Desalination, Vol.227, No.1-3, 295-305, 2008
Elimination of biological fouling in seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants
The main trouble in the RO method of seawater desalination is biological fouling (bio-fouling) from microorganism growth. In this work, the growth rate of microorganisms in the Red Sea and sterilization by chlorine injection were measured and quantified. Furthermore, actual demonstration of RO Pilot tests using Cellulose triacetate (CTA) RO membranes with chlorine resistance was performed in RID plants where bio-fouling actually occurred. By carrying out direct chlorine sterilization of the RO membrane with an intermittent chlorine injection method, bio-fouling was eliminated. The combination of the CTA membrane and chlorine injection Successfully prevented increases of differential pressure and stabilized product water quantity and quality.
Keywords:reverse osmosis membrane;biological fouling;pilot plant test;intermittent chlorine injection