Technical Studies

Boron is broadly applying in various industries nowadays, such as p-type dopant in semiconductor, cleaning agents in polarizer manufacturing, neutron-absorbing media in the primary coolant water of pressurized water reactors for nuclear power generation, and even being generated in the concentrate stream of seawater desalination plants. Such high boron concentration wastewater being discharged to the environment, if no sufficient treatment, will harmful to humen healths and ecology. With the more strict regulations on boron of drinking water, argriculture water and industrial effluents, the best solution for the industries is to develop one integrating process which is able to treat the boron waste streams and recycling simutaneously. Although various techniques (e.g. membrane separation, ion exchange, absorption and chemical precipitation) have been appied in boron wastewater treatment, there is not a systematic study on process integration aiming to recycling in Taiwan. This project would develop an integration process of membrane and ion exchange in order to fulfill above goals. The works in the first year include set-up two process units in the laboratory and optimizing the operation parameters within the system to obtain the recycling products. In the second year, a prototype in pilot-scale would be conducted and evaluated the costs and economical outputs. This project is expecting to assist the enterprise upgrading core technology, enhance competitveness through end-pipe treatment to recycling waste liquids, and eliminate the impacts of rasing boron problems to the environment.