Abstract
In the present Doctoral Thesis the viability of the treatment of a residual water
with high zirconium silicate content has studied, coming from an industry of
solid processing, by means of the combination of the processes of
Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration, with the purpose of generating a water with
the adapted characteristics to be reused within the ceramic industrial process.
Within the industrial process a residual water with an opaque aspect due to the
zirconium silicate presence is generated, besides to contain remainders of
polyelectrolyte that is used in the separation of the end product, among other
substances. The general treatment of this residual water, consists of a
pretreatment which is carried out by means of Microfiltration, with which the
greater amount of zirconium silicates is retained and, a treatment applying
Ultrafiltration for the separation of the rest of present substances in the water,
mainly the polyelectrolyte.
For the stage of Microfiltration long tests were made, in these tests was
observed that the quality of the obtained water is adapted for its use in the
treatment, since the characterization of the obtained filtrate sample that does
not exist zirconium silicate presence in the water; nevertheless, the optimize 
this pretreatment tests with different protocols from cleaning were made,
carrying out periodic cleaning in each test, and this way to prolong the time of
average life of the membrane of Microfiltration.
Later, for the tests of Ultrafiltration, an exhaustive study for the determination
of the analytical technique adapted was made more to measure the
concentration of polyelectrolyte in the water. The tests that were made of
Ultrafiltration were tests long, with the objective to concentrate the
polielectrolito to the maximum, in these tests was observed that an
accumulation of substances (specifically polielectrolito) in the surface of the
membrane does not exist because the concentration of the polielectrolito is
constant in the feed tank of the plant pilot, which origin the accomplishment of
tests of degradation of this one. Nevertheless, after the accomplishment of
these tests it was observed that the water obtained in the tests of Ultrafiltration
counts on an acceptable quality for its reusability within the ceramic industrial
process.
The obtaining of a water with suitable the physical and chemical characteristics
for its reuse, brings economic and environmental benefits, as: increase of the
process efficiency and decrease of water consumption in humid milling.