Sequential effects of cleaning protocols on desorption of reverse osmosis membrane foulants: Autopsy results from a full-scale desalination plant

Lee, Yong-Gu; Kim, Sangwon; Shin, Jaegwan; Rho, Hojung; Kim, Young Mi; Eom, Heonseop; Oh, Sang‐Eun; Cho, Jaeweon; Chon, Kangmin

doi:10.1016/j.desal.2020.114830

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Nevertheless, clues to cleaning agent selection were obtained by examining their relative performance in restoring permeability. EDTA slightly outperformed HCl and SDS for the lead element suggesting that it better chelated metals and reduced bioorganic-membrane adhesion forces in Stage 1. , In contrast, HCl slightly outperformed EDTA and SDS for the lag element agreeing with literature reports that it better targets inorganic foulants consistent with the higher solubility of many metals in acidic solutions. , We also performed sequential cleaning using EDTA (alkali/chelator) followed by HCl (acid), which has been shown to improve regeneration efficacy. , However, in our case, there were no further permeability improvements with both lead and lag elements attaining a specific flux of 51 L/(m 2 h MPa). The portion of membrane permeability that was irrevocably lost was attributed to chemically irreversible fouling rather than membrane compaction because the NF membranes were operated at pressures <8 bar, which is significantly below the threshold reported for inducing membrane compaction (>15 bar). , Hence, the remaining 25–30% of the virgin membrane’s productivity was irretrievably lost and attributed mostly to silicon fouling.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…A mixture of 0.1% NaOH and 0.025% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a combination of 0.1% NaOH and 1% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at an alkaline pH of 12 and 35 °C were individually applied to alleviate biological, organic, and polymerized silica fouling. A third cleaning agent (0.2% HCl) at pH 2 and 25 °C was also evaluated to remove mineral scale. − …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each cleaning agent was tested separately to assess their ability to remove foulants and restore membrane physicochemical characteristics. Additionally, a separate set of sequential cleaning tests was pursued by using an alkali + chelator (NaOH + EDTA since it was better than SDS) followed by HCl to maximize cleaning efficiency. , The cleaning efficacy was assessed by measuring water flux and salt rejection (using a 2,000 mg/L MgSO 4 test solution at 70 psig in a stirred dead-end cell, targeting 15% filtration recovery). IR spectra, elemental presence (via SEM–EDS), and surface physicochemical properties such as roughness, contact angle, and zeta potential of cleaned membranes were compared to their fouled and virgin counterparts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inorganic and Organic Silicon Fouling of Nanofiltration Membranes during Pilot-Scale Direct Potable Reuse

et al. 2023

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Fouled nanofiltration membranes from lead and lag positions of a 2-stage pilot-scale direct potable reuse plant treating secondary municipal wastewater effluent in El Paso, Texas were thoroughly characterized after 9 months of operation to elucidate the role of silicon moieties on fouling. X-ray photoelectron (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies identified silicon oxides/ silica as dominant foulants, especially on the lag element. Gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy also identified organosilicon moieties such as linear-and cyclosiloxanes on the lead element. Extensive siliceous fouling was accompanied by calcium, aluminum, and magnesium scaling as well as deposition of bioorganic materials thereby modifying membrane surfaces that resulted in irreversible productivity loss. None of the three selected cleaning agents (sodium dodecyl sulfate and NaOH, EDTA and NaOH, and HCl), either singly or in combination satisfactorily restored water permeability of the membrane. EDTA performed better in the lead element (where bioorganic fouling prevailed), and HCl was more effective in the lag element (where mineral scaling accompanied silicon oxides). This suggests the express need for novel antiscalants to reduce organosilicon/silicon oxide deposition and the necessity of harsher cleaning agents/ regimens specifically targeting silicon (e.g., hydrofluoric acid or ammonium bifluoride).

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inorganic and Organic Silicon Fouling of Nanofiltration Membranes during Pilot-Scale Direct Potable Reuse

et al. 2023

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“…Basic solutions can remove an organic fouling layer by hydrolysis and solubilization [ 43 ]. Sequential cleaning protocols with different chemicals can be used to recover membrane performance [ 50 ].…”

Section: Ro Desalinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classical and Recent Developments of Membrane Processes for Desalination and Natural Water Treatment

Charcosset

2022

Membranes

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Water supply and water treatment are of major concern all around the world. In this respect, membrane processes are increasingly used and reported for a large range of applications. Desalination processes by membranes are well-established technologies with many desalination plants implemented in coastal areas. Natural water treatment is also well implemented to provide purified water for growing population. This review covers various aspects of desalination: membranes and modules, plants, fouling (scaling, biofouling, algal blooms), cleaning, pretreatment (conventional and membrane treatments), energy and environmental issues, renewable energies, boron removal and brine disposal. Treatment of natural water focuses on removal of natural organic matter, arsenic, iron, nitrate, fluoride, pesticides and herbicides, pharmaceutical and personal care products. This review underlines that desalination and natural water treatment require identical knowledge of membrane fouling, construction of large plants, cleaning procedures, energy and environmental issues, and that these two different fields can learn from each other.

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“…Bdiri et al demonstrated the water–ethanol cleaning method was the optimal cleaning method for cleaning cation exchange membranes after treatment of food wastewater . Commonly, acid/base agents can remove the organic foulants on the membrane by solubilization or hydrolysis . Recently, ultrasonic cavitation has been used to enhance reactions and chemical processes, which can be used to enhance membrane cleaning efficiency. , However, no studies have focused on the recovery of ion exchange membrane performance after the treatment of resin regeneration wastewater.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Recovery of Ionic Resources from Resin Regeneration Wastewater: Long-Term Evaluation, Membrane Fouling Analysis, and Cleaning

Ma¹,

Xi³

et al. 2022

ACS EST Water

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Macroporous resins, being highly efficient and reusable, have been widely applied for the treatment of highsalinity organic wastewater. However, resin regeneration generates a large amount of organic wastewater, which causes serious environmental pollution. In this work, the continuous recovery of resin regeneration wastewater was achieved by using an electrodialysis (ED) process. The results showed that the recovered NaOH concentration approached 0.2 mol/L after 10 consecutive batch experiments. The anline in regeneration wastewater can be successfully rejected by ion exchange membranes, and the COD content in the concentrate stream was <100 mg/L. Energy consumption analysis indicated approximately 2.6−3.0 kWh/kg of NaOH was maintained during the batch experiments. Furthermore, different cleaning methods were proposed for investigation of the membrane fouling reversibility. Ultrasonic stimulation combined with 1% HCl can successfully restore ion exchange membrane performance (e.g., membrane surface resistance and ion exchange capacity). Membrane characterization showed ultrasonic treatment combined with 1% HCl cleaning can restore the membrane to its virgin state. The proposed ED process for the recovery of NaOH from regenerated resin wastewater not only showed long-term stability but also presented superior reusability of membranes, which offered great potential for industrial application.

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Sequential effects of cleaning protocols on desorption of reverse osmosis membrane foulants: Autopsy results from a full-scale desalination plant

Cited by 22 publications

References 31 publications

Inorganic and Organic Silicon Fouling of Nanofiltration Membranes during Pilot-Scale Direct Potable Reuse

Inorganic and Organic Silicon Fouling of Nanofiltration Membranes during Pilot-Scale Direct Potable Reuse

Classical and Recent Developments of Membrane Processes for Desalination and Natural Water Treatment

Sustainable Recovery of Ionic Resources from Resin Regeneration Wastewater: Long-Term Evaluation, Membrane Fouling Analysis, and Cleaning

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