Recovery of Water from Secondary Effluent through Pilot Scale Ultrafiltration Membranes: Implementation at Patras’ Wastewater Treatment Plant

Abstract

Fresh water shortages affect larger areas each year due to the increased human population combined with climate change. Reuse of treated sewage water (mostly for nonpotable uses) can have a significant impact on reducing water scarcity. Ultrafiltration membranes are widely considered as a very good candidate for the remediation of this type of water. The case of Patras’ sewage treatment plant was examined for the treatment of its secondary settling tank effluent using a pilot ultrafiltration unit to produce permeate water suitable for reuse according to Greek legislation. The physicochemical characteristics of the membrane permeate stream showed significant improvements in the quality of the produced water. Turbidity was reduced by 99%, total suspended solids were decreased by more than 94%, while COD was reduced by 37%. E. coli and Enterococcus were detected at high concentrations in the feed stream but were eliminated in the membrane permeate. The results presented herein indicate that the installed equipment is capable of producing improved quality water suitable for reuse even with the strictest limits imposed by Greek legislation.