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Improved quantitative evaluation of the fouling potential in spacer-filled membrane filtration channels through a biofouling index based on the relative pressure drop

Huisman, Kees Theo (author), Franco-Clavijo, Natalia (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author), Blankert, Bastiaan (author)

In this study, a biofouling index based on the relative pressure drop is presented to quantitatively evaluate the amount of fouling in spacer-filled membrane filtration channels. The biofouling index was defined as the inverse of the time to reach a relative pressure drop of 100% and can be interpreted as a fouling rate or cleaning frequency....

journal article 2023

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Numerical methods for monitoring and evaluating the biofouling state and effects on vessels’ hull and propeller performance: A review

Valchev, Iliya (author), Coraddu, A. (author), Kalikatzarakis, Miltiadis (author), Geertsma, R.D. (author), Oneto, Luca (author)

Monitoring and evaluating the biofouling state and its effects on the vessel's hull and propeller performance is a crucial problem that attracts the attention of both academy and industry. Effective and reliable tools to address this would allow a timely cleaning procedure able to trade off costs, efficiency, and environmental impacts. In...

review 2022

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Permeation Increases Biofilm Development in Nanofiltration Membranes Operated with Varying Feed Water Phosphorous Concentrations

Javier, Luisa (author), Pulido-Beltran, Laura (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author), Farhat, Nadia M. (author)

Nutrient limitation has been proposed as a biofouling control strategy for membrane systems. However, the impact of permeation on biofilm development under phosphorus-limited and enriched conditions is poorly understood. This study analyzed biofilm development in membrane fouling simulators (MFSs) with and without permeation supplied with...

journal article 2022

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Assessment of the impact of temperature on biofilm composition with a laboratory heat exchanger module

Pinel, I.S.M. (author), Biskauskaite, R. (author), Palova, E. (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author)

Temperature change over the length of heat exchangers might be an important factor affect-ing biofouling. This research aimed at assessing the impact of temperature on biofilm accumulation and composition with respect to bacterial community and extracellular polymeric substances. Two identical laboratory-scale plate heat exchanger modules...

journal article 2021

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Measuring Biofouling Potential in SWRO Plants with a Flow-Cytometry-Based Bacterial Growth Potential Method

Dhakal, N. (author), Salinas-Rodriguez, Sergio G. (author), Ampah, Joshua (author), Schippers, Jan C. (author), Kennedy, M.D. (author)

Measuring the bacterial growth potential of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) feed water is an issue that is receiving growing attention. This study developed and demonstrated the applicability of the flow-cytometry (FCM)-based bacterial growth potential (BGP) method to assess the biofouling potential in SWRO systems using natural microbial...

journal article 2021

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Enhanced hydraulic cleanability of biofilms developed under a low phosphorus concentration in reverse osmosis membrane systems

Javier, Luisa (author), Farhat, Nadia M. (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author)

A critical problem in seawater reverse osmosis (RO) filtration processes is biofilm accumulation, which reduces system performance and increases energy requirements. As a result, membrane systems need to be periodically cleaned by combining chemical and physical protocols. Nutrient limitation in the feed water is a strategy to control biofilm...

journal article 2021

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Monitoring biofouling potential using ATP-based bacterial growth potential in SWRO pre-treatment of a full-scale plant

Abushaban, Almotasembellah (author), Salinas-Rodriguez, Sergio G. (author), Kapala, Moses (author), Pastorelli, Delia (author), Schippers, Jan C. (author), Mondal, Subhanjan (author), Goueli, Said (author), Kennedy, M.D. (author)

Several potential growth methods have been developed to monitor biological/organic fouling potential in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO), but to date the correlation between these methods and biofouling of SWRO has not been demonstrated. In this research, the relation between a new adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based bacterial growth potential ...

journal article 2020

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Bacterial community dynamics and disinfection impact in cooling water systems

Pinel, I.S.M. (author), Moed, D. H. (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author)

Understanding the bacterial dynamics in cooling towers is imperative for the assessment of disinfection efficiency and management of microbial risks linked to aerosol formation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of feed water on the cooling water bacterial microbiome and investigate the survival ability of its members...

journal article 2020

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Effect of phosphate availability on biofilm formation in cooling towers

Pinel, I.S.M. (author), Kim, Lan Hee (author), Proença Borges, Vitor R. (author), Farhat, Nadia M. (author), Witkamp, Geert Jan (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author)

Phosphate limitation has been suggested as a preventive method against biofilms. P-limited feed water was studied as a preventive strategy against biofouling in cooling towers (CTs). Three pilot-scale open recirculating CTs were operated in parallel for five weeks. RO permeate was fed to the CTs (1) without supplementation (reference), (2)...

journal article 2020

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Sialic acids: An important family of carbohydrates overlooked in environmental biofilms

Pinel, I.S.M. (author), Kleikamp, H.B.C. (author), Pabst, Martin (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Lin, Y. (author)

Sialic acids in the structural matrix of biofilms developing in engineered water systems constitute a potential target in the battle against biofouling. This report focuses specifically on the presence of sialic acids as part of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of biofilms forming in cooling towers and the potential effect of...

journal article 2020

document

Assessing bacterial growth potential in seawater reverse osmosis pretreatment: Method development and applications

