Correlations of relevant membrane foulants with UF membrane fouling in different waters

Journal
Water research  
Volume
47
Issue
3
Start Page
1218
End Page
1228
Citation
Water Research 3 (47): 1218-1228 (2013)
Publisher DOI
10.1016/j.watres.2012.11.043
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84872679060
Publisher
Elsevier Science
Correlations between potential fouling-relevant substances and membrane fouling during ultrafiltration (UF) of different waters were investigated, including water samples from Lake Tegel, from a Berlin canal (Landwehrkanal) and from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) secondary effluent. The biopolymers quantified with liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) showed a remarkable correlation with UF membrane fouling for all the three water sources at different seasons. This finding suggests that the biopolymer content in water can be employed as a universal indicator for predicting membrane fouling potential in UF processes. The particulate matter in the two surface waters Lake Tegel and Berlin canal, as characterized by suspended solids and turbidity, also exhibited a distinct correlation with UF membrane fouling, although its correlation was slightly weaker than that of biopolymers. However, the humic substances, which are generally believed to be major membrane foulants, did not show any reliable correlation with the UF membrane fouling of the different waters. This work may provide useful information for the development of optimized fouling control strategies for sustainable UF operation. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
Subjects
Biopolymer
Humic substance
Membrane fouling
Particulate matter
Ultrafiltration (UF)
Water treatment
DDC Class
620: Ingenieurwissenschaften
More Funding Information
Alexander vonHumboldt Stiftung (2010.10-2011.12, Humboldt ID: 113880)
National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51208140)
National Creative Research Groups of China (No. 51121062)