Abstract
Membrane technology has been used in the treatment of digestate from food waste (DFW), but membrane fouling has limited its industrial applications. In particular, the complexities of DFW lead to complicated fouling mechanisms. In this study, DFW was separated into three fractions including supernatant substances (SS), bound substances (BS), and the Pellet. The physicochemical characteristics of each fraction were analyzed systematically. Dead-end filtration was conducted and a combined fouling model was employed to quantitatively describe the fouling evolution. The fouling of the membrane surface and the pores was analyzed separately. The results indicated that the SS fraction accounted for more than 60% of the total solids in the DFW. During the dead-end filtration, the SS solution quickly formed a denser cake on the membrane surface, leading to a rapid decay in the flux. The interaction between Ca2+ and polysaccharides in the BS fraction resulted in colloids with a broader particle size distribution between 120 and 6400 nm. These colloids can block the membrane pores and were difficult to remove. Membrane fouling caused by the Pellet solution was not serious because of its high ash content and hydrophobicity. Ca2+ removal via a pretreatment process could prevent pore blocking and thus prevent irreversible membrane fouling.
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