How to select ideal model organic matters for membrane fouling research on water and wastewater treatment

Xu, Yuan; Wu, Yin-Hu; Tong, Xin; Luo, Li-Wei; Wang, Hao-Bin

doi:10.1016/j.watcyc.2023.02.002

Cited by 17 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 25 publications

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“…The characteristics of the fouling layer formed during wastewater effluent desalination depend on feedwater composition and upstream wastewater treatment , and can vary among desalination plants. However, organic fouling remains the main fouling form, − followed by colloids, scaling (mainly calcium phosphate), and biofouling. − Such fouling can impact the operational costs of membrane treatments. Organic fouling during desalination of tertiary effluents is caused by the adsorption of effluent OM (EfOM) on the membrane surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membrane with Effluent Organic Matter: Componential Role of Hydrophobicity

et al. 2023

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Organic matter dissolved in tertiary effluents (effluent organic matter, EfOM) is the predominant organic membrane foulant in tertiary wastewater reverse osmosis (RO) desalination, ultimately causing biofouling. The interrelated effects of EfOM fractions of different hydrophobicity and polarity on membrane performance were studied by (i) examining each fraction's overall effect on membrane permeability; (ii) analyzing the intrinsic hydraulic resistance induced by each fraction; (iii) studying their adsorption on the active layer of an RO membrane using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D); (iv) assessing their "dry" molecular mass when adsorbed on polyamide using localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensing; (v) analyzing their hydrodynamic radii by dynamic light scattering (DLS); and (vi) characterization using excitation− emission matrix (EEM) analysis and parallel-factor (PARAFAC) modeling. Hydrophobic and transphilic neutral fractions (containing ∼12.5% total organic carbon) have the greatest effect on membrane flux reduction and the highest hydraulic resistance and adhere most strongly to polyamide surfaces, resulting in the highest adsorbed "dry" mass. Therefore, in terms of their effect on RO permeate flux reduction, these fractions are the most detrimental in the EfOM mix. EEM analysis and associated PARAFAC modeling indicate that the main components causing this effect are mixtures of protein-like compounds, together with humic-like substances. Novel LSPR-based analysis elucidated the role of the fractions most detrimental to membrane permeability through measurement of dry mass surface concentration on a polyamide mimetic sensor. This study provides valuable insights into the roles of different EfOM fractions in RO membrane fouling and enhances our understanding of fouling during tertiary wastewater desalination.

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