Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2006NM41B

Mitigation of Membane Biofouling by Harnessing Bacterial Cannibalism (Huang)

Institute: New Mexico
Year Established: 2006 Start Date: 2006-03-01 End Date: 2007-02-14
Total Federal Funds: $20,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $9,420

Principal Investigators: Frank Huang

Project Summary: Millions of barrels of produced water are generated during gas production in New Mexico each year. While not drinkable because of the high salt content, trace organics, and heavy metals, produced water can be treated for agricultural and industrial purposes. Using produced water for industrial purposes would free up freshwater for other uses. A major problem with treating produced water with membrane separation, as is commonly done, is that its large-scale implementation has been plagued by the reoccurring biofouling of the membranes and the associated high operating costs. Conventional de-fouling techniques, such as acid and alkaline/detergent cleaning, are generally ineffective. This research looks at using bacteria's ability to "eat" their neighboring siblings under nutrient-limited conditions and feed on the released nutrients. This "cannibalism" may be used to control membrane biofouling.