Reuse of concentrate generated from hemodialysis clinic water treatment reverse osmosis

ABSTRACT:

According to the 2013 Brazilian Nephrology Census, the main chronic kidney disease treatment in Brazil is the hemodialysis, for which the use of purified water is needed according to the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA), the international standards from Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) and the Association for Advancement of Medicine Instrumentation (AAMI). The reverse osmosis process (RO) is used to achieve the established parameters where the feed is separated through a semipermeable membrane resulting in purified water in one side and the concentrate in the other one. The present study aims to evaluate the quantitative and the qualitative viability of reusing this concentrate through a case study in a Hemodialysis Clinic RO unit in the City of Curitiba. An experimental evaluation was carried out using the physical, chemical and microbiological analysis of the concentrate seeking to meet the four reuse classes according to ABNT NBR 13969/97. Also, the following parameters were analyzed according to the drinking pattern: ammonia, chloride, free chlorine, total hardness, total iron, fluoride, nitrates, nitrites, sulfates, total dissolved solids and total coliforms. The concentrate volume was measured through hydrometers at strategic points. A concentrate reuse of about 23% by the clinic was observed. The achieved results meet the four classes of reuse, but it was observed that the fluoride parameter result was equal to the drinking water standard limit.

Keywords:
hemodialysis; wastewater reuse; concentrate; reverse osmosis