Treatment of Mililani I Well Water By "Nanofiltration"

Abstract

Two nanofiltration membranes, a thin film composite (TFC) membrane, a cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, were tested as pretreatment alternatives to extend the effective life of GAC at Mililani Wells I, Oahu, Hawaii. TFC membranes achieved excellent 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP), and 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) removal percentages whereas CTA membranes performed very poorly. TFC membranes showed promising signs of reducing total organic carbong (TOC) from the nanofiltration unit influent. In Mililani waters, only TCP is present in large amounts. It is suggested that further studies should be conducted where there is a chance of observing membrane's performance against high quantities of 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB), and DBCP. Due to the lack of trained personnel, not many TOC analyses were conducted. It is proven that nanofiltration is a viable treatment alternative and a pilot scale study should be conducted in the future taking economics also into consideration.