Case Study: Fouling resistant ZwitterCo Elevation RO Membrane Deployment for High-Strength Biorefinery Wastewater Treatment
In pursuit of a more robust solution for complex sugar refinery wastewater, a biorefinery partnered with ZwitterCo to evaluate the use of fouling-resistant reverse osmosis membranes. This collaboration was part of a broader initiative to assess innovative membrane technologies for industrial wastewater management. The goal was to determine whether advanced RO membranes could meet the site’s stringent requirements for recovery, salt rejection, and cleanability, particularly under conditions of high salinity, and elevated nutrient and organic loads.
The Challenge
The site generated a complex wastewater stream containing high levels of dissolved salts, nutrients, and organic residues. The effluent routinely exceeded permissible limits for key parameters such as chloride, phosphate, total dissolved solids (TDS), and nitrogen compounds. The situation was further complicated by significant variability in wastewater composition, driven by fluctuations in upstream operations.
The facility relied on a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for biological treatment. However, elevated salinity and conductivity inhibited microbial performance and reduced nutrient removal efficiency, increasing the risk of non-compliance with discharge permits. To protect the biological system and stabilize overall plant performance, a pretreatment solution was required, one capable of reducing ionic load and salinity without introducing additional operational complexity. The solution also needed to maintain reliable cleanability, high recovery, and strong salt rejection while accommodating fluctuating feedwater quality.
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