The Causes and Cleaning Strategies for Microfiltration Membranes Fouled by Iron

Membrane fouling caused by iron or the combination of iron and organic matter is very common operating issue in membrane plants. Iron species in natural water can be dissolved, via incomplete oxidation and/or precipitation, as well as metal-NOM complexation, both may
cause the loss in membrane permeability and/or difficulties in cleaning. The chemical cleaning of membranes fouled by iron are carried out primarily through chelating iron and/or reducing iron into dissolved form. The efficacy of various cleaning chemicals for iron-fouled membranes were compared in lab tests. Understanding the fouling of membranes by iron can provide insights for designing fouling mitigation and membrane cleaning strategies.