Résumé
This preliminary laboratory-scale study evaluated the feasibility of ultrafiltration (UF) as an alternative technology for treating water from Tbilisi Sea (Republic of Georgia). The analysis was performed with both raw source water and with the source water pretreated by coagulation and flocculation. Coagulation/flocculation pretreatment improved UF performance in terms of permeate flux and rejection of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The pretreatment led to a change in the dominant membrane fouling mechanism from pore blocking to cake filtration. The observed improvement in DOC rejection was attributed to the cake layer's action as a secondary membrane. Both permeate flux and DOC removal data support retaining coagulation and flocculation as a part of the overall treatment process.