Submitted by: Andrew Murphy, Technical Service Center, 86-68230, 303.445.2259, amurphy@do.usbr.gov
Proposal ID: 107
| Title |
| Cellulose Acetate (CA) Membrane Study |
| What Is the Primary Research Question You Are Proposing with this Proposal? | Today, cellulose acetate desalting membranes make up a significant percentage of the desalting membranes in use at desalting plants around the country. Cellulose acetate membranes are chlorine tolerant and the hydrophilic surface is less likely to foul compared with the polyamide membranes. Although it's well established that the intrinsic transport properties of cellulose acetate (CA) membranes can exceed 99.5% salt rejection, this has not been the case in practice. This is due to irregularities with the CA polymer. If feed water at 3500mg/L is desalted with a CA membrane with 95% salt rejection, the product would be 175 mg/L. If a superior CA membrane existed with 99.5% salt rejection, the product would be 18 mg/L. Is it possible to make relatively minor modification(s)during the synthesis of the polymer to achieve a superior CA membrane? |