Characterization and mitigation of the fouling of flat-sheet ceramic membranes for direct filtration of the coagulated domestic wastewater

Ceramic membranes allow a high filtration flux with a low fouling propensity. Direct filtration of municipal wastewater using flat-sheet ceramic membranes (FSCM) is an attractive and promising technology for wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Urgent need is to determine the fouling behavior of FSCM and its optimal cleaning strategy in direct filtration applications. This study was conducted on pre-coagulation of sewage with FeCl3 (20 mg Fe/L) or polyaluminum chloride (15 mg Al/L), followed by FSCM filtration at around 1.0 m/d (as high as 41.7 L/m(2)-h in flux). The results showed that the coagulation-FSCM filtration removed chemical oxygen demand and total phosphorus by up to 90.0% and 99.9%, respectively. The pollutants (organics and nutrients) in the sewage influent were concentrated into the sludge for potential resource recovery. Without precoagulation, foulants easily entered the membrane pores, causing rapid membrane fouling. Chemically enhanced coagulation greatly decreased the membrane fouling rate by aggregating various foulants into flocs. Fouled membranes were effectively renewed by physical means, such as water flushing and sonication, or a short period of chemical backwashing with NaOH, HCl or oxidizing agents. The study revealed the fouling mechanisms of FSCM in sewage filtration and developed effective cleaning strategies for its long-term operation.