Large amounts of oily wastewater, which can be defined as produced water, are generated in oilfields. Ultrafiltration (UF) serves as an effective and economical method to purify produced water. Unfortunately, membrane fouling during produced water treatment is severe. In this paper, the effects of the ionic strength (1, 20, and 100 mM) as well as different surfactants on the membrane fouling are investigated. Four surfactants, including SDS (anionic), APG (non-ionic), CTAB (cationic) and DDAPS (zwitterionic), were selected for this study. The Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) and extended DLVO (XDLVO) models were used to quantify interactions between the membrane-oil droplet and deposited oil layer-oil droplet surfaces and to compare these interactions with the fouling experiments. The (X)DLVO interaction energies of the membrane-oil droplet exhibited a strong agreement with the fouling tendencies at 1 mM salinity. The SiC-deposited (B20) membrane showed less reversible and irreversible membrane fouling than the Al₂O₃ (B0) membrane when filtering negatively charged O/W emulsions stabilized with SDS, APG, or DDAPS. The DLVO model predicted a higher fouling tendency at higher salinity levels during the filtration of SDS, APG, or DDAPS-stabilized O/W emulsions and a decreased fouling tendency for CTAB-stabilized emulsion with the B20 membrane. However, at higher salinity levels, the XDLVO energy barrier was affected by both the repulsive electrostatic double layer (EL) interaction and attractive Lewis acid-base (AB) interaction. By comparing both experiments and (X)DLVO modeling, this study improves the fundamental understanding of the effect of ionic strength and surfactant types on reversible and irreversible fouling of the Al₂O₃ and SiC-coated membranes fouling by O/W emulsions.

During the extraction of fossil fuels, a complex waste stream is produced simultaneously, also known as produced water (PW). Membrane filtration is a promising technology that can successfully enable the treatment and reuse of PW. Silicon carbide (SiC) membranes are preferred for PW treatment, due to their low (ir)reversible fouling compared to other ceramic membranes. However, full SiC membrane is expensive and thus economically less feasible. Therefore, we established a method for coating SiC on alumina (Al₂O₃) ultrafiltration membranes, based on low-pressure chemical vapor deposition at 860 °C. In the presented study the fouling resistance and behavior of these novel membranes, with various pore sizes and under different operating conditions, including flux and crossflow velocity, were evaluated. We also used Al₂O₃ membranes and SiC-coated Al₂O₃ membranes in constant flux mode to treat real oilfield PW with high salinity (142 mS/cm) and COD (22670 mg/L). Additionally, the fouling mechanisms in the SiC-coated and Al₂O₃ membranes were analyzed with the help of Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscopy imaging. The major findings were that pore blockage served as the initial (irreversible) fouling mechanism and that the (reversible) cake layer, a mixture of organic and inorganic components, dominated the rest of the filtration cycle, where the SiC coated membrane performed better than the original alumina membrane. In addition, it was found that the application of the SiC coating, and the selection of the appropriate pore size (62 nm) and crossflow velocity (0.8 m/s) increased the fouling mitigation, potentially advancing the utilization of ultrafiltration in treating saline PW for reuse purposes.

Sulphate (SO42­) is a model ion due to its negative charge and multivalent nature. Its rejection behavior serves as an indicator of the separation performance for other analogous ions in modified membranes. In literature the rejection of the SO42­ by negatively charged polymeric nanofiltration (NF) membranes has been studied extensively with rejection percentages of >90 %. Silicon carbide (SiC) membranes have gained attention for wastewater treatment due to their high hydrophilicity and negative charge. However, no negatively charged ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) membranes have been tested yet for SO42­ retention. In this study, a commercial alumina (Al2O3) UF membrane was converted into a highly negatively charged tight-UF membrane by coating it with SiC. This was achieved by depositing a 5 μm SiC coating in a single-step via low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LP-CVD). LP-CVD facilitates the preparation of a SiC at much lower temperatures (700–900 °C) compared to the sol-gel methods (ca. 2100 °C), and it does not require multiple coating cycles and sintering steps to achieve the desired selective layer thickness. Subsequently, properties and performance of the as-prepared tight-UF membrane coated with SiC were evaluated. The SiC coated membrane had a highly negative charge of −70 mV at pH of 6, and a pure water permeability (PWP) of 26 L.m−2.h−1.bar−1. The SiC coated membrane furthermore demonstrated a SO42­ rejection of 79 % despite having a large pore size of 7 nm, in comparison with the pore sizes of below 1 nm of NF membranes. These results highlight the potential of singe-step LP-CVD modification of commercial UF ceramic membranes to produce highly negatively charged SiC coated UF membranes with a high SO42­ rejection, and without a large loss of PWP normally associated with NF membranes.

The growing global water crisis necessitates advanced wastewater treatment technologies capable of addressing complex contaminants. Adsorbents and membrane technologies provide viable solutions for wastewater treatment, and their performance can be significantly enhanced through surface modification by atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD enables nanoscale engineering of materials, offering unprecedented control over surface chemistry, pore structure, and functional properties for improved wastewater treatment efficiency. This review critically examines the advancements in ALD-modified membranes and adsorbents for industrial wastewater treatment, highlighting how ALD enhances adsorption kinetics and selectivity in adsorbents, improves hydrophilicity and antifouling behavior in polymeric membranes, and enhances chemical and mechanical stability in ceramic membranes. Despite these advantages, challenges remain in adoption of ALD in wastewater treatment. Future research should focus on optimizing ALD process parameters and exploring synergies with emerging water purification strategies. The continued development of ALD presents a promising pathway towards more efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment solutions.

Activated carbon (AC) is widely used for organic micro-pollutants (OMPs) removal, yet adsorbability evaluation remains challenging due to molecular diversity and adsorbent heterogeneity, especially given the limitations of traditional assessment metrics such as hydrophobicity (logD). This study proposed a machine learning (ML)-driven assessment strategy by aligning the adsorbability of various AC adsorbents with a hypothetical “Standard AC” to evaluate the adsorbabilities across 56 OMPs. XGBoost, RF, and ET models achieved high prediction accuracy on the test set (R² = 0.88–0.98, RMSE = 0.17–0.38, MAE = 0.13–0.27), and were further validated against a published experimental dataset. Interpretable ML analysis identified a logD threshold of ≈ 2, at which the dominant adsorption mechanisms transitioned from hydrophobic interactions for OMPs with higher hydrophobicity to π-π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and pore-filling for those with lower hydrophobicity. Adsorbability increased with molecular weight, as flexible molecules (rotatable bond ratio > 0.012) overcame steric hindrance in micropores, enhancing pore-filling efficiency through improved accessibility. By introducing a standardized, data-driven adsorbability reference and elucidating the intrinsic interplay between molecular properties and adsorption mechanisms, this study offers a robust framework for knowledge-informed treatability evaluation and a practical benchmark to guide adsorption process design.

Membrane technology presents an effective solution for treating oily wastewater, a significant environmental hazard stemming from industries such as food processing, metalworking, and oil extraction. Compared to polymeric membranes, ceramic ones exhibit superior mechanical, chemical, and thermal stability, enabling more effective oil removal and easier cleaning. Despite their advantages, membrane fouling remains a challenge, impacting the efficiency of oily wastewater treatment. This review explores oily wastewater characteristics and ceramic membrane applications in treatment processes. It examines the factors influencing ceramic membrane fouling, including wastewater properties (e.g., oil concentration, pH), membrane characteristics (e.g., surface hydrophilicity, charge), and operational parameters (e.g., cross-flow velocity, permeate flux). Strategies to mitigate fouling, such as pretreatment, backpulsing/backwashing for sustained operation, and chemical cleaning for fouling removal, are discussed. By using pretreatment, membrane fouling can be reduced. Backpulsing/backwashing is effective to maintain a long-term operation. Chemical cleaning is effective in removing irreversible fouling and restoring the performance of the ceramic membranes. Moreover, membrane modification techniques that enhance performance are highlighted. Ultimately, the review identifies that effective fouling control is crucial for optimizing ceramic membrane use in oily wastewater treatment, underscoring the need for ongoing research in this area.

