Brine Concentration

Many industrial waste streams contain precipitating salts like calcium sulfate or polymerized organics such as poly-acrylonitrile. These substances can’t be concentrated with Reverse Osmosis unless they have undergone extensive and costly pretreatment. In the case of many of these organic waste streams, the only option is thermal processes such as MVR’s followed by incineration or deep well injection.

Forward Osmosis (FO) is a “green” process that uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate water from dissolved solids. Unlike the high-pressure-driven Reverse Osmosis process, Forward Osmosis pulls water molecules through the membrane via osmotic pressure differences and does not require an external pump or hydraulic pressure. FTS’ unique patented OsmoBC™ process, which leverages Osmo F₂O™ FO membrane technology, brings forward osmosis to a wide range of industrial wastewater treatment applications. Figure 1 below illustrates the OsmoBC™ brine concentration process.

Figure 1: OsmoBC™ process that utilizes FTS FO and High Brine Concentration Recovery (HBCR) Elements

The OsmoBC™ process is ideal for filtering high-foulingfeed streams with a high content of non-biodegradable BOD, COD, heavy metals, TDS, and TSS like oil and gas wastewaters. It is also capable of generating drinking water quality permeate without excessive pre-treatment, and without significantly degrading flux (water production)rates for long periods of operation.With today’s stringent environmental regulations, industrial plants are challenged to produce clean water and achieve Zero Liquid Discharge in efficient and economical ways.