Understanding the fouling of algogenic organic matter in microfiltration using membrane–foulant interaction energy analysis: Effects of organic hydrophobicity

Fouling caused by algogenic organic matter (AOM) in membrane filtration is a critical problem in algae-rich waters, and understanding fouling mechanisms, particularly by identifying the predominant membrane foulants, could have significant effects on algal fouling prediction and pretreatment. In this work, the fouling behavior of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (APF)- and Anabaena flos-aquae (ANF)-AOM fractions was analyzed using the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (XDLVO) theory. The results show that the interfacial energy of membranes and foulants could be used for AOM membrane fouling analysis. The attractive energy was highest between the membrane and the neutral hydrophilic fractions (N-HPI) on clean membrane surfaces, followed by the energy associated with the hydrophobic fractions (HPO) and the transphilic fractions (TPI) in both of the AOMs; on the other hand, the negatively charged hydrophilic organics (C-HPI) in the APF-AOM suffered from repulsive interactions when nearing the membrane surface, which was consistent with their initial filtration flux. After the formation of an initial fouling layer on the membrane surface, membrane fouling was controlled mainly by the cohesion free energy between the approaching foulants and the foulants on the fouled membranes. In addition, it was observed that the interfacial energy between foulants was the dominant factor controlling membrane fouling in AOM filtration. Finally, the interfacial energies between the N-HPI fractions had the greatest effect on both APF-AOM and ANF-AOM membrane fouling.