Abstract
Membrane fouling is one of the major issues encountered in membrane filtration including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis. Membrane fouling can occur due to the reversible and irreversible deposition of particles, colloids, macromolecules, salts, and other types of elements. As a consequence, fouling causes a significant decrease in the permeate flux due to plugging of membrane pores, and adsorption of fouling material on the membrane’s surface and/or in the pore walls. A lot of research efforts have been directed towards fouling remediation techniques or membrane cleaning alternatives. Although most of these methods are relatively functional, they have drawbacks and limitations. Among these methods, the use of ultrasound has been shown to be effective in enhancing mass transfer, cleaning, disinfection, and controlling fouling. In membrane filtration processes, ultrasound can help accelerating the permeate flux towards the membrane and decreasing the concentration of solutes accumulated in the membrane pores and on the membrane surfaces. Ultrasonic fouling control does not require chemical cleaning and can maintain a high permeate flux throughout the filtration process. In addition, wastewater contaminants can be degraded by ultrasound. Therefore, ultrasound creates unique physicochemical conditions, which can be used as an effective tool for membrane fouling control. In this chapter, ultrasound radiation as a unique method to modify physical and chemical properties of a complex fluid with applications in wastewater treatment and protein purification process is highlighted. At first, ultrasonic parameters and how their ability to enhance the delivery of fluid flow to the membrane surface and affect the physical and chemical properties of foulants are discussed. Furthermore, various ultrasonic methods, including continuous and intermittent waves, and its influences on membrane fouling, permeate flux, membrane cleaning and flux recovery are reviewed. The main role of wave streaming as a driving force for fluid acceleration and antifouling control, and the impact of ultrasound-generated bubble cavitation on preventing and removing fouling deposits are described. The challenges of current ultrasonic techniques, which need to be addressed so as to facilitate their widespread and successful implementation, are explored. This chapter examines how the periodic compression/rarefaction cycles of ultrasound can influence mass transfer and membrane fouling. Also, the current knowledge and approaches to advance ultrasonic technology as an effective method for membrane fouling remediation in wastewater treatment and protein purification downstream processing are presented in this chapter.
Highlights
In-depth understanding of fouling phenomenon mechanisms is vital for the advancement of innovative methods for the control of fouling and cleaning of membranes
Membrane fouling reduces the active area of the membrane, blocks the membrane pores, or increases the resistance to the flow though the membrane and directly contributes to a declined in the permeate flux and an increased transmembrane pressure, which in turn results in an increase in the power consumption [13, 14]
This review paper recapitulates some of the critical research efforts currently being made toward effective ultrasound-assisted membrane cleaning and flux improvement
Summary
Membrane processes are increasingly used in various applications, both upstream and downstream processes, such as microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), and emerging processes including membrane chromatography, high performance tangential flow filtration, and electrophoretic membrane contactor. The deposition of foulants by layer-by-layer accumulation on the membrane surface creates additional hydraulic resistance, which is otherwise known as cake resistance [3] When it comes to fouling caused by the gel formation, the cross-linked threedimensional networks of deposited particles, including colloidal substances and macromolecules, are created on the surface of the membrane. These formed gel Ultrasound for Membrane Fouling Control in Wastewater Treatment and Protein Purification. It should be noted that the hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity and molecular size of NOM have a critical role in the formation of the membrane’s organic fouling and flux decline [18]
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