Recycling of wastewater used in washing jeans with membrane technologies

The reuse of wastewater is being a common application over the world after reclaimed. By using the reclaimed wastewater, the period for hydrological recycle is shorted and the water resources are protected. The membrane processes as the advanced treatment methods can purify the wastewater to obtain high quality-effluent.In this study, the treatability of the rinsing effluent by membrane processes such as microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO) was investigated. The parameters such as pH, conductivity, absorbance, TSM, COD during the experimental studies were analyzed and recovery volume of permeate was determined. During experiments, pressures and fluxes were continuously monitored. The membranes were washed by chemical reagents after fouling the membrane, and re-used.While the conductivity of rinsing effluent had the values between 0.4 mS/cm and 2.7 mS/cm, removal of conductivity has been around 2 % and 99 % by MF and RO, respectively. The wavelength with 660 nm during color analysis was used because it was the wavelength having maximum absorbance. The color was removed around 10 % and 100 % by MF and RO, respectively. Removal of TSM has been around 8 % and 97 % by MF and TO, respectively. The raw wastewater had ranged COD values between 1000 and 5050 mg/l, the COD was removed around 9 % and 100 % by MF and RO, respectively.The variation of permeate volume in RO system was also determined at the different operating pressures. It was obtained the permeate recovery of 7, 11 and 93-100 % at pressures with 10, 11 and 12 atm, respectively.