Identification of effluent organic matter fractions responsible for low-pressure membrane fouling

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (17) ◽  
pp. 5531-5540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle Filloux ◽  
Hervé Gallard ◽  
Jean-Philippe Croue
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Effluent Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Matter Fractions

scholarly journals Contribution of different effluent organic matter fractions to membrane fouling in ultrafiltration of treated domestic wastewater

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Zheng ◽  
J. P. Croue
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Molecular Size ◽  
Effluent Organic Matter ◽  
Membrane Pore ◽  
Pore Opening ◽  
Organic Matter Fractions ◽  
Doc Load ◽  
Hydrophobic Acids

In the present work, effluent organic matter (EfOM) in treated domestic wastewater was separated into hydrophobic neutrals, colloids, hydrophobic acids, transphilic acids and neutrals and hydrophilic compounds. Their contribution to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was identified. Further characterization was conducted with respect to molecular size and hydrophobicity. Each isolated fraction was dosed into salt solution to identify its fouling potential in ultrafiltration (UF) using a hydrophilized polyethersulfone membrane. The results show that each kind of EfOM leads to irreversible fouling. At similar delivered DOC load to the membrane, colloids present the highest fouling effect in terms of both reversible and irreversible fouling. The hydrophobic organics show much lower reversibility than the biopolymers present. However, as they are of much smaller size than the membrane pore opening, they cannot lead to such severe fouling as biopolymers do. In all of the isolated fractions, hydrophilics show the lowest fouling potential. For either colloids or hydrophobic substances, increasing their content in feedwater leads to worse fouling. The co-effect between biopolymers and other EfOM fractions has also been identified as one of the mechanisms contributing to UF fouling in filtering EfOM-containing waters.

Impact of effluent organic matter on low-pressure membrane fouling in tertiary treatment

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 2633-2642 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ayache ◽  
M. Pidou ◽  
J.P. Croué ◽  
J. Labanowski ◽  
Y. Poussade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Tertiary Treatment ◽  
Effluent Organic Matter

Fouling of low-pressure (MF and UF) membranes by wastewater effluent organic matter (EfOM): characterization of EfOM foulants in relation to membrane properties

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 229-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Laabs ◽  
G. Amy ◽  
M. Jekel ◽  
H. Buisson
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Wastewater Effluent ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Feed Water ◽  
Effluent Organic Matter ◽  
Efficient Operation ◽  
Atomic Force

Low-pressure (micro- and ultrafiltration) membranes are increasingly being used in water reclamation processes treating secondary or tertiary effluent from wastewater treatment plants. The main challenge remains the fouling of membrane surface/pores by organic matter which prevents efficient operation. The extent of this fouling strongly depends on feed water quality as well as membrane properties. The aim of this study is to characterize wastewater effluent organic matter (EfOM) and to describe its fouling behavior in relation to various membrane properties (pore size, charge, material, hydrophobicity) through evaluation with stirred cell experiments, elemental analysis, 13C-NMR spectroscopy, and atomic force spectroscopy. Four membranes are tested - one ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and three microfiltration (MF) membranes - with bulk EfOM, derived from the Boulder, Colorado, USA, wastewater treatment plant, as well as with EfOM isolates. The hydrophobic microfiltration membrane is most seriously fouled by bulk Boulder EfOM, while the two hydrophilic membranes (MF, UF) made of cellulose acetate are the least fouled. Differences between the flux decline curves of various membranes are less distinct with isolates than with bulk EfOM. The transphilic isolate (TPIA-Bld) exhibited a higher fouling potential than the hydrophobic isolate (HPOA-Bld). This behaviour is due to the different chemical characteristics of the isolates, namely the higher percentage of hetero-atoms (oxygen and nitrogen) of the transphilic isolate compared to the hydrophobic isolate. Finally, atomic force microscope (AFM) images present clear evidence of fouling. AFM is clearly able to detect the fouling layer, although it has not been possible to distinguish between pore blockage and surface fouling thus far.

scholarly journals Optimization of the coagulation–flocculation process for the removal of natural organic matter fractions present in drinking water sources

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-166
Author(s):  
Oswaldo Cerón Alfaro ◽  
Alejandra Martín Domínguez ◽  
Fotis Rigas ◽  
Myriam Solís-López ◽  
Rosa-María Ramírez-Zamora
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Natural Organic Matter ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Influence Factors ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
The United States ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Organic Matter Fractions

We used an experimental design to determine the best coagulation–flocculation mechanism and the optimal operating conditions for the maximum removal of the natural organic matter fractions (hydrophobic acid (HPOA) and hydrophilic neutral (HPIN)), which are the main factors responsible for irreversible membrane fouling and the generation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). Charge neutralization and sweep mechanisms (SM) were studied using the jar test experiment, and synthetic waters prepared with different hydrophobic/hydrophilic (HPO/HPI) weight ratios by adding model compounds to represent the dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions. Significant influence factors were identified for both coagulation mechanisms. The SM was the best one for DOM removal independent of the HPO/HPI weight ratio. The SM removed HPOA and HPIN fractions with efficiencies of 87.5–90.5% and 73.6–89.8%, respectively. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) values of all met the recommendation proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2 mg total organic carbon (TOC)/L or 1.8 mg DOC/L) for DBPs (<100 μg/L). Furthermore, all effluents met the DOC and silt density index recommended values by membrane suppliers (<3 mg DOC/L and <5%/min, respectively) to minimize fouling potential and to extend the membrane life.

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