Chemical Cleaning Effects On Properties And Separation Efciency Of An RO Membrane
Chemical cleaning effects on properties and separation efficiency of an RO membrane
Credit to: https://ro.uow.edu.au/eispapers/3557/
Kha L. Tu
University of Wollongong, lkt883@uowmail.edu.au
Allan R. Chivas
University of Wollongong, toschi@uow.edu.au
Long D. Nghiem
University of Wollongong, longn@uow.edu.au
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the impacts of chemical cleaning on the performance of a reverse osmosis
membrane. Chemicals used for simulating membrane cleaning include a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), a
chelating agent (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA), and two proprietary cleaning formulations namely MC3
and MC11. The impact of sequential exposure to multiple membrane cleaning solutions was also examined. Water
permeability and the rejection of boron and sodium were investigated under various water fluxes, temperatures and
feedwater pH. Changes in the membrane performance were systematically explained based on the changes in the
charge density, hydrophobicity and chemical structure of the membrane surface. The experimental results show that
membrane cleaning can significantly alter the hydrophobicity and water permeability of the membrane; however, its
impacts on the rejections of boron and sodium are marginal. Although the presence of surfactant or chelating agent
may cause decreases in the rejection, solution pH is the key factor responsible for the loss of membrane separation
and changes in the surface properties. The impact of solution pH on the water permeability can be reversed by
applying a subsequent cleaning with the opposite pH condition. Nevertheless, the impacts of solution pH on boron
and sodium rejections are irreversible in most cases
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