Assessing the Performance and Fouling of Polytetrafluorethylene Hydrophobic Membrane for the Treatment of Oil-Polluted Seawater Using AGMD

Bilgewater is a form of seawater pollution that affects the marine ecosystem, aquaculture industry, coastal areas, and the community. Bilgewater is a complex mixture of seawater and ship-machinery discharge. The presence of oils in the seawater makes it difficult to be treated by common techniques. Membrane distillation is an emerging technology that is highly promising in handling highly saline and oily wastewater. This work is therefore proposed to assess the potential of air gap membrane distillation technology in treating bilgewater containing 16,000 ppm total dissolved salts and organic materials with a chemical oxygen demand of 537 ppm. The membrane utilized is a hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene membrane. The surface characteristics and fouling propensity of the membrane were evaluated by using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and atomic force microscopy. Results revealed that the membrane surface is rough and highly hydrophobic. The flux was generally stable throughout the experiment and the salt rejection was above 99%.