Removal of Bacteria and Organic Carbon by an Integrated Ultrafiltration-Nanofiltration Desalination Pilot Plant.

ABSTRACT: Fouling caused by organic matter and bacteria remains a significant challenge for the membrane-based desalination industry. Fouling decreases the permeate quality and membrane performance and also increases energy demands. Here, we quantified the amount of organic matter and bacteria at several stages along the water-treatment train of an integrated ultrafiltration-nanofiltration seawater treatment pilot plant. We quantified the organic matter, in terms of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Assimilable Organic Carbon (AOC), and evaluated its composition using Liquid Chromatography for Organic Carbon Detection (LC-OCD). The bacterial cells were counted using Bactiquant. We found that ultrafiltration (UF) was effective at removing bacterial cells (99.7%) but not TOC. By contrast, nanofiltration

SUBMITTER: Rehman ZU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7559365 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature