With the aim of mitigating membrane fouling, an electrocoagulation (EC) based electrokinetic membrane bioreactor (EMBR) was developed and operated with real municipal wastewater under low temperatures. Both batch tests and continuous EMBR experiments demonstrated the significant advantages in membrane fouling reduction over the conventional antifouling strategies, ushering its potential applications as an attractive hybrid MBR technology for decentralized wastewater treatment in remote cold regions. The main research observations and findings could be summarized as follows: (1). Effective membrane fouling mitigation at low temperatures was due to destruction of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and subsequent reduction of the biocake resistance. The transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased at a much slower rate in EMBR and the filtration resistance was about one third of the control MBR prior to chemical cleaning cycle; (2). A new membrane parameter, the specific fouling rate (SFR) was proposed, relating the fouling rate with permeate flux and temperature-dependent viscosity. Pore clogging and biocake resistances were quantified for the first time with the same membrane module and operating conditions as in regular MBR, rather than resorting to the use of batch filtration setups; (3). The floc size in EMBR did not increase as a result of the air scouring shear force and decrease in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS); (4). When current intensity was less than 0.2 A, polarity reversal had minimal impact on electrode passivation reduction due to insignificant hydrogen yield, however, if current intensity was above 0.2 A, frequent polarity reversal (< 5 min per cycle) was detrimental to electrode passivation if no sufficient mixing was provided; (5). Viability of the microorganisms in the EMBR system was found to be dependent on duration of the current application and current density. The bacterial viability was not significantly affected when the applied current density was less than 6.2 A/m2; (6). Significant abiotic ammonification was found in electrocoagulation (EC). DO in the treated liquid was depleted within an hour, under the anaerobic condition in EC, nitrate was chemometrically reduced to ammonium following a two-step first order reaction kinetics. Aeration (DO > 2 mg/L) was shown effective in suppressing abiotic ammonification; (7). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology was used for the first time as an in-situ non-invasive imaging tool to observe membrane fouling status in an EMBR. / October 2016

This thesis compares ash collected from different boilers cleaned using infrasound cleaning. The samples were evaluated from their physical properties, in an attempt to find connections between the difficulty to remove ash and its physical appearance. To get a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind adhesion and fouling, and possibly explain results from the study of the ash samples, a literature review was carried out. The ash was also evaluated to see if any connections could be drawn between the physical properties of the ash and its fouling capabilities. A strong connection was found between ash density and its fouling capabilities. It was found that no dry ash with a density higher than 0.4 g/ml were difficult to remove with infrasound cleaning, and no ash with lower density was easy to remove. The ash density was calculated from a measurement of the weight of a certain volume of ash on a scale. Optical microscopy was used to study the ash samples, and gave an estimation of particle size, shape, and porosity. However, no clear connection could be observed with this method between the different samples and which were difficult to remove. The particle size for a few of the samples were also measured by a wet laser sieving method, and while it does give a good picture of particle size, the size was not found to be a useful prediction of the ash fouling behaviour. The exact mechanism giving rise to the density dependence need to be further investigated.

The pre-metamorphic behaviors and settlement preferences of larvae can have significant effects on the success of adult invertebrates. This study describes various aspects of pre-metamorphic and post-metamorphic life stages of the bryozoan

