Different studies have demonstrated that natural organic matter (NOM), composed of humic as well as non-humic
substances, in natural water is a key membrane foulant. Nevertheless the complexity of NOM
has not allowed identification of the fraction or part of NOM that exactly causes membrane
fouling. Several indicators are available to determine the NOM fouling potential of a
membrane feedwater. These include, among others, ultraviolet (UV) absorbance at 254 nm (UVA<sub>254</sub>),
color, total organic carbon (TOC), humic content, specific UVA<sub>254</sub>, liquid chromatography ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ organic carbon
detection (LC-OCD), size exclusion chromatography ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ UVA ratio index (SEC-URI), SEC-fluorescence,
colloid size, assimilable organic carbon (AOC), biofilm formation rate (BFR)
and specific oxygen consumption rate (SOCR). However, NOM fouling rates do not appear
to correlate with traditional water quality parameters such as color, UV absorbance or DOC
concentration, and pilot plant trials are still needed to determine the level of fouling that
would occur for a particular membrane feed water. Includes 31 references, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 710 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 11 |
| Published : | 11/01/2005 |
