Effects of Bloom-Forming Algae on Fouling of Integrated Membrane Systems in Seawater Desalination
Hydrodynamic shear applied to algal cells was detrimental to low-pressure filtration because of the release of highly-fouling organic matter. The highly fouling fraction was material large enough to be retained on a 0.22-microm microfilter but small enough that it was not removed by centrifugation or coarse (glass fiber) filtration. The algal cells themselves did not fall within this fraction since they were easily removed by centrifugation, but particulate material derived from broken algae did fall into the highly fouling fraction. Bacteria were also included in the highly-fouling fraction and were shown to be a major factor in fouling during an algal bloom. Adsorption of dissolved AOM was not a significant fouling mechanism on the hydrophilic membranes used here that are similar to the most common full-scale low-pressure membranes.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign