Overcoming Chronic Silica Scaling to Unlock High-Recovery RO Operation with AWC®’s Silica Disruptor
This case study explores the approach used to address persistent silica scaling and control more than 400 ppm silica in the brine, resulting in increased system uptime and water recovery while reducing operating costs.
Recovering a System Severely Scaled with Calcium Sulfate
A South American blueberry farm switched to new wells and its RO membranes filled with calcium sulfate scale until one element weighed 129 lbs. A single clean with AWC C-238 broke up the gypsum and cut differential pressure by 53%.
AWC Helps to Eliminate Silica Scaling in RO System with High Iron Feedwater
Chlorine added to meet the EPA’s arsenic rule left a South Texas plant with iron fouling and silica scale, and cleanings every one to two months. With Megaflux® AF and a C-236 cleaning protocol, the plant has run at 80% recovery for years with no scaling.
AWC Extends the Time Between Cleanings for Water Reuse RO in Northern California
A Northern California water reuse plant was cleaning its RO membranes every four to six weeks, 32 times a year. After autopsies and cleaning studies, AWC A-110 antiscalant stretched that to once every 10 months.
AWC Provides Cleaning Solution For Ultrafiltration System at the Cincinnati Zoo
The Cincinnati Zoo’s ultrafiltration system, which recycles stormwater from 14 acres of grounds, was heading for shutdown after a competitor’s cleaning failed. One 6-hour clean with AWC UF-428 more than doubled flow and cut transmembrane pressure from 11.5 to 4 psi.
AWC Helps Ohio Municipal RO Reduce Cleaning Frequency and Improve Performance
A Northwest Ohio drinking water plant was cleaning its RO trains every two to four months on a competitor’s antiscalant. Switching to AWC A-102 Ultra at half the dose stretched that to every six months and dropped feed pressure by up to 35 psi.
AWC Removes Seemingly Irreversible Foulant For Water Reuse Facility in Florida
An upset at the upstream wastewater plant fouled a South Florida power plant’s UF membranes so badly that a month of standard cleaning did nothing. AWC UF-429, pushed through the membrane pores instead of across them, took permeability from 0.37 to 6.12 gfd/psi.
AWC helps Florida municipal RO save $150,000 per year by eliminating dosing of hazardous sulfuric acid
A 20 MGD Florida RO plant was buying 52 tanker loads of sulfuric acid a year to keep its antiscalant working. AWC A-102 Plus removed acid from the feed line entirely, cutting deliveries to 6 a year and saving about $150,000.
AWC Eliminates scaling Problem for Potable RO Plant in Alabama
Four months after startup, an Alabama drinking water plant saw feed pressure jump 22% while dosing 7.8 ppm of antiscalant, and an autopsy found silica and phosphate scale in the second stage. After a C-236 and C-234 cleaning, AWC A-110 at just 2.5 ppm has kept the plant scale-free since November 2012.