A comparative study of RO membrane scale inhibitors in wastewater reclamation: Antiscalants versus pH adjustment

Scaling is the most common challenge that reverse osmosis (RO) membranes encounter in potable reuse applications due to the high product recovery. Usage of antiscalants or pH adjustment can suppress scale formation on membranes without sacrificing overall recovery. A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of two different antiscalants (phosphonate-based and acrylic acid-based) and pH adjustment for the inhibition of …