Laboratory and pilot evaluation of aquaporin-based forward osmosis membranes for rejection of micropollutants

Aquaporin-based forward osmosis (AQP FO) membranes were applied both in laboratory- and pilot-scale for removing micropollutants from water. The effect of operating parameters (feed flow, draw transmembrane pressure) on the i) rejection micropollutants, ii) water flux, iii) reverse salt iv) recovery AQP FO membrane modules was studied. Among 21 spiked, only four compounds, atenolol, propranolol, metoprolol, citalopram, permeated through to an extent that they could be quantified solutions laboratory pilot systems. rates, based full mass balance calculations, between 96.1% 99.7%, all other 17 compounds showed exceeding 90% system further employed six days treat effluent a bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater. 35 investigated. 27 these identified MBR effluent. Minute fractions gabapentin, benzotriazole, metoprolol detected passing into side with constant around 99.2%, 95.4%, 99.9%. Almost micropollutants’ minimum rates exceeded 80%.