Reduction of Humic Acid Fouling on Polysulfone Ultrafiltration Membrane By Using Pulsed Corona Discharge As the Pretreatment Method

Humic acid (HA) fouling on membrane is a well-known problem in water treatment. The complex chemical structure of humic acids and wide range of molecular weights make HA a persistent foulant leading to irreversible decline of membrane performance. Several modification approaches such as membrane surface chemical modification, incorporation of nanoparticles into membrane and pore morphological modification have been used to increase the antifouling ability of membrane. Pretreatment approaches can be applied to change the physicochemical properties of HA and reduce the fouling potential. In this study the effect of pulse corona discharge at 120 hertz frequency on polysulfone membrane flux ad flux recovery ratio was investigated.  The flux decline was reduced for the influent which had been exposed to a pulsed corona streamer discharge batch reactor, with point to point electrodes.