OPTIMISATION OF REVERSE OSMOSIS REJECT IN WATER TREATMENT OPERATION: A CASE STUDY OF MTU WATER TREATMENT PLANT

Abstract

The Mountain Top University water treatment plant has Reverse Osmosis (RO) as a component of the treatment units in compliment with filtration unit for delivery of high quality drinking water for human consumption. The RO purges70% of its input as rejects with only 30% as final treated water and 65% of the entire input into the system. This inferred the unviability of the process. The project investigated the quantity and quality of the infeed raw water, the filtered, the purged and the final treated water from the RO . Before and after the backwash of the filter beds of in feed to the Ro were considered. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, Hardness, Iron and Particulates content in the samples taken were determined. Hanna pH meter was used to determine pH and Conductivity, other quality parameters determined were Ca/Mg Hardness using smart titrimetric reagents and Iron (Fe) content and using Lamotte Spectrophotometer. Gravimetric methods of analysis were used to determine Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The results were within both local and international standards such as World Health Organization (WHO) limits. The accepted treated and purge can be package for drinking