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Investigations of alkaline and enzymatic membrane cleaning of ultrafiltration membranes fouled by thermomechanical pulping process water

Rudolph, Gregor LU orcid ; Schagerlöf, Herje LU ; Krogh, Kristian B.Morkeberg ; Jönsson, Ann Sofi LU and Lipnizki, Frank LU orcid (2018) In Membranes 8(4).
Abstract

The pulp and paper industry is one of the most important industrial sectors worldwide, and has considerable potential for the sustainable fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass to provide valuable compounds. Ultrafiltration (UF) is a suitable separation technique for the profitable production of hemicelluloses from process water from thermomechanical pulping (ThMP), but is limited by membrane fouling. Improvements in cleaning protocols and new alternative cleaning agents are required to ensure a long membrane lifetime, and thus a sustainable process. This study, therefore, focuses on the cleaning of polymeric UF membranes after the filtration of ThMP process water, comparing alkaline with enzymatic cleaning agents. The aim was to... (More)

The pulp and paper industry is one of the most important industrial sectors worldwide, and has considerable potential for the sustainable fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass to provide valuable compounds. Ultrafiltration (UF) is a suitable separation technique for the profitable production of hemicelluloses from process water from thermomechanical pulping (ThMP), but is limited by membrane fouling. Improvements in cleaning protocols and new alternative cleaning agents are required to