Question

State the functions of ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) in St Marys Advanced Water Recycling Plant. How are the waste sludge (concentrate) from UF and RO handled? (1/2 to one page)

Answer 1

St Mary's Advanced recycling plant is one of the biggest recycling plant in Australia. It follows the functions of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis in water treatment.

Ultra Filtration : It is a type of pressure driven barrier to the contaminants, bacterias and suspended solids present in the water and it produce water with high purity and lie silt density. A membrane filtration is used in which the hydrostatic pressure of liquid against a semipermeable membrane.

Reverse Osmosis : It is also a process of water treatment that uses partially permeable membrane to remove the ions and unwanted particles. Here the pure water is passed leaving behind the contaminants and solid particles.

With the increasing cost of water discharging it is preferred to reuse but not for drinking purpose. The water is not thrown away as the quality of water is not that bad and can be used for non drinking and other purpose like cleaning, gardening, etc. If the concentration of sludge is bit higher then it is preferred to release that to the nearby water harvesting system and can be used there Economically.