METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LAUNDRY WASTEWATER

The present invention relates generally to an effluent treatment device including in one embodiment a skid configuration. The method and apparatus of the present invention can use only two fluid pump units and including individual or multiple membrane modules in a stacked longitudinally arranged configuration. The stacked or in series modules can be either vertical or horizontal forming a column. The membrane modules are contained in large diameter pipes with enough space around each module so that filtered permeate water collects in the pipe and backwash water can flow in the pipe to backwash the modules and contained membranes. The present invention includes one or more hollow fiber ceramic membrane modules which each includes multiple hollow fibers bundled together by end or band caps (e.g., ceramic, epoxy of glass material end caps) to form a complete membrane module. A complete hollow fiber membrane module can comprise multiple symmetric individual hollow fibers between about 2.0 to 4.00 millimeters inside diameter and can be made of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) substrate material. The geometry of the individual ceramic fiber walls can be between about 1.0 to 2.0 millimeters in thickness, known as the membrane wall. Such ceramic hollow fibers can have pores including a range of nominal 1 nanometer to 1400 nanometers. The ceramic hollow fibers can comprise selective membranes pores including a range of nominal 1 nanometer to 1400 nanometers which may include individual or multiple separating layers attached to the fiber walls of nominal 1 to 100 nanometers. The separating layers can each be a porous polymeric material. In one embodiment, a skid mounted treatment device is operable to pass water through an individual hollow fiber ceramic membrane module or multiple membrane modules in series known as a membrane loop. Filtration is inside to out flow filtration through the hollow fiber membranes. The apparatus is also operable to pass water through the hollow fiber ceramic filter module or multiple membrane modules in an outside to in flow direction, so as to remove material from the separation layer of the hollow fiber ceramic membrane fibers, a process known as backwashing or back flushing. Contaminant materials (retentate) having been deposited during inside-out filtration of the commercial or industrial laundry effluent is removed with such back flushing. La présente invention concerne généralement un dispositif de traitement d'effluent comprenant, dans u