Turning Difficult to Treat Wastewater Effluent to Reclaimed Water: The Practicalities of Different Membrane Treatment Processes

Three pilot scale commercial membrane systems were used to run pilot tests at the Annacis Research Centre (ARC) in British Columbia, to assess the membrane performance and design parameters in treating trickling filter solid contact effluent for water reuse. The evaluation was based on the pilot systems’ ability to consistently exceed the provincial regulations for reclaimed water, the operating experience, the support offered during pilot testing and the level of automation of the pilot testing rigs. The results showed all the membrane systems used in the study can effectively treat the wastewater effluent to the provincial standards for reclaimed water use with unrestricted public access. However, one type of membrane system has several operational advantages over the others, including with respect to the frequency and necessity of cleaning, the quantities of chemicals required, and the need to maintain target flux. The outcome of the study can be used to understand the capabilities and challenges associated with the operation of various membrane systems for Metro Vancouver reclaim water reuse.