The effectiveness of removal of nom from natural water using photocatalytic membrane reactors in PMR-UF and PMR-MF modes

Photocatalytic membrane reactors operated with the suspended photocatalyst are very useful devices and may be configured in different modes. The crucial technological aspect of such a reactor performance is an optimization of a membrane separation process, which determines both, effectiveness and economic of the water production process. In both investigated photoreactor's configurations the photocatalyst was used for many hours of the water purification and in any case it did not lose its properties. It was due to the continuous regeneration of the photocatalyst surface by means of photooxidation of the contaminants. However, insignificant losses of the photocatalyst were observed during PMR-MF process, in which recirculation of water with the catalyst, i.e. reactor-membrane-reactor, was made. The second applied configuration, i.e. PMR-UF, was more advantageous as no catalyst losses took place. Both types of applied membranes assured the complete separation of the photocatalyst from purified water, while UF membrane additionally acted as a water polishing device.