A Review of Colloidal Interactions in Membrane Separation

Membrane separation processes are of great and increasing importance in a number of industrial sectors, most notably the production of clean drinking water, treatment of wastewater, the food and dairy industries and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Understanding of interactions between dissolved solute molecules and suspended colloidal particles with membranes used industrially is fundamental for developing strategies for the reduction of fouling of separation membranes. Fouling of membranes by forming a cake or thin-film over the membranes results in a time-dependent reduction in the operating efficiency of such membranes and can incur a number of economic costs, due to reduced transport, the requirement for pre-treatment and downtime to clean membranes. In this review, we will outline the interaction forces which may occur in solution between suspended colloids and membrane surfaces.