Utilization of Tubular UF Membranes in Zero Liquid Discharge Application at Thermal Solar Plant

Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) is a new concept in the circular economy for industries to eliminate or minimize residual effluents and maximize reuse of treated water. The increasing costs of water and waste discharge, as well as new stringent reuse policies, serve as important drivers for
ZLD implementation. A large zero discharge treatment plant located in California?s Mojave desert faces the challenge of treating reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate/wastewater. RO membrane technology is widely used to treat brackish and sea water, and to decrease the amount
of ions in the process water itself. RO recovery rates typically range around 75%, therefore leaving the other 25% as concentrate to be discharged as wastewater. However, additional recovery can be achieved by using physical-chemical treatment followed by tubular
ultrafiltration membranes.