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Published on: February 13, 2016
Molecular and interfacial regulation of secondary effluent ultrafiltration by UV222/Fe(VI): EfOM transformation and
Xiaoxiang Cheng1, Mengyao Hao1, Jingwei Huang1
1School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China.
Abstract:
Organic fouling induced by effluent organic matter (EfOM) remains a key constraint on the stable operation of ultrafiltration (UF) for secondary effluent reclamation. Current strategies typically focus either on EfOM transformation through pretreatment or on membrane interfacial regulation through surface modification, highlighting the need for an integrated pretreatment that combines both functions during UF. Based on ferrate (Fe(VI)) oxidation and the interfacial properties of nascent Fe(III) generated in situ from Fe(VI) reduction, this study developed a UV222/Fe(VI) pretreatment strategy to integrate EfOM molecular transformation with dynamic membrane interfacial regulation. UV222/Fe(VI) significantly mitigated UF fouling, increasing the terminal normalized flux to 0.79 and reducing fouling resistance by 92.56%. Fe(VI), Fe(V)/Fe(IV), and ROS were involved in EfOM oxidative transformation, with ROS making only a limited apparent contribution. At the molecular level, UV222/Fe(VI) preferentially transformed high molecular weight, aromatic, unsaturated, and low oxidation state EfOM into more oxygenated and polar products, with m/z, AImod, DBE/O, H/C, and O/C as key reactivity descriptors. In parallel, nascent Fe(III) co-deposited with transformed EfOM on the membrane surface, forming a loose and hydrophilic Fe(III)-EfOM layer. This dual regulation weakened membrane-foulant adhesion and shifted foulant-foulant cohesion from attraction to repulsion, thereby suppressing foulant deposition and dense cake layer formation. The treatment cost was estimated at 1.224-1.349 CNY m-3, and the system showed potential for short process integration. These findings demonstrate that UV222/Fe(VI) integrates EfOM molecular transformation with dynamic membrane interfacial regulation, offering a promising pretreatment strategy for UF-based wastewater reclamation.
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