ULTRAFILTRATION OF LATEX WASTEWATERS

The treatment of spent latex wastewaters by ultrafiltration is connect ed not only with pollution control but also with recovery of valuable latex by-products. It was the aim of these investigations to determine the suitability of tubular polyacrylonitrile and polysulfone membrane s for ultrafiltration of latex wastewaters. Experiments were carried o ut in the batch mode under two conditions, i.e., at constant concentra tion as a concentration system. The efficiency of the process was dete rmined by measuring the flux rate and retention coefficients of total solids and total organic carbon. Ultrafiltration was carried out at a temperature of 298 K and in a pressure range of 0.05-0.35 MPa, cross-f low velocity range of 1-3.5 m/s and concentration range of 1-13%. The obtained results have been used to model mathematically the ultrafiltr ation of latex wastewaters. The constants of the general dimensional m ass transfer correlation as well as the dependence of the permeate flu x rate on the parameters of the ultrafiltration process (pressure, cro ss-flow velocity) and the concentration of wastewaters, have been dete rmined.