LAUSR

Abstract Micro and ultrafiltration hydrophilic membranes were investigated for carwash wastewater reclamation. The effects of geometry as well as operating conditions such as pressure difference across the membrane and feed flow rate were investigated aiming the characterization of permeate flux and quality and evaluation of water reuse. The effluent showed initial turbidity of 85 NTU, in addition to total organic and inorganic carbon of 4.1 and 58 mg/L, respectively. Tests in flat cellulose commercial membranes revealed that both micro and ultrafiltration showed good retention of solids and organic matter, as shown by turbidity and chemical oxygen demand. In order to increase the productivity, commercial hollow fiber polyetherimide membranes were investigated. The initial flux was 440 L/m 2 h, with pressure difference of 0.4 bar and Reynolds number of 400. The final permeate with recovery rate of 80% showed a total organic and inorganic carbon of 2.7 and 35.4 mg/L, respectively. The rejection was 98.6%. The results showed that this approach has high potential to be used for water reuse depending of the number of cycles or recycling ratio is aimed.