TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of solution chemistry on organic fouling of reverse osmosis membranes in seawater desalination
AU - Yu, Youngbeom
AU - Lee, Sangyoup
AU - Hong, Seungkwan
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) for supporting this study through the Seawater Engineering & Architecture of High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis (SEAHERO) program.
Copyright:
Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2010/4/1
Y1 - 2010/4/1
N2 - The influence of pH and calcium ion concentrations on the organic fouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was investigated under two distinguished ionic strengths representing surface water (i.e., 10 mM) and seawater conditions (i.e., 600 mM). Variations in flux decline with respect to the feed water pH and calcium concentrations under these ionic environments were compared. Organic foulants deposited on the membrane surface were collected and characterized in terms of specific UVA (SUVA) and fluorescence excitation and emission matrix (FEEM) in conjunction with XAD-8/4 resin fractionation. Flux-decline curves obtained by various feed water pH and calcium concentrations under the low ionic strength condition were quite different with each other, while flux-decline curves obtained at the seawater-level ionic strength was almost identical regardless of variations in the feed water pH and calcium concentration. SUVA and FEEM results showed that the characteristics of organic matters attached on the membrane surface at high ionic strengths were significantly different from those at low ionic strengths. SUVA values and FEEM images indicated that organic foulants at the seawater-level ionic strength were mostly hydrophobic. Consequently, enhanced hydrophobic interaction dominantly controlled the rate and the extent of organic fouling at seawater-level ionic strength where the impacts of feed water pH and calcium were significantly masked.
AB - The influence of pH and calcium ion concentrations on the organic fouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was investigated under two distinguished ionic strengths representing surface water (i.e., 10 mM) and seawater conditions (i.e., 600 mM). Variations in flux decline with respect to the feed water pH and calcium concentrations under these ionic environments were compared. Organic foulants deposited on the membrane surface were collected and characterized in terms of specific UVA (SUVA) and fluorescence excitation and emission matrix (FEEM) in conjunction with XAD-8/4 resin fractionation. Flux-decline curves obtained by various feed water pH and calcium concentrations under the low ionic strength condition were quite different with each other, while flux-decline curves obtained at the seawater-level ionic strength was almost identical regardless of variations in the feed water pH and calcium concentration. SUVA and FEEM results showed that the characteristics of organic matters attached on the membrane surface at high ionic strengths were significantly different from those at low ionic strengths. SUVA values and FEEM images indicated that organic foulants at the seawater-level ionic strength were mostly hydrophobic. Consequently, enhanced hydrophobic interaction dominantly controlled the rate and the extent of organic fouling at seawater-level ionic strength where the impacts of feed water pH and calcium were significantly masked.
KW - Organic fouling
KW - RO membranes
KW - SUVA and FEEM
KW - Seawater desalination
KW - Seawater-level ionic strength
KW - pH and calcium effects
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U2 - 10.1016/j.memsci.2010.01.051
DO - 10.1016/j.memsci.2010.01.051
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77549087760
SN - 0376-7388
VL - 351
SP - 205
EP - 213
JO - Jornal of Membrane Science
JF - Jornal of Membrane Science
IS - 1-2
ER -