ABSTRACT
Reverse osmosis membranes are increasingly applied to produce freshwater from seawater, brackish water and waste water. However this technology is frequently hindered by fouling and scalant phenomena. Fouling and scaling may manifest in three ways: increased differential pressure in cross-wound fibers or of spacer spiral- wound elements; increased hydraulic resistance of the membrane; and decreased rejection because of concentration polarization in the foul layer. Various types of fouling may occur such as particulate, biological, organic and inorganic (scaling). In practice, pre-treatment systems are commonly applied to control membrane fouling in reverse osmosis. Various methods have been developed to assess the fouling potential of reverse osmosis feed water.
