The Long Beach Water Department (LBWD) has been investigating seawater desalination as a new potable water supply. Seawater desalination is
more expensive than importing and treating surface water. One potentially high-cost component is biofouling, which is initiated by bacteria attaching
to...
Back to Evaluating Chlorine Dioxide in Seawater Desalination Pretreatment
The Long Beach Water Department (LBWD) has been investigating seawater desalination as a new potable water supply. Seawater desalination is
more expensive than importing and treating surface water. One potentially high-cost component is biofouling, which is initiated by bacteria attaching
to membrane surfaces, multiplying, producing a biofilm within days or weeks, and slowing water passage through membranes. As a result, higher
pressures are needed to maintain production, which increases cleaning frequency and shortens membrane life. LBWD is examining the use of
chlorine dioxide (ClO2) to control biofouling and minimize conventional disinfectant contactor. The goals are to determine if ClO2 application has
deleterious effects on desalination membranes, quantify the ability of ClO2 to prevent biogrowth, and determine if this disinfectant can recover fouled
membranes in the presence of a high-nutrient source. This article presents bench- and prototype-scale test results on ClO2 testing only.