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Preliminary Trials Completed
Using VSEP Vibratory Membrane Filtration for
Treatment of Acidic Wastewater from Phosphate
Ore Processing
November 21, 2005
The Florida Institute for Phosphate
Research (FIPR) awarded a research grant to New Logic Research, Inc., of Emeryville,
California to study the use of its reverse osmosis membranes for treatment
of acidic process water stored in large ponds known as phosphogypsum stacks.
The pilot trials were recently completed at an active phosphate plant in Bartow,
Florida and the results prove the patented VSEP Vibrating Membrane Filtration
System efficiently filters the wastewater, producing filtrate suitable for
surface water discharge.
The typical phosphogysum stack
covers 600 acres and contains billions of gallons
of very low pH wastewater made up of hazardous
and even radioactive substances that cannot be
discharged without treatment. Treating this volume
of water with traditional methods requires very
large quantities of lime and creates even larger
quantities of residual sludge that also must
be disposed of.
An active phosphate pond contains
about 5% dissolved solids. After VSEP reverse
osmosis filtration, the effluent contains less
than 0.005% dissolved solids—water clean
enough to meet stringent Florida Department of
Environmental Protection standards for surface
water discharge. And unlike traditional lime
treatment, VSEP treatment does not create large
volumes of sludge, which creates additional cost
and handling issues.
New Logic Research CEO Greg
Johnson states that “Conventional reverse
osmosis membranes with pretreatment have been
used for many years for seawater desalination.
However, these systems have limited functionality
when used for other wastewaters containing high
levels of scale forming minerals. VSEP, a vibrating
membrane system which employs torsional oscillation
of the membrane media, is capable of filtering
these difficult wastewaters as a standalone system
without any pretreatment or added process complexity.”
For more information concerning
the research project visit FIPR’s Web site:
http://www1.fipr.state.fl.us/fipr/fipr1.nsf/0/75E0FB515C0AB6A585256F8E007125D2?OpenDocument
About New Logic Research, Inc.
Headquartered in Emeryville,
California, New Logic Research is the leading
provider of high-performance membrane filtration
systems used in a wide variety of applications
from pure water and wastewater treatment to chemical
process clarifications. Founded in 1987, New
Logic provides industrial membrane filtration
systems for most major chemical manufacturers
around the World. New Logic provides a breadth
of products and services including membrane systems,
chemical cleaning products, engineering, and
process development services for wastewater treatment,
chemical processing, power plants, pulp and paper,
oil and gas production, pigments, and electronics
industries. Find out more on the Web at http://www.vsep.com |
