AWWA WQTC62463

Reverse osmosis (RO) is being increasingly used in treatment of municipal wastewater secondary effluent for potable and non-potable reuse. Among other foulants, dissolved biopolymers, i.e., proteins and polysaccharides, can lead to severe fouling of the RO membranes. In this study, the role of membrane surface properties in RO membrane fouling by two model biopolymers, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and sodium alginate (NaAlg), was investigated. Three commercial RO membranes with different surface properties were tested in a laboratory-scale cross-flow membrane filtration unit. Membrane surface properties considered include surface roughness, zeta potential, and hydrophobicity. The results revealed that membrane surface roughness had the greatest effect on fouling by the biopolymers tested. At the same concentration, alginate fouled the membranes much faster than BSA under the solution conditions tested. Includes 16 references, figures.