AWWA MTC61154

The soluble microbial products (SMP) which are produced by microorganisms (Flavobacterium and Staphylococcus in this study) were known as one of the organic nano-colloids that may cause severe membrane bio-fouling and low bio-stability. The study conducted various characterizations of SMP including SSF (size, structure, functionality), IR spectra, DBPs, and BDOC/AOC. The SMP exhibited high molecular weight with ranging from 30,000 to 60,000 g/mol. The mass transfer coefficient of the SMP can provide very useful information during nanofiltration from the perspective of the concentration polarization. Lee et al.(2004) experimentally determined the mass transfer coefficient of natural organic matters (NOM) during filtration using Sherwood correlation experimentally. This study used two different NF membranes (MWCO < 500 Daltons) to determine the mass transfer coefficient of the SMP and compared that to the value determined by the CDE model. Both the diffusivity and electromobility of the SMP were determined by diffusion cell and capillary electrophoresis methods, respectively. The diffusivity calculated by the Stokes-Einstein equation was dependent only on molecular size; therefore, the study also used the diffusion cell to evaluate the diffusivity of the SMP under various different chemical conditions (pH, calcium concentration). The study also conducted a comparison of the mass transfer coefficient of the SMP in terms of surface morphology of different NF membranes. Includes abstract only.