The modern challenges for membrane separations in a wide range of processes require more sophisticated approaches for the detection and remediation of fouling, i.e., the association of solutes, particulate matter, and colloids on and/or within a membrane. Most commonly, fouling is assessed from inferred measurements of permeation rate and/or permeate quality. The use of acoustic techniques for ...

This paper deals with the time-optimal operation and parameter estimation problem of a general diafiltration process in the presence of fouling. Fouling stands for one of the dominant problems in the membrane separation processes. The dynamic behavior of the fouled membrane is described by a general fouling model taken from literature. An Extended Kalman filter is proposed for the recursive est...

Nanofiltration membranes play an important role in the desalination of brackish and seawater as well as membrane mediated waste water reclamation and other industrial separations. Fouling of nanofiltration (NF) membranes is typically caused by inorganic and organic materials present in water that adhere to the surface and pores of the membrane and results in deterioration of performance (reduce...

Membrane fouling during particle filtration occurs through a variety of mechanisms, including internal pore clogging by contaminants, coverage of pore entrances, and deposition on the membrane surface. Each of these fouling mechanisms results in a decline in the observed flow rate over time, and the decrease in filtration efficiency can be characterized by a unique signature formed by plotting ...

In this study, neat HDPE and HDPE/PE-g-MA/EVA blend membranes were fabricated via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method and their fouling behaviors were examined using filtration of BSA protein. Membranes were characterized using FESEM, AFM, ATR-FTIR analyses and porosity measurement. Fouling behavior of membranes was analyzed using the resistance-in-series (RIS), classic and combine...

In this paper, we deal with the model-based time-optimal operation of a batch diafiltration process in the presence of membrane fouling. Membrane fouling poses one of the major problems in the field of membrane processes. We model the fouling behavior and estimate its parameters using various methods. Least-squares, least-squares with a moving horizon, recursive least-squares methods and the ex...

The effect of backwash frequency (15, 30 and 60 min) and influent flux (3.75, 7.50 and 11.25 L/h/m) on fouling amelioration in an innovative external side-stream dead-end microfiltration anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for the treatment of domestic wastewater at 25EC was investigated. During 6 months of reactor operation, a constant COD removal of 88% and an accumulation of 350 mg TSS/L/d...

This study compared membrane fouling in a sponge-submerged membrane bioreactor (SSMBR) and a conventional membrane bioreactor (CMBR) based on sludge properties when treating synthetic domestic wastewater. In the CMBR, soluble microbial products (SMP) in activated sludge were a major contributor for initial membrane fouling and presented higher concentration in membrane cake layer. Afterwards, m...

Membrane fouling is considered to be the most serious drawback in wastewater treatment when using membrane bioreactors (MBRs), leading to membrane permeability decrease and efficiency deterioration. This work aims to develop an integrated methodology for membrane fouling control, using powdered activated carbon (PAC), which will enhance the adsorption of soluble microbial products (SMP) and imp...

trolling marine fouling on ships’ hulls has been considered essential since the earliest days of marine transport. It has been estimated that without any attempt to control fouling, shipping would require 40% more power, equal to about 72 million tonnes of additional fuel per year.1 Therefore, without an effective antifouling system, today’s marine transport industry would undoubtedly grind to ...