Performances of dead-end ultrafiltration of seawater: from the filtration and backwash efficiencies to the membrane fouling mechanisms

The present work investigates the fouling mechanisms of PVDF hollow fibre membrane (0.03 μm) during the dead end ultrafiltration at a fixed permeate flux (outside to inside configuration) of complex synthetic seawater composed by humic acids, alginic acids, inorganic particles and numerous salts at high concentrations. Short term ultrafiltration experiments at 100 L.h-1.m-2 show that the optimal specific filtered volume seems to be equal to 50 L.m-2. A residual fouling resistance equal to 2.1010 m-1 is added after each cycle of filtration during 8h of ultrafiltration at 100 L.h-1.m-2 and 50 L.m-2. Most of the fouling is reversible (80%). Organics are barely (15% of humic acids) retained by the membrane. Backwash efficiency drops during operation which induces less organics into backwash waters. Humic acids could preferentially accumulate on the membrane early in the ultrafiltration and alginic acids after the build-up of a fouling pre-layer. Colloids and particulates could accumulate inside a heterogeneous fouling layer and/or the concentrate compartment of the membrane module before being more largely recovered inside backwash waters.