Characterization of Microbial Community Structure in Biofilm on Forward Osmosis Membrane

The forward osmosis and reverse osmosis (FO-RO) hybrid system is well known technology due to low energy consumption, low fouling tendency and high production rate. This hybrid process using two target solution called as feed solution and draw solution. Therefore, FO-RO hybrid system can treat two water resources and produce high quality permeate. These advantages can leaded by FO process due to it principle. However, membrane fouling phenomenon in FO process is needs key/revolutionary solution to mitigate and control the problem, mainly due to decrease process efficiency and operation and maintenance cost. By employing the wastewater and seawater as feed and draw solution, organic fouling and biofouling is significantly influence to membrane performance and surface properties. A lots of previous studies have been carried out to develop cleaning agents and membrane surface modification to control membrane fouling (organic and biofouling). However, the basic research to control fouling is very poor. Micro-organism by product substances form biofouling layer matrix that govern physical and/or chemical properties and structural of biofilm. Understanding of physical/chemical properties and structure of biofilm in essential to control and mitigation of biofouling. Therefore, in this study, we characterization of microbial communities on fouled FO membrane when applied wastewater as feed solution by using the next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. This study can provide useful deep knowledge on biofouling mechanism of FO process and possible insight for basic control strategies of micro-organism sight.