AWWA JAW26390

In a study of the dead-end ultrafiltration (UF) of an untreated surface water, the effects of different membrane materials and molecular-weight cutoffs (MWCOs) were evaluated in terms of the removal of total organic carbon (TOC) and turbidity, the development of permeate flux, and the flux recovery after backflushing. Removal of TOC was about 40 percent, independent of the membrane MWCO values investigated. Turbidity removal greater than 98 percent was found for all membranes tested. The rate of flux decline and the magnitude of flux recovery were, however, found to vary significantly, dependent primarily on the type of membrane material. The study showed that a large fraction of organic matter found in surface water should pass through typical UF membranes and that one of the primary technical considerations in using these membranes should be the selection of membrane material. Includes 19 references, tables, figures.