Application of the Bioluminescent Saltwater Assimilable Organic Carbon Test as a Tool for Identifying and Reducing Reverse-Osmosis Membrane Fouling in Desalination

Biological fouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes continues to burden the seawater desalination industry and cause costly operation and maintenance issues that can lead to process train downtime. An AOC test was developed specifically for seawater using Vibrio harveyi. This seawater AOC test can be used as a surrogate measurement for biofouling potential and was evaluated for its relationship with effects from membrane fouling such as increases in transmembrane pressure and declines in permeate flux. A novel seawater assimilable organic carbon (AOC) assay was used to identify the relationship between RO membrane biological fouling and the biodegradability of seawater by the following objectives: Relating biofouling potential at full scale seawater RO plants with operational conditions and chemical dosing; Testing the impact of oxidants on AOC formation; Measuring the biofouling potential of pretreatment chemicals in sequential dosing order; and Monitoring biofouling in RO feed conditions having variable AOC.

Originally funded as WERF project Desal-11-07.