Effect of Repetitive Chemical Cleaning on the Performance of Polymeric Nanofiltration Membranes

Chemical cleaning is a part of the membrane maintenance process and is usually performed when the permeate flux decreases by about 10% or when the pressure drop increases by about 10-15%. Although it is important to select the cleaning chemicals based on the type of foulant, it is also very important to understand the effect of chemical cleaning on membrane characteristics. This study provides insight into the effect of commonly used cleaning chemicals on the physicochemical and performance characteristics of two of types of active layers of nanofiltration (NF) membranes. This information is vital for increasing the life span of NF membranes, which recently have been increasingly applied in desalination and wastewater treatment.