Green biofouling prevention for safe drinking water in RO systems

反渗透（RO）膜技术是一种过滤技术，由于其能够从不同类型的水源（例如海水、微咸水和废水）生产淡水，因此广泛应用于许多水处理设施和工业。反渗透膜系统在解决加拿大和世界各地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显著效率损失、运行成本的增加和膜寿命的降低。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质，这种杀生物剂会损坏RO膜，不容易处理，并导致对人类和环境有害的消毒副产物。该项目与Bi Pure Water（Canada）Inc.与维多利亚大学绿色安全水实验室合作，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）测试非氧化性杀菌剂在生物反应器中预防和控制生物污染的有效性和适用性; 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的绿色化学物质的膜相容性; 4）在Bi Pure Water设施中的较大RO系统（中试规模）中测试从先前阶段选择的最佳抗生物污垢候选物;以及5）新的绿色抗生物污垢化学品的设计和合成。这项创新将有利于市政当局，联邦，省和市政府，工业，远程工作场所，和第一民族社区通过提供一个安全，安全，可靠，可持续的供水通过反渗透技术。

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.