Influence of Solute Size on Membrane Fouling during Polysaccharide Enrichment Using Dense Polymeric UF Membrane: Measurements and Mechanisms.

Fouling mechanisms associated with membrane-based polysaccharide enrichment were determined using a dense ultrafiltration (UF) membrane. Dextran with different molecular weights (MWs) was used as a surrogate for polysaccharides. The influence of dextran MW on fouling mechanisms was quantified using the Hermia model. Flux data obtained with different dextran MWs and filtration cycles were plotted to quantify the more appropriate fouling mechanisms among complete pore blocking, standard pore blocking, intermediate pore blocking, and cake filtration. For 100,000 Da dextran, all four mechanisms contributed to the initial fouling. As the filtration progressed, the dominant fouling mechanism appeared to be cake filtration with a regression coefficient (R2) of approximately 0.9519. For 10,000 Da, the R2 value for cake filtration was about 0.8767 in the initial filtration. Then, the R2 value gradually decreased as the filtration progressed. For 6000 Da, the R2 values of the four mechanisms were very low in the initial filtration. However, as the filtration progressed, the R2 value for cake filtration reached 0.9057. These results clearly show that the fouling mechanism of dense UF membranes during polysaccharide enrichment can be quantified. In addition, it was confirmed that the dominant fouling mechanism can change with the size of the polysaccharide and the duration of filtration.

Applicability of a Combined DAF-MF Process to Respond to Changes in Reservoir Water Quality through a Two-Year Pilot Plant Operation.

The optimal operating conditions of a combined dissolved air flotation (DAF)-microfiltration (MF) process to respond to changes in raw water quality were investigated by operating a pilot plant for two years. Without DAF pre-treatment (i.e., MF alone), MF operated stably with a transmembrane pressure (TMP) increase of 0.24 kPa/d when the turbidity of raw water was low and stable (max. 13.4 NTU). However, as the raw water quality deteriorated (max. 76.9 NTU), the rate of TMP increase reached 43.5 kPa/d. When DAF pre-treatment was applied (i.e., the combined DAF-MF process), the MF process operated somewhat stably; however, the rate of TMP increase was relatively high (i.e., 0.64 kPa/d). Residual coagulants and small flocs were not efficiently separated by the DAF process, exacerbating membrane fouling. Based on the particle count analysis of the DAF effluent, the DAF process was optimised based on the coagulant dose and hydraulic loading rate. After optimisation, the rate of TMP increase for the MF process stabilised at 0.17 kPa/d. This study demonstrates that the combined DAF-MF process responded well to substantial changes in raw water quality. In addition, it was suggested that the DAF process must be optimised to avoid excessive membrane fouling.

Application of Physical and Chemical Enhanced Backwashing to Reduce Membrane Fouling in the Water Treatment Process Using Ceramic Membranes.

This study investigated the improvement of operating efficiency through physical cleaning and chemical enhanced backwashing (CEB) using ceramic membranes with high permeability and chemical safety compared to organic membranes. The turbidity and DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) concentrations were selected to ensure that the degree of contamination was always constant. The operating pressures were fixed at 100, 200, and 300 kPa, and the filtration was terminated when the effluent flow rate decreased to 30% or less from the initial value. After filtration, backwashing was performed at a pressure of 500 kPa using 500 mL backwash water. The membrane was cleaned by dipping in NaOCl, and a new washing technique was proposed for steam washing. In this study, we investigated the recovery rate of membranes by selectively performing physical cleaning and CEB by changing the influent water quality and operating pressure conditions.

Nitrogen Removal by Sulfur-Based Carriers in a Membrane Bioreactor (MBR).

Sulfur-based carriers were examined to enhance the nitrogen removal efficiency in a mixed anoxic⁻anaerobic-membrane bioreactor system, in which sulfur from the carrier acts as an electron donor for the conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas through the autotrophic denitrification process. A total nitrogen removal efficiency of 63% was observed in the system with carriers, which showed an increase in the removal efficiency of around 20%, compared to the system without carriers. The results also indicated that the carriers had no adverse effect on biological treatment for the organic matter and total phosphorus. The removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (TP) were 98% and 37% in both systems, respectively. The generation of sulfate ions was a major disadvantage of using sulfur-based carriers, and resulted in pH drop. The ratio of sulfate in the effluent to nitrate removed in the system ranged from 0.86 to 1.97 mgSO42-/mgNO3--N, which was lower than the theoretical value and could be regarded as due to the occurrence of simultaneous heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification.