Boron removal from wastewater by direct contact membrane distillation system using two-level factorial design

Abstract

Numerous industries use boron and its compounds in various applications. In this study, the removal of boron from an aqueous solution by direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system. A 23 full factorial experimental design was implemented to determine the optimum values and the degree of importance of the parameters. The experiments were performed at low and high levels of temperature, initial pH, and feed boron concentration. Design variables were evaluated in terms of individual, binary, and triple effects. At the 95% confidence level, the temperature–initial pH interaction was found as the most significant factor. The maximum boron removal efficiency can be achieved either at a low level of temperature (30 °C) and pH (4.0), or a high level of temperature (50°C) and pH (11) combinations at 20 mg/L boron concentration with desirability of 0.957.