Study of ceramic membrane behavior for okadaic acid and heavy-metal determination in filtered seawater.

The performance of several MF and UF ceramic membranes that filter the seawater surrounding mussel rafts is studied for preventive detection of toxic episodes. The modified fouling index applied to UF membranes (MFI-UF) is used to compare fouling rates and membrane fouling levels. The reduction of several quality parameters such as turbidity, alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and chlorophyll content is explained by the higher quality of the UF rather than the MF permeates. Membrane rejection rates of Pb and okadaic acid, the main toxin that provokes toxic episodes due to bloom-forming algae, are measured under different pH and pressures. Measurements are taken particularly at filtration times before and after the formation of stable caking on the membrane surface. The results indicated that trace concentrations of heavy ions were mainly rejected by the membrane charge, until the saturation point was reached, and that no rejections occurred when the pH was lower than the isoelectric point of the membranes. However, most of the okadaic acid was rejected due to the formation of cake on the membrane surface. The rejection of okadaic acid depended on the membrane pore size and transmembrane pressure, yielding negative rejections under specific filtration conditions.