Long-term consumption of groundwater containing elevated levels of arsenic (As) can have severe health consequences, including cancer. To effectively remove As, conventional treatment technologies require expensive chemical oxidants to oxidise neutral arsenite (As(III)) in groundwater to negatively charged arsenate (As(V)), which is more easily removed. Rapid sand filter beds used in conventional aeration-filtration to treat anaerobic groundwater can naturally oxidise As(III) through biological processes but require an additional step to remove the generated As(V), adding complexity and cost. This study introduces a novel approach where As(V), produced through biological As(III) oxidation in a sand filter, is effectively removed within the same filter by embedding and operating an iron electrocoagulation (FeEC) system inside the filter. Operating FeEC within the biological filter achieved higher As(III) removal (81 %) compared to operating FeEC in the filter supernatant (67 %). This performance was similar to an analogous embedded-FeEC system treating As(V)-contaminated water (85 %), confirming the benefits of incorporating FeEC in a biological bed for comparable As(III) and As(V) removal. However, operating FeEC in the sand matrix consumed more energy (14 Wh/m³) compared to FeEC operated in a water matrix (7 Wh/m³). The efficiency of As removal increased and energy requirements decreased in such embedded-FeEC systems by deep-bed infiltration of Fe(III)-precipitates, which can be controlled by adjusting flow rate and pH. This study is one of the first to demonstrate the feasibility of embedding FeEC systems in sand filters for groundwater arsenic removal. Such systems capitalise on biological As(III) oxidation in aeration-filtration, effectively eliminating As(V) within the same setup without the need for chemicals or major modifications.

Introduction:
Water scarcity is a significant global challenge that frequently manifests as inadequate water supply for domestic purposes. However, domestic water insecurity can occur even in regions where water is naturally abundant. Despite Colombia’s plentiful surface water resources, rural and peri-urban communities often experience limited access to water. Existing water supply systems are frequently susceptible to poor maintenance, particularly in remote areas where much of the infrastructure remains outdated. Consequently, water is often lost through leaks or unintentional non-domestic use. Although a regulatory framework for water usage exists, it does not consistently translate into effective implementation.

Methodology:
Based on an extensive survey of approximately 1000 households in four rural and four peri-urban communities in the Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia, we identified the factors underlying inefficient water supply and use. Perceived water use at the household level, based on self-reported time spent on various use types, such as bathing, and water supplied at the system level, was estimated.

Results and discussion:
Household size, education level, age and occupation were found to be critical factors influencing end water use and water supply. This not only elucidates why water is supplied and used inefficiently in rural systems (e.g., due to non-domestic use), but also accounts for the variability of perceived water use within peri-urban systems. The water use perceived by households in the rural systems was statistically similar across the rural systems studied and was significantly lower than that in the peri-urban systems. Most rural systems exhibited very low ratios of perceived water use to water supplied, indicating that either water is lost in conveyance or that water is used for non-domestic purposes. Peri-urban users, who perceived to use more water than users in rural areas, were associated with younger and more educated households. Higher education levels were also associated with better financial capacity and technical ability to manage water systems; therefore, peri-urban systems were better managed.

Ceramic nanofiltration is a potential one-step treatment for industrial waste streams. It can remove colloidal particles, oil droplets and some organic molecules. The drawback of the technology is that backwash cannot be applied to remove the accumulated cake layer from the membrane surface. At the moment only chemical cleaning with aggressive oxidizing agents like chlorine are effective to restore the permeability of the membranes after fouling. However, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precoating has shown potential benefits in preliminary research, but have only been executed at laboratory scale, under a constant pressure and with a limited number of experimental cycles. In the presented work, the CaCO3 precoat/acid cleaning method was comprehensively studied under varying operational conditions. Dead-end filtration of a CaCO3-dispersion was used to precoat the membrane surface. Three different acids were tested to partly dissolve the precoat and remove the cake layer from the membrane surface. It was found that citric acid performed the best to recover the permeability of the membrane, probably due to the chelating properties, capturing the calcium ions, with a good removal of the cake layer during forward flush as a result. The size of precoat particles influenced the efficacy of permeability recovery. The smaller the deposited precoating particles on the membrane surface were, the better the cleaning effect was. It is expected that, when filtering real sewage water, these membranes can operate with one precoat during about 25 days with five consecutive citric acid cleaning cycles before a chlorine-based chemical treatment should thoroughly clean the membrane module.

A large decrease in permeability is often observed during the filtration of nano-sized colloids, while fouling is widely regarded as the main explanation for this phenomenon. The osmotic pressure or concentration polarization (CP) of colloids can also contribute to the flux decline. However, the contribution of CP to flux loss cannot be determined by the traditional CP model. In this study, the effect of fouling and CP/osmotic pressure on flux was distinguished. The CP values of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and silica-colloids were determined by the osmotic pressures near the membrane surface and in the feed. The CP induced by colloids accounted for 43–95% of the flux loss in our experiments. Silica exhibited higher CP values (127–460), compared to 7–71 for PEG. This was attributed to the slower back diffusion caused by the larger colloids, as evidenced by the diffusion coefficients of 4.30 × 10⁻¹¹ m²/s for silica (10 nm) and 1.45 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s for PEG (2.9 nm). Although the CP was mitigated by increasing the cross-flow velocity, CP values of 31 and 250 were observed for PEG and silica at high Reynolds number of 7317, respectively. The experimentally obtained CP values were also compared with those calculated by the film diffusion model.

Worldwide, a considerable amount of oily wastewater is generated, with oil droplets from 2 to 200 nm that are difficult to separate because of their size and colloidal stability. This study presents a novel approach for effectively separating microemulsions via cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC)-coated alumina (Al ₂O ₃) membranes fabricated based on low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). SiC was deposited at a relatively low temperature at 860 °C on 100 nm Al ₂O ₃ membranes using two precursors: SiH ₂Cl ₂ and C ₂H ₂. With the increase in deposition time, up to 25 min, the pore size decreased from 41 nm to 33 nm, which is a smaller pore size of a SiC membrane than previously used for oil/water separation. The polycrystalline 3C-SiC-coated membranes showed improved hydrophilicity (water contact angle of 15°) and highly negatively charged surfaces (−65 mV). Microemulsion filtration experiments were carried out at a constant permeate flux (80 Lm ⁻² h ⁻¹) for six cycles with varying deposition time, pH, surfactant types, and pore sizes. The fouling of the SiC-coated membrane was, compared to the Al ₂O ₃ membrane, effectively mitigated due to the enhanced electrostatic repulsion and hydrophilicity. Surfactant adsorption mainly occurred when the surface charge of the microemulsion and the membranes were opposite. Therefore, the surface charge of the alumina membrane changed from positive to negative when soaked in negatively charged microemulsions, whereas SiC-coated membranes remained negatively charged regardless of surfactant type. The membrane fouling was alleviated when the membrane and oil droplets had the same charge. Lastly, the 62 nm SiC-coated membrane with 20 min coating time was the best choice for the filtration of the microemulsion, because of the high rejection of the oil droplets and low fouling tendency.

