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- Title
Static cleaning tests as the first step to optimize RO membranes cleaning procedure.
- Authors
Garcia-Fayos, B.; Arnal, J.M.; Gimenez, A.; Alvarez-Blanco, S.; Sancho, M.
- Abstract
Membrane fouling is an intrinsic problem of membrane technology which affects process performance and causes a substantial rise of the operating costs. This becomes central in seawater desalination processes. This study is focused on applying a membrane chemical cleaning protocol to obtain the most adequate cleaning conditions to recover the permselective properties of an irreversibly fouled reverse osmosis membrane from a seawater desalination plant. The research was carried out in three steps: fouling characterization by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), atomic force microscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis; static cleaning tests; and characterization of the membrane surface after the cleaning step. The cleaning process was performed in a static way as a preliminary step. Five of the most widely used cleaning agents were tested (NaOH, citric acid, HCl, sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS], and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt) at a broad range of concentrations and two different temperatures (25 and 40°C). SEM-EDX analysis showed that foulant compounds were mainly silica, iron silicate, and aluminum silicate, which indicated that fouling was mainly colloidal and inorganic. The best cleaning results were achieved by SDS 0.5% w/w at 40°C, as the greatest recovery of the membrane permselective properties (permeability and salt rejection index) was obtained.
- Subjects
REVERSE osmosis (Water purification); WATER purification; SALINE water conversion research; CHEMICAL cleaning; FOULING
- Publication
Desalination & Water Treatment, 2015, Vol 55, Issue 12, p3380
- ISSN
1944-3994
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1080/19443994.2014.957924