Pilot scale black liquor concentration using pressure driven membrane separation

Black liquor concentration using pressure driven membrane separation has long been proposed as a means of achieving energy savings and breaking production bottlenecks. To date, limitations in perfor-mance stability under black process conditions have prevented those promises from being realized outside tightly controlled laboratory settings. In this work, we describe the first successful pilot scale field deployments system for concentration. Using purpose-built commercial sized, spiral wound graphene oxide ele-ments, logged nearly 6000 h runtime across to multiple mill sites. We demonstrate 14% >20% total solids, while generating permeate water comparable quality that evaporator condensate an 81% reduction consumption relative evaporation. At scale, these results translate $2 M/year net typical mill, well opportunity support increases or expansions. These represent significant leap forward ability systems deliver substantial value via