Biofouling in reverse osmosis membranes for seawater desalination: Phenomena and prevention
TL;DR: In this paper, the causes, consequences and control of biofouling in RO membranes used for seawater desalination are discussed in some detail: biofilm formation, role of EPS, and sequence of events leading to bio fouling.
About: This article is published in Desalination.The article was published on 2011-10-17. It has received 543 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Desalination & Reverse osmosis.
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TL;DR: This review will first introduce the major foulants and the principal mechanisms of membrane fouling, and then highlight the development, current status and future prospects of antifouling membranes, including ant ifouling strategies, preparation techniques and practical applications.
Abstract: One of the greatest challenges to the sustainability of modern society is an inadequate supply of clean water. Due to its energy-saving and cost-effective features, membrane technology has become an indispensable platform technology for water purification, including seawater and brackish water desalination as well as municipal or industrial wastewater treatment. However, membrane fouling, which arises from the nonspecific interaction between membrane surface and foulants, significantly impedes the efficient application of membrane technology. Preparing antifouling membranes is a fundamental strategy to deal with pervasive fouling problems from a variety of foulants. In recent years, major advancements have been made in membrane preparation techniques and in elucidating the antifouling mechanisms of membrane processes, including ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. This review will first introduce the major foulants and the principal mechanisms of membrane fouling, and then highlight the development, current status and future prospects of antifouling membranes, including antifouling strategies, preparation techniques and practical applications. In particular, the strategies and mechanisms for antifouling membranes, including passive fouling resistance and fouling release, active off-surface and on-surface strategies, will be proposed and discussed extensively.
904 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviews membrane fouling types and fouling control strategies, with a focus on the latest developments, including biofouling, organic fouling, inorganic scaling and colloidal fouling.
567 citations
Cites background from "Biofouling in reverse osmosis membr..."
...…not limited to activated carbon (Delgado et al., 2012; Serpieri et al., 2000; Shanmuganathan et al., 2014), anthracite (Schmidt et al., 2016), sand (Asami et al., 2016), diatomaceous earth (Michen et al., 2011), sponge (Yeom and Kim, 2016; Young et al., 2016), cotton (Ferrero et al., 2014), etc....
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30 Apr 2020
TL;DR: A review looks at the trending membrane technologies in wastewater treatment, their advantages and disadvantages, and discusses membrane fouling, membrane cleaning, and membrane modules.
Abstract: In the face of water shortages, the world seeks to explore all available options in reducing the over exploitation of limited freshwater resources. One of the surest available water resources is wastewater. As the population grows, industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities increase accordingly in order to cater for the voluminous needs of man. These activities produce large volumes of wastewater from which water can be reclaimed to serve many purposes. Over the years, conventional wastewater treatment processes have succeeded to some extent in treating effluents for discharge purposes. However, improvements in wastewater treatment processes are necessary in order to make treated wastewater re-usable for industrial, agricultural, and domestic purposes. Membrane technology has emerged as a favorite choice for reclaiming water from different wastewater streams for re-use. This review looks at the trending membrane technologies in wastewater treatment, their advantages and disadvantages. It also discusses membrane fouling, membrane cleaning, and membrane modules. Finally, recommendations for future research pertaining to the application of membrane technology in wastewater treatment are made.
533 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of different fabrication and modification strategies for various innovative graphene oxide-assisted desalination membranes, including freestanding GO membranes, GO-surface modified membranes and casted GO-incorporated membranes, is presented.
496 citations
TL;DR: Using amide coupling between carboxyl groups of graphene oxide and carboxy groups of the polyamide active layer, graphene oxide is irreversibly bound to the membrane and direct contact of bacteria with functionalized graphene oxide on the membrane surface results in 65% bacterial inactivation after 1 h of contact time.
Abstract: Fouling of membranes by microorganisms is a major limiting factor in membrane separation processes. Novel strategies are therefore required to decrease the extent of bacterial growth on membranes. In this study, we confer strong antimicrobial properties to thin-film composite polyamide membranes by a simple graphene oxide surface functionalization. Using amide coupling between carboxyl groups of graphene oxide and carboxyl groups of the polyamide active layer, graphene oxide is irreversibly bound to the membrane. Surface binding of graphene oxide is demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Direct contact of bacteria with functionalized graphene oxide on the membrane surface results in 65% bacterial inactivation after 1 h of contact time. This bactericidal effect is imparted to the membrane without any detrimental effect to the intrinsic membrane transport properties. Our results suggest that functionalization of thin-film composite membranes with graphene oxide nanosheets is a ...
