Reverse osmosis (RO) plays an important role in freshwater production. Mineral scaling is an inevitable problem in the RO desalination process. Various methods, including the pretreatment of feed water, the optimization of operational processes, the development of novel membrane materials, and the addition of antiscalants, have been developed to mitigate scale formation in RO systems. Among these methods, the addition of antiscalants is a relatively cost-effective and convenient technique for membrane scaling control. In the current work, various kinds of antiscalants, scale inhibition mechanisms, and their applications to RO membrane scaling control are reviewed. Weakness of existing antiscalants and challenge arising from their practical applications, such as membrane fouling caused by antiscalants, increased bacterial growth, dosing control, and the disposal of resultant concentrates, are also presented. To effectively alleviate scaling on RO membrane by using antiscalants, the development of novel, high-performance, and environment-friendly antiscalants on the basis of an in-depth study of the inhibition mechanisms and well-established structure–activity relationships is urgently necessary. The optimization of antiscalants and their combinations with other pretreatments in practical RO operations are essential in efficient scaling control.

反渗透（RO）在淡水生产中起重要作用。矿物结垢是反渗透淡化过程中不可避免的问题。为了减轻反渗透系统中水垢的形成，已经开发了各种方法，包括预处理给水，优化操作过程，开发新型膜材料以及添加防垢剂。在这些方法中，添加防垢剂是一种相对经济有效且方便的膜垢控制技术。在当前的工作中，综述了各种防垢剂，阻垢机理及其在反渗透膜结垢控制中的应用。现有防垢剂的弱点以及其实际应用带来的挑战，例如由防垢剂引起的膜结垢，细菌生长加快，剂量控制，还介绍了所得精矿的处置方法。为了通过使用防垢剂有效减轻RO膜上的结垢，迫切需要在深入研究其抑制机理和已建立的结构-活性关系的基础上开发新型，高性能且环境友好的防垢剂。在实际反渗透操作中，抗垢剂的优化及其与其他预处理剂的结合对有效的垢控制至关重要。在深入研究其抑制机理和已建立的结构-活性关系的基础上，迫切需要开发出环保型防垢剂。在实际反渗透操作中，抗垢剂的优化及其与其他预处理剂的结合对有效的垢控制至关重要。在深入研究其抑制机理和已建立的结构-活性关系的基础上，迫切需要开发出环保型防垢剂。在实际反渗透操作中，抗垢剂的优化及其与其他预处理剂的结合对有效的垢控制至关重要。