Fouling control of a membrane coupled photocatalytic process treating greywater

Water Res. 2009 Sep;43(16):3932-9. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2009.05.030. Epub 2009 May 29.

Abstract

Fouling in membrane coupled photocatalytic reactors was investigated in the case of greywater treatment by establishing the link between product type, dose, irradiation time and fouling rates in a cross flow membrane cell fitted with a 0.4 microm pore sized polyethylene membrane. Rapid fouling occurred only with shower gels and conditioners and was linked to changes in the organo-TiO(2) aggregate size postulated to be caused by polymers within the products. Fouling was reduced to a negligible level when sufficient irradiation was applied demonstrating that the membrane component of the process is not the issue and that scale up and implementation of the process relates to effective design of the UV reactor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Catalysis
  • Filtration / instrumentation*
  • Kinetics
  • Photolysis
  • Soaps / analysis*
  • Titanium
  • Ultraviolet Rays
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid / methods*
  • Water / chemistry*
  • Water Pollutants / analysis*
  • Water Purification / methods*

Substances

  • Soaps
  • Water Pollutants
  • Water
  • titanium dioxide
  • Titanium