Introduction to Membrane Autopsy

Water treatment systems, especially Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants, play a vital role in providing clean water for industrial, commercial, and municipal applications. With the high stakes involved in producing quality water, maintaining RO systems at peak performance is crucial. However, even with proper maintenance, membranes inevitably face fouling, scaling, and other degradation processes that can … Read more

Glue formation in Reverse Osmosis Process

CETP (common Effluent Treatment Plant) located in one of the well-known textile industry zones inGujarat has an RO Membrane system for treated water recycling. In, comparatively shorter span of In In two years, management has to replace all the membranes forcefully due to the deterioration of the productquality, quantity, and a rise in unscheduled CIP … Read more

How Membrane Autopsy Helps Improve RO System Efficiency

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are the backbone of water purification and desalination processes across many industries, including municipal water treatment, power generation, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. These systems operate under high pressure to remove dissolved salts, contaminants, and impurities from water, delivering high-quality permeate. However, over time, membrane performance can degrade due to … Read more

Does MBR Support RO Membrane in Engineering Industries?

A Large Automotive manufacturer in India was operating a traditional ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) with UF (Ultra Filtration) and RO (Reverse Osmosis) for treated water recycling for 5 years. Last year, they modified their effluent treatment plant and adopted MBR (Membrane Bioreactors) based treatment. Naturally, being the latest trend, they were expecting better performance and … Read more

Saudi Arabia’s Growing Water Demand: How Membrane Autopsy Can Prevent Unexpected Failures

As one of the driest countries in the world, Saudi Arabia faces a monumental challenge—meeting the water demands of a rapidly growing population, agriculture, and industrial sectors. With limited freshwater resources, the Kingdom relies heavily on reverse osmosis (RO) desalination and wastewater treatment technologies. But as these systems operate under extreme conditions, unexpected failures can … Read more

Erosion of Membrane

One of India’s leading power generation companies used to rely more on traditional watertreatment tools for boiler feed water treatment. So, the system and setup were developed by that. The company’s power generation setup in South India had tried reverse osmosis + EDItreatment on boiler feed water for the first time. Within the first few … Read more

Case Studies of Membrane Autopsy Findings

Membranes are essential to the operation of water treatment systems, especially Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems. They assess a system’s capacity to eliminate impurities, pollutants, and dissolved salts. The repercussions of these membranes performing poorly, however, are expensive and include increased energy usage, frequent chemical cleaning, and early replacement. Numerous factors, including scaling, oxidation, mechanical stress, … Read more

Microbiological Control in RO Membranes

Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are vital components of high-purity water systems used across multiple industries such as pharmaceuticals, power generation, and food and beverage manufacturing. A common and persistent challenge in these systems is microbiological fouling, which can significantly impair membrane performance, lower system efficiency, and increase operational costs due to more frequent cleaning and … Read more

Visual Inspection vs. Laboratory Analysis in Membrane Autopsy

Membrane autopsy has emerged as a powerful diagnostic tool for improving the performance and reliability of reverse osmosis (RO) systems, especially in challenging environments like industrial facilities, seawater desalination plants, and brackish water treatment units. Understanding the exact cause of membrane failure or decline in performance is crucial for minimizing downtime, optimizing cleaning protocols, and … Read more

Western Sahara’s Arid Challenge: How Autopsy Insights Help Improve RO Design 

Western Sahara, one of the driest and most remote regions in North Africa, is a land defined by its vast deserts, minimal rainfall, and severe water scarcity. With almost no perennial water bodies and highly saline groundwater, Reverse Osmosis (RO) has become the primary solution for producing potable water. However, the region’s extreme conditions pose … Read more