Computational fluid dynamics modeling of ibuprofen removal using a hollow fiber membrane contactor

Abstract

Abstract In this study, modeling and simulation of removing a common pharmaceutical contaminant by a hollow fiber membrane contactor (HFMC) were carried out. For this purpose, a model was presented for separation of ibuprofen from wastewater in the membrane contactor. The suggested model was developed by coupling the mass and momentum equations. The partial differential equations (PDEs) and the corresponding boundary conditions of the model were solved using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The results showed that the predictions of this model were in close agreement with experimental data obtained from the literature. Moreover, the effects of different design and operating parameters on the removal of ibuprofen were studied. The simulation results revealed that the removal of ibuprofen was increased by increasing the membrane porosity and the length of fibers. The ibuprofen removal efficiency was also enhanced up to 93.2 and 90.2% by increasing the inner radius and the number of fibers from 110 to 145 μ m and 3,000 to 15,000, respectively. As a result, this study illustrates the successful development of the CFD model for prediction of ibuprofen removal using HFMC according to which removal efficiency of more than 95% was achieved.