MEMBRANE FOULING & SCALING

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 What Are The Symptoms

 Loss of normalized permeate flow

 Increase in normalized salt passage

 Increase in differential pressure

 Reaching maximum operating pressure

Are these uniform or isolated problems. Have they occurred suddenly or gradually
over time. What has changed?

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 What Can Go Wrong

 Fouling, due to growth of bacteria, suspended or colloidal matter

 Scaling, due to precipitation of sparingly soluble salts

 Physical Damage, due to high pressure or scale formation

 Chemical Damage, due to incorrect chemical treatments

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Membrane Failure Causes

Description Percentage
Bacteria/Biofilm/Slime 40
Aluminium Silicate 30
Iron/Manganese 15
Other 10
Scale 5

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What is Fouling

• Membrane fouling is the adsorption

of particulates and compounds onto
the membrane surface causing
blockage and leads to reduced
membrane performance.

• This leads to reduced permeate

production rate and/or increased
Trans Membrane Pressure (TMP).

• Increasing the TMP requires increased

energy etc.

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Why Do Membranes Foul

•Fouling is a complex process attributed to colloidal, particulate

and microbiological material.

•Fouling occurs at the boundary layer (low cross flow) due to

deposition of particulates and their subsequent compaction
with time.

•Foulant is rarely of one constituent but a composite layer of

multiple foulants.

•Currently the only way to remove foulants on membranes is

by chemical action alone.

•Improvements in cleaning processes will increase operating

efficiency and improve membrane life.
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Mechanism Of Fouling

•Foulants bind together on membrane surface due to physiochemical interaction.

•Interactions are due to Van der Waals forces between molecules and is balanced
by the electrostatic repulsion between particles and membrane surface charges.

•Attachment can reduce by an increase in charge density of the similarly charged

interacting species.

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Common Foulants

•Natural Organic Matter (NOM) in Surface/Ground Waters

(Proteins, Polysaccharides, Biopolymers)

•Humic Matter (Degradation of Organic Matter)

•Particulate Material (Iron, Silt, Clay)

•Colloidal/Suspended Solids

•Biofouling

•Oils/Greases

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Prediction Of Colloidal Fouling Potential

Turbidity

•Expression of the optical property of water

causing light to be scattered rather than
transmitted through the sample.

•Turbidity is caused by colloidal/particulate matter,

organic matter and other microscopic organisms

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Prediction Of Colloidal Fouling Potential

Silt Density Index (SDI)

•Serves as a useful indicator to quantity of

particulate mater in waters.

•Correlates with fouling tendency of membrane

systems.

•Calculated by passing water through filter at

constant pressure.

•Target SDI Value <3

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Prediction Of Colloidal Fouling Potential

Measuring Silt Density Index (SDI)

•47mm ø Filter Paper (0.45µm)

•1-5 bar Pressure Gauge
•Valve for Pressure Adjustment
•Measuring Cylinder

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Prediction Of Colloidal Fouling Potential

Feedwaters must be low in suspended solids, when

in doubt simple SDI test is recommended to ensure
water quality meets membrane manufacturers
recommended guidelines.

The use of membrane safe coagulants and

flocculants can improve the performance of
membrane installations.

“Autopsies show >50% of membrane fouling is

caused by inadequate, deficient or poorly operated
pre-treatment systems. It is suggested that if the
correct chemistry is considered, the addition of an
effective flocculant can be simple and safe”

Chesters, Darton, Gallego and Vigo 2009

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Pre-Treatment Coagulation & Flocculation

Although the words “Coagulation" and “Flocculation" are often used

interchangeably they refer to two distinct processes

•Coagulation indicates the process through which colloidal particles and very
fine solid suspensions are destabilized so that they can begin to agglomerate if
the conditions are appropriate

•Flocculation refers to the process by which destabilized particles actually

conglomerate into larger aggregates so that they can be separated from the
water

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Pre-Treatment Coagulation & Flocculation

Coagulation Mechanisms

 Coagulation : destabilisation of anionic suspended colloids overcomes mutual repulsion

 Physical action : neutralises charge allowing particle aggregation

 Trivalent cationic Iron & Aluminium salts used

 Excess dosage will foul the membrane – Iron and Aluminium fouling

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Pre-Treatment Coagulation & Flocculation

Flocculation Mechanisms

Flocculation – bridging of particles by polymer chain forming flocs.

