AWWA ACE92183

This article provides an introductory overview of the various membrane processes for water treatment. The advantages and limitations of the different types of membrane processes are important to understand. Applying sound engineering and testing principals, the appropriate membrane process can be selected to provide effective treatment for reducing many regulated and unregulated materials in water. The membrane process or processes to be used in a given application depends on the raw water quality and the finished water treatment objective. Specifically, it is necessary to determine what materials require removal, to what level they must be removed, and what effect other materials in the water may have on membrane performance. Processes defined in this paper are: reverse osmosis and nanofiltration; desalination membrane applications; ultrafiltration and microfiltration; filtration membrane applications; electrodialysis reversal (EDR); EDR process applications.