Potential of Nanofiltration Membrane in Groundwater Treatment for Drinking Water Resources

Groundwater in Malaysia has become an alternative water resouces for daily needs. However, the presence of iron and manganese has been the major problem that caused the water unsuitable for drinking due to reddish colour and bad taste. Therefore, groundwater should be well treated from any hazardous metal before consumption. A dead-end stirred cell was used to investigate the ability of commercial NF membrane in removal of Fe to acceptable level for drinking water. Removal up to 99% for 10 mg/L iron solution at pH9.4 with low pressure of 2 bar was achieved. Further investigation for higher feed concentration is suggested in order to achieve permeate concentration below than 0.3 mg Fe/L. All findings indicated that nanofiltration is a promising technology for groundwater treatment.