Biofouling of FeNP-Coated SWRO Membranes with Bacteria Isolated after Pre-Treatment in the Sea of Cortez

Commercial seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes were coated with iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) and biofouled with a bacterium strain isolated from the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. This strain was selected and characterized, as it was the only cultivable strain in pretreated seawater. Molecular identification of the strain showed that it belongs to Bacillus halotolerans MCC1. This strain was Gram positive with spore production, and was susceptible to Fe+2 toxicity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1.8 g L−1. Its biofouling potential on both uncoated and FeNP coated reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was measured via biofilm layer thickness, total cell count, optical density and organic matter. The FeNP-coated RO membrane presented a significant reduction in biofilm cake layer thickness (>90%), total cells (>67%), optical density (>42%) and organic matter (>92%) with respect to an uncoated commercial membrane. Thus, Bacillus halotolerans MCC1 shows great potential to biofoul RO membranes as it can pass through ultrafiltration membranes due to its spore producing ability; nonetheless, FeNP-coated membranes represent a potential alternative to mitigate RO membrane biofouling.

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Comparison of reverse osmosis membrane fouling characteristics in full-scale leachate treatment systems with chemical coagulation and microfiltration pre-treatments

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2014.468 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 71 (4) ◽

pp. 580-587 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Weerapong Rukapan ◽

Benyapa Khananthai ◽

Thirdpong Srisukphun ◽

Wilai Chiemchaisri ◽

Chart Chiemchaisri

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Membrane Fouling ◽

Full Scale ◽

Permeate Flux ◽

Leachate Treatment ◽

Chemical Coagulation ◽

Cake Layer ◽

Ro Membrane ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Fouling Characteristics

Fouling characteristics of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane with chemical coagulation and microfiltration (MF) pre-treatment were investigated at full-scale leachate treatment systems. In chemical coagulation pre-treatment, solid separation from stabilized leachate was performed by ferric chloride coagulation followed by sand filtration. Meanwhile, MF pre-treatment and the RO system utilized direct filtration using a 0.03 µm membrane without chemical addition. MF pre-treatment yielded better pollutant removals in terms of organics and nitrogen. The study on effect of pre-treatment on RO membrane fouling revealed that accumulated foulant on the RO membrane in MF pre-treatment was significantly lower than that of chemical coagulation. Nevertheless, NaOH cleaning of the fouled RO membrane after chemical coagulation pre-treatment could better recover its permeate flux, thus suggesting that the formation of a loose-structure cake layer by chemical coagulation pre-treatment could allow effective penetration of chemical cleaning and detachment of foulant layer from the membrane surface.

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Permeability decline in nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membranes fed with municipal wastewater treated by a membrane bioreactor

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2013.080 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 67 (9) ◽

pp. 1994-1999 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Katsuki Kimura ◽

Naoko Ogawa ◽

Yoshimasa Watanabe

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Membrane Bioreactor ◽

Municipal Wastewater ◽

Membrane Surface ◽

Chemical Cleaning ◽

Filtration Resistance ◽

Cake Layer ◽

Total Filtration ◽

Ro Membrane

Decline in the permeability in nanofiltration (NF)/reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that filtered effluents from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater was investigated in this study. Four different 2-inch spiral-wound NF/RO membrane elements were continuously operated for 40 days. The results showed that the amount of deposits on the membrane surface did not affect the degree of permeability decline. Laboratory-scale filtration tests with coupons obtained from the fouled membranes also revealed that the contribution of the gel/cake layer to total filtration resistance was minor. Rather, constituents that were strongly bound to the membranes were mainly responsible for permeability decline. Chemical cleaning of the fouled membranes carried out after removal of the cake showed that silica played an important role in the decline in permeability. A considerable amount of organic matter which was mainly composed of carbohydrates and proteins was also desorbed from the fouled membranes.

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Comparison of sand and membrane filtration as non-chemical pre-treatment strategies for pesticide removal with nanofiltration/low pressure reverse osmosis membranes

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2014.004 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 532-539 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Krzysztof P. Kowalski ◽

Henrik T. Madsen ◽

Erik G. Søgaard

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Membrane Filtration ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Low Pressure ◽

Sand Filtration ◽

Sand Filter ◽

Pesticide Removal ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Uf Membranes

Pilot plant investigations of sand and membrane filtration (microfiltration (MF)/ultrafiltration (UF)/nanofiltration (NF)/low pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO)) have been performed to treat groundwater polluted with pesticides. The results show that simple treatment, with use of aeration and sand filtration or MF/UF membranes, does not remove pesticides. However, by reducing the content of key foulants, the techniques can be used as a pre-treatment for nanofiltration and low pressure reverse osmosis that has proved to be capable of removing pesticides. It was found that a lower fouling potential could be obtained by using the membranes, but that sand filter was better at removing manganese and dissolved organic matter. The results indicate that combining aeration, sand filtration and membrane techniques might be a good option for pesticide removal without any addition of chemicals and minimized membrane maintenance.

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Accelerated Seeded Precipitation Pre-Treatment for the Improvement of Reverse Osmosis Membrane

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.477-478.1365 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 477-478 ◽

pp. 1365-1368

Author(s):

Yong Chen ◽

Xin Long Zhang ◽

Ji Lai Lu ◽

Wei Jing Liu ◽

Yong Tu

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Reverse Osmosis Membrane ◽

Seed Type ◽

Sem Images ◽

Seeded Precipitation ◽

Initial Ph ◽

Ro Membrane ◽

Pre Treatment

The research on accelerated seeded precipitation pre-treatment for the improvement of secondary RO membrane was investigated. The influences of seed type, initial pH and seed dosage on accelerated seeded precipitation were studied. SEM images for the secondary RO membrane were also discussed.

