Strategies to Improve Membrane Performance of Drinking Water Productions in Cold Regions

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Membrane technology has been widely used for drinking water production all over the world, including cold regions like Canada. Membrane technology is particularly suitable for drinking water production in cold regions, due to its advantages of operation simplicity, small footprint, superior water quality, and stable operation with regarding to the fluctuation of raw water quality. However, significant challenges exist for the application of membrane technology in cold regions. The cold water temperature has a significantly negative impact on the water productivity, membrane performance and structure change. Therefore, unique operational and chemical cleaning strategies should be developed to overcome the problems caused by cold water temperature and improve membrane performance, process and chemical cleaning efficiency, and maximize membrane lifespan. The overall goal of this study is to develop operational and chemical cleaning strategies to optimize membrane performance, recover membrane structure loss, and reduce chemical usage in cleaning and energy consumption, and maximize the lifespan of membranes in cold regions. Specific objectives include: 1.) develop a fundamental understanding of the effect of temperature on the kinetics of chemical cleaning, permeability recovery, and membrane structure changes; 2.) study the dynamic changes of membrane structure under cold water operation-warm water cleaning cycles and model the thermal response of membrane pore sizes to cold-warm water cycles. 3. test the impact of pre-co-agulation on membrane fouling; 4.) optimize chemical cleaning potocols, 5.) develop a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of membrane fiber breakages and strategies to reduce membrane breakage in cold temperature; and 6.) characterize the nature of foulants (organic and inorganic fouling) and the chemical cleaning efficiency. The ultimate goal is to develop operational and chemical cleaning strategies to abate the negative impact of cold water temperature on membrane performance and structure to reduce chemical and energy usage, and maximize membrane lifespan in cold regions.