In this study, a method of in situ membrane fouling quantification is developed that enables comparisons of foulant accumulation between desalination processes with different membranes, driving forces, and feed solutions. Unlike the conventional metric of flux decline, which measures the response of a process to fouling, the proposed method quantifies the foulant accumulation. Foulant accumulat...

this paper presents the results of an investigation on the effects of concentration of cations on activated sludge properties and membrane fouling in submerge membrane bioreactors. the working volume of the experimental setup was two liters. the cellulose acetate membrane was immersed in the bioreactor. the flocculability, settling properties and fouling propensity of activated sludge was measu...

Cereal Chem. 83(2):121–126 In dry-grind processing to produce ethanol from corn, unfermented solids are removed from ethanol by distillation and dried to produce distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), an animal food. Fouling of thin stillage evaporators has been identified as an important energy consumption issue in dry-grind facilities. Using an annular fouling apparatus, four batches o...

As part of an environmental observation and forecasting system, sensors deployed in the Columbia RIver Estuary (CORIE) gather information on physical dynamics and changes in estuary habitat. Of these, salinity sensors are particularly susceptible to biofouling, which gradually degrades sensor response and corrupts critical data. Automatic fault detectors have the capability to identify bio-foul...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with different physiochemical properties were layered onto low pressure membranes and tested for antifouling properties using a natural surface water with high fouling potential. Membranes modified with the largest diameter pristine multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) were most effective in controlling membrane fouling, tripling the time it took for the membrane to become noticea...

1. Predictive models of impact are needed for the risk assessment of invasive species. One such species is the Eurasian zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), a fouling bivalve that overgrows and kills native mussels (Unionidae) in many North American lakes and rivers. The level of mortality in a native mussel population increases with the fouling intensity – i.e. the mean number of zebra mussels...

Understanding how surface physicochemical properties influence the settlement and adhesion of marine fouling organisms is important for the development of effective and environmentally benign marine antifouling coatings. We demonstrate that the thickness of random poly(HEMA-co-PEG10MA) copolymer brushes affect antifouling behavior. Films of thicknesses ranging from 50 to 1000 Å were prepared vi...

Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane fouling is one of the main challenges that membrane manufactures, the scientific community and industry professionals have to deal with. The consequences of this inevitable phenomenon have a negative effect on the performance of the desalination system. Predicting fouling in RO systems is key to evaluating the long-term operating conditions and costs. Much research...

Biofouling“ is referred to as the unwanted deposition and growth of biofilms. This phenomenon can occur in an extremely wide range of opportunities ranging from colonization of medical devices, production of ultrapure, drinking and process water, fouling of ship hulls, pipelines and reservoirs. It seriously damages the efficacy of membrane processes by forming a secondary membrane which, at a c...