| This paper particularly deals with new fouling resistant RO membranes which are made more hydrophilic and less changed or charged with the same charge as the foulants to reduce hydrophobic interaction and charge attraction or to increase charge repulsion, respectively. The fouling resistant membranes manufactured by Woongjin Chemical in Korea are coated with hydrophilic monomers followed by polymerization and cross-linking reaction. The coated membranes were characterized in terms of membrane surface charge (zeta potential), hydrophobicity (contact angle) and surface roughness by atomic force micrscopy (AFM). The surface roughness of the membranes did not change much before and after the coating. Hence, the coated membranes are not expected to exert fouling resistance to the depoist of the colloids any better than the uncoated membrane, since the roughness of the membrane surface most significantly influenced the rate and extent of fouling by colloidal deposit. |
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