Advantages and Limitations of High-Pressure Membrane Technologies for PFAS Treatment and Water Reuse: Revisiting the Influence of Solute Properties on Separation

Advantages and Limitations of High-Pressure Membrane Technologies for PFAS Treatment and Water Reuse: Revisiting the Influence of Solute Properties on Separation - A/Prof Chris Bellona 

High-pressure membrane processes including reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) have been used in the water treatment industry for decades due to their ability to effectively remove a wide size range of organic and inorganic solutes. In particular, RO has become a central component of potable reuse applications, and both NF and RO are being increasingly implemented for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) treatment applications. Past and ongoing PFAS treatment and water reuse research projects will be used to introduce fundamentals of membrane technologies and solute separation, advantages and disadvantages of membrane technologies, and prospects for future implementation. The effectiveness of NF and RO for PFAS separation will be discussed in the context of several ongoing projects evaluating NF and RO in combination with PFAS destruction technologies. Findings from a recent Water Research Foundation project on a near real-time volatile organic compound detector will be used to demonstrate the limitations of RO and NF for solute separation during water reuse applications.