Water treatment with membranes in Scotland: how to improve their lifespan?

About the Project

Mankind cannot survive without potable water. Despite this, our potable water resources are becoming more polluted due to human activity (e.g., mining, industry and agriculture), rendering them unfit for consumption. Additionally, water scarcity is becoming more common with over 1/3 of the world’s population living in water stressed countries. In order to guarantee our survival, processes that allow obtaining clean potable water are crucial.

Nanofiltration (NF) membrane processes are increasingly popular as they supply high quality water, including drinking water, from water resources of varied quality. This process is commonly used in Scotland and Scandinavian countries, treating freshwater from lakes and reservoirs in order to produce drinking water. Membranes are however known to foul due to an accumulation of contaminants on the membrane surface which reduce quality and flow of permeated water, increasing operational and energy costs and reducing membrane life. Current cleaning regimes, which are mostly chemical based, are inefficient and they require process downtime. They can also modify the properties of the membrane, ultimately reducing its life.

This project will build upon our work1 focused on assessing and identifying which foulants and parameters affected membrane lifetime in water treatment in Scotland. The aim is to further understand fouling formation on the membrane surface, namely looking at the interplay between different relevant foulants like Natural Organic Matter, soluble and particulate Fe and Mn, as well as biofouling, in order to inform the design of more efficient cleaning strategies to prolong membrane life.

https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EW00495C;

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.4c00630

Eligibility:

The research is rewarding and challenging, so applicants should have (or be close to obtaining) a 1st class or 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Geosciences, Microbiology or a related subject.

the University’s English language requirements

Funding Notes

Applications are welcomed from self-funded students, or students who are applying for scholarships from the University of Edinburgh or elsewhere