavalent arsenic from synthetic water was studied on laboratory scale by using two commercial nanofiltration (NF) spiral-wound membrane modules (N30F by Microdyn-Nadir and NF90 by Dow Chemical). The influence of main operating parameters such as feed concentration, pH, pressure and temperature on the As rejection and permeate flux of both membranes, was investigated. An increase of pH and a decrease of operating temperature and As feed concentration led to higher As removal for both membranes, whereas higher transmembrane pressure (TMP) values slightly reduced the removal achievable with the N30F membrane. In both cases, the permeate flux increased with temperature and pressure and reached its maximum value at a pH of around 8. Among the parameters affecting the As rejection, feed concentration plays a key role for the production of a permeate stream respecting the limits imposed by WHO.