Intensification of the ultrafiltration of real oil-contaminated (produced) water with pre-ozonation and/or with TiO, TiO/CNT nanomaterial-coated membrane surfaces.

In the present study, commercial PES, PVDF, PTFE ultrafilter membranes, and two different nanomaterial (TiO and TiO/CNT composite)-covered PVDF ultrafilter membranes (MWCO = 100 kDa) were used for the purification of an industrial oil-contaminated (produced) wastewater, with and without ozone pretreatment to compare the achievable fouling mitigations by the mentioned surface modifications and/or pre-ozonation. Fluxes, filtration resistances, foulings, and purification efficiencies were compared in detail. Pre-ozonation was able to reduce the total filtration resistance in all cases (up to 50%), independently from the membrane material.