Natural organic matter fouling and chemical cleaning of nanofiltration membranes

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 245-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Li ◽  
M. Elimelech

Fouling and subsequent chemical cleaning are two important issues for sustainable operation of nanofiltration (NF) membranes in water quality control applications. Because fouling strongly depends on the feed water quality, especially the ionic composition, chemical cleaning solutions should be chosen to target the solution chemistry that is most responsible for the formation of a compact, high resistance fouling layer. In this study, the effect of solution chemistry on natural organic matter (NOM) fouling of two NF membranes with different surface properties was investigated. Compared to monovalent cations, divalent cations were found to greatly enhance NOM fouling by complexation. Moreover, calcium ions caused a much greater fouling rate than magnesium ions, presumably due to the intermolecular bridging formed among NOM molecules through the calcium ions. Various chemical cleaning solutions were evaluated for water flux recovery efficiency. Although both deionized water and dilute NaOH solution were found effective in cleaning membranes fouled in the absence of calcium ions, efficient chemical cleaning in presence of calcium was achieved only when the calcium ion bridging was eliminated. The cleaning efficiency was shown to be highly dependent on solution pH and the concentration of the chemical cleaning agent.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ayache ◽  
M. Pidou ◽  
W. Gernjak ◽  
Y. Poussade ◽  
J.-P. Croué ◽  
...  

This study evaluates the impacts of water quality from three different secondary effluents on low pressure membrane fouling. Effluent organic matter (EfOM) has been reported by previous studies as responsible for membrane fouling. However, the contribution of the different components of EfOM to membrane fouling is still not well understood. In order to improve and optimize treatment processes, characterization and quantification of the organic matter are important. The characterization methods used in this study are liquid chromatography coupled with an organic detector (LC-OCD) and excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (EEM). A bench-scale hollow fibre membrane system was used to identify the type of fouling depending on the feed water quality. Results showed no measurable dissolved organic carbon removal by the membranes for the three secondary effluents. Biopolymers and humic-like substances found in different proportions in the three effluents were partially retained by the membranes and were identified to contribute significantly to the flux decline of the low pressure membranes. The observed fouling was determined to be reversible by hydraulic backwashing for two effluents and only by chemical cleaning for the third effluent.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Grefte ◽  
M. Dignum ◽  
E. R. Cornelissen ◽  
L. C. Rietveld

Abstract. To guarantee a good water quality at the customers tap, natural organic matter (NOM) should be (partly) removed during drinking water treatment. The objective of this research was to improve the biological stability of the produced water by incorporating anion exchange (IEX) for NOM removal. Different placement positions of IEX in the treatment lane (IEX positioned before coagulation, before ozonation or after slow sand filtration) and two IEX configurations (MIEX® and fluidized IEX (FIX)) were compared on water quality as well as costs. For this purpose the pre-treatment plant at Loenderveen and production plant Weesperkarspel of Waternet were used as a case study. Both, MIEX® and FIX were able to remove NOM (mainly the HS fraction) to a high extent. NOM removal can be done efficiently before ozonation and after slow sand filtration. The biological stability, in terms of assimilable organic carbon, biofilm formation rate and dissolved organic carbon, was improved by incorporating IEX for NOM removal. The operational costs were assumed to be directly dependent of the NOM removal rate and determined the difference between the IEX positions. The total costs for IEX for the three positions were approximately equal (0.0631 € m−3), however the savings on following treatment processes caused a cost reduction for the IEX positions before coagulation and before ozonation compared to IEX positioned after slow sand filtration. IEX positioned before ozonation was most cost effective and improved the biological stability of the treated water.


Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 968
Author(s):  
Zhun Ma ◽  
Lu Zhang ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Xiaosheng Ji ◽  
Yuting Xu ◽  
...  

The fouling mechanism of the anion exchange membrane (AEM) induced by natural organic matter (NOM) in the absence and presence of calcium ions was systematically investigated via the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (xDLVO) approach. Sodium alginate (SA), humic acid (HA), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were utilized as model NOM fractions. The results indicated that the presence of calcium ions tremendously aggravated the NOM fouling on the anion exchange membrane because of Ca-NOM complex formation. Furthermore, analysis of the interaction energy between the membrane surface and foulants via xDLVO revealed that short-range acid–base (AB) interaction energy played a significant role in the compositions of interaction energy during the electrodialysis (ED) process. The influence of NOM fractions in the presence of calcium ions on membrane fouling followed the order: SA > BSA > HA. This study demonstrated that the interaction energy was a dominating indicator for evaluating the tendency of anion exchange membranes fouling by natural organic matter.


1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.R. O’Melia ◽  
W.C. Becker ◽  
K.-K. Au

Measurements and modeling of the adsorption of natural organic matter (NOM) on oxide surfaces are presented and compared. Agreement is good and supports the view that the adsorption of NOM on oxides depends significantly on complex formation reactions between specific sites on oxide surfaces and functional groups on the NOM. Coagulant requirements can and often are set by the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration in a water source. Frequently there is a stoichiometric relationship between the required coagulant dosage and the TOC of the water to be treated. Other important factors include pH and the concentration of divalent cations. Ozone may benefit or retard coagulation, depending on coagulant type and the water quality characteristic that is dominant in setting the optimum coagulant dose.


1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 113-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Maartens ◽  
P. Swart ◽  
E. P. Jacobs

Organic matter in natural brown water as well as humic acids from a commercial sample were characterised by ultraviolet-visible light-spectroscopy and used in ultrafiltration studies. During ultrafiltration the pure-water flux and the operational flux were measured continuously to determine the degree of membrane fouling. The natural organic matter and commercial humic acid concentrations of the feed and permeate solutions were determined spectrophotometrically. These variables were used in conjunction with conventional flux measurements, to determine the colour-removal efficiency of ultrafiltration as well as the degree of foulant adsorption onto the membranes. Fouled membranes were cleaned with alkaline chemical agents normally used to extract natural organic matter from soil samples. The cleaning efficiency and the effect of cleaning solutions on the membrane selectivity were studied.


2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.W. Zularisam ◽  
Anwar Ahmad ◽  
Mimi Sakinah ◽  
A.F. Ismail ◽  
T. Matsuura

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 803-816 ◽  

<p>Natural organic matter (NOM) has been identified as the prominent precursor for disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation during chlorination. Various studies have shown that the characteristics of NOM influence the Trihalomethanes (THMs) formation mechanism. The present study represents NOM categorization in terms of total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV absorbance at 254 nm wavelengths (UV<sub>254</sub>) and specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) to investigate the effects of NOM on THMs formation mechanism. The high rate of dependency was found for each representative of NOM with respect to water quality characteristics and operational condition of disinfection process. Values of SUVA and UV<sub>254</sub> is drastically reduced with respect from higher to a moderate chlorine dose which represent the chlorine contact is more predominant with hydrophobic fractions of NOM. The value of SUVA is decreasing with respect to temperature and reaction time, which reveled higher rate of utilization for hydrophobic fractions of NOM. Predictive modeling approach was carried out using multiple regression analysis with the combination of two surrogates at each stage of modeling with help of operational condition of disinfection process and water quality characteristics. The R<sup>2</sup> value of the model was found in the range of 0.927 to 0.937 from the developed model and a model could be recommended for prediction of THMs in drinking water.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paripurnanda Loganathan ◽  
Michael Gradzielski ◽  
Heriberto Bustamante ◽  
Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran

Natural organic matter (NOM) occurs ubiquitously in water bodies and this can greatly affect feed or raw water quality (taste, colour, odour, bacterial growth). Chemically modified chitosan can effectively remove NOM by the flocculation process.


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