Fouling of ultrafiltration membrane by effluent organic matter: A detailed characterization using different organic fractions in wastewater

Membrane fouling caused by hydrophobic (HP), transphilic (TP), and hydrophilic (HL) fractions in biologically treated sewage effluent (BTSE) are still not well understood. Some researches reported that the HP fraction (humic substances) were the major problem; other studies indicated that the HL fraction (polysacchrides) were the main causes for severe fouling in membrane filtration. Hence, in this study, a detailed ultrafilter experiments were conducted with the HP, TP, and HL fractions to study the membrane fouling. The ultrafiltration (UF) removed 67.4%, 52.9%, and 19.7% of HP, TP, and HL fractions, respectively. High removal of the HP fraction is due to relatively high MW of organic matter in the HP fraction and the interaction between the HP fraction and membrane surface. The flux decline with the HP fraction was high compared with the TP and HL fractions. The membrane fouled with different fractions was characterized in terms of functional groups, zeta potential, foulant concentration, and contact angle.