The effects of ionic strength and surface charge on O/W emulsion fouling of ceramic membranes quantified via DLVO and XDLVO models

Large amounts of oily wastewater which included oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, also known as produced water (PW), were produced in tandem with the enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Ultrafiltration (UF) was an effective and economic method to separate micron-sized O/W emulsions, while the membrane fouling limited its development. Understanding the...

Possibilities for treating produced water with ceramic membranes

Constant flux MF/UF filtration is preferred in real-world applications because it <br/>provides more consistent permeate flow rates than fixed transmembrane pressure studies. Particularly, little is understood about the fouling of ceramic membranes in constant flux filtration modes by nano-sized O/W emulsions. In this study, the effects of...