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Removal characteristics of dissolved organic matter and membrane fouling in ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membrane combine processes treating the secondary effluent of wastewater treatment plant

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2020.589 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jianwei Liu ◽

Mengfei Zhao ◽

Cui Duan ◽

Peng Yue ◽

Tinggang Li

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Humic Acid ◽

Fulvic Acid ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Membrane Fouling ◽

Municipal Wastewater ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽

Ro Membrane

Abstract The widespread implementation of municipal wastewater treatment and reuse must first ensure the safety of reused wastewater. The effluent of the municipal wastewater treatment plant contains a large amount of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which adversely affects the reuse of wastewater. In this study, the ultrafiltration (UF) + reverse osmosis (RO) process was used to treat the effluent from wastewater treatment plants. The relationship between the removal performance, membrane fouling of the UF + RO process, and DOM characteristics of influent were studied. The results show that DOM can be removed effectively by UF + RO process. The UF mainly removes DOM with a molecular weight greater than 10 kDa, while RO has a significant removal effect on low-molecular DOM, which mainly cause UF and RO membrane fouling. The UF + RO process has a significant removal rate on fulvic acid, humic acid, tyrosine, and tryptophan, and the order is humic acid > fulvic acid > tyrosine > tryptophan. Fulvic acid contributed the most to the UF membrane fouling, while fulvic acid and protein-like proteins contributed mainly to the RO membrane fouling.

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A Review Of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Fouling: Formation and Control

International Journal of Engineering, Science and Information Technology ◽

10.52088/ijesty.v1i3.127 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 110-115

Author(s):

Rizka Mulyawan ◽

Agam Muarif

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Membrane Fouling ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Granular Media ◽

Reverse Osmosis Membrane ◽

Additional Energy ◽

Ro Membrane ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Exchange Resins ◽

Membrane Treatment

Membrane application in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane is getting more attention especially in producing drinking water. However, RO membrane faces challenges that reduces its performance such as its permeation flux, salt rejection, additional energy demand, lifetime decrease, extra pre-treatment process, cleaning and maintenance. The challenge is the formation of fouling. RO membrane fouling can happen inside or outside the membrane and the characteristics of membrane fouling differs from one type to other types, depending on the nature and location of membrane fouling. There are several types of RO fouling, which are Biofouling, Organic Fouling, Inorganic Fouling and Colloidal Fouling. The causes of RO membrane are different from one to another. The properties and materials of the solution entering RO membrane are important as it affects the type of fouling of RO membrane fouling. All of the RO membrane foulings need to be considered during membrane usage and demand solution to be controlled. In order to control the fouling in Reverse Osmosis membrane, there have been several control solutions discovered to the membrane fouling challenges. The control solutions are specified to each one of the fouling, in spite of wide applications for some of it. The control solutions are pre-treatment, which has many methods such as photo oxidation, coagulation, scale inhibitor, ion exchange resins, granular media and membrane treatment, membrane monitoring, membrane cleaning, surface modification, and material addition to membrane or novel membrane material. With various control solutions discovered, the RO membrane still faces fouling issue and is still demanding some more advanced applicable control solutions.

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Nitric Oxide Treatment for the Control of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Biofouling

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.03404-14 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 (7) ◽

pp. 2515-2524 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Robert J. Barnes ◽

Jiun Hui Low ◽

Ratnaharika R. Bandi ◽

Martin Tay ◽

Felicia Chua ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Confocal Microscopy ◽

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Pressure Rise ◽

Transmembrane Pressure ◽

Mixed Species ◽

Membrane Biofouling ◽

Ro Membrane

ABSTRACTBiofouling remains a key challenge for membrane-based water treatment systems. This study investigated the dispersal potential of the nitric oxide (NO) donor compound, PROLI NONOate, on single- and mixed-species biofilms formed by bacteria isolated from industrial membrane bioreactor and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. The potential of PROLI NONOate to control RO membrane biofouling was also examined. Confocal microscopy revealed that PROLI NONOate exposure induced biofilm dispersal in all but two of the bacteria tested and successfully dispersed mixed-species biofilms. The addition of 40 μM PROLI NONOate at 24-h intervals to a laboratory-scale RO system led to a 92% reduction in the rate of biofouling (pressure rise over a given period) by a bacterial community cultured from an industrial RO membrane. Confocal microscopy and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) extraction revealed that PROLI NONOate treatment led to a 48% reduction in polysaccharides, a 66% reduction in proteins, and a 29% reduction in microbial cells compared to the untreated control. A reduction in biofilm surface coverage (59% compared to 98%, treated compared to control) and average thickness (20 μm compared to 26 μm, treated compared to control) was also observed. The addition of PROLI NONOate led to a 22% increase in the time required for the RO module to reach its maximum transmembrane pressure (TMP), further indicating that NO treatment delayed fouling. Pyrosequencing analysis revealed that the NO treatment did not significantly alter the microbial community composition of the membrane biofilm. These results present strong evidence for the application of PROLI NONOate for prevention of RO biofouling.

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