Membrane performance testing
One of eight projects in the Advanced Membrane Technologies for Water Treatment Research Cluster, performance testing aims to deliver energy reductions of up to 50 per cent to desalination industries.
- 2 January 2008 | Updated 14 October 2011
Background
Desalination is an energy-intensive technology.
A major contributor to this energy demand arises from the fouling of membrane surfaces which reduces the flow of water.
Addition of very low levels of chlorine directly to the feedwater stream can be used to minimise biological fouling.
Heating the (saline) water that feeds into a desalination plant speeds up the desalination process and is more energy efficient, but such gains are weighed against by the rapid increase in membrane fouling that occurs as temperature increases.
The Research Cluster aims to develop the next generation of membranes, resistant to chlorine degradation and other fouling agents.
The approach
Our Performance Testing group aims to characterise the elements and mechanisms that cause membrane fouling in four key ways:
- baseline data collection: we will laboratory-test to provide baseline data for existing membrane materials and provide an experimental database, as well as developing a range of standard experimental protocols.
We will be examining the adhesion of organic compounds on membrane surfaces and their interaction with other organic compounds
- chlorine resistant membranes: working alongside membrane researchers at the University of Texas, USA, we will be testing newly developed chlorine-resistant membranes
- new materials: we will assess the performance of new membrane materials developed
- temperature effects: we will examine bacterial growth and the solubility of multivalent salts as a function of temperature in the fouling of both commercial and newly developed membrane materials.
Delivering savings
The goal of the Research Cluster is to provide energy reductions of between 5-50 per cent, resulting from a reduction in membrane fouling, in existing and future desalination operations.
To deliver on this goal, the Performance Testing group will:
- construct a laboratory membrane rig
- establish methods and protocols for fouling studies and report on fouling mechanisms of RO membranes
- provide performance analysis of existing membranes and novel membranes developed within the Research Cluster
- perform membrane fouling experiments and characterisation of interactions between organic components on novel membranes.
This project will link closely with the project as we characterise the organic and inorganic fouling components in feedwater and on membrane surfaces.
Partners
Partners and interested parties include:
- Water for a Healthy Country Flagship
- Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia
- Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
- Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria
- Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia
- The University of Melbourne
- The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- University of Texas, Austin, USA
- Victoria University, Australia.
Read more about the Advanced membrane technologies for water treatment research cluster Research Cluster.
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Fast facts
- Reverse osmosis (RO) uses semi-permeable membranes to filter out dissolved material or fine solids (such as salt)
- Removing salt from sea water needs an energy-intensive 1 kWh/m³
- Reverse osmosis has the lowest energy demand of all desalination technologies, making it the most popular form
- Feedwater is water fed to desalination equipment or other waer-processing equipment and can be source water with or without pre-treatment
