engleski

RO and NF Membranes Fouling and Cleaning and Pore Size Distribution Variations

The variations of porosity parameters of some RO and NF polyamide thin-film composite membranes were determined in order to explain the changes of membranes&#8217 ; performances caused by membrane fouling and chemical cleaning of the fouled membranes. The PSD curves and the effective number of pores in the membrane surface indicated plugging of the tight network pores in the membrane surface and even their disappearance during fouling. The enlargement of the wider aggregate pores was responsible for the noticed reduction in salt rejection. The initial pore structure of the fouled RO membrane was restored by the immediate chemical cleaning. A delay of the chemical cleaning of the fouled membranes led to irreversible changes in the porous structure of both the RO and NF membranes which was caused by a microbial activity.

Membranes; Reverse osmosis; Nanofiltration; Fouling; Cleaning; Membrane porosity; Pore size distribution; Effective number of pores

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