Investigation of consecutive fouling and cleaning cycles of ultrafiltration membranes used for whey processing

Thilo Heinz Alexander Berg, Jes Christian Knudsen, Richard Ipsen, Franciscus Winfried J van der Berg, Hans H. Holst, Alexander Tolkach

10 Citations (Scopus)
44 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Development of resistance during multiple foulings and three-step Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) operations, simulating an industrial cleaning regime of polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes, was investigated. The study explored how trans-membrane pressure (150 and 300 kPa) and feed protein concentration (0.9 and 10%) influenced resistance reduction during filtration and flux recovery by the cleaning procedures. New membranes, pre-cleaned with a full CIP cycle, were used for each experiment. Subsequent fouling (simulating production) and CIP were done three times in a row and the development of fouling layer resistance was monitored and evaluated. Results show that filtration performance decreased during the first days of usage, possibly related to build-up of internal fouling. Cleaning success based on flux recovery was negatively influenced by a high protein concentration in the feed, but independent of the trans-membrane pressure during filtration.

Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Food Engineering
Volume10
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)367–381
Number of pages15
ISSN1556-3758
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2014

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