Activated carbon is employed for the adsorption of organic micropollutants (OMPs) from water, typically present in concentrations ranging from ng L⁻¹ to μg L⁻¹. However, the efficacy of OMP removal is considerably deteriorated due to competitive adsorption from background dissolved organic matter (DOM), present at substantially higher concentrations in mg L⁻¹. Interpreting the characteristics of competitive DOM is crucial in predicting OMP adsorption efficiencies across diverse natural waters. Molecular weight (MW), aromaticity, and polarity influence DOM competitiveness. Although the aromaticity-related metrics, such as UV₂₅₄, of low MW DOM were proposed to correlate with DOM competitiveness, the method suffers from limitations in understanding the interplay of polarity and aromaticity in determining DOM competitiveness. Here, we elucidate the intricate influence of aromaticity and polarity in low MW DOM competition, spanning from a fraction level to a compound level, by employing direct sample injection liquid chromatography coupled with ultrahigh-resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Anion exchange resin pre-treatment eliminated 93% of UV₂₅₄-active DOM, predominantly aromatic and polar DOM, and only minimally alleviated DOM competition. Molecular characterization revealed that nonpolar molecular formulas (constituting 26% PAC-adsorbable DOM) with medium aromaticity contributed more to the DOM competitiveness. Isomer-level analysis indicated that the competitiveness of highly aromatic LMW DOM compounds was strongly counterbalanced by increased polarity. Strong aromaticity-derived π-π interaction cannot facilitate the competitive adsorption of hydrophilic DOM compounds. Our results underscore the constraints of depending solely on aromaticity-based approaches as the exclusive interpretive measure for DOM competitiveness. In a broader context, this study demonstrates an effect-oriented DOM analysis, elucidating counterbalancing interactions of DOM molecular properties from fraction to compound level.

Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) is widely used for the chemical cleaning of fouled ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. Various studies performed on polymeric membranes demonstrate that long-term (>100 h) exposure to NaClO deteriorates the physicochemical properties of the membranes, leading to reduced performance and service life. However, the effect of NaClO cleaning on ceramic membranes, particularly the number of cleaning cycles they can undergo to alleviate irreversible fouling, remains poorly understood. Silicon carbide (SiC) membranes have garnered widespread attention for water and wastewater treatment, but their chemical stability in NaClO has not been studied. Low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LP-CVD) provides a simple and economical route to prepare/modify ceramic membranes. As such, LP-CVD facilitates the preparation of SiC membranes: (a) in a single step; and (b) at much lower temperatures (700–900 °C) in comparison with sol-gel methods (ca. 2000 °C). In this work, SiC ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared via LP-CVD at two different deposition temperatures and pressures. Subsequently, their chemical stability in NaClO was investigated over 200 h of aging. Afterward, the properties and performance of as-prepared SiC UF membranes were evaluated before and after aging to determine the optimal deposition conditions. Our results indicate that the SiC UF membrane prepared via LP-CVD at 860 °C and 100 mTorr exhibited excellent resistance to NaClO aging, while the membrane prepared at 750 °C and 600 mTorr significantly deteriorated. These findings not only highlight a novel preparation route for SiC membranes in a single step via LP-CVD, but also provide new insights about the careful selection of LP-CVD conditions for SiC membranes to ensure their long-term performance and robustness under harsh chemical cleaning conditions.

Ceramic nanofiltration (NF) is a promising alternative for direct surface water treatment, but is hampered for full-scale applications by fouling and a lack of eco-friendly cleaning regimes. In this work, an innovative reactive pre-coat layer, consisting of an iron oxychloride catalyst, was constructed on top of commercial ceramic NF membranes, for segregating a large-sized colloid fraction in canal water and Fenton cleaning with a hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) solution. The large-sized colloids (3−30 μm) were identified as dominant substances fouling the TiO₂ separation layer of the pristine membranes, leading to a fast increase in their filtration resistance, in contrast to the small-sized colloids (<0.04 μm) and natural organic matter (NOM). As a consequence, the catalyst pre-coat layer with a pore size of 0.1–0.5 μm was able to segregate the large-sized colloids from the TiO₂ separation layer during direct filtration of the raw water. Moreover, filtration under an acceptable flux of around 23 L m⁻² h⁻¹ did not cause pore clogging in the catalyst pre-coat. In addition, Fenton oxidation initiated by the catalytic pre-coat efficiently restored the filtration resistance, whereas sole H₂O₂ flush of the pristine membrane was not effective. In the meantime, the TiO₂ separation layer of the membrane exerted a high NOM rejection of approximately 90%, measured as dissolved organic carbon, while the catalyst pre-coat on the membrane remained active in Fenton cleaning, over five one-day cycles. The findings of this work may provide guidance on the structural and functional design of a catalytic pre-coat layer for a dual purpose of foulant segregation and oxidative removal, particularly in response to key fouling-causing substances, during membrane-based treatment of real water matrices.

