A Review on the Performance of Modified Polymeric Ultrafiltration Membranes to Reduce Fouling Phenomena for Wastewater Treatment

Nowadays, inadequate available freshwater resources, population growth and industrialization of communities have led to the development of various methods for water and wastewater treatment. Different technologies have been used for water and wastewater treatment, among which ultrafiltration membrane with high separation and removal of contaminants is considered as a promising option for water and wastewater treatment. However, membrane fouling is one of the main problems in membrane operation resulted in reduced performance and additional costs. Membrane fouling can be caused by various factors, depending on the type of fouling, different methods can be used to prevent fouling. One way to decrease membrane fouling is to add hydrophilic nanoparticles to the membrane through diverse modification methods. In this review article, we have tried aside from introducing the methods of preparation of anti-fouling membranes, the effects of adding different nanoparticles on the performance and fouling reduction of ultrafiltration membranes through some approaches such as inversion phase, electrospinning, bonding through ultraviolet rays and polymerizations have been discussed.