Development of Oil-water Separator for the Effective Application of Highly Selective Membranes

We report on the design of oil-water separators and the selection of materials for the effective application of highly selective membranes fabricated by commercial PET (polyester) fabrics. The waterproof ability of PET fabrics was optimized to improve the separation selectivity. The density of individual PET fabrics should be over 60 g/m(2), and the multi-layered structure is more favorable for the waterproof ability together with maintaining the removal efficiency. For the continuous adsorption and removal process, the rotating perforated cylinder was selected, and covered with membranes. Furthermore, more improved and stable removal efficiency was obtained by installing floating baffles which forces the oil content to move toward membranes.