Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination

After more than half a century of membrane-based desalination, fouling and scaling is still a dominant challenge. In membrane technologies, in particular, fouling and scaling are a major issue with respect to design, operation, reliability of the technologies and cost.

The focus of this textbook is on theory and practice and is intended for designers, operators, consultants, suppliers and students. Lectures, courses, MSc- and PhD-studies given and executed by IHE Delft’s staff and (former) students form the backbone of this book, augmented with essential contributions of scientists of GIST (South Korea), Clemson University (USA), QEERI (Qatar), KAUST (Saudi Arabia), Synauta (Canada) and Northwest A&F University (USA). IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands) is the largest international graduate education institute in the field of water.

Principles of ultra- and nanofiltration and reverse osmosis (RO) are discussed, enabling the reader to understand the link between design, operation and fouling and scaling. Fouling (particulate, organic (including algal bloom events), inorganic, and biofouling) and scaling are treated in detail, including parameters to determine fouling and scaling potential of feed waters. Principles of conventional and advanced (ultrafiltration) pre-treatment processes are highlighted and their effect on preventing fouling and scaling. In addition, the process design of RO systems and the recent advances in seawater RO and emerging membrane-based processes for seawater desalination are presented.