Welcome Back, Prof. Martin Reinhard!
Insights from the NERI Seminar

We were delighted to welcome Prof. Martin Reinhard back to NUS for the recent NERI Seminar on 23 Jan 2025, where he presented on “Are Hydrogen Peroxide and Peracetic Acid (PAA) Suitable Disinfectants and Anti-Fouling Agents for Ultrafiltration (UF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems Treating Recycled Water?

This event was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Prof. Reinhard and gain valuable insights into his work at the Orange County Water District (OCWD) in Southern California.

During the seminar, Prof. Reinhard presented the advanced methodologies for producing potable water from treated municipal wastewater, utilising UF, RO, and UV-advanced oxidation processes (AOP) to replenish potable aquifers. He addressed the challenges posed by chloramine, a disinfection agent that can interfere with AOP and allow disinfection by-products like NDMA to pass through RO membranes.

To tackle these challenges, Prof. Reinhard's research explores alternative disinfectants, focusing on peracetic acid (PAA) and hydrogen peroxide (HP) as membrane antifouling agents. His findings indicate that HP is non-reactive towards polyamide membranes in clean water, though caution is necessary due to potential membrane damage from activating metals like iron.

Pilot studies revealed that both PAA and HP are promising biofouling control agents, with HP demonstrating superior performance. Replacing chloramine with HP for UF fouling control improved system performance and minimised disinfection by-product formation, while simplifying plant operations and maintenance.

Prof. Reinhard's innovative approach provides a potential cost-effective solution for water treatment, highlighting the importance of ongoing research in environmental engineering. We are grateful to Prof. Reinhard for sharing his invaluable insights and inspiring our continued efforts to advance sustainable water treatment practices.