Course Catalogue.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Select appropriate membrane technologies to address specific industrial water and wastewater treatment challenges
• Design and evaluate membrane filtration systems to meet performance, quality, and sustainability objectives
• Diagnose and manage membrane fouling and scaling to maintain system reliability and efficiency
• Apply design parameters and operating data to assess membrane system performance and limitations
• Integrate membrane processes into industrial water treatment projects with confidence and technical justification

Description

In industrial water and wastewater treatment, membrane systems are increasingly relied upon to meet demanding quality standards, manage complex contaminant profiles, and improve process efficiency. Applying these technologies effectively requires more than familiarity with membrane types, it requires the ability to make informed design and operational decisions under real‑world constraints such as fouling risk, energy use, and system reliability.

This course provides practical, structured development in the application of membrane technologies used in industrial water treatment. You will examine how microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis systems function in practice, with a focus on contaminant removal mechanisms, system configuration, and design considerations that directly influence performance. Through applied examples and case‑based discussion, you will connect theory to decision‑making in industrial and municipal contexts.

Emphasis is placed on performance evaluation, fouling and scaling control, and integrating membrane systems into broader treatment solutions. By the end of the course, you will be better prepared to assess suitability, manage risk, and apply membrane technologies effectively within real industrial water and wastewater projects.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for:

• Engineers and engineering technologists working in water or wastewater treatment
• Environmental, mechanical, chemical, and process professionals involved in treatment system design or operation
• Technical professionals responsible for evaluating or implementing membrane‑based treatment solutions
• Practitioners involved in industrial, municipal, or utility‑scale water treatment projects
• Early‑career through senior professionals seeking applied understanding of membrane system performance and limitations

Course Syllabus

Principal aspects of membrane filtration

• Contaminant removal mechanisms of membrane technologies
• Types of membrane technologies used in the removal of contaminants from drinking water and wastewater
• Characteristics of common membrane processes

Structure, material and configuration of membrane modules

• Polymeric and ceramic membranes
• Plate-and-frame, spiral wound, tubular and hollow-fibre membrane module configurations
• Operating conditions of different membrane systems

Microfiltration (MF), Ultrafiltration (UF) and Nanofiltration (NF) Processes: Application and Design

• Types of contaminants removed by MF, UF and NF processes
• Mechanism of contaminant removal by MF, UF and NF processes
• Design of MF, UF and NF processes in industrial water treatment operations

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Processes: Application and Design

• Mechanism of dissolved solids removal by RO processes
• Desalination by RO processes
• Design of RO processes in industrial water treatment operations
• Challenges facing the application of RO processes in industrial water treatment applications: membrane fouling, contaminant permeation, energy consumption, pre-treatment, managing treatment residuals, and membrane integrity

Design aspects and operation parameters of membrane treatment processes

• Membrane permeability, recovery rate, rejection and concentration factor
• Membrane area estimation
• The flux of water through the membrane
• Factors affecting the performance of membranes

Membrane Fouling and Scaling: Causes, Prevention and Control Strategies

• Types of fouling: biofouling, organic fouling, inorganic scaling
• Membrane fouling control strategies: pre-treatment, membrane cleaning, backwashing and membrane surface modification

Membrane Filtration Systems in Industrial Water Treatment Operations

• Membrane bioreactors (MBR): application and design
• Design and operation strategy of membrane bioreactors
• Tertiary membrane filtration (TMF) units
• Membrane technologies in full-cycle water remediation