339 Jane Kucera's Reverse Osmosis Masterclass

Oh Boy! We are scaling up our Reverse Osmosis knowledge with expert guest Jane Kucera, the brilliant mind behind the book "Reverse Osmosis" and the Senior Technical Consultant-Industrial at NALCO Water. Hold onto your hats, folks, because this episode is the ultimate deep dive into the intricacies of RO!

Discover the ins and outs of Reverse Osmosis, from its applications to why it's chosen over other filtration methods. Jane spills the secrets on sizing RO systems, explores the market's different membrane types, and demystifies the challenges of water recovery using reverse osmosis. Ever wondered if you can clean in less than 12 hours, and how to know when it's time for a cleaning? Jane's got you covered!

But that's not all—tune in to unravel how water value influences RO adoption and hear her forecast about emerging water technologies. Jane even shares insights into the next generation of RO developments, making this episode a must-listen for water treatment enthusiasts.

And wait, there's more! Jane reveals common mistakes she encounters during her consulting adventures and shares what to do when you encounter something you’ve never tackled before. With her wealth of knowledge and passion for RO, this episode is your one-stop-shop for all things reverse osmosis.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or just dipping your toes into the water treatment world, this episode is your golden ticket to understanding reverse osmosis. So, why settle for anything less when you can learn from the person who quite literally wrote the book on it? Tune in now! 

 

Timestamps

01:00 - Trace Blackmore challenges you to be intentionally grateful this Thanksgiving week 

05:50 - Thank you to the Rising Tide Mastermind Members for bringing a full cup mentality to each meeting

08:20 -  Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals 

11:15 - Interview with Jane Kucera from NALCO and IWC, about Reverse Osmosis (RO)

42:03 - The International Water Conference (IWC)

49:50 - Lightning Round Questions

58:00 - Periodic Water Table With James McDonald 

 

Quotes

“In a nutshell, Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a separation process where you remove dissolved ions and solids like sodium, chloride, calcium, and things that are dissolved in water from the water. In RO, you have one influent stream coming in, a product water stream that's very low in minerals, a high concentration stream that's low volume but very high concentration of dissolved solids, and it's a pressure-driven process. You use pressure to force the water through the membrane and the membrane retains the minerals and dissolved solids.” -Jane Kucera 

“There are six things that affect membrane performance: fouling, scaling, membrane degradation, temperature, pressure, and concentration.”  -Jane Kucera 

Jane Kucera’s advice for success: “Be proactive. Be your best advocate. Nobody's going to do it for you and if you wait around for somebody to do it for you, it's not going to happen. You need to speak up for yourself and do the best you can to try and move yourself forward.”

 

Connect with Jane Kucera

Phone: 815.258.6418

Email: jkucera@ecolab.com

LinkedIn: in/jane-kucera-94366530

company/nalco

NALCO Website: www.ecolab.com/nalco-water

IWC Website: https://eswp.com/water/overview/

Read or Download Jane Kucera’s Press Release HERE

Jane Kucera is the 2021 recipient of the IWC Merit Award

 

Books by Jane Kucera

Reverse Osmosis 3rd Edition (2023)

The NALCO Water Handbook, Fourth Edition (2017)

 

Articles by Jane  Kucera in Peer-Reviewed Journals

Biofouling of Polyamide Membranes: Fouling Mechanisms, Current Mitigation and Cleaning Strategies, and Future Prospects (2019) in Membranes

Reverse Osmosis (2017) in the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology

Membrane Materials and Module Development, Historical Perspective (2013) in The Encyclopedia of Membrane Science and Technology 

 

Links Mentioned

American Society of Testing

Impacts of support membrane structure and chemistry on polyamide–polysulfone interfacial composite membranes by Eric Hoak and Asim Ghosh

Impacts of reaction and curing conditions on polyamide composite reverse osmosis membrane properties by Asim Ghosh, Byeong-Heon Jeon, Xiaofei Huang, and Erik Hoek

The Rising Tide Mastermind

Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses

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AWT (Association of Water Technologies)

 

Periodic Water Table With James McDonald

Its chemical formula is C3H12NO9P3. It is a phosphonate. What is AMP used for? Is it synergistic with other ingredients to improve its corrosion inhibitor abilities? What is the impact of oxidizing biocides upon AMP? How does AMP compare to other phosphonates? What is its calcium tolerance? When would one choose to use AMP? Can it help control calcium sulfate precipitation? 

 

2023 Events for Water Professionals

Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE or using the dropdown menu.