Pretreatment and Membrane Hydrophilic Modification to Reduce Membrane Fouling

The application of low pressure membranes (microfiltration/ultrafiltration) has undergone accelerated development for drinking water production. However, the major obstacle encountered in its popularization is membrane fouling caused by natural organic matter (NOM). This paper firstly summarizes the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Huaqiang Chu, Bingzhi Dong, Junxia Liu, Wen Sun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2013-09-01
Series:Membranes
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/3/3/226
Description
Summary:The application of low pressure membranes (microfiltration/ultrafiltration) has undergone accelerated development for drinking water production. However, the major obstacle encountered in its popularization is membrane fouling caused by natural organic matter (NOM). This paper firstly summarizes the two factors causing the organic membrane fouling, including molecular weight (MW) and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of NOM, and then presents a brief introduction of the methods which can prevent membrane fouling such as pretreatment of the feed water (e.g., coagulation, adsorption, and pre-oxidation) and membrane hydrophilic modification (e.g., plasma modification, irradiation grafting modification, surface coating modification, blend modification, etc.). Perspectives of further research are also discussed.
ISSN:2077-0375