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Title |
Comparison of Evaporation Concentration and Reverse Osmosis Processes for Mixed Industrial Wastewater in a Contract Wastewater Treatment Facility: Full-Scale Performance Evaluation
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Authors |
김지연(Ji-Yeon Kim) ; 맹지성(Ji-Sung Mang) ; 김나영(Na-Young Kim) ; 김동섭(Dong-Seop Kim) ; 박병주(Byung-Joo Park) ; 정문철(Moon-Chul Jung) ; 방종윤(Jong-Yun Bang) ; 채규정(Kyu-Jung Chae) ; 이의종(Eui-Jong Lee) ; 이상엽(Sang-Youp Lee) ; 황문현(Moon-Hyun Hwang) |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.15681/KSWE.2026.42.4.356 |
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Keywords |
Contract wastewater treatment; Mixed industrial wastewater; Reverse osmosis (RO); Thermal vapor recompression (TVR); Treatment efficiency; Wastewater service |
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Abstract |
This study presents a comprehensive evaluation comparing reverse osmosis (RO) and thermal vapor recompression (TVR) processes for treating mixed industrial wastewater at a contract treatment facility. The influent wastewater comprised a complex mixture of effluents from various industries, including chemical, steel, plating, automotive parts, electronics, research, and general manufacturing. This mixture exhibited high salinity and organic loading, posing significant challenges for conventional treatment methods. RO consistently achieved high removal efficiencies for major parameters, including TDS (99.9%), BOD (95.4%), TOC (96.3%), TN (96.4%), and TP (98.0%), outperforming TVR in organic and nutrient removal while maintaining comparable salt rejection. A nine-month monitoring campaign demonstrated stable flux performance under the tested operating conditions, with periodic clean-in-place (CIP) ensuring effective recovery. Regression analysis suggested that CIP intervals could theoretically be extended to 4?5 months; however, a conservative 3-month cycle was adopted for operational reliability. While RO permeate generally met discharge standards for nitrogen and phosphorus, additional post-treatment was necessary for BOD and TOC. By integrating biological processes (anoxic-oxic (AO)?membrane bioreactor (MBR)) with optional adsorption as post-treatment, residual organics were further removed, ensuring compliance with effluent regulations. Nonetheless, some trace contaminants and eco-toxicity indicators were less effectively eliminated when RO permeate was co-treated with TVR condensate, highlighting the need for optimized influent blending or advanced pretreatment. Overall, the results demonstrate the practical applicability of the RO-TVR hybrid treatment approach in contract industrial wastewater facilities and provide technical evidence supporting its implementation in the field.
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