LAKE TAIHU WATER TREATMENT BY A FLAT SUBMERGED MEMBRANE PHOTOCATALYTIC REACTOR

A flat submerged membrane photocatalytic reactor (FSMPR) was developed to treat water from Lake Taihu with continuous operation. The flat membrane module was used to separate the catalyst, which was suspended in the reactor under aeration. The pretreatment of Lake Taihu water using TiO(2)/UV photocatalysis has the potential to improve natural organic material (NOM) removal efficiency, reduce trihalomethane formation potentials (TH/vIFPs) and improve membrane permeability. Under a 13.4 h hydraulic retention time (HRT), which corresponds to a membrane filtration flux of 30 L/m(2).h, the effluent quality proceeded to the equilibrium end point after 420 min of continuous operation. The removal efficiencies of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and UV(254) were 70% and 86%, respectively, and the effluent concentrations of THMFPs met the Chinese National Standards for Drinking Water Quality (GB5749-2006). Photocatalytic oxidation changed the molecular weight (MW) distribution and the amount of hydrophobic/hydrophilic organic material in the water samples. No significant membrane fouling occurred, even when the FSMPR system was operated at high flux levels (above 30 L/m(2).h) during 480 min of treatment. The photocatalytic oxidization preferentially degraded hydrophobic organic matter, which is responsible for membrane fouling, to smaller hydrophilic organic substances, and the membrane fouling decreased.