Abstract
Membrane filtration fouling is a very complex process and is determined by many properties such as the membrane internal morphology, membrane pore structure, flow rate and contaminant properties. In a very slow filtration process or during the late stage of filtration, when the flow rate is naturally low and Péclet number is small, particle diffusion is essential and cannot be neglected, while in typical filtration models, especially in moderate and fast filtration process, the main contribution stems from the particle advection. The objectives of this study is to formulate mathematical models that can (i) investigate how filtration process varies under possible effects of particles diffusion; and (ii) describe how membrane morphology evolves and investigate the filtration performance during the filtration process. We also compare the results with the case that diffusion is less important and make a prediction about what kind of membrane filter pore structure should be employed to achieve a particular optimum filtration performance. According to our results, the filtrate and efficiency of particle separation are found to be under the trade-off relationship, and the selection of the membrane properties depends on the requirement of the filtration.
Highlights
Membrane filters are used in various industries and one of their most significant applications is water purification [1,2], where particles are removed from the water flow by applying micro-filtration.In particular, the reverse osmosis membrane is a great technique applied in water treatment [3].Membrane filtration exerts an important role in biotech industry in several aspects, for example, they are used in artificial kidneys for hemodialysis process [4]
We first demonstrate how the membrane pore velocity, small particle concentration and pore radius evolve during filtration process; we show how filtration outcomes change by varying Péclet number and the stickiness coefficient Λ; and we will find the optimum pore profile for a chosen performance measure
We have presented a mathematical model describing filtration performance including the separation efficiency and change of membrane morphology
Summary
Membrane filters are used in various industries and one of their most significant applications is water purification [1,2], where particles are removed from the water flow by applying micro-filtration.In particular, the reverse osmosis membrane is a great technique applied in water treatment [3].Membrane filtration exerts an important role in biotech industry in several aspects, for example, they are used in artificial kidneys for hemodialysis process [4]. Membrane filters are used in various industries and one of their most significant applications is water purification [1,2], where particles are removed from the water flow by applying micro-filtration. The reverse osmosis membrane is a great technique applied in water treatment [3]. Membrane filtration exerts an important role in biotech industry in several aspects, for example, they are used in artificial kidneys for hemodialysis process [4]. Other applications include fruit juice processing [5], enhanced oil recovery [6], and recycling microorganism [7], among many others. Membrane filters have various structures when they are used in different applications and industries (see Figure 1), but generally are considered to be porous media, with characterized morphology, pore size and shape.
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