Assessing the linkage between feed water quality and reverse osmosis membrane performance

The scarcity of fresh water in most of the countries in the Mediterranean B asin makes desalinated seawater a valuable alternative water source. It is therefore imperative to develop and adaptreverse osmosis (RO) methods to mi nimize water production expenses. Management modeling allows identifying pr eferable directions of implementation. Usually, desalination depends on a c ombination of a series of controlling parameters. These include feed water quality; required resulting qualities; and operational conditions determine d by the membrane characteristics, flux and operating pressure head. Freque ntly it is difficult to select the best membrane for the RO process due to the complexity of the processes and the abundance of information that is pr ovided by the membrane manufacturers. Taking available data (from RO membra ne manufacturer catalogues) enables defining clusters of parameters with si milar properties for improved control of the desalination process. Accordin g to the analysis, it was shown that there is a similar parameterization be tween the Silt Density Index (SDI) and the membrane flow rate. Other cluste rs were found as well. This analysis can be further developed into larger c lusters leading to distinguishing two major facets: (1) the permeate and (2 ) RO membrane rejection; each includes several parameters. This showed that corresponding managing tools can simplify the membrane selection process a nd ultimately diminish production expenses.