Comparison Between Pulse Flow Reverse Osmosis (PFROô) and Standard RO

Wastewater reuse, together with zero or near zero liquid discharge, has been a growing trend due to the requirement of sustainable water management mandated by tightening discharge regulations. A lot of attention has been drawn to limiting the amount of concentrate generated from RO processes, which depends mainly on the concentrations of scale forming ions in the concentrate stream. Increasing the recovery in a given process allows both reduction of discharge and increase of product. Pulse Flow Reverse Osmosis (PFROô) technology is an innovative method for operating Wastewater Reuse (WWRO) and Brackish Water (BWRO) systems. This technology enables high recovery by constantly changing the osmotic and hydraulic conditions, which greatly diminishes biofouling and scaling. A case study of the PFROô technology ñ treating the brine of BWRO plant and producing additional permeate from this – is presented, with a comparison to standard RO. There is also reference to the technological and economical aspects of specific energy and capital expenses in the paper. The demo unit is operating at a BWRO desalination facility in Abilene, TX, from March to June 2021, using brine from the 3rd stage of the plant as source water.