O mexilhão dourado Limnoperna fortunei é uma espécie exótica que tem causado diversos problemas no ambiente aquático em razão da sua habilidade de formar colônias em estruturas. A espécie adere nas superfícies por filamentos proteicos, causando sérios danos ambientais, sociais e econômicos. A investigação de materiais anti-incrustantes parece ser a alternativa ecológica mais adequada para controle desse molusco. Nesse trabalho foram estudadas as propriedades físico-químicas e a preparação de materiais poliméricos para testes de adesão em campo para cotejar a densidade de incrustação do mexilhão. Foram executados testes de caracterização dos materiais com a finalidade de quantificar parâmetros associados a adesão e a aplicabilidade do material em condições submersas. Foram utilizadas cinco diferentes amostras de poliuretano, desenvolvidos pelo Grupo de Química Analítica e Tecnologia de Polímeros /IQSC-USP, e outros três materiais, aço inoxidável, alumínio e PVC, e então determinados os parâmetros de molhabilidade das proteínas adesivas e as propriedades da superfície. A relação entre a molhabilidade da proteína e os parâmetros químicos de superfície (energia livre de superfície, e seus componentes de dispersão e polaridade) foram examinados com base na tensão superficial crítica, no trabalho de adsorção e no trabalho da adesão. Os resultados sugerem que os materiais que possuem baixa energia livre de superfície têm baixa molhabilidade da proteína. Foi verificado uma relação entre o aumento do componente polar dos materiais quando o trabalho de adsorção diminui para as proteínas, o que significa, que a adsorção das moléculas de proteínas em uma superfície não polar é predominante em relação àquela de uma superfície polar, em solução aquosa. A densidade de mexilhões aderidos nas placas testes, em campo, não mostrou associação com os valores medidos da energia livre de superfície e do componente de dispersão. Contudo, foi observado que as resinas de poliuretano com polaridade na faixa de 1,03-1,14 mJm-2 mostraram-se altamente eficientes, incrustação < 0,5%, como revestimento anti-incrustante. / The gold mussel Limnoperna fortunei is an exotic specie that has been causing many problems in aquatic environment due its aggregation on structures of non polar materials. The specie attaches on surfaces by means of protein filaments causing serious social, economic and environmental damages. The investigation of antifouling materials seems to be a good ecological alternative to control this mussel aggregation. This work has studied the preparation and the physical chemical properties of polymeric materials to be employed in field experiment adhesion tests to quantify the mussel fouling density. Studies were performed for materials characterization in order to quantify parameters associated with adhesion and other materials suitabilities in submerged conditions. Five different polyurethane samples, developed by the Group of Analytic Chemistry and Technology of Polymers /IQSC-USP, and three well-known commercial materials, stainless steel, aluminum and PVC, were used. The proteins wettability and surface properties were evaluated for the aforementioned materials. The relationship between the protein wettability and the surface chemical parameters such as surface free energy, dispersion and polar components were examined based on critical surface tension, work of the adsorption and work of the adhesion. The results suggest that materials with low surface free energy have low protein wettability, i.e., the polar component of materials increases when the work of adsorption decreases for both proteins, which means, the adsorption of native and synthetic protein molecules on a non polar surface is predominant compared to a polar surface, in aqueous solution. The mussel\'s density attachment on test coupons, in field experiment, did not show any correlation with surface free energy and dispersion components values. However, it was observed that polyurethane resins with polarity in the range of 1.03-1.14 mJm-2 showed a good performance, attachment < 0.5%, as anti-fouling coating.

L’encrassement des équipements a lieu dans de nombreux secteurs industriels. Parexemple, la contamination des surfaces de contact avec les aliments, provoquée par un encrassement, entrainent des pertes économiques considérables et augmentent les risques de santé publique. Le nettoyage de l’encrassement est généralement réalisé à l’aide de produits chimiques très polluants. Par conséquent, il est important de développer des dispositifs permettant de surveiller la formation/l’élimination des encrassements sur ces surfaces (sans perturber la production) afin de réduire les risques microbiologiques, les impacts environnementaux et économiques liés aux processus de nettoyage. Dans ce travail, on s’intéresse à la détection du facteur d’encrassement à l’aide d’une méthode ultrasonore non invasive, dite “interférométrie d’ondes de coda”, abrégée en anglais (CWI). Cette technique a été testée pour différents types d’applications (Nettoyage de cire, détection de la formation de biofilm et nettoyage de dépôts protéiques). Les résultats obtenus sont très prometteurs et montrent que la CWI est capable de déceler même un léger changement du facteur d’encrassement. En particulier, l’évolution du coefficient de décorrélation pour chaque application montre une bonne concordance avec l’état d’encrassement réel de la surface. Dans l’ensemble, ces travaux fournissent un ensemble de preuves montrant que la méthode CWI, est applicable au suivi du facteur d’encrassement de dépôts sur des surfaces solides. / Fouling of equipment occurs in many industrial sectors. For example, contamination of surfaces in contact with foodstuff, caused by fouling, causes considerable economic losses and increases public health risks. The cleaning of the fouled surface is generally carried out using highly polluting chemicals. Therefore, it is important to develop devices to monitor the formation / removal of fouling on these surfaces (without disrupting production) in order to reduce the microbiological risks and environmental/economic impacts associated with the cleaning processes. In this work, the detection of fouling factor using a noninvasive ultrasonic method, called "coda wave interferometry", abbreviated in English (CWI), was investigated. This technique has been tested for various types of applications (wax cleaning, biofilm formation detection and protein deposit cleaning). The results obtained are very promising and show that the CWI is able to detect even a slight change in the fouling factor. In particular, the evolution of the decorrelation coefficient for each application shows good agreement with the actual fouling factor. Overall, this work has provided evidence that the CWI method is applicable to the monitoring of fouling factor of solid surfaces.

