Biofouling in a seawater reverse osmosis plant on the Red Sea coast, Saudi Arabia

Saeed, Mohamed O.; Jamaluddin, A. T. M.; Tisan, I.A.; Lawrence, D.; Al-Amri, M. M.; Chida, Kamran

doi:10.1016/s0011-9164(00)00032-1

Cited by 65 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In general, bacterial diversity on cartridge filters was determined by source seawater microbes, pretreatments, properties of the filter, or the interactions of these factors. Samples collected from the same site around the same time were more similar than those sampled elsewhere (45). Temporal and spatial diversity of bacterial communities in seawater are fairly well studied (18,19,39).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The phenomenon of the accumulation of marine organisms and their metabolic products (i.e., extracellular polysaccharides [EPS], proteins, and lipids) on the membrane surface is known as biofouling (10,15,16). Excessive membrane biofouling results in increased energy demand for salt separation and the deterioration of product water quality (1,3,17,45). Although research efforts have been devoted to prevent or alleviate biofouling by, for example, disinfection, chemical cleaning, and aeration (26,50), these treatments yield temporary results.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Composition and Variability of Biofouling Organisms in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plants

Zhang

Jiang

Tanuwidjaja

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane biofouling remains a common challenge in the desalination industry, but the marine bacterial community that causes membrane fouling is poorly understood. Microbial communities at different stages of treatment processes (intake, cartridge filtration, and SWRO) of a desalination pilot plant were examined by both culture-based and culture-independent approaches. Bacterial isolates were identified to match the genera Shewanella, Alteromonas, Vibrio, and Cellulophaga based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The 16S rRNA gene clone library of the SWRO membrane biofilm showed that a filamentous bacterium, Leucothrix mucor, which belongs to the gammaproteobacteria, accounted for nearly 30% of the clone library, while the rest of the microorganisms (61.2% of the total clones) were related to the alphaproteobacteria. 16S rRNA gene terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis indicated that bacteria colonizing the SWRO membrane represented a subportion of microbes in the source seawater; however, they were quite different from those colonizing the cartridge filter. The examination of five SWRO membranes from desalination plants located in different parts of the world showed that although the bacterial communities from the membranes were not identical to each other, some dominant bacteria were commonly observed. In contrast, bacterial communities in source seawater were significantly different based on location and season. Microbial profiles from 14 cartridge filters collected from different plants also revealed spatial trends.Technological advances in reverse osmosis (RO) membranes during the past decade have significantly reduced the energy cost of water production via desalination. Seawater desalination, at present, provides approximately 1% of the world's drinking water supply, and this percentage is increasing by the year (52). However, membrane fouling is one of the most important practical problems facing RO plant operators and membrane manufacturers. The phenomenon of the accumulation of marine organisms and their metabolic products (i.e., extracellular polysaccharides [EPS], proteins, and lipids) on the membrane surface is known as biofouling (10, 15, 16). Excessive membrane biofouling results in increased energy demand for salt separation and the deterioration of product water quality (1,3,17,45). Although research efforts have been devoted to prevent or alleviate biofouling by, for example, disinfection, chemical cleaning, and aeration (26, 50), these treatments yield temporary results. Advancements in membrane materials and the optimization of operational conditions have contributed to biofouling prevention (25,26,48,51); however, these changes cannot eliminate it. The accelerated growth of biofilm on RO membranes likely is due to the physiological response of the bacteria. Systematic and effective strategies for biofouling control have not been established.Investigations of the microbial community that causes RO membrane fouling have not progres...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition and Variability of Biofouling Organisms in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plants

Zhang

Jiang

Tanuwidjaja

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…The 24-h count for AMCF and brine reject was stable at 910 5 , similar to that in feed water. Although the biofouling potential of feed water was significant, counts at AMCF and in the brine reject did not reflect significant membrane fouling (Saeed 2000).…”

Section: Bacteriological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 86%

Inefficacy of osmotic backwash induced by sodium chloride salt solution in controlling SWRO membrane fouling

Farooque

Al-Jeshi²,

Saeed

et al. 2014

Appl Water Sci

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A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of osmotic backwash induced by high salt (NaCl) concentration solution on feed side of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes, online and offline, in controlling membrane fouling and therefore minimizing/ eliminating the need for chemical cleaning. SWRO membranes were deliberately fouled by feeding seawater from an open intake located on the Arabian Gulf Coast without dosing chemicals. The fouled membranes were subjected to offline cleaning with the salt solution of up to 25 % concentration. Despite the partial removal of foulants from the membrane surface, SWRO membrane performance could not be restored, indicating the ineffectiveness of osmotic backwash in aiding offline salt cleaning. Similarly, online osmotic backwash was found to be not only ineffective in removing foulants from membrane surfaces but actually increased the fouling rate, as indicated by faster fouling rates compared to other cases. Although the driving force required for the osmotic backwash existed, the generated back flow proved to be insufficient to detach foulants from membrane surfaces. During the study period, the average SWRO membrane flux was maintained between 19 and 23 LMH, whereas the average generated back flow flux by high salt concentration solution was only 11 LMH, which was not adequate to remove foulants from membrane surfaces. Moreover, it seems that the membrane configuration as well as inherent microstructure of SWRO membrane places certain constraints on the osmotic backwash process and renders osmotic backwash ineffective in tackling SWRO membrane fouling. Hence, chemical cleaning is essential to restore SWRO membrane performance whenever fouling occurs, and the use of highly concentrated salt solution does not have any significant benefit. Membrane autopsy revealed only an insignificant accumulation of biofouling layer despite the absence of disinfection. However, it was shown that culturable biofilm bacteria species isolated from membranes tolerated exposure to high salt concentrations at pH range of 7-8. In addition, the overall findings of the study indicate that SWRO membranes can be operated in Gulf seawater at a recovery of 30 % without using any chemicals, such as coagulant, disinfectant and antiscalant, for an acceptable period of time without performing membrane cleaning. This is highly likely, if media filters are used in the pretreatment and SWRO membranes are operated at normal flux and recovery ratio.

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“…So, when chlorine is suppressed prior to the RO process, the bacteria that survive chlorination enter into a cycle of tremendous growth due to the presence of assimilable nutrient, which can lead to rapid biofilm formation [18]. This is one of the reasons why CC tends to be avoided in RO installations along with significant savings in the consumption of chemicals.…”

Section: Shock Chlorinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Operating RO installations without chlorine has been tried but with limited success due to the variable quality of raw seawater, mainly in installations with open intake [18]. On the other hand, the absence of chlorine in the tap facilitates the development of mollusks and serpulid worms, causing significant uptake problems.…”

Section: Shock Chlorinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biofilm evolution in the pretreatment line of a reverse osmosis system

Dionisio-Ruiz

Pérez

Plaza³

et al. 2014

Desalination

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Biofouling in a seawater reverse osmosis plant on the Red Sea coast, Saudi Arabia

Cited by 65 publications

References 8 publications

Composition and Variability of Biofouling Organisms in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plants

Composition and Variability of Biofouling Organisms in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plants

Inefficacy of osmotic backwash induced by sodium chloride salt solution in controlling SWRO membrane fouling

Biofilm evolution in the pretreatment line of a reverse osmosis system

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