TY - JOUR
T1 - Role of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in initial bacterial deposition and biofilm formation on reverse osmosis (RO) membrane
AU - Lee, Hyunkyung
AU - Park, Chanhyuk
AU - Kim, Hanshin
AU - Park, Heedeung
AU - Hong, Seungkwan
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction through the project, ‘Development of Fouling Index Using MMAS and Manual for Application of Pilot Plant’.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2015/11/5
Y1 - 2015/11/5
N2 - The fouling potential of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) was evaluated to reveal its role in the biofouling mechanism of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process. A methodology to determine the fouling potential of TEP was systematically developed based on cake filtration theory. The resulting cake fouling index of TEP (CFITEP) was then correlated to initial bacterial deposition observed in RO biofouling tests. Alginic acid was employed to simulate TEP and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 was inoculated for biofouling test. The results showed that the fouling propensity of TEP could be assessed by cake fouling potential of particulate TEP (>0.45μm). Furthermore, the analysis of biofouled RO membranes indicated that bacterial deposition on RO membranes was enhanced significantly with increasing the cake fouling potential of TEP (i.e., CFITEP). This work demonstrated the importance of TEP at the initial stage of biofilm formation, suggesting TEP control by pretreatment for mitigating biofouling in RO applications.
AB - The fouling potential of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) was evaluated to reveal its role in the biofouling mechanism of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process. A methodology to determine the fouling potential of TEP was systematically developed based on cake filtration theory. The resulting cake fouling index of TEP (CFITEP) was then correlated to initial bacterial deposition observed in RO biofouling tests. Alginic acid was employed to simulate TEP and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 was inoculated for biofouling test. The results showed that the fouling propensity of TEP could be assessed by cake fouling potential of particulate TEP (>0.45μm). Furthermore, the analysis of biofouled RO membranes indicated that bacterial deposition on RO membranes was enhanced significantly with increasing the cake fouling potential of TEP (i.e., CFITEP). This work demonstrated the importance of TEP at the initial stage of biofilm formation, suggesting TEP control by pretreatment for mitigating biofouling in RO applications.
KW - Bacterial deposition
KW - Biofouling
KW - Fouling index
KW - Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane
KW - Transparent exopolymer particles
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84938346464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.06.049
DO - 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.06.049
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84938346464
SN - 0376-7388
VL - 494
SP - 25
EP - 31
JO - Journal of Membrane Science
JF - Journal of Membrane Science
ER -