Journal Article

PUBDB-2026-00343

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png X-ray reflectivity and fluorescence study of foulant monolayers for prediction of organic fouling and inorganic scaling during membrane filtration

Petukhov, D. I.Extern* ; Chumakov, A. P.DESY* ; Sadilov, I. S.Extern* ; Konovalov, O. V.Extern* ; Johnson, D. (Corresponding author)Extern*

2026
Elsevier Amsterdam [u.a.]

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2025.139700  doi:10.3204/PUBDB-2026-00343

Abstract: HypothesisOrganic foulants and ions in real feed solutions act synergistically, determining the rates of organic deposition and mineral scaling. We hypothesize that foulant Langmuir monolayers on defined subphases provide predictive model interfaces, in which X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and grazing-incidence X-ray fluorescence (GIXRF) quantify monolayer densification and interfacial ion partitioning that together forecast fouling severity and gypsum scaling.ExperimentsWe formed Langmuir monolayers of bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme (Lys), and humic acid (HA) on water, 150 mM NaCl, and 25 mM CaSO$_4$ subphases, varying surface pressure from relaxed to collapsed states. XRR yielded electron-density profiles and monolayer density. GIXRF provided interfacial enrichment factors (IEF) for Ca$^{2+}$ and SO$_{4}$$^{2−}$. We correlated these interfacial descriptors with reverse osmosis (RO) tests determining the flux-decline ratio (FDR) and with post-filtration autopsy by SEM, XRD, and FTIR.FindingsIncreasing ionic strength densifies the Lys and HA layers, correlating with higher FDR due to increased deposition of organic foulants; this effect is especially pronounced for HA in the presence of Ca$^{2+}$. By contrast, the influence of ionic strength on the BSA layer is moderate. GIXRF analysis shows that the BSA monolayer depletes Ca$^{2+}$ at the interface (IEF ≈ 0.5), inhibiting gypsum scaling, whereas the HA monolayer enriches Ca$^{2+}$ (IEF ≈ 3), promoting scaling—findings confirmed in filtration experiments. Overall, this study demonstrates that Langmuir interfacial models, combined with XRR and GIXRF, provide a robust tool for predicting fouling severity and its impact on scaling in complex feed streams, which is critical for water purification technologies.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. PETRA-D (FS-PETRA-D)

Research Program(s):

1. 631 - Matter – Dynamics, Mechanisms and Control (POF4-631) (POF4-631)

Experiment(s):

1. Measurement at external facility

Appears in the scientific report 2026

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Database coverage:
; ; ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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