The importance of fouling-resistant membrane elements – the FilmTec™ SW30XFR-400/34

Abstract

Biofouling in reverse osmosis (RO) occurs when bacteria settle in the elements and start building a biofilm. This paper highlights the performance of a new generation of fouling-resistant RO element, the newly developed FilmTec™ SW30XFR-400/34 seawater fouling-resistant membrane element in terms of its biofouling resistance. Additionally, this paper presents a validation of the product at a realistic scenario: the Middle East Red Sea. The validation trials proved the robust performance that this new membrane element shows under harsh biofouling conditions. This membrane element is able to offer 34% lower pressure drop than previous generations with a stable performance in terms of normalized permeate flow and salt rejection. In the validation trials this feature led to a significant reduction of the chemical cleanings (CIP) caused by biofouling; more than 33% reduction of the annual CIP frequency. Additionally, thanks to the membrane chemistry robustness, one of the FilmTec™ brand essence attributes, the product is able to offer advantaged chemical resistance when chemical cleanings are performed. Under the same conditions, where an element from another membrane manufacturer is experiencing 85% increase in salt passage, FilmTec™ SW30XFR-400/34 shows stable performance.