In response to increased evidence of ecosystem damage by toxic antifouling paints, many researchers have developed nontoxic silicone fouling release coatings. The fouling release capability of these Systems may be improved by adding nonbonding silicone oils to the coating matrix. This idea has been tested by comparing the adhesion strength of hard- and soft-fouling organisms on a cured polydime...

Critical fouling conditions were studied during wine cross-flow microfiltration using a multichannel ceramic membrane (0.2 mm). The aim was to determine critical operating conditions in order to limit fouling caused by wine colloids (tannins, pectin and mannoproteins) and enhance process performances. The method used is a square wave filtration based on the determination of the reversibility an...

Fouling of membranes decreases the applicability of the nanofiltration (NF) process, and thus a deeper understanding of membrane fouling is needed. Fouling and retention of different NF membranes by model feed waters was investigated in a laboratory-scale filtration unit. The model waters were composed so as to imitate the characteristics of chemically pre-treated surface water. No differences ...

Cooling systems remove heat from components and industrial equipment. Water cooling, employing natural waters, is typically used for cooling large industrial facilities, such as power plants, factories or refineries. Due to moderate temperatures, cooling water cycles are susceptible to biofouling, inorganic fouling and scaling, which may reduce heat transfer and enhance corrosion. Hypochlorite ...

Reverse osmosis membrane (RO) is becoming a most popular instrument to desalinate seawater as a result of new developments in membrane technology. The critical factor governing successful long-term reverse osmosis (RO) in desalination plants is fouling caused by the turbidity of seawater, such as by suspended solids, sparingly soluble salts, or biological growth. To reduce the turbidity, the se...

The impact of membrane fouling by natural organic matter (NOM) on the behavior of micropollutants during ultrafiltration (UF) was investigated. Batch experiments with radioactively labeled estradiol and ibuprofen in the presence of NOM model compounds (alginate, Nordic aquatic and Aldrich humic acid) were performed using a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic membrane. The results indicate that the im...

Background Zwitterionic molecules have been widely studied as coating materials for preparing anti-fouling surfaces because they possess strong hydration properties that can resist non-specific protein adsorption. Numerous studies on surface modification using zwitterionic molecules have been investigated, such as electrochemically mediated and photoinitiated radical polymerization. However, th...

The paper presents two methods that are aimed at detecting fouling in cross-flow heat exchangers under normal operating conditions, using measurements that can easily be obtained, i.e. inlet and outlet temperatures and the mass flows of the hot and cold fluids. The methods are a) a physical method that is based on number of transfer units (NTU) relations and b) a black box model that is estimat...

Fouling of ships is an important historical and enduring transfer mechanism of marine nonindigenous species (NIS). Although containerships have risen to the forefront of global maritime shipping since the 1950s, few studies have directly sampled fouling communities on their submerged surfaces, and little is known about differences in the fouling characteristics among commercial ship types. Twen...

Pre-treatment is normally required to reduce or control the fouling of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in drinking water treatment process. Current pre-treatment methods, such as coagulation, are only partially effective to prevent long-term fouling. Since biological activities are a major contributor to accumulated fouling, the application of an oxidation/disinfection step can be an effective c...