Use of polsulfone hollow fibers for bubbleless membrane aeration of water

Abstract

Aeration of water with pure oxygen stream was investigated in a bubbleless membrane-based contactor made from 1058 hydrophilic polysulfone hollow fibers. The gauge pressure of 2-4 kPa was maintained in the gas stream in order to prevent fiber leakage. The dissolved oxygen concentration in the outlet water stream decreases with increasing water flow rate and is independent of gas flow rate. At the same water flow rate, the dissolved oxygen concentrations in the product water are much higher for the water flow inside the hollow fibers than those for the water flow outside them. The overall mass transfer coefficient KL increases with increasing the water flow rate and reaches a constant value at a sufficiently high water flow rate, corresponding to the conditions under which microporous membrane walls control the overall mass transfer.