Effects of cold temperature and chemical cleaning on performance, membrane fouling and its control in drinking water membrane filtration

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Membrane filtration technology has been widely used for drinking water production all over the world, due to its advantages in better removal of contaminants, high efficiency, small footprint, easy operation, long filtration life, and superior quality of drinking water-free of solids, pathogens, virus and bacteria. However, temperature is a significant factor that affects the performance of membrane filtration. The geographical locations of Canada lead to months of cold temperature each year for many municipalities. The cold temperature has dramatically negative influence on membrane filtration in drinking water production. Each year, thousands of dollars are wasted in each membrane filtration plant in the form of membrane replacements, due to poor operation and membrane cleaning, and membrane structure deterioration in cold temperature. Furthermore, chemical cleanings are routinely used for membrane fouling control. Some of the widely used chemical cleaning agents, such as sodium hypochlorite, have significantly negative impact on membrane structure and thus cause membrane aging and reduce membrane lifespan. Thus, finding replacements for these cleaning agents are highly desirable. The proposed study will develop an improved fundamental understanding of the effect of cold temperature and chemical cleaning on membrane performance, fouling and its control, and membrane structure by conducting bench-, pilot-, and full-scale studies. New operating and membrane cleaning strategies will be developed to optimize the performance of drinking water membrane filtration plants in cold regions in Canada. The findings from this study will help drinking water membrane filtration plants to maximize productivity, minimize membrane fouling, reduce chemical usage and operating costs, and extend membrane lifespan.