Evaluation, Analysis, and Prevention of the Fouling of Ultrafiltration Membranes by Macrosolutes

摘要

It is generally recognized that one of the principle limitations to the widespread use of membrane ultrafiltration as a water-pretreatment technique (as well as a process for macromolecule concentration or purification) is the phenomenon of concentration polarization of membrane 'fouling'. The objectives of this research are: to investigate the fouling of a selected group of asymmetric ultrafiltration membranes of differing hydrophilicities by several well-characterized macrosolutes and thereby establish the role of intermolecular and adsorptive interactions in the fouling process, to develop a model for predicting the magnitude of the fouling phenomena, and to develop techniques for treatment of ultrafiltration membranes (chemical modification), or selecting additives for 'preconditioning' membranes to eliminate or minimize the undesirable consequences of fouling.