Characterizing bulk organic matter in seawater and bay water by various analytical techniques and linking these measurements with fouling in membrane systems. Furthermore, it aimed for the development of the Modified Fouling Index - ultrafiltration (MFI-UF) at constant flux filtration as an accurate test to measure the particulate fouling potential of a feed water and predict the rate of fouling in reverse osmosis systems. A new semi-portable set-up has been successfully developed to perform MFI-UF tests at constant flux filtration. A significant effect of the filtration flux on the fouling...