Treatment of the Effluent Wastewater Generated in the Existing TODA Plant in Sarnia
Separation of dissolved solids (sodium sulfate salt) from effluent wastewater of TODA Inc. in Sarnia will be experimentally explored based on the proposed/recommended technology by the Company. In the first term of the internship, several technologies from the State-of-the-arts and Best Available technologies have been reviewed, analyzed and compared according to environmental and economical aspects. Newly innovated technology "Membrane Crystallization" process was selected an approved by TODA for experimental verification. In this technology a hydrophobic membrane is applied. Due to the nature of this membrane, water and dissolved inorganics (sodium sulfate and nickel sulfate in this study)will not permeate through the membrane pores, however water vapor can be easily transported and condensed on the other side of membrane by cold water. Condensation of water vapor establishes a concentration gradient for the vapor to be transferred continuously through membrane. The process can be operated at 40 oC and fortunately the TODA's effluent stream is available at this temperature and no energy is required to warm up the water. The intern has prepared the required experimental setup in the lab to conduct preliminary bench-scale experiments, determine the effects of different parameters on the process, and maximize the process efficiency. In the second term depending on the obtained results, successful implementation of the project may require the design and assembly of a pilot scale unit to better understand the behavior of the system at a large scale. As required, modifications will be made and pilot scale experiments are expected to identify practical issues and design parameters. In general, an iterative procedure may be necessary to achieve the goals of the project. The student will incorporate cost estimation at different phases to improve the feasibility of the process and safety and environmental issues will be considered at all stages.