Abushaban, Almotasembellah (author)

Seawater desalination is increasingly used as a means to augment freshwater supplies in regions of the world with high water stress, and reverse osmosis is increasingly the technology of choice because of the lower energy consumption compared to thermal systems. However, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) systems suffer from various types of...

doctoral thesis 2019

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ATP measurement in seawater reverse osmosis systems: Eliminating seawater matrix effects using a filtration-based method

Abushaban, Almotasembellah (author), Salinas Rodriguez, S.G. (author), Mangal, M.N. (author), Mondal, Subhanjan (author), Goueli, Said A. (author), Knezev, Aleksandra (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author), Schippers, Jan C. (author), Kennedy, M.D. (author)

A direct method for measuring adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) in seawater was developed recently, in which commercial reagents are added directly to seawater. However, calibration is required if seawater quality changes (such as changes in salinity, pH, Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺) as the seawater matrix interferes with ATP measurement. In...

journal article 2019

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Pilot-scale assessment of urea as a chemical cleaning agent for biofouling control in spiral-wound reverse osmosis membrane elements

Sanawar, Huma (author), Bucs, Szilárd S. (author), Pot, Martin A. (author), Zlopasa, J. (author), Farhat, Nadia M. (author), Witkamp, Geert Jan (author), Kruithof, Joop C. (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author)

Routine chemical cleaning with the combined use of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) is carried out as a means of biofouling control in reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. The novelty of the research presented herein is in the application of urea, instead of NaOH, as a chemical cleaning agent to full-scale spiral-wound RO...

journal article 2019

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Assessing pretreatment and seawater reverse osmosis performance using an ATP-based bacterial growth potential method

Abushaban, Almotasembellah (author), Salinas-Rodriguez, Sergio G. (author), Dhakal, Nirajan (author), Schippers, Jan C. (author), Kennedy, M.D. (author)

Various bacterial growth potential (BGP) methods have been developed recently to monitor biofouling in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) systems such as assimilable organic carbon and bacterial regrowth potential. However, the relationship between these methods and biofouling in SWRO desalination plants has not yet been demonstrated. In this...

journal article 2019

document

Clogging issues with aquifer storage and recovery of reclaimed water in the brackish werribee aquifer, Melbourne, Australia

Stuyfzand, Pieter Jan (author), Osma, Javier (author)

As part of an integrated water-cycle management strategy, City West Water (CWW) is conducting research to develop an aquifer storage recovery (ASR) scheme utilizing recycled water. In this contribution, we address the risk of well clogging based on two ASR bore pilots, each with intensive monitoring. Well clogging is a critical aspect of the...

journal article 2019

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Enhanced biofilm solubilization by urea in reverse osmosis membrane systems

Sanawar, H. (author), Pinel, I.S.M. (author), Farhat, N. M. (author), Bucs, Sz S. (author), Zlopasa, J. (author), Kruithof, J. C. (author), Witkamp, G.J. (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author)

Chemical cleaning is routinely performed in reverse osmosis (RO) plants for the regeneration of RO membranes that suffer from biofouling problems. The potential of urea as a chaotropic agent to enhance the solubilization of biofilm proteins has been reported briefly in the literature. In this paper the efficiency of urea cleaning for RO...

journal article 2018

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Controlling Biofouling in Seawater Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems

Dhakal, N. (author)

Seawater desalination is a rapidly growing coastal industry that is increasingly threatened by algal blooms. Depending on the severity of algal blooms, desalination systems may be forced to shut down because of clogging and/or poor feed water quality. To maintain stable operation and provide good feed water quality to seawater reverse osmosis ...

doctoral thesis 2017

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Biofouling in reverse and forward osmosis membrane systems

Bucs, S.S. (author)

Global freshwater demand has significantly increased over the past century and continued growth is expected in the coming century. Since more than 97 percent of the water in the world is seawater, desalination technologies have the potential to solve the fresh water crisis. Currently, the most used desalination technology is reverse osmosis,...

doctoral thesis 2017

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Direct measurement of atp in seawater and application of ATP to monitor bacterial growth potential in SWRO pre-treatment systems

Abushaban, Almotasembellah (author), Mangal, M.N. (author), Salinas-Rodriguez, Sergio G. (author), Nnebuo, Chidiebere (author), Mondal, Subhanjan (author), Goueli, Said A. (author), Schippers, Jan C. (author), Kennedy, M.D. (author)

The use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to monitor bacterial growth potential of seawater is currently not possible as ATP cannot be accurately measured at low concentration in seawater using commercially available luciferase-based ATP detection. The limitation is due to interference of salt with the luciferin–luciferase reaction, which...

journal article 2017

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Applicability of short-term accelerated biofouling studies to predict long-term biofouling in reverse osmosis membrane systems

Sanawar, H. (author), Siddiqui, A. (author), Bucs, S.S. (author), Farhat, N. M. (author), van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M. (author), Kruithof, J. C. (author), Vrouwenvelder, J.S. (author)

Biofouling studies addressing biofouling control are mostly executed in short-term studies. It is unclear whether data collected from these experiments are representative for long-term biofouling as occurring in full-scale membrane systems. This study investigated whether short-term biofouling studies accelerated by biodegradable nutrient...

journal article 2017