Chlorination disadvantages and alternative routes for biofouling control in reverse osmosis desalination

Abstract

With an ever-increasing human population, access to clean water for human use is a growing concern across the world. Seawater desalination to produce usable water is essential to meet future clean water demand. Desalination processes, such as reverse osmosis and multi-stage flash have been implemented worldwide. Reverse osmosis is the most effective technology, which uses a semipermeable membrane to produce clean water under an applied pressure. However, membrane biofouling is the main issue faced by such plants, which requires continuous cleaning or regular replacement of the membranes. Chlorination is the most commonly used disinfection process to pretreat the water to reduce biofouling. Although chlorination is widely used, it has several disadvantages, such as formation of disinfection by-products and being ineffective against some types of microbes. This review aims to discuss the adverse effect of chlorination on reverse osmosis membranes and to identify other possible alternatives of chlorination to reduce biofouling of the membranes. Reverse osmosis membrane degradation and mitigation of chlorines effects, along with newly emerging disinfection technologies, are discussed, providing insight to both academic institutions and industries for the design of improved reverse osmosis systems.

A Review on Membrane Technology and Chemical Surface Modification for the Oily Wastewater Treatment

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Self‐Assembled Polymeric Membranes and Nanoassemblies on Surfaces: Preparation, Characterization, and Current Applications

“…Using amphiphilic peptides to stabilize the pore improved the self‐assembly and the stability of the membrane . These membranes are however prone to be colonized by bacteria and biological colonies, and the use of antifouling agents such as chlorinated polluting agents is required . Apart from desalination, ultrafiltration is a highly popular application for biomimetic membranes.…”

Predicting and Enhancing the Ion Selectivity in Multi-Ion Capacitive Deionization

“…2 , 3 With increasing freshwater demand due to population growth and higher water consumption in industries, desalination techniques could be crucial to tap into the abundant saline water to fulfill the requirements. 4 − 13 However, saline water sources often contain a multitude of ions in addition to sodium chloride (NaCl) that should be addressed when considering desalination. 14 − 16 Some of the ions that are harmful need to be entirely removed, such as arsenic, 17 while other ions (such as fluoride) can be beneficial in smaller quantities and should ideally be optimally removed.…”