Ultrasonic reflectometry for monitoring biofilm growth on water treatment membranes

Biofouling is a significant hindrance to successful membrane operation, resulting in extensive time and maintenance costs. This study presents the results from a real-time and in-situ biofouling detection technique based on ultrasonic frequency-domain reflectometry (UFDR) capable of monitoring biofilm development on various water treatment membranes.; The primary goals of this research project were: (i) to evaluate the appropriateness of ultrasonic reflectometry for detecting biological growth on water treatment membranes, (ii) to evaluate the acoustic response detection limit and (iii) to assess differences between membranes with varying pore sizes.; The results from this study indicate that the UFDR methodology is an appropriate technology for evaluating biofouling potential on water treatment membranes and a detection limit was established. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the ultrasonic method was enhanced on membranes with larger pore sizes. The results from this study prove that the UFDR technology enables biofouling on water treatment membranes to be accurately monitored from its initial formation to its maturation in real-time.