PROCESS FOR TREATING LATEX-CONTAINING WASTE WATER

摘要

A process for treating latex-containing waste water to produce reusable latex and water, the quality of the water being sufficiently high for reuse or discharge to a water course. The waste water (2) is delivered directly to a reverse osmosis membrane unit (6) without any pre-treatment, and pressure is applied across the membrane to separate the waste water into permeate (7) and retentate. The membrane may be a tubular structure defining channels through with the waste water is pumped, those channels having a flow cross section sufficient to enable flow rates to be maintained that prevent blockage.