Green biofouling prevention for safe drinking water in RO systems

反渗透（RO）膜技术是一种过滤技术，由于它能够从海水、微咸水和废水等不同类型的水源中生产淡水，因此被广泛应用于许多水处理设施和行业。反渗透膜系统在解决整个加拿大和世界的水资源短缺问题方面具有巨大的潜力。生物污染是反渗透膜系统面临的主要挑战，因为它会导致反渗透系统性能的效率损失、运行成本的增加和膜寿命的缩短。氯消毒是反渗透应用中最常用的控制生物污染的技术。然而，由于氯的毒性和非选择性氧化性，这种杀菌剂会破坏反渗透膜，不易处理，并对人类和环境产生有害的消毒副产物。该项目建立了Bi Pure Water (Canada) Inc.和维多利亚大学绿色安全水实验室之间的合作伙伴关系，以开发可持续、经济、安全的化学品，防止反渗透系统中生物污染的有害影响。这项工作将分五个阶段进行：1)在生物反应器中测试非氧化性杀菌剂预防和控制生物污染的功效和适用性；2)模拟全尺寸反渗透系统条件的实验室反渗透系统；3)在台式反渗透系统中测试这些潜在绿色化学物质的膜相容性；4)在毕纯水设施的大型反渗透系统（中试规模）中测试从前几个阶段中选出的最佳抗生物污染候选物；5)新型绿色抗生物污染化学品的设计与合成。通过反渗透技术提供安全、可靠、可持续的供水，这项创新将使市政、联邦、省和市政府、工业、远程工作场所和原住民社区受益。

Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology is a filtration technique that is widely applied in many water treatment facilities and industries due to its capability of producing fresh water from different types of water sources such as seawater, brackish water, and wastewater. RO membrane systems hold great potential to end water shortage problems throughout Canada and the world. Biofouling is the main challenge faced by RO membranes systems as it causes significant efficiency loss of RO system performance, increase of operational cost, and decrease of membrane lifetime. Chlorine disinfection is the most common technique applied to control biofouling in RO applications. However, due to the toxic and non-selective oxidizing nature of chlorine, this biocide can damage RO membranes, it is not easy to handle, and results in harmful disinfection by-products to humans and the environment. This project establishes a partnership between Bi Pure Water (Canada) Inc. and the University of Victoria Green Safe Water Lab to develop sustainable, economic, safe chemicals that prevent the detrimental effects of biofouling in RO systems. This work will take place in five stages: 1) testing the efficacy and applicability of non-oxidizing biocides for biofouling prevention and control in a bioreactor and 2) a laboratory RO system that mimic the conditions of full-scale RO systems; 3) testing the membrane compatibility of these potential green chemistries in a benchtop RO system; 4) testing the best anti-biofouling candidates, selected from the previous stages, in a larger RO system (pilot-scale) in the Bi Pure Water facilities; and 5) the design and synthesis of new green anti-biofouling chemicals. This innovation will benefit municipalities, federal, provincial and municipal governments, industry, remote work sites, and First Nations communities by the provision of a secure, safe, reliable, sustainable water supply via RO technologies.