Verwijdering van organische microverontreinigingen uit huishoudelijk afvalwater, waaronder medicijnresten, staat sterk in de belangstelling om de oppervlaktewater kwaliteit te verbeteren, de drinkwaterbronnen te beschermen en te voldoen aan toekomstige EU richtlijnen. In minder dan vijf jaar is AdOx, een technologie waarin adsorptie en oxidatie word en gecombineerd, ontwikkeld tot een veelbelovende techniek. Ten opzichte van referentietechnieken zijn de CO2-voetafdruk klein en de kosten laag. De Nederlandse richtlijn van 70% verwijdering wordt gehaald. Ondanks het gebruik van ozon resulteert AdOx niet in bromaat vorming en oxidatiebijproducten in het behandelde afvalwater. Er is nog veel ruimte voor verdere optimalisatie.

The present study investigated the utilization of blood clam shells as a potential substitute for conventional media, as well as the influence of the acclimation time on the efficacy of an intermittent slow sand filter (ISSF) in the treatment of real domestic wastewater. ISSF was operated with 16 h on and 8 h off, focusing on the parameters of turbidity, ammonia, and phosphate. Two media combinations (only blood clam shells [CC] and sand + blood clam shells [SC]) were operated under two different acclimatization periods (14 and 28 d). Results showed that SC medium exhibited significantly higher removal of turbidity (p < 0.05) as compared to CC medium (45.99 ± 26.84 % vs. 3.79 ± 9.35 %), while CC exhibited slightly higher (p > 0.05) removal of ammonia (23.12 ± 20.2 % vs. 16.77 ± 16.8 %) and phosphate (18.03 ± 11.96 % vs 13.48 ± 12 %). Comparing the acclimatization periods, the 28 d of acclimatization period showed higher overall performances than the 14 d. Further optimizations need to be conducted to obtain an effluent value below the national permissible limit, since the ammonia and phosphate parameters are still slightly higher. SEM analysis confirmed the formation of biofilm on both mediums after 28 d of acclimatization; with further analysis of schmutzdecke formation need to be carried out to enrich the results.

Biofilters are effectively used for drinking water treatment. However, the long ripening time of virgin media for manganese (Mn) removal is a major concern. In this study, the influence of the flow regime on the ripening time of virgin pumice medium was investigated. For this purpose, pilot-scale experiments were performed to compare the start-up of flow-through and recirculating filter columns using inherent inoculation with the same groundwater source. The systems were operated at 2 m·h¹ with gradual flow increments up to 5 m·h¹ and avoiding Fe-loading. Effective Mn removal (.90%) in flow-through and recirculating columns was achieved after 8 and 23 days, respectively. Flow-through columns reached compliance with a local drinking water criterion (Mn, 0.1 mg·L¹) at 15 cm filter depth in 11 days. Recirculating filter columns required 32 days to reach compliance at 30 cm depth. The start-up in recirculation regime resulted in a water consumption reduction of about 50% compared with flow-through regime. The intermittent provision of the Mn-loading in recirculating regime impacted the Mn-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) concentration in the pumice stone medium. Both flow regimes required a similar total Mn-loading (0.16 and 0.11 kg·Mn·m², respectively), suggesting that Mn-loading was the limiting factor for the ripening of pumice.

