Possibilities for application of ultrafiltration for utilization of rose wastewater

This study investigates the possibilities for application of ultrafiltration for utilization of rose waste water obtained from water-steam distillation of rose petals from Rosa damascena Mill. Ultrafiltration was conducted using an UF1-PAN membrane up to volume reduction ratio of 5. The effects of frontal filtration prior to ultrafiltration and temperature (20°C and 50°C) during membrane process were examined. The obtained retentates and permeates were analyzed according to the following parameters: total phenolic content, phenolic acids, flavonoid phenolic content and spectral characteristics. The flux and energy demand were determined during ultrafiltration. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the flux during ultrafiltration with and without frontal filtration, as well as for energy demand at the same working conditions. The temperature rise led to an increase in the flux and a decrease in the energy demand. The total phenolic content, phenolic acids, and total flavonoid content were found to increase in the retentate, while they decreased in the permeate. The principal component analysis was made for all parameters measured and revealed that the samples can be separated into three groups. In further investigations, the retentate will be added to rice grits in order to obtain enriched extruded products.