Mitigating Membrane Fouling in Dairy Wastewater Treatment System: Assessing the Effects of Integrated 3DP Turbulence Promoter

Abstract Dairy factories annually generate increasing amounts of wastewater, which can cause eutrophication due to high concentrations of amino acids and lipids. To address this issue, membrane technology has emerged as a promising solution, but membrane fouling remains a significant challenge, since it can couse decreased flux, lessen membrane rejection performance and increased energy demand. This study aimed to reduce membrane fouling by integrated a Three-Dimensional Printed (3DP) turbulence promoter into an ultrafiltration dead-end cell and varying stirring speeds. Two mathematical models, Hermia and Resistance-in-series, were used to analyze the fouling process. According to both models, the cake layer formation model indicated the most prevalent fouling mechanism. The specific energy demand, permeate flux, membrane rejection, and membrane reversible and irreversible resistances were measured, calculated and compared. The results suggest that the combination of integrated 3DP turbulence promoter and high stirring speeds can effectively reduce membrane fouling in a dairy wastewater treatment module.