Removal of strontium from an aqueous solution using co-precipitation followed by microfiltration (CPMF)

This study characterized the removal of strontium from an aqueous solution via co-precipitation followed by microfiltration (CPMF) on a lab-scale. Sodium carbonate was used as the precipitating agent. Ferric chloride was added to a settler at a dosage of 20 mg/L to improve strontium removal, and it was added to a membrane separator at a dosage of 10 mg/L to reduce membrane fouling. The concentration of strontium in the raw water used in this study was about 5 mg/L. In two intermittent tests, where dosages of sodium carbonate were 2000 mg/L and 1000 mg/L, the mean decontamination factors (DFs) were 237 and 158 and the mean concentration factors (CFs) were 288 and 462, respectively. Although the mean DF value was lower when the sodium carbonate dosage was 1000 mg/L instead of 2000 mg/L, the rate at which the specific flux (SF) of the membrane declined decreased as the amount of the effluent treated increased. The problem of strontium release at the beginning of the operation was controlled by a continuous test in which the dosage of sodium carbonate still was 1000 mg/L and the other parameters were the same as in the other tests. The results showed that the mean DF and CF were 157 and 480, respectively. (author)