The membrane fouling simulator: development, application, and early-warning of biofouling in RO treatment

Kim, Lan Hee; Nava-Ocampo, Maria F.; Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. van; Kruithof, Joop C.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.

doi:10.5004/dwt.2018.23081

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 99 publications

(250 reference statements)

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“…Basic approaches for identifying fouling were based on measuring the operational parameters during a process, followed by destructive membrane autopsy studies. As a result, developing tools that enabled field-based, non-destructive, and real-time simulation of fouling occurrences are highly in demand [23]. A device servinf this purpose, known as the membrane fouling simulator (MFS), was introduced in 2006 by Vrouwenvelder et al [24].…”

Section: Pilot Plant Evaluation Of System Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Review on Membrane Fouling: Mathematical Modelling, Prediction, Diagnosis, and Mitigation

AlSawaftah

Abuwatfa

Darwish

et al. 2021

Water

149

101

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Membrane-based separation has gained increased popularity over the past few decades, particularly reverse osmosis (RO). A major impediment to the improved performance of membrane separation processes, in general, is membrane fouling. Fouling has detrimental effects on the membrane’s performance and integrity, as the deposition and accumulation of foulants on its surface and/or within its pores leads to a decline in the permeate flux, deterioration of selectivity, and permeability, as well as a significantly reduced lifespan. Several factors influence the fouling-propensity of a membrane, such as surface morphology, roughness, hydrophobicity, and material of fabrication. Generally, fouling can be categorized into particulate, organic, inorganic, and biofouling. Efficient prediction techniques and diagnostics are integral for strategizing control, management, and mitigation interventions to minimize the damage of fouling occurrences in the membranes. To improve the antifouling characteristics of RO membranes, surface enhancements by different chemical and physical means have been extensively sought after. Moreover, research efforts have been directed towards synthesizing membranes using novel materials that would improve their antifouling performance. This paper presents a review of the different membrane fouling types, fouling-inducing factors, predictive methods, diagnostic techniques, and mitigation strategies, with a special focus on RO membrane fouling.

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Section: Pilot Plant Evaluation Of System Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Review on Membrane Fouling: Mathematical Modelling, Prediction, Diagnosis, and Mitigation

AlSawaftah

Abuwatfa

Darwish

et al. 2021

Water

149

101

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Membrane fouling in membrane-based water treatment systems negatively affects the membrane's performance by significantly reducing the water flux and reducing the lifetime of the membrane [1,2]. Membrane fouling is formed by adsorption or deposition of organic, inorganic, particulate/colloidal, and biological matters on the membrane surfaces [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The formation of a biofilm on the surface of the membrane (biofouling) is considered to be a significant problem due to the growth of bacteria, even after a pretreatment process that removes 99.9% of bacteria [1,3]. The formation of biofilms on the surface of a membrane occurs in different stages: (i) the awareness and transport of the bacteria to the surface, (ii) the reversible adhesion of the bacterial cells to the membrane, (iii) the irreversible attachment of bacteria to surface and the development of a biofilm due to bacterial growth and the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) [1,2,4]. The irreversible bacterial attachment is mediated by the physicochemical properties of the substratum and the surface properties of bacterial cells, and system operational conditions (hydrodynamics, bulk solution properties) [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insignificant Impact of Chemotactic Responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the Bacterial Attachment to Organic Pre-Conditioned RO Membranes

Kim

Vrouwenvelder

2019

Membranes

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We investigated the impact of conditioning compositions on the way bacteria move and adhere to reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that have been pre-conditioned by organic compounds. We used humic acid (HA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and sodium alginate (SA) to simulate conditioning layers on the RO membranes. First, we investigated the chemotactic responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 to the organic substances and the impact of changes in physicochemical characteristics of pre-conditioned membranes on bacterial attachment. Second, we observed bacterial attachment under the presence or absence of nutrients or microbial metabolic activity. Results showed that there was no relationship between the chemotactic response of P. aeruginosa PAO1 and the organic substances, and the changes in hydrophobicity, surface free energy, and surface charge resulting from changing the composition of the conditioning layer did not seem to affect bacterial attachment, whereas changing the roughness of the conditioned membrane exponentially did (exponential correlation coefficient, R2 = 0.85). We found that the initial bacterial attachment on the membrane surface is influenced by (i) the nutrients in the feed solution and (ii) the microbial metabolic activity, whereas the chemotaxis response has a negligible impact. This study would help to establish a suitable strategy to manage bacterial attachment.

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“…Publications devoted to the formation of organic contaminants on reverse osmosis membranes have thus far reported conflicting opinions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. On the one hand, enormous practical experience has been accumulated in application of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration systems for the treatment of surface and groundwater for drinking and industrial water supply [7,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. On the other hand, a number of authors have argued that dissolved organic contaminants should be removed from the water entering the reverse osmosis plants at the pre-treatment stage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of organic deposits on low-preassure reverse osmotic membranes in treating water from surface sources

Su¹,

Первов

Nguyen

2019

Vestnik MGSU

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Introduction. In this paper, we investigate the interaction of organic pollutants with nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes in natural water on the basis of experimental data and available literature information. The rates of formation of various organic deposits (humic acids changing the water colour and forming low-molecular organic compounds characterised by an oxidation index) on membranes during purifying river and pre-treated water are presented. Aim: To determine the required efficiency of removing organic substances from surface waters at the pre-treatment stage prior to water treatment by reverse osmosis on the basis of measuring the rates of adsorption of organic substances on membranes and predicting the amount of as-formed organic deposits. Methods and materials. Methods for determining the adsorption rate of organic pollutants using gas-liquid chromatography and total carbon determination are described. The advantages of spectrogram analysis in assessing water quality are specified. The formation rates of high- and low-molecular organic substances, which produce colouring and characterise water oxidisability, respectively, were determined using a membrane test unit. Results. According to the rates of forming organic deposits on membranes both during the processing of river water with a colour of 60 PCU and purified (tap) water with a colour of 18 PCU, organic substances adsorbed on membranes are shown to have little effect on the efficiency of the reverse osmosis process. In addition, the rate of depositing organic substances on the membranes under study is established to be significantly lower than that using sparingly soluble salts (calcium carbonate). Conclusion. Our results demonstrate that organic deposits formed on the membranes under study have an insignificant effect on the membrane performance. Therefore, pre-treatment aimed at removing organic substances when purifying natural waters with colour indices of up to 60 PCU is not required.

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The membrane fouling simulator: development, application, and early-warning of biofouling in RO treatment

Cited by 7 publications

References 99 publications

A Comprehensive Review on Membrane Fouling: Mathematical Modelling, Prediction, Diagnosis, and Mitigation

A Comprehensive Review on Membrane Fouling: Mathematical Modelling, Prediction, Diagnosis, and Mitigation

Insignificant Impact of Chemotactic Responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the Bacterial Attachment to Organic Pre-Conditioned RO Membranes

Formation of organic deposits on low-preassure reverse osmotic membranes in treating water from surface sources

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