Membrane ultrafiltration for treatment and water reuse of TNT manufacturing wastes

In the present study, the removal of nitrobodies from ″pink water″ is experimentally investigated by continuous, thin-channel ultra-filtration of actual and synthetic wastes. The objectives of this investigation are to select an optimum membrane in terms of high organics (nitrotoluenes) rejection and adequate water flux, to establish operating conditions to minimize concentration polarization, and to develop the necessary design equations for scale-up from the experimental data relating ultrafiltrate concentration and water flux to the key independent variables. The results of a computer simulation technique for scaling-up the laboratory unit (at very low water recovery) to the full waste flow at high water recovery (90 percent) are presented.