Impact of Clarification Step On Ultrafiltration Fouling in Drinking Water Treatment Plant

The objectives of the study were to understand the role and impact of different reagents including Powder Activated Carbon (PAC), iron chloride, and anionic polymer used in a large DWTP on Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fouling. Experiments were conducted at laboratory scale with new UF membranes and at a semi-industrial scale with used membranes. Evolution of membrane permeabilities with filtered volume was determined and the results were exploited using the concept of critical filtered volume and fouling rates. Results show that PAC has a positive or, at least, no negative impact as long as backwashes allows efficient removal of the cake formed on the membranes.