Organic fouling in the forward osmosis process is complex and influenced by different parameters in the forward osmosis such as type of feed and draw solution, operating conditions, and type of membrane. In this article, we reviewed organic fouling in the forward osmosis by focusing on wastewater treatment applications. Model organic foulants used in the forward osmosis literature were highlighted, which were followed by the characteristics of organic foulants when real wastewater was used as feed solution. The various physical and chemical cleaning protocols for the organic fouled membrane are also discussed. The study also highlighted the effective pre-treatment strategies that are effective in reducing the impact of organic fouling on the forward osmosis (FO) membrane. The efficiency of cleaning methods for the removal of organic fouling in the FO process was investigated, including recommendations on future cleaning technologies such as Ultraviolet and Ultrasound. Generally, a combination of physical and chemical cleaning is the best for restoring the water flux in the FO process.

An osmotically driven membrane process was proposed for seawater pretreatment in a multi-stage flashing (MSF) thermal plant. Brine reject from the MSF plant was the draw solution (DS) in the forward osmosis (FO) process in order to reduce chemical use. The purpose of FO is the removal of divalent ions from seawater prior the thermal desalination. In this study, seawater at 80 g/L and 45 g/L concentrations were used as the brine reject and seawater, respectively. The temperature of the brine reject was 40 °C and of seawater was 25 °C. Commercial thin-film composite (TFC) and cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes were evaluated for the pretreatment of seawater in the FO and the pressure-assisted FO (PAFO) processes. Experimental results showed 50% more permeation flux by increasing the feed pressure from 1 to 4 bar, and permeation flux reached 16.7 L/m²h in the PAFO process with a TFC membrane compared to 8.3 L/m²h in the PAFO process with CTA membrane. TFC membrane experienced up to 15% reduction in permeation flux after cleaning with DI water while permeation flux reduction in the CTA membrane was >6%. The maximum recovery rate was 11.5% and 8.8% in the PAFO process with TFC and CTA membrane, respectively. The maximum power consumption for the pretreatment of seawater was 0.06 kWh/m³ and 0.1 kWh/m³ for the PAFO process with a TFC and CTA membrane, respectively.