Work

Pilot-scale comparison of NF and RO for low-salinity fluoride-contaminated mine water: Treatment performance, pressure response and economics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Reusing low-salinity mine water can alleviate regional water scarcity, but elevated fluoride levels often constrain its reuse. This study compared pilot scale nanofiltration (NF90) and reverse osmosis (BW30XFR) under comparable operating conditions in terms of fluoride removal, conductivity rejection, hydraulic response, and techno economic performance. NF90 and BW30XFR achieved average fluoride rejections of 94.78% and 96.66%, respectively, while conductivity rejection reached 94.73% and 98.38%; permeate fluoride remained below 1.0 mg/L throughout the tests. During dynamic loading, both membranes maintained effective fluoride removal as feed fluoride concentration and salinity increased. Over 25–45 LMH, NF90 required 51.9%–59.4% lower feed pressure and 50.9%–59.8% lower transmembrane pressure than BW30XFR, with estimated net driving pressure showing the same trend. Engineering scale WAVE simulations yielded specific energy consumption of the membrane sections of 0.2167 and 0.3130 kWh·m -3 and unit water production costs of 1.036 and 1.124 CNY·m -3 for NF90 and BW30XFR, respectively. Overall, NF90 provided effective fluoride control with lower hydraulic and energy requirements, whereas BW30XFR achieved higher conductivity rejection.

Source: Water Cycle

DOI: 10.1016/j.watcyc.2026.11.002

Authors: Quanhai Xie, Xuejun Bi, Heng Wang, Jianyong Feng

Institution: Qingdao University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Membrane Separation Technologies

Subfield: Water Science and Technology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,100