Removal of boron from Balcova geothermal water by ion exchange microfiltration hybrid process

This study is focused on the application of the ion exchange Á submerged microfiltration hybrid process for boron removal from geothermal water containing high level of boron (8 Á 9 mg B/L). The goal of this study is to determine the optimum parameters such as feed flow rate, resin concentration and resin particle size that govern the efficiency of separation process. During the sorption process, 100 Á 200 mL/h of geothermal water was passed through the membrane module at predetermined permeate flow rates. During the short period of operation (2 h) using boron selective ion exchange resin Diaion CRB02, 0.5 mL/min of flow rate for fresh and saturated resin, 4.2 g/L of resin concentration and 45 Á 125 mm of resin particle size range were found as optimum conditions to decrease the boron concentration in water to the permissible level. In case of the longer period of operation (24 h) conducted by Dowex (XUS 43594.00) resin, a permeate flow rate of 1 mL/min, a resin concentration of 2 g/L and an average resin particle size of 0 Á 20 mm were the optimum conditions for boron removal from geothermal water.

The sorption kinetic data of boron selective resins showed us that ion exchange Á microfiltration hybrid process could be an alternative method to commonly used fixed bed columnmode operation. Microparticles of boron selective resins remove boron very quickly from the geothermal water due to their large available surface areas and significantly improve efficiency of the water deboronation process. To reduce boron concentration in the permeate of a submerged membrane module, one can follow three paths: Time (h) Resin Particle Size = 45–125 μm Resin Paricle Size = 0–20 μm Fig. 7. Effect of resin particle size on boron removal for a long period of process.