Document Type
Article
Abstract
This report presents a solution for the 2012 Environmental Design Contest sponsored by NMSU’s Institute for Energy and the Environment. PROTEUS was proposed as a sustainable alternative to using disposable filters for pretreating turbid water prior to reverse osmosis desalinization. PROTEUS employs a granular media filter followed by a redundant parallel train cartridge filter system each arranged in series. Various experiments were conducted to ensure the functionality and reliability of the system. Ultimately, PROTEUS addresses particulates down to 0.1 micron, consumes 2.25k-W-Hr/Kgal, filters 30,000 gpd, maintenance time is approximately 30 minutes every replacement cycle, occupies 54 ft3 of volume with 20ft3 of storage space, and utilizes no chemicals. The entire process is monitored by a control system to reduce maintenance and optimize pretreatment. PROTEUS meets all task design criteria in an environmentally sound manner and is economically preferable to current pretreatment systems with a base cost of $16,615.29.
Recommended Citation
Wolkowicz, Kelilah and Richard, Andrew, "Green Reverse Osmosis Pretreatment" (2012). Honors Theses. 17.
https://docs.rwu.edu/honors_theses/17
