Influence of coagulation on UF performance in a pilot-scale seawater desalination plant

摘要

Seawater desalination has been driven by an increase in water resource scarcity and freshwater demand. Reverse osmosis (RO) is recently a popular technology for seawater desalination but suffers from problems associated with membrane fouling. Accordingly, it is crucial to apply proper pretreatment techniques to mitigate RO fouling. In this study, ultrafiltration (UF) combined with coagulation was applied to control RO fouling in a pilot-scale seawater desalination plant. Critical flux for the UF was determined without and with coagulation. The effect of feed water quality on UF performance was examined. Cleaning efficiencies for the UF membranes were compared under various conditions to explore the optimum condition.