Forward osmosis (FO) has been emerging
and gaining attention within
the membrane-based processes because it can achieve high water fluxes
while minimizing energy consumption, making it a cost-effective approach
for wastewater treatment. However, membrane fouling remains an obstacle
to this application. To address this concern, we fabricated an electroconductive
membrane composed of polysulfone and polyaniline (PAni). These membranes
have the potential to oxidize targeted organic compounds and/or electrostatically
remove the fouling layer. After optimizing the PAni loading, we performed
bench-scale tests using sodium alginate as model foulant. The membranes
were fouled resulting in a decrease in FO efficiency of 72%. Fouled
membranes were treated with a cathodic potential for 30 min, the fouling
and antifouling processes were monitored with scanning electron microscopy
(SEM), and contact angle and electrochemical methods were used. The
fouled membrane exhibited a clogged surface and high electrical resistance,
while the treated membrane recovered the PAni nanofibers morphology,
its electrical and hydrophilic properties, and 84% of its FO efficiency.
Thus, PAni can improve the overall membrane permeability while incorporating
antifouling properties. Moreover, the EIS results of this study shed
light on the mechanisms that govern the water separation process before
and after fouling in the FO mode.