Concentration Polarization and Fouling during Ultrafiltration of Colloidal Suspensions and Hydrophobic Solutes

Abstract

Flux reductions experienced during ultrafiltration are due either to concentration polarization or fouling. It is usually difficult to distinguish between these two phenomena, but by using a turbulence-promoting module it is possible to determine the reversibility of a flux reduction, and thus distinguish between concentration polarization and fouling. By using a turbulence-promoting module, it is also possible to distinguish between different cases of fouling. In this paper, fouling caused by the deposition of material at the surface of the membrane is illustrated by results from tests with a silica sol, and fouling due to interactions in the membrane matrix is illustrated by results from ultrafiltration of a low-molecular organic solute.