Reverse osmosis membrane fouling and its physical, chemical, and biological characterization

Abstract

Membrane fouling is caused by microorganisms and organic, inorganic, and colloidal substances that are present in the feedwater. It affects the performance of membranes in water treatment systems in terms of increase in operating cost and frequent shutdown of the systems to allow cleaning and membrane replacements. To investigate the mechanisms of fouling and the efficiency of fouling mitigation strategies, membrane fouling characterization is necessary. Various techniques are used for physical, chemical, and biological characterization of the fouling layer that help to gather information about fouling layer structure, topography, chemical constituents, and microbial interactions. In this chapter, various microscopic, spectroscopic, and other characterization techniques are discussed that can be used to characterize membrane fouling. For more commonly used techniques, examples of their application in membrane fouling studies are presented from the recent literature. 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.