Mitigating membrane fouling in potable water supply by employing the ozonation process

Abstract Dealing with membrane fouling poses multiple difficulties. Conventional cleaning techniques, such as backwashing and chemical cleaning, are frequently inadequate in effectively dealing with various types of fouling and can result in the gradual deterioration of the membrane. Advanced technologies such as ozone treatment and advanced oxidation processes present interesting answers, but they necessitate meticulous optimisation and can incur significant costs. It is crucial to develop membrane materials that are resistant to fouling and to create monitoring and control systems that operate in real-time in order to enhance fouling management. It is essential to overcome these problems in order to improve the performance, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of membrane-based water treatment systems used in the production of drinking water. This paper overviews the role of ozonation when it is coupled with membrane process. In general, ozonation as pretreatment and/or post treatment and its mechanism in fouling mitigation, investigation of elimination mechanism of natural organic matter (NOM) and bio-toxicity in the ozonation process, and the prospect of ozonation to be used in fouling mitigation of membrane process for potable water reuse.