Deposition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) causes serious processing problems and limits the productivity of seawater reverse osmosis (RO) desalination. The interactions between CaSO4 and CaCO3 in the dynamic seawater RO systems have been neglected previously because conventional studies mainly focused on individual compounds or mixed compounds in batch systems. The present work evaluates composite fouling behavior of CaSO4 and CaCO3 in a dynamic RO unit. The fouling experiments were performed at constant pressure and velocity by a partial recycling mode which permeate was withdrawn from the system during the recirculation of retentate to simulate the increasing of water recovery level. The fouling phenomena were monitored by the decline of flux. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with a combination of elemental dispersive x-ray microanalysis (EDS), and x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) was used to identify the morphological features, chemical compositions and crystalline phases of foulants. The interactions of CaSO4 and CaCO3 were investigated by the comparison between individual CaSO4 or CaCO3 fouling and composite fouling, and by varying SO42-/HCO3- molar ratio of the feed. A recently developed approach, Scaling Potential Index (SPI) incorporated with measured concentration polarization modulus (CP), for assessing the fouling tendency of inorganic salts on the membrane surface was validated in the dynamic tests. In addition, the effectiveness of two generic scale inhibitors, polyacrylic acid (molecular weight =2100, PA) and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) were evaluated. Some of the highlights of the obtained results are as follows: ??????The precipitation kinetics, morphology and adhesive strength of composite scales were different from pure precipitates ??????CaSO4 precipitated as gypsum while CaCO3 precipitated as two crystalline phases: calcite and aragonite ??????The crystalline phases as well as precipitation kinetics were affected by SO42-/HCO3- ratio ??????Scaling Potential Index was able to predict the fouling tendency of CaSO4 and CaCO3 accurately ??????The dosage of PA and SHMP was effective to mitigate fouling Results of this work are significant, not only because they have made contribution to the fundamental understanding of composite inorganic fouling in RO membrane systems which was ignored previously, but also because they may play a key role in the development of scale control.

Heat exchanger fouling is the deposition of material onto the heat transfer surface causing a reduction in thermal efficiency. A study using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was conducted to increase understanding of key aspects of fouling in desalination processes. Fouling is a complex phenomenon and therefore this numerical model was developed in stages. Each stage required a critical assessment of each fouling process in order to design physical models to describe the process???s intricate kinetic and thermodynamic behaviour. The completed physical models were incorporated into the simulations through employing extra transport equations, and coding additional subroutines depicting the behaviour of the aqueous phase involved in the fouling phenomena prominent in crystalline streams. The research objectives of creating a CFD model to predict fouling behaviour and assess the influence of key operating parameters were achieved. The completed model of the key crystallisation fouling processes monitors the temporal variation of the fouling resistance. The fouling rates predicted from these results revealed that the numerical model satisfactorily reproduced the phenomenon observed experimentally. Inspection of the CFD results at a local level indicated that the interface temperature was the most influential operating parameter. The research also examined the likelihood that the crystallisation and particulate fouling mechanisms coexist. It was found that the distribution of velocity increased the likelihood of the particulate phase forming within the boundary layer, thus emphasizing the importance of differentiating between behaviour within the bulk and the boundary layer. These numerical results also implied that the probability of this composite fouling was greater in turbulent flow. Finally, supersaturation was confirmed as the key parameter when precipitation occurred within the bulk/boundary layer. This investigation demonstrated the advantages of using CFD to assess heat exchanger fouling. It produced additional physical models which when incorporated into the CFD code adequately modeled key aspects of the crystallisation and particulate fouling mechanisms. These innovative modelling ideas should encourage extensive use of CFD in future fouling investigations. It is recommended that further work include detailed experimental data to assist in defining the key kinetic and thermodynamic parameters to extend the scope of the required physical models.

