Insights on the development of enhanced antifouling reverse osmosis membranes: Industrial applications and challenges

Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are widely employed due to their inherent advantage of achieving excellent water permeation rates and high salt rejection. However, fouling is a main issue in RO applications that leads to increasing the operational cost, reducing the lifespan of the membrane, decreasing the permeate flux, and increasing the energy demand. Therefore, many techniques have been developed and used in the industry to minimize and control fouling in RO membranes, such as feed pretreatment and membrane cleaning. In the context of fouling mitigation and control, the development of antifouling and self-cleaning RO membranes has gained significant attention. This review aims to discuss membranes fouling, its types, and mechanisms. Moreover, factors affecting the fouling process in RO have been highlighted. The article provides an overview of the novel techniques, such as physical and chemical surface modification and thin-film nanocomposite membrane synthesis for imparting antifouling/self-cleaning properties to RO membranes. Finally, some related challenges are discussed, and future recommendations are presented.