What?s New in RO Membrane Cleaning? Micro-Bubbles and High Ionic Strength Effervescent Cleaners Enhance RO Membrane Foulant Removal

The use of micro bubbles, effervescents, and high ionic strength cleaneres are explored for novel approaches for the removal of foulants on RO and NF membrane surfaces. The unique part of this is the use of venturi micro bubble generator in conjunction with specially formulated cleaning compound with the bubbles injected through a specially designed venturi air injector. Results of the cleaning effectiveness were measured by improvements in flow, pressure and flux, along with autopsies to further assess the cleaning performance. The combined effect of cleaning with high ionic strength, effervescent cleaning reagents and micro bubbles can significantly improve cleaning performance over conventional methods.