Effect of PAC Adsorption Coupled with Membrane Filtration on Finished Water Quality and Membrane Fouling

Membrane filtration (MF) processes are increasingly being adopted as alternatives to conventional clarification and filtration methods to meet stringent water quality regulations, particularly concerning pathogen removal. However, MF alone does not effectively remove color, natural organic matter (NOM), or synthetic organic chemicals. To address these limitations, MF processes are often combined withconventional technologies, such as activated carbon adsorption and coagulation. This study evaluated the water purification efficiency and membrane fouling behavior of powdered activated carbon (PAC), flat-sheet membranes, and their hybrid process in treating model organic pollutants and natural water. This study explores the impact of adsorption characteristics in PAC process on water treatment using a polluted river water. The PAC process as the adsorption followed by membrane filtration using a stirred dead-cell filter. Results indicated that the PAC-membrane hybrid process could effectively mitigate membrane fouling caused by NOM. The addition of PAC notably enhanced the removal efficiency of the MF for organic matters in natural water and effectively controlled membrane fouling. The remaining permeate flux improved as PAC dosage increased due to floc formation. This finding suggests that PAC dosage is crucial in determining MF effectiveness. The membrane process's remaining permeate flux (J/Jo) declined with increasing driving pressure and decreasing stirring strength.