Role of feed water biodegradable substrate concentration on biofouling: biofilm characteristics, membrane performance and cleanability
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Type
ArticleKAUST Department
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division
Environmental Science and Engineering Program
Date
2018-11-21Online Publication Date
2018-11-21Print Publication Date
2019-03Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/630152
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Biofouling severely impacts operational performance of membrane systems increasing the cost of water production. Understanding the effect of critical parameters of feed water such as biodegradable substrate concentration on the developed biofilm characteristics enables development of more effective biofouling control strategies.In this study, the effect of substrate concentration on the biofilm characteristics was examined using membrane fouling simulators (MFSs). A feed channel pressure drop (PD) increase of 200 mbar was used as a benchmark to study the developed biofilm. The amount and characteristics of the formed biofilm were analysed in relation to membrane performance indicators: feed channel pressure drop and permeate flux. The effect of the characteristics of the biofilm developed at three substrate concentrations on the removal efficiency of the different biofilms was evaluated applying acid/base cleaning.Results showed that a higher feed water substrate concentration caused a higher biomass amount, a faster PD increase, but a lower permeate flux decline. The permeate flux decline was affected by the spatial location and the physical characteristics of the biofilm rather than the total amount of biofilm. The slower growing biofilm developed at the lowest substrate concentration was harder to remove by NaOH/HCl cleanings than the biofilm developed at the higher substrate concentrations.Effective biofilm removal is essential to prevent a fast biofilm regrowth after cleaning. While substrate limitation is a generally accepted biofouling control strategy delaying biofouling, development of advanced cleaning methods to remove biofilms formed under substrate limited conditions is of paramount importance.Citation
Farhat NM, Javier L, Van Loosdrecht MCM, Kruithof JC, Vrouwenvelder JS (2019) Role of feed water biodegradable substrate concentration on biofouling: Biofilm characteristics, membrane performance and cleanability. Water Research 150: 1–11. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.11.054.Sponsors
The research reported in this publication was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).Publisher
Elsevier BVJournal
Water ResearchAdditional Links
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135418309837ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.watres.2018.11.054