Phosphorus Concentration in Water Affects the Biofilm Community and the Produced Amount of Extracellular Polymeric Substances in Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems
Type
ArticleKAUST Department
Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.Environmental Science and Engineering
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division
Environmental Science and Engineering Program
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
Date
2021-11-26Submitted Date
2021-10-14Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/673861
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Biofouling is a problem that hinders sustainable membrane-based desalination and the stratification of bacterial populations over the biofilm’s height is suggested to compromise the efficiency of cleaning strategies. Some studies reported a base biofilm layer attached to the membrane that is harder to remove. Previous research suggested limiting the concentration of phosphorus in the feed water as a biofouling control strategy. However, the existence of bacterial communities growing under phosphorus-limiting conditions and communities remaining after cleaning is unknown. This study analyzes the bacterial communities developed in biofilms grown in membrane fouling simulators (MFSs) supplied with water with three dosed phosphorus conditions at a constant biodegradable carbon concentration. After biofilm development, biofilm was removed using forward flushing (an easy-to-implement and environmentally friendly method) by increasing the crossflow velocity for one hour. We demonstrate that small changes in phosphorus concentration in the feed water led to (i) different microbial compositions and (ii) different bacterial-cells-to-EPS ratios, while (iii) similar bacterial biofilm populations remained after forward flushing, suggesting a homogenous bacterial community composition along the biofilm height. This study represents an exciting advance towards greener desalination by applying non-expensive physical cleaning methods while manipulating feed water nutrient conditions to prolong membrane system performance and enhance membrane cleanability.Citation
Javier, L., Pulido-Beltran, L., Kruithof, J., Vrouwenvelder, J. S., & Farhat, N. M. (2021). Phosphorus Concentration in Water Affects the Biofilm Community and the Produced Amount of Extracellular Polymeric Substances in Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems. Membranes, 11(12), 928. doi:10.3390/membranes11120928Sponsors
This research received no external funding and was fully funded by King Abdullah University of Science and technology.Publisher
MDPI AGJournal
MembranesAdditional Links
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/11/12/928ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3390/membranes11120928
Scopus Count
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.