Feedwater pre-treatment with UV/H2O2 to mitigate the fouling of a ceramic mf membrane caused by algal organic matter

The effect of UV/H2O2 pre-treatment of feedwater containing algal organic matter (AOM) on the mitigation of the fouling of a ceramic MF membrane was investigated, and compared with coagulation. Both feedwater treatments achieved 90% reduction in total fouling resistance due to their effectiveness in reducing the biopolymers in the AOM. However, the UV/H2O2-treated feedwater led to a considerably lower flux recovery than the coagulated feedwater. This was attributed to the oxidative treatment generating smaller organic molecules, which could enter and be trapped within the membrane pore structure. The UV/H2O2 inactivated the microcystin-LR spiked into the feedwater almost instantly, whereas coagulation was ineffective for removing the cyanobacterial toxin.