EFFECT OF MEMBRANE PORE SIZE AND MATERIALS ON MEMBRANE FOULING IN MBRS

Abstract

 Membrane properties affect membrane fouling in MBRs. Although many previous studies have investigated the relationship between membrane properties and membrane fouling, there are few studies in which specific membrane properties of interest were varied intentionally and independently. In this study, membranes with the same material and different pore sizes, and membranes with the same structure and different materials were fabricated and used in a bench-scale MBR treating municipal wastewater. In the experiments in which UF and MF membranes made from CPVC were compared, there was almost no difference in fouling between the two membranes. This result implies that effects of pore sizes on fouling in MBRs are limited as long as a local flux imposed on membranes is fixed. In the experiments in which CPVC UF and PVDF UF membranes with the same structure were compared, fouling in the CPVC membrane was faster than that in the PVDF membrane. With the tested flux range of 0.72-0.90 m/d, it was suggested that PVDF is a better membrane material than CPVC in terms of prevention of membrane fouling.