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Sitra has presented a new system for the treatment of highly complex waters using vibrating membranes, a technology that does not currently exist in Spain and that allows for high performance in osmosis of complex waters.
The objective of the reverse osmosis process - widely known in water treatment in industry - is to separate the substances found in the water on one side of the membrane (concentrate) and obtain a dilute solution low in dissolved solids (permeate).
Traditional reverse osmosis processes use spiral-wound membranes and therefore cannot be used for highly complex waters, such as wastewater with high salt content and very high concentrations of organic matter. Furthermore, this type of effluent cannot be treated by conventional organic matter removal systems because the high salt concentration hinders treatment through biological processes.
These limitations of traditional reverse osmosis for treating complex wastewater have led to this type of effluent generally being treated as liquid waste and managed by an authorized waste management company at a waste treatment plant. It is worth noting that this entails high economic and environmental costs, as it involves transporting the waste for processing.
As a solution to this environmental problem, Sitra has implemented a new technology using a vibrating reverse osmosis membrane system. This membrane has a similar chemical composition to the spiral membrane, but its configuration is completely different. The vibration added to the system largely prevents the precipitation of salts and organic matter on the membrane, achieving a high conversion rate (close to 80%). This minimizes the subsequent cost of the resulting concentrate, if needed, and also produces a high-quality permeate that can be reused in the process.
This type of technological solution makes treatments viable that were previously unthinkable, providing the industry with tools that make it more competitive and, at the same time, promoting the circularity of waste by allowing the reuse of water in industrial processes.
