Aggregation and Fouling Impacts in Determining Organic and Clay Removal by Electropositive Filtration
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 9
Abstract
Electropositive filtration (EPF) uses a macroporous filter media with a strong positive charge to achieve high separation factors for substances many times smaller than its nominal pore size; however, the variables that affect its performance are poorly understood. The objective of this work was to elucidate the significance of filter fouling and particle size in relation to electroadhesion in determining material removal by an electropositive filter. EPF performance was evaluated using humic acid (HA) and montmorillonite clay in adsorption and dead-end filtration experiments. Comparative analyses were done with a negatively charged microglass filter of similar nominal pore size. The electropositive filter had a higher selectivity for HA and clay because of favorable charge–charge interactions. HA and clay removal were governed by aggregate size and filter fouling. For the HA, accumulation of negatively charged material on the electropositive filter resulted in decreased removal as filtration progressed because of screening of the charge interactions. For the clay, rapid fouling resulted in high removal but plugging of the filter. Precoagulation resulted in optimum performance conditions—high selectivity and low headloss development.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Ahlstrom Corporation for funding this work and for providing samples of electropositive filters for testing. We would also like to thank Dr. Tzahi Cath for carrying out the streaming potential analysis of the electropositive filters.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 9 • September 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 8, 2016
Accepted: Apr 5, 2017
Published online: Jul 6, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Dec 6, 2017
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