Abstract
This paper describes the fouling mechanism in water purification membrane and the effect of membrane fouling control in the hybrid membrane filtration system combining the other processes such as coagulation/sedimentation, ozonation and powdered activated carbon adsorption/biological oxidation. Using the surface water samples from various places, the author’s group has proposed that biopolymer, which is the organic matter with the molecular weight of over 106 Da such as carbohydrates and proteins, is considered to be the main foulant. This paper also demonstrates that coagulation/sedimentation and ozonation are effective pre-treatment for removing the main foulant. The hybrid submerged membrane filtration system combining with coagulation, powdered activated carbon adsorption and biological oxidation would be a promising water purification system for a relatively polluted raw water.
