Separation of Organic Carbon and Nutrients from Liquid Waste by Using Membrane Technologies

The increasing generation of liquid waste from agricultural, industrial, and municipal sources poses significant environmental challenges due to its high content of organic carbon (OC) and nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. This review examined the effectiveness of membrane-based technologies, particularly microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF), in separating and recovering these valuable compounds. Drawing on key literature indexed in Scopus, the review analyzed how membrane properties, operating conditions, and feed characteristics influence removal efficiency. The find-ings indicate that MF membranes primarily retain particulate organic matter and sus-pended solids (SS), with limited retention of phosphorus and nitrogen species. In con-trast, UF membranes exhibited superior performance in removing both OC and phos-phorus, and partially retain some nitrogen compounds depending on molecular size and charge. When combined with pre-treatment processes such as coagulation or ad-sorption, both MF and UF achieve higher nutrient removal rates. These membrane technologies showed promise not only in reducing pollutant loads but also in enabling nutrient recovery for potential reuse in agriculture. The optimization of membrane configuration and integration with other processes is essential for enhancing treatment performance and contributing to circular wastewater management strategies.