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Modernization of conventional spiral wound membrane channel through
the use of an open-channel configurations – a tool to treat and reuse
wastewater
A. Bagdasaryan, A. Andrianov, A. Pervov

Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Department of Water Supply

RO is a well-known process applied in a variety of different fields such as drinking water

supply, power production, food industry etc. However the main disadvantages of the modern
RO techniques are connected with membrane fouling, concentrate flow and pretreatment that
increase operational costs, complicate design and create problem of brine utilization.
Constantly developing RO industry requires expansion of a field of RO applications and
improvement of RO process to overcome these disadvantages. Wastewater reuse could be
recognized today as a main ecological problem, a measure to reduce environment pollution,
as well as a new source of technological water. Along with water treatment, a problem of a
secondary pollution arise – wastewater from water treatment facilities, brine streams from RO
units, regeneration solutions after ion exchange regenerations, water after filter backwashing
and sludge disposal should also be utilized.
RO is recognized as a very efficient tool to reduce not only TDS, but reject all impurities in
dissolved and colloidal form. Meanwhile, it is considered that RO requires pretreatment and
brine disposal. These two factors are considered as main reasons that limit RO wide
application. To overcome these problems, a series of experimental investigations was
performed to determine scaling/fouling propensities of membrane modules and to develop a
new modified "open channel" RO modules that are not susceptible to fouling.
A number of successful attempts were undertaken to modify spiral wound membrane
channels to limit fouling and scaling potential. As presented in a number of publications,
elimination of the spacer mesh from the feed channels eliminates "dead regions" that provide
scaling (crystal formation) and fouling conditions whilst also reducing the risk of particle
"trapping" and associated dramatic pressure increase. Introduction of a new "open channel"
configuration offers new perspectives to escape fouling and to treat water with high fouling
potential. This novel concept has been developed, field tested and introduced into practice.
Fouling control is achieved by providing sufficient cross-flow velocities, flushings and
cleanings. Membrane units could be used to treat wastewater and provide high product water
quality to use it for technical and agricultural purposes.

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 a)

b) c)
Figure 1: A flow diagram and membrane unit for domestic wastewater treatment and reuse
a) Flow diagram: 1 – sewer; 2 – waste miller pump; 3 – flushable screen; 4 – feed water pressure tank; 5 –
centrifugal pump; 6 – solenoid valve at the inlet of the unit; 7 – membrane module; 8 – pressure regulation
valve; 9 – product water pressure tank; 10 – flushing solenoid valves; 11 – flushing water pressure tank; 12
pressure switch; 13 – check-valve; 14 – water counter
b) Membrane unit tailored with an “open channel” modules and flushing system
c) Pilot testing taking wastewater directly from the sewer stand-pipe

Figure 1 (b) shows a unit for domestic wastewater reuse, tailored by solenoid valves and time
relay for regular automatic flushing. Schematic flow diagram is shown on figure 1 (b).
Wastewater is taken directly from the sewer, then feedwater pass through the miller pump
(that mills large size impurities such as paper etc.) and then is forwarded to the screen filter
that is automatically flushed to remove foulants and discharge them back into a drain. The
pretreated wastewater is further separated in the RO "open channel" module. The membrane

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unit is operated in the circulation mode that ensures high concentrate flow velocities to
provide a "shear force" to prevent sedimentation of suspended particles and membrane
fouling. Figure 1 (c) shows a 600 liter per hour membrane unit fieldtesting: the unit was
operated at the building and a feed wastewater was taken directly from the sewer standpipe. In
the described application the brine is discharged back into the sewer.
Certain decisions are made to reduce concentrate volume. Concentrate flow could be reduced
to 1 per cent of initial feedwater volume and all impurities could be discharged together with
a sludge as a sludge humidity.
A number of innovations to predict scaling are developed and fieldtested. To increase a
concentration ratio, a problem of sparingly soluble salts (calcium carbonate precipitation)
should be solved. Calcium precipitation technique using seed crystals is developed that
removes calcium and bicarbonate ions from concentrate volume throughout concentration
cycle and reduces final concentrate TDS.
The main principles of high recoveries maintenance and zero discharge are ensured by
concentration of the brine in circulation mode by 50-100 times by volume. Several examples
of water treatment flow diagrams are presented to demonstrate principles of zero concentrate
flow discharge. Coagulated suspended matter after membrane flushes is collected, sedimented
and finally dewatered. The concentrated solution containing salts and impurities together with
wet sludge constitutes no more than 1 per cent of the initial water in part due to high
supersaturation values due to strong stability of calcium carbonate solutions.
There are some newly developed technical solutions presented in a report used to overcome a
series of problems connected with brine concentrating:
– to predict and escape scaling;
– to escape membrane flux decrease due to salts and organics concentration increase;
– to predict influence of monovalent ions accumulation (ammonia) that penetrate into
product together with sodium and chloride ions.
The main technical solution to provide brine "utilization" (disposal) consists of two
main steps:
– to discharge all impurities containing in brine together with sludge in a concentrated
solution (suspended solids, bacteria, organics, iron hydroxide) removed as a sludge humidity;
– to remove some impurities by withdrawal it from the water: calcium carbonate
precipitation on a seed crystals, excessive ammonia removal by air stripping etc.

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 a)

b)
Figure 2: A pilot plant to treat wastewater and increase recovery up to 99 % a) A test unit b) Flow diagram:
1, 14, 24 – flow meters; 2 – solenoid valves; 3, 11, 13, 22, 23 – regulation valves; 4 – feed water tank; 5 –
concentrated feed water tank; 6 – level indicator; 7 – 1st stage pump; 8 – pressure tank for hydraulic flushes; 9 –
check valve; 10 – 1st stage membrane module; 12 – solenoid valve for hydraulic flush 1st stage membrane
modules; 15 – pressure gauge; 16 – 1st stage concentrate tank; 17 – 2nd stage concentrate tank; 18, 19 – 2nd stage
pump; 20 – 2nd stage membrane module; 21 – solenoid valve for hydraulic flush 2nd stage membrane modules;
25, 26 – float switches; 27 – valves for deposit and sludge discharge; 28 – valves; 29 – samplers; 30 – control
panel

The feed water could be concentrated by many times using RO techniques. The concentrated
solution usually can "tolerate" high supersaturation values without spontaneous precipitation
due to the strong stability of calcium sulphate and calcium carbonate solutions. A special
procedure is developed to precipitate and withdraw excessive calcium carbonate from the feed

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water during its concentration. Calcium carbonate is precipitated on the seed crystals added to
the circulation loop. Formation of the seed crystals is initiated by addition of caustic solution.
The driving force for calcium carbonate growth is supersaturation reached due to constant
concentration of the feed solution in the circulation mode.
Figure 2 shows a 300 liter per hour pilot membrane unit and its flow diagram. The unit is
developed to demonstrate domestic wastewater treatment to reduce organics, phosphate,
ammonia, TDS. Wastewater is separated into product quality water (99% of initial flow) and a
wet sludge, containing all removed dissolved impurities (1% of initial flow). The unit
contains sedimentation tank, concentration tank and membrane flushing system tailored with
solenoid valves. To increase a concentration ratio, a second stage nanofiltration membrane
unit is used to reduce energy costs while concentrating TDS and organics that increase
osmotic pressure.
The developed techniques are suggested to a number of communities and industrial users to
reduce municipal drinking water consumption, produce quality water for technical and
agricultural purposes and reduce wastewater discharge.

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