Technical and economic potential of high-temperature NF and DCMD for gold mining effluent reclamation

[Display omitted] •The performance of high-temperature NF and DCMD was compared•DCMD showed better physical chemical quality compared to NF•The energy cost related to DCMD was significantly lower (99.47%) compared to NF Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and high-temperature nanofiltration (NF) were compared in terms of technical and economic aspects for the treatment of pressure oxidation process (POX) real effluent. Tests were carried out in bench scale and differences in fouling behavior and its impacts on NF and MD performance were evaluated. High pollutants rejection rates were observed for both systems (>92.4 %). However, DCMD had better permeate quality and lower energy requirement, which contributed significantly to its lower operational costs due to use of the effluent residual heat. CAPEX and OPEX were estimated at US$/m3 2.251 for NF and US$/m3 0.233 for DCMD. DCMD application represents a saving of US$ 45,138.3 annually supplying 250,768.3 m3 of high-quality reuse water. At the end, this research allowed for a better comprehension of these membrane technologies, preventing the production of waste and increasing efficiencies in the uses of energy, water, and resources.