Current Advances in Biofouling Mitigation in Membranes for Water Treatment: An Overview

Abstract

Membranes, as the primary tool in membrane separation techniques, tend to suffer external deposition of pollutants and microorganisms depending on the nature of the treating solutions. Such issues are well recognized as biofouling and is identified as the major drawback of pressure-driven membrane processes due to the influence of the separation performance of such membrane-based technologies. Herein, the aim of this review paper is to elucidate and discuss new insights on the ongoing development works at facing the biofouling phenomenon in membranes. This paper also provides an overview of the main strategies proposed by “membranologists” to improve the fouling resistance in membranes. Special attention has been paid to the fundamentals on membrane fouling as well as the relevant results in the framework of mitigating the issue. By analyzing the literature data and state-of-the-art, the concluding remarks and future trends in the field are given as well.

Different inactivation behaviors and mechanisms of representative pathogens (Escherichia coli bacteria, human adenoviruses and Bacillus subtilis spores) in g-C3N4-based metal-free visible-light-enabled photocatalytic disinfection

“…Given the difficult recovery of powdered g-C 3 N 4 materials from water, the integration of g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysis and membrane separation into multifunctional membranes is considered as promising alternatives for practical water disinfection ( Castro-Muñoz, 2020 ; Ursino et al, 2018 ). In addition to catalyst immobilization and recycling, such membranes can possess not only high chemical and mechanical stability, but also good antimicrobial and antifouling properties driven by renewable solar energy ( Castro-Muñoz, 2019 ; Pichardo-Romero et al, 2020 ). They are expected to be used in either drinking water treatment plants for centralized water disinfection or solar reactors for point-of-use water disinfection ( Castro-Muñoz et al, 2020 ; Castro-Muñoz et al, 2016 ).…”

The Role of New Inorganic Materials in Composite Membranes for Water Disinfection

“…Regarding the water permeability of such membranes, such property varied as a function of the hybrid nanoparticle loading; it increased from 1.1 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 in unfilled thin membrane up to 1.9 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 in the composite membranes containing 0.15 wt % loading of CDs@ZIF-8 [78]. Carbon-based nanomaterials are currently used in membranes to obtain superior performance [15,79,80]; one of these promising materials has been carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs have inactivated E. coli K12 by means of ohmic heating.…”

“…A composite membrane has emerged as an option of improving the physico-chemical properties of polymer membranes, such as hydrophilicity, biofouling resistance, separation performance, and mechanical, thermal, physical, and chemical stability [5]. Certainly, these membranes have been studied over recent years, gaining the attraction of researchers [15,16]. For instance, Figure 1 illustrates the trend of development works of Figure 1.…”

Substrate-Independent, Regenerable Anti-Biofouling Coating for Polymeric Membranes

“…Membrane biofouling refers to the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms on the membrane surface that reduces the permeate flux, increases energy costs, and shortens the lifespan of the membranes [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Membrane biofouling can be very difficult to control due to the self-replicating nature of microbes and is often considered irreversible [ 9 , 10 ].…”