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Published on: February 13, 2016
Forward Osmosis (FO) Membrane Fouling Mitigation during the Concentration of Cows' Urine
Mokhtar Guizani1, Ryusei Ito1, Takato Matsuda2
1Environmental Engineering Division, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan.
Abstract:
FO membrane fouling mitigation during the concentration of cows' urine was investigated. In particular, the effects on the permeability recovery of cleaning methods such as membrane washing with deionized (DI) water, osmotic backwash, and chemical cleaning were studied. The characterization of foulants that accumulated on the membrane surface was found to be rich in sugars and proteins. The foulants were effectively removed by de-ionized water circulation (washing) and osmotic backwash. While osmotic back was more effective, it did not fully recover the permeability of the membrane. The foulants absorbed in the membrane pores were found to be mainly composed of sugars. Soaking the membrane in a solution of NaClO enabled the removal of foulants absorbed inside the membrane. It was revealed that soaking in 1% NaClO solution for 30 min achieved the best results (83% permeability recovery), while soaking for a longer time (10 h) using 0.2% NaClO resulted in counterproductive results.
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