Dr. Mina Ahsani

Dr.-Ing. Florencia Saravia

Problem:                

Membrane technology, recognized as a state-of-the-art and efficient method for water and wastewater treatment, has gained significant attention over the past few decades for producing drinking and process water. The reverse osmosis (RO) process is one of the most widely used membrane processes for treating brackish and seawater. However, biofouling, is a major problem in RO systems. Biofouling is the formation of a biofilm on the membrane surface through the attachment and proliferation of microorganisms, which leads to reduced permeability and decreased process efficiency. Developing an efficient biofilm monitoring system for RO processes can serve as an early warning tool to prevent further biofilm growth. Additionally, biofilm sensors are particularly important for optimizing membrane cleaning and cleaning intervals.

Tasks:                    

The main task of this work is to develop a biofilm sensor for biofilm monitoring in RO systems. Due to the special configuration of RO membrane modules, the sensor needs to be designed to operate outside of the membrane module and simulate biofilm formation on the membrane surface. Therefore, sensors with different materials and surface characteristics will be designed and investigated. Additionally, the effects of feed characteristics, membrane characteristics, cleaning strategies, and cleaning cycles on sensor performance will be evaluated.

The scope of the assignment can be adapted to a Bachelor's or Master's thesis or a study project as desired.