Fouling of reverse osmosis membranes by hydrophilic organic matter: implications for water reuse

Effluent organic matter (EfOM) is suspected as a major cause of fouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in advanced wastewater reclamation. Among the main constituents in EfOM, polysaccharides are the most ubiquitous. The influence of solution chemistry and hydrodynamics on RO membrane fouling with alginate — a model for polysaccharides in secondary wastewater effluent — was systematically investigated. Results of fouling runs with alginate demonstrate that RO membrane fouling increases with decreasing pH, increasing ionic strength, and addition of calcium ions. At fixed solution ionic strength and pH, the presence of divalent calcium ions, at concentrations typical of those found in secondary wastewater effluent, had a dramatic effect on membrane fouling. However, for similar concentrations of divalent magnesium ions, fouling was negligible. The severe fouling in the presence of calcium is attributed to the formation of a thick, dense alginate gel layer on the membrane surface via calcium-alginate complexation and crosslinking (bridging) of alginate macromolecules by calcium. In addition to solution chemistry, hydrodynamic operating conditions — initial permeate flux and crossflow velocity — were also shown to influence RO membrane fouling with alginate.