RO Piloting for Biofouling Control at the Brazos River Authority (BRA) Surface Water and Treatment System (SWATS)

摘要

Pilot testing was conducted at the Brazos River Authority (BRA) Surface Water and Treatment System (SWATS) reverse osmosis (RO) facility to determine if ultraviolet (UV) disinfection and/or intermittent chloramination could be used to effectively control biofouling while not resulting in an undesirable performance degradation of the membranes. RO pilot testing was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 piloting looked at the efficacy of UV disinfection as a pretreatment. Phase 2 RO piloting assessed the effectiveness of chloramination, both intermittent and continuous, as a biofouling control strategy. While biofouling potential was low in the RO feed water throughout the testing period, the use of chloramines showed great promise as it did not adversely impact the membranes and is a relatively inexpensive approach to put into practice. BRA personnel have carried out additional testing using chloramines as a pretreatment. This testing was performed when biofoulant levels in the feed stream were significantly higher. Results of this testing have further substantiated the ability of chloramines to control biofouling while not causing any membrane degradation.