Research Divisions

Membrane fouling is the most challenging problem in water treatment application of the polymeric membranes. Fouling phenomenon is addressed when foulants (species that is considered as pollutants and should be separated from the water to obtain potable water) such as proteins, natural organic materials (NOM) and so on deposited on the membrane surface and inside the membrane porous structure. Fouling resulted in a decrease in membrane separation performance and also decreased the membrane lifetime. Thus, systematic research to understand the fouling reason is needed to avoid this phenomenon.

We try to prepare membranes with appropriate chemical and physical properties to obtain non-foluing membrane. To approach this goal, not only the precise experimental approach is needed, but also understanding the phenomena based on the simulations in the membrane formation step and fouling phenomena during the processing of the polluted water are required. Nowadays, experimental studies are conducted in our center in a wide range of very small laboratory scale to industrial scale. In the simulation part also studies are going in several aspects of the understanding the foulant and membrane molecules interaction, fluids and foulant flow inside the membrane during water filtration and membrane structure formation simulation.

Accurate and deep understanding of the phenomena during membrane structure formation and processing helps us to design and prepare membranes and processes that approach to avoid any fouling in the membrane during the water filtration.

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