Catalytic ceramic nanofiltration (NF) is a promising technology for direct wastewater reclamation, given its high separation selectivity and reactive surfaces for oxidative removal of fouling. A better understanding of the relation between fouling types and oxidative cleaning efficacy under high organic loading conditions is of practical importance for realizing stable filtration/cleaning performance in long-term water reclamation operations. In this work, Fenton cleaning, using a hydrogen peroxide solution and an iron oxychloride catalyst pre-coat layer on top of commercially available ceramic NF membranes, was studied with respect to high organic loaded fouling, simulated by a concentrated sodium alginate solution in the presence of calcium. Adsorption (in the absence of a permeate flow) and constant-pressure filtration (with a permeate flow) experiments were performed to distinguish between permeance decreases as a result of either adsorptive or cake layer fouling. The results show that the flux evolution could be divided into an initial sharp flux decline, due to rapid adsorption of the foulants, and a subsequent gradual flux decrease, resulting from progressive cake build-up on the membrane. The two-stage flux decrease was enhanced during the constant-pressure filtration experiments, because they start at a high flux with a high fouling rate, while the flux gradually decreases as fouling proceeds. During multiple adsorption/cake filtration/Fenton cleaning cycles, the cake layer fouling was sufficiently removed by Fenton cleaning in contrast to the adsorptive fouling. However, the total permeate production during ceramic NF was not influenced by the remaining adsorptive fouling (after cleaning), since the adsorptive fouling always only occurs at the beginning of each cycle. The findings provide new insights into the criteria for evaluating and optimizing the efficacy of oxidative (Fenton) cleaning during ceramic NF in water treatment.

Ceramic membranes have drawn increasing attention in oily wastewater treatment as an alternative to their traditional polymeric counterparts, yet persistent membrane fouling is still one of the largest challenges. Particularly, little is known about ceramic membrane fouling by oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions in constant flux filtration modes. In this study, the effects of emulsion chemistry (surfactant concentration, pH, salinity and Ca²⁺) and operation parameters (permeate flux and filtration time) were comparatively evaluated for alumina and silicon carbide (SiC) deposited ceramic membranes, with different physicochemical surface properties. The original membranes were made of 100% alumina, while the same membranes were also deposited with a SiC layer to change the surface charge and hydrophilicity. The SiC-deposited membrane showed a lower reversible and irreversible fouling when permeate flux was below 110 L m⁻² h⁻¹. In addition, it exhibited a higher permeance recovery after physical and chemical cleaning, as compared to the alumina membranes. Increasing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration in the feed decreased the fouling of both membranes, but to a higher extent in the alumina membranes. The fouling of both membranes could be reduced with increasing the pH of the emulsion due to the enhanced electrostatic repulsion between oil droplets and membrane surface. Because of the screening of surface charge in a high salinity solution (100 mM NaCl), only a small difference in irreversible fouling was observed for alumina and SiC-deposited membranes under these conditions. The presence of Ca²⁺ in the emulsion led to high irreversible fouling of both membranes, because of the compression of diffusion double layer and the interactions between Ca²⁺ and SDS. The low fouling tendency and/or high cleaning efficiency of the SiC-deposited membranes indicated their potential for oily wastewater treatment.

There is a global need for optimizing the use of water that has resulted from increased demand due to industrial development, population growth, climate change and the pollution of natural water resources. One of the solutions is to use reclaimed water in industrial applications that do not require water of potable quality, such as cooling water. However, for cooling water, (treated) wastewater’s hardness is too high, apart from having a high load of suspended solids and organic matter. Therefore, a combination of softening with ceramic micro-filtration was proposed for treating wastewater treatment effluent containing fouling agents for potential use in industrial cooling systems. The effectiveness of the softening process on model-treated wastewater with calcium hydroxide in the presence of phosphate and sodium alginate was first evaluated using jar tests. Furthermore, membrane fouling was studied when filtering the softened water. The results showed that the inhibition of calcium carbonate precipitation occurred when inorganic substances, such as phosphate and organic compounds, were present in the water. The fouling of the membranes due to sodium alginate in water was only slightly negatively affected when combined with softening and phosphate. Therefore, this combination of treatments could be potentially helpful for the post-treatment of secondary effluent for cooling systems.