Particle agglomeration allows mechanical removal, (Filtration)
due to increased size

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Pre-Treatment Coagulation & Flocculation

Typical Flocculants

Polyacrylamide/DADMAC Polyamine

Charge at pendular ends of

Charge on polymeric backbone
polymeric chain

Potential to attach to membrane No interaction with membrane

Difficult to remove Sensitive to shear forces

Oil or Latex dispersions

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Pre-Treatment Coagulation & Flocculation

Genesys International Flocculants

Genefloc GPF General purpose cationic flocculant, for use in non-potable,

surface, well and process waters with medium to high SDI
values

Genefloc ABF Combined biocide and cationic flocculant, for use in

feedwater susceptible to algal growth such as open
reservoirs and ponds

Genefloc PWF Cationic, low molecular weight flocculant, conforming to

European Standards for use in potable water applications

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DEFINITION OF A BIOFILM
Communities of micro-organisms attached to surfaces and embedded
within polysaccharide material

‘Biofilms are the result of the adhesion and growth of micro-organisms at interfaces’
‘There is no surface which is not or cannot be colonized under suitable conditions’
Hans-Kurt Flemming - Stuttgart University, 1991

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Membrane Bio – Organic Fouling

 Biofouling is caused primarily by
bacteria or algae present in
water
 Tendency to form and adhere to
membrane surfaces (EPS)
 Require nutrients to respire,
survive and multiply
 Traditional bio-control products
can compound problems
 Biofouling films reduce
permeability, increasing feed
pressures

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Biofilm Formation
• First you get an organic monolayer : conditioning layer on surface
• These polysaccharides/proteins increase planktonic bacteria attachment
• Production of EPS
• EPS now serves to entrap particulates
• Established biofilm now is a complex hydrated 3D structure

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Survival Of Biofilms

• Difficult for biocides to penetrate to inner

layers of the biofilm. Therefore always
there.

• Dead bacteria will be a nutrient source for

the other bacteria in the biofilm.

• Bacteria ADAPT extremely well to the

conditions that they are living in.

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Biofilm Summary

•Billions of bacteria on a membrane are of no

consequence but 1mm of Biofilm can ruin the
whole system

•Killing bacteria doesn’t necessarily remove

biofilm

•Biofilm is a Hydraulic Barrier and will create

high ∆P

•Biofilm is a problem dead or alive

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Membrane Biological Fouling Treatments

 Oxidation
 Chlorine/Peroxide : Introducing Oxygen or removing Hydrogen from
compounds
 Fast acting (<5 minutes)
 Requires Neutralization to avoid membrane damage (Bisulphite)
 Non-Oxidisers
 DBNPA (Surface Binding) : Attack cell walls, inhibits transport of
metabolites and waste in and out of cell : Suffocating cell
 Relatively fast acting (15-30 minutes)

 Isothiazolin (Enzyme/Reproductive Inhibitor) : Interfere with reproductive

and respiratory enzymes
 Slow acting (>1 hour)
 Referred to as Biostat/Preservative

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Scale Deposition - Mechanisms and Influencing Factors

•Scale deposition is a complex crystallization process

•The time taken for an initial scale layer to form and its
subsequent rate of growth is determined by the
interaction of several rate processes: Supersaturation
Nucleation
Concentration
Chemical reactions
Molecular arrangement

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Supersaturation
Supersaturated solutions are solutions that contain higher concentrations of
dissolved solute than their equilibrium concentration.
When the concentrations of the scaling ions exceed their solubility product,
scaling begins.

Solutions can become supersaturated by a change in:

Temperature
pH
Addition of Seeding Material
Concentration Change
Pressure Change

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Influencing Factors

Type of Foulant Temperature of Membrane Structure

(Inorganic/Organic) System (Mesh Size)

System pH System Pressure

Particle Size Residence Time

(Particulate/Colloid) in Pressure Nucleation Sites
Vessel

Water Velocity
(Crossflow)

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Concentration Effect Inside a Pressure Vessel

Assume Salt Rejection is 100%

Flow: 1,000 lt/min Recovery 50%

Flow: 500 lt/min Recovery 75%
Conductivity 1,000 µS Stage 1 Flow: 750 lt/min
Feed Permeate

Flow: 500 lt/min

Conductivity 2,000 µS Flow: 250 lt/min

Recovery 50%
Stage 2

Flow: 250 lt/min

Concentrate
Conductivity 4,000 µS

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Concentration Effect Inside a Pressure Vessel

 Solutes transported to membrane

surface due to pressure

 Foulants accumulate and compact

with time

 Higher recovery ; higher

concentration of salts

 Supersaturation; sparingly soluble

salts precipitate out of solution

 Usually occurs in final stage where

PERMEATE highest concentrations exist

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Concentration Effect Inside a Pressure Vessel

Recovery Concentration Factor

50% 2
75% 4
80% 5
90% 10

 Ions concentrate in the brine

 Higher recovery equals higher salt concentration
 Scaling usually occurs in final stage where highest concentration exists
 Brine recycling will impact on scaling potential
 Trade off between recovery and ion concentration (Plant Efficiency)

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Scaling Mechanism

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Types of Antiscalants Mechanism

IONS PROTONUCLEI NUCLEI CRYSTALS

ORDERING

INHIBITED
CLUSTERING

CROISSANCE

INHIBITED
GROWTH

INHIBEE
THRESHOLD EFFECT CRYSTAL DISTORTION
PHOSPHONATES ORGANIC POLYMERS

Phosphonates are termed Threshold Inhibitors (sub-stoichiometric). Very small amount

of antiscalant can influence millions of water molecules by forming rich supramolecular
hydrogen bonds with the water molecules.

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