High flux NF/UF antifouling membranes for application in industrial wastewater purification

This joint research project is driven by the need to provide sustainable solutions towards the deepening water crisis faced by both South Africa and Oman. There is an urgent need to search for alternative water sources to augment the dwindling potable water supplies. The current extreme climatic conditions are driving water authorities towards water reuse as well as seawater and groundwater desalination. Wastewater and seawater are available in vast quantities. However, they are not readily available for direct human use, they need several purification steps and membrane filtration is one of the penultimate step in the purification process. Biological and chemical fouling on the membrane surface is a long-standing hindrance to the efficient application of the membrane technology. Fundamental knowledge on the process need to be developed to improve its efficiency. Novel high flux energy efficient fouling resistant membranes will be fabricated, modified using nanostructured materials, characterized, and applied in industrial wastewater treatment. The membranes will subsequently be spun into nanofiltration (NF) and ultrafiltration (UF) hollow-fibre modules and assessed for their commercial viability against commercially available membrane modules.