Effect of pressure on desalination of MBR effluents with high salinity by using NF and RO processes for reuse in irrigation

WOS: 000444525600003Clean water sources are quickly depleted since the industrial revolution due to climate change and overpopulation. Use of potable water for agricultural irrigation is under imminent threat. Therefore, it is important to obtain irrigation water from alternative sources such as industrial wastewaters. On the other hand, industrial wastewaters have to be treated well otherwise they can pollute the environment and decrease the irrigation potential of soil. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) effluents of industrial wastewaters have a great potential to be used in agricultural irrigation. In this study, the permeates of NF270 and BW3O-RO membranes were produced from MBR effluent discharged from Wastewater Treatment Plant of ITOB Organized Industrial Zone, Menderes, Izmir. They were evaluated for their reuse in agricultural irrigation. While doing this evaluation, effect of operating pressure on water quality was also investigated. It was found that the RO permeate is not suitable to reuse in irrigation. On the other hand, the NF permeate could be suitable for medium-salinity tolerant plants.Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology of Turkish Republic [03.STZ.2013-02]; Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [114Y500]; European UnionEuropean Union (EU)Membrane test studies were performed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant of ITOB Organized Industrial Zone (ITOB-OSB) by the Industrial Thesis Grant Program (SAN-TEZ) given by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology of Turkish Republic (Project No. 03.STZ.2013-02).; Acknowledgements are also given to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for the scholarship awarded to M.C. Hacifazlioglu (Project No: 114Y500) devoting some of his time for this project and European Union for the Erasmus + scholarship awarded to Horacio Reynaldo Tomasini