Microalgae Filtration using Electrochemically Reactive Ceramic Membrane: Filtration Performances, Fouling Kinetics and Foulant Layer Characteristics

Electrochemical membrane filtration has proven successful for microbial removal and separation from water. In addition, membrane fouling could be mitigated by electrochemical reactions and electrostatic repulsion on reactive membrane surface. This study assessed the filtration performances and fouling characteristics of electrochemically reactive ceramic membranes (a Magneli phase suboxide of TiO2) when filtering algal suspension under different DC currents to achieve anodic or cathodic polarization. The critical flux results indicate that when applying positive or negative DC currents (e.g., 1.25~ 2.5 mA·cm-2) to the membrane both significantly mitigated membrane fouling and thus maintained higher critical fluxes (up to 14.6×10-5·m3·m-2·s-1 or 526 LMH) compared to the critical flux without DC currents. Moreover, applying DC currents also enhanced membrane defouling processes and recovered high permeate flux better than hydraulic and chemical backwash methods. Moreover, fouling kinetics and the cake layer...