475 citations
References
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TL;DR: Some of the science and technology being developed to improve the disinfection and decontamination of water, as well as efforts to increase water supplies through the safe re-use of wastewater and efficient desalination of sea and brackish water are highlighted.
Abstract: One of the most pervasive problems afflicting people throughout the world is inadequate access to clean water and sanitation. Problems with water are expected to grow worse in the coming decades, with water scarcity occurring globally, even in regions currently considered water-rich. Addressing these problems calls out for a tremendous amount of research to be conducted to identify robust new methods of purifying water at lower cost and with less energy, while at the same time minimizing the use of chemicals and impact on the environment. Here we highlight some of the science and technology being developed to improve the disinfection and decontamination of water, as well as efforts to increase water supplies through the safe re-use of wastewater and efficient desalination of sea and brackish water.
6,967 citations
"Biofouling in reverse osmosis membr..." refers background in this paper
...Moreover, the demand for drinkingwater in theworld is increasing and regulations on drinking water quality have become a lot more stringent [2]....
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...In addition to its negative effects on membrane integrity and the environment, free chlorine is ineffective in controlling waterborne pathogens such as Cryptosporidium parvum andMycobacterium avium with the latter being ubiquitous in biofilms within water distribution systems around the world and displaying remarkable resistance to chlorine at the high pH and low temperature of natural water [2]....
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TL;DR: The results indicate that the bactericidal properties of the nanoparticles are size dependent, since the only nanoparticles that present a direct interaction with the bacteria preferentially have a diameter of approximately 1-10 nm.
Abstract: Nanotechnology is expected to open new avenues to fight and prevent disease using atomic scale tailoring of materials. Among the most promising nanomaterials with antibacterial properties are metallic nanoparticles, which exhibit increased chemical activity due to their large surface to volume ratios and crystallographic surface structure. The study of bactericidal nanomaterials is particularly timely considering the recent increase of new resistant strains of bacteria to the most potent antibiotics. This has promoted research in the well known activity of silver ions and silver-based compounds, including silver nanoparticles. The present work studies the effect of silver nanoparticles in the range of 1-100 nm on Gram-negative bacteria using high angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Our results indicate that the bactericidal properties of the nanoparticles are size dependent, since the only nanoparticles that present a direct interaction with the bacteria preferentially have a diameter of approximately 1-10 nm.
5,609 citations
"Biofouling in reverse osmosis membr..." refers background in this paper
...More recently, several natural and engineered nanomaterials have been shown to have strong antimicrobial properties, including chitosan [103], silver nanoparticles [104], photocatalytic TiO2 [105], aqueous fullerene nanoparticles [106] and carbon nanotubes [107]....
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TL;DR: These nontoxic nanomaterials, which can be prepared in a simple and cost-effective manner, may be suitable for the formulation of new types of bactericidal materials.
5,309 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduce the concept of Membrane Fouling and discuss the properties and properties of synthetic Membranes, including material properties, properties, and processes.
Abstract: I: Introduction. II: Materials and Material Properties. III. Preparation of Synthetic Membranes. IV: Characterisation of Membranes. V: Transport in Membranes. VI: Membrane Processes. VII: Polarisation Phenomena and Membrane Fouling. VIII: Module and Process Design. Appendix 1. Appendix 2. Answers to Exercises: Solved Problems. Answers to Exercises: Unsolved Problems. List of Symbols. Index.
4,338 citations
"Biofouling in reverse osmosis membr..." refers background in this paper
...It usually causes serious decline in the flux and quality of the permeate, ultimately resulting in an increase in the operating pressure with time [10]....
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TL;DR: A greater understanding of biofilm processes should lead to novel, effective control strategies for biofilm control and a resulting improvement in patient management.
Abstract: Microorganisms attach to surfaces and develop biofilms. Biofilm-associated cells can be differentiated from their suspended counterparts by generation of an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix, reduced growth rates, and the up- and down- regulation of specific genes. Attachment is a complex process regulated by diverse characteristics of the growth medium, substratum, and cell surface. An established biofilm structure comprises microbial cells and EPS, has a defined architecture, and provides an optimal environment for the exchange of genetic material between cells. Cells may also communicate via quorum sensing, which may in turn affect biofilm processes such as detachment. Biofilms have great importance for public health because of their role in certain infectious diseases and importance in a variety of device-related infections. A greater understanding of biofilm processes should lead to novel, effective control strategies for biofilm control and a resulting improvement in patient management.
4,067 citations
"Biofouling in reverse osmosis membr..." refers background in this paper
...The formation of biofilms may occur on a wide variety of surfaces including living tissues, indwelling medical devices, industrial or potable water system piping, or natural aquatic systems [22]....
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