Depth Filtration With Microfiber Cloth Enhances Performance of Ultrafiltration as Pretreatment to Seawater Desalination Systems

In mid-2014, a pilot study was conducted to determine whether depth filtration with microfiber cloth would improve pretreatment of a reverse osmosis (RO) system used for seawater desalination. The study compared standard pretreatment using ultrafiltration (UF) with that using a combination of microfiber and UF, both treating the same seawater source. The effluent quality, hydraulic characteristics, power usage, and reliability of each train were evaluated. The study found that the train with the microfiber filter achieved a lower effluent SDI, used less power, handled higher solids more effectively, and incurred less maintenance and downtime than the train without filter. As a result, the downstream RO membranes will require less-frequent cleaning and have a longer operating life.