Membrane fouling is one of the primary obstacles that have hampered the use of reverse osmosis (RO)
membrane technology in the drinking water industry. Thus, developing membranes
with a better resistance to fouling has become an area of increasing significance. In this
study, five commercially available fouling resistant low-pressure RO membranes were
investigated for the treatment of seasonally brackish surface water with high organic
content (H 24 mg/L). The membranes investigated are LFC-1 (Hydranautics), X20
(Trisep), BW30FR1 (FilmTec), SG (Osmonics), and BE-FR (Saehan). All membranes
were thin film composite made of polyamide derivatives. The surfaces of these
membranes were thoroughly characterized in terms of roughness, charge and
hydrophobicity, using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Streaming Potential Analysis
(SPA), and contact angle measurements by Goniometer, respectively. The fouling
resistant membranes were further evaluated by performing flat-sheet membrane testing
using coagulated surface water. In addition, pilot-scale evaluation was conducted to
assess long-term performance. Includes 5 references, tables, figures.