Surfaces submerged in marine environments rapidly get colonized by marine organisms, a process known as biofouling. Fouling costs maritime industries billions of dollars annually. The most common methods of combating marine biofouling are toxin containing antifouling coatings which often have detrimental non-target environmental effects. These effects and proposed bans on harmful substances in antifouling coatings, mandates development of more environmentally friendly antifouling technologies. Of these, foul-release coatings, which minimize attachment and adhesion of fouling organisms (rather than killing them) are promising alternatives. Here I explored the utility of petroleum waxes as novel antifouling/foul-release coatings. I first investigated the responses of propagules (larvae or spores) of six common fouling organisms to wax coatings in the laboratory. A wide variation in the response of these different organisms, and in the different types of response (settlement, adhesion, etc.) by the same organism, was observed, but the most inhibitory coatings were those made from microcrystalline wax and silicone oil. However, in field trials in Sydney Harbour, paraffin waxes had the strongest antifouling performance, with activity up to one year (the trial duration). These waxes also had strong foul-release effects, with fouling that did attach mostly removed by a low pressure water jet. Composition of fouling communities on paraffin waxes differed significantly from other waxes or controls, with little or no hard fouling organisms (barnacles, bivalves) on paraffin. The mechanisms of antifouling and foul-release actions of paraffin waxes appear to be due to changes in surface properties. The surfaces of the paraffin waxes changed noticeably after 4 - 8 weeks immersion in the sea or in seawater aquaria. Antibiotic treatments showed that this change in surface appearance was due to biological (microbial) activity. Bacteria appear to remove the amorphous phase from the surface of the paraffin waxes, revealing an underlying crystalline phase, which is less affected by bacterial action. I suggest that these crystals form a microstructured ?bed of nails? of crystals of varying shapes and sizes which inhibit settlement and reduce adhesion strength of those organisms which do settle.

Membrane processes are increasingly used in water treatment. Experiments were performed using stirred cell equipment, polymeric membranes and synthetic surface water containing natural organics, inorganic colloids and their aggregates, and cations. All processes could remove a significant amount of natural organics. Pretreatment with ferric chloride was required to achieve significant organic removal with MF and high MWCO UF. Additionally, fouling mechanisms for the three processes were investigated. Crucial parameters were aggregate characteristics (fractal structure, stability, organic-colloid interactions), solubility of organics and calcium, and hydrodynamics. In MF, fouling by pore plugging was most severe. Variations in solution chemistry changed the aggregation state of the colloids and/or natural organic matter and dramatically affected rejection and fouling behaviour. UF membrane fouling was mainly influenced by pore adsorption and could improve natural organics rejection significantly. Coagulant addition shifted fouling mechanism from pore adsorption to cake formation. Aggregate structure was most significant for flux decline. In NF, rejection of natural organics involved both size and charge exclusion. Fouling was caused by precipitation of a calcium-organic complex. Fouling could be avoided by pretreatment with metal salt coagulants. Thorough chemical characterisation of the organics used demonstrated that only size and aromaticity can be related to fouling. The study is concluded with a process comparison based on a water quality parameter and a cost comparison. Treatment cost of microfiltration with chemical pretreatment was similar to that of nanofiltration at a comparable natural organics rejection.

Submerged flat sheet membranes are mostly used in membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment. The major problems for these modules are concentration polarization and subsequent fouling. By using gas-liquid two-phase flow, these problems can be ameliorated. This thesis aimed to optimize the use of gas-liquid two-phase flow as a cleaning mechanism for submerged flat sheet membrane. The effect of various hydrodynamic factors such as airflow rate, nozzle size, nozzle geometry, intermittent bubbling, intermittent filtration, channel gap width, feed concentration and membrane baffles were investigated for model feed materials (yeast suspensions and mixed liquor from activated sludge plants). Insights into mechanisms by which two-phase flow reduces fouling for submerged flat sheet membranes were obtained by using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Experiments conducted showed that an optimal airflow rate exists beyond which no further flux enhancement was achieved. Fouling reduction increased with nozzle size at constant airflow. Nozzles of equal surface area but different geometries performed differently in terms of fouling reduction. Bubble size distribution analyses revealed that the percentage of larger bubbles and bubble rise velocities increased with the airflow rate and nozzle size. Thus the results of this study suggest that the effectiveness of two-phase flow depends on the bubble size. CFD simulations revealed that average shear stress on the membrane increased with airflow rate and bubble size and further indicated that an optimal bubble size possible exists. Using intermittent filtration as an operating strategy was found to be more beneficial than continuous filtration. This study also showed the importance of the size of the gap between the submerged flat sheet membranes. Increasing the gap from 7 mm to 14 mm resulted in an increase in fouling by about 40% based on the rate of increase in suction pressure (dTMP/dt). Finally, this is the first study which investigated the effect of baffles in improving air distribution across a submerged flat sheet membrane. It was found that baffles decreased the rate of fouling at least by a factor of 3.0 based on the dTMP/dt data.