CP-2006-09
EPS membrane biofouling in membrane filtration: An analytic modeling study
Kim, Albert S., Huaiqun Chen, Rong Yuan
Biofouling is theoretically investigated by modeling solute transport within a biofilm, defined in this study as a swarm of solid biocolloids surounded by liquid-like exopolymeric substances (EPS). A mathematical approach is employed to map the biofilm to an equivalent, simple speherical cell using a self-consistent method. It is found that the physical presence of EPS’ and their reaction with solute ions reduce the mass transfer coefficient, which significantly contributes to permate flux decline in reverse osmosis and nanofiltration menmbrane proceseses.