Optimization of membrane technologies for drinking water treatment

超滤膜（即膜）正在成为饮用水处理应用的首选技术。这主要是由于与传统的砂过滤系统相比，膜可以更有效、更一致地去除颗粒污染物，如微生物病原体。然而，在过滤过程中，物质会积聚并污染膜，增加渗透流的阻力。目前用于克服过度污染的策略比常规砂滤系统增加了膜系统的资金和运营成本；因此，供水商实施“先进”水处理技术的能力有限。此外，膜像其他过滤系统一样，如果没有某种形式的预处理，就不能有效地去除可溶性污染物，例如一些消毒副产物和新出现的污染物（例如内分泌干扰物和药物活性化合物）。

Ultrafiltration membranes (i.e. membranes), are becoming the technology of choice for drinking water treatment applications. This is largely due to the fact that membranes, when compared to conventional sand filtration systems, can more effectively and consistently remove particulate contaminants, such as microbial pathogens. However, during filtration, material can accumulate and foul the membrane, increasing the resistance to the permeating flow. The strategies currently used to overcome excessive fouling increase the capital and operating costs of membrane systems above those for conventional sand filtration systems; as a result, the ability of water providers to implement 'advanced' water treatment technologies is limited. Also, membrane, like other filtration systems, cannot effectively remove soluble contaminants, such as some disinfection by-products and emerging contaminants (e.g. endocrine disrupting and pharmaceutically active compounds), without some form of pre-treatment.