The use of pervaporation for the removal of organic contaminants from water

Abstract

Abstract Pervaporation is an emerging polymeric membrane‐based process for the removal of organic compounds from water. A resistance‐in‐series model was formulated and validated using silicone rubber hollow fibers for the treatment of water containing trichloroethylene (TCE). This process model was coupled with a costing model to assist in the design of pervaporation systems. The model was used to predict performance, capital cost and operation cost of pervaporation for water treatment applications and to optimize design variables such as membrane thickness and the module hydrodynamics. Process characteristics and economics of pervaporation were compared to air stripping and activated carbon adsorption.