title: Contribution of effluent organic matter (EfOM) to ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fouling: isolation, characterization, and fouling effect of EfOM fractions.
abstract: EfOM has been regarded as a major organic foulant resulting in UF membrane fouling in wastewater reclamation. To investigate fouling potential of different EfOM fractions, the present study isolated EfOM into hydrophobic neutrals (HPO-N), colloids, hydrophobic acids (HPO-A), transphilic neutrals and acids (TPI), and hydrophilics (HPI), and tested their fouling effect in both salt solution and pure water during ultrafiltration (UF). Major functional groups and chemical structure of the isolates were identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and solid-state carbon nuclear magnetic resonance ((13)C NMR) analysis. The influence of the isolation process on the properties of EfOM fractions was minor because the raw and reconstituted secondary effluents were found similar with respect to UV absorbance, molecular size distribution, and fluorescence character. In membrane filtration tests, unified membrane fouling index (UMFI) and hydraulic resistance were used to quantify irreversible fouling potential of different water samples. Results show that under similar DOC level in feed water, colloids present much more irreversible fouling than other fractions. The fouling effect of the isolates is related to their size, chemical properties, and solution chemistry. Further investigations have identified that the interaction between colloids and other fractions also influences the performance of colloids in fouling phenomena.
authors.affiliation: Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: zhengxingde@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Muhammad Tariq
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: jp.croue@kaust.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Croué
mesh_terms: D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D014462:Ultrafiltration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009930:Organic Chemicals
keywords: Characterization; EfOM; Fouling; Fractionation; Ultrafiltration