Membrane Technologies in Wastewater Treatment: A Review

• Published in: Membranes (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 5; p. 89
• Main Authors: Obotey Ezugbe, Elorm, Rathilal, Sudesh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.04.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Agricultural wastes; Cellulose acetate; Chemical oxygen demand; Drinking water; Effluent treatment; Equilibrium; fouling; Freshwater resources; Membrane processes; membrane technology; Membranes; Osmosis; potable water; Review; wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Water reclamation; Water resources; Water shortages; Water treatment; South Africa; wastewater; fouling; membrane technology; potable water
• ISSN: 2077-0375; 2077-0375
• DOI: 10.3390/membranes10050089

In the face of water shortages, the world seeks to explore all available options in reducing the over exploitation of limited freshwater resources. One of the surest available water resources is wastewater. As the population grows, industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities increase accordingly in order to cater for the voluminous needs of man. These activities produce large volumes of wastewater from which water can be reclaimed to serve many purposes. Over the years, conventional wastewater treatment processes have succeeded to some extent in treating effluents for discharge purposes. However, improvements in wastewater treatment processes are necessary in order to make treated wastewater re-usable for industrial, agricultural, and domestic purposes. Membrane technology has emerged as a favorite choice for reclaiming water from different wastewater streams for re-use. This review looks at the trending membrane technologies in wastewater treatment, their advantages and disadvantages. It also discusses membrane fouling, membrane cleaning, and membrane modules. Finally, recommendations for future research pertaining to the application of membrane technology in wastewater treatment are made.