The Combined Colloid-Organic Fouling on Nanofiltration Membrane for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse

Nanofiltration (NF) has been increasingly used for wastewater reuse purposes. However, membrane fouling is still the major barrier for this technology. Colloidal particles and soluble organic substances are the two main types of foulants present in wastewater effluent. However, little investigation has been conducted on the combined effect of colloids and organic on membrane fouling. The present study addresses the combined fouling effect by colloidal particles and organic substances on the NF membrane. The results show that the combined colloid-organic fouling occurred at a considerably faster rate than the sum of individual colloidal fouling and organic fouling rates.