Defining the effect of the chemical concentration and solution pH on membrane chemical cleaning process

Abstract

In the process of treating natural water from surface sources, precipitated substances are tend to be deposited on the ultrafiltration membrane, either as suspended solids or as gel structures, formed by humic substances with metal salts. Hydraulic washes are unable to remove gelled structures from the surface of the membranes. Consequently, the phenomenon of gelation on the surface of the membrane causes gradual decrease in productivity, which is a negative factor. Chemical washing of membranes is generally used to remove the gel layer from the membrane surface. In this paper, the range of compositions which effectively remove complex contaminants is proposed, and also the efficacy of both pH and changes in the concentration of active substances on the process of washing the membrane are analyzed.