Ahmed Mahmoud A, Amin Sherif, Mohamed Ashraf A
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt.
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Heliyon. 2023 Mar 28;9(4):e14908. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14908. eCollection 2023 Apr.
Water scarcity has been a global challenge for many countries over the past decades, and as a result, reverse osmosis (RO) has emerged as a promising and cost-effective tool for water desalination and wastewater remediation. Currently, RO accounts for >65% of the worldwide desalination capacity; however, membrane fouling is a major issue in RO processes. Fouling reduces the membrane's lifespan and permeability, while also increases the operating pressure and chemical cleaning frequency. Overall, fouling reduces the quality and quantity of desalinated water, and thus hinders the sustainable application of RO membranes by disturbing its efficacy and economic aspects. Fouling arises from various physicochemical interactions between water pollutants and membrane materials leading to foulants' accumulation onto the membrane surfaces and/or inside the membrane pores. The current review illustrates the main types of particulates, organic, inorganic and biological foulants, along with the major factors affecting its formation and development. Moreover, the currently used monitoring methods, characterization techniques and the potential mitigation strategies of membrane fouling are reviewed. Further, the still-faced challenges and the future research on RO membrane fouling are addressed.
在过去几十年里，水资源短缺一直是许多国家面临的全球性挑战，因此，反渗透（RO）已成为一种有前景且经济高效的海水淡化和废水处理工具。目前，反渗透占全球海水淡化能力的65%以上；然而，膜污染是反渗透过程中的一个主要问题。污染会缩短膜的使用寿命和降低其渗透性，同时还会增加操作压力和化学清洗频率。总体而言，污染会降低淡化水的质量和产量，从而通过干扰其效率和经济方面来阻碍反渗透膜的可持续应用。污染源于水污染物与膜材料之间的各种物理化学相互作用，导致污垢在膜表面和/或膜孔内积聚。本综述阐述了颗粒、有机、无机和生物污垢的主要类型，以及影响其形成和发展的主要因素。此外，还综述了目前使用的膜污染监测方法、表征技术和潜在缓解策略。此外，还讨论了反渗透膜污染仍然面临的挑战和未来研究方向。
