Date of Graduation

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Chemical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Wickramasinghe, S. Ranil

Committee Member

Richardson, William

Second Committee Member

Zhang, Wen

Abstract

The current treatment of poultry processing wastewater (PPW) requires a large expanse of land, takes time, and requires chemical usage. The wastewater is typically treated prior to discharge. Apart from aiming to reuse the treated water for non-potable activities, this project aimed to reduce the footprint and time required for PPW treatment. To intensify the PPW treatment units, we studied the possibility of replacing dissolved air floatation (DAF) with a stainless steel ultrafiltration membrane (SSUF). Combined PPW from all processing units taken before the first DAF and the second DAF were used for this study with no pretreatment. The SSUF used for this study has a pore size of 0.02 µm, and the performance of the SSUF membrane was studied by measuring the flux at 40 psi, 70 psi, and 110 psi transmembrane pressure. The flux was normalized to 250C. To understand the properties of the PPW, we characterized the PPW by first measuring the particle size analysis to determine the distribution of particles in the PPW. Also, COD, BOD, TSS, TKN, PH, oil, and grease were measured before and after each experiment. A cleaning procedure that entails using alkali and acid was developed for the SSUF. The result shows that the flux became steady at 30 L/m2h after 2 hours of experiment, irrespective of the TMP. We also determine the critical flux and the critical pressure of the SSUF. The critical flux was found to be around 48 L/m2hr, and the critical pressure is 5 psi at 1.90 m/s cross-flow velocity. The SSUF membrane removed TSS 99.9%, oil and grease 99.9%, COD 90%, BOD 90%, nitrogen 76%, and soluble BOD 60%. The removal efficiency was higher at 110 psi. On comparing the result obtained with the data from the industry, it shows that the SSUF performance was comparable. The membrane removed E. coli and coliform up to 99.9%, which validated the pathogen removal ability of the SSUF. In conclusion, the results show that SSUF achieved comparable performance to that of the current treatment used for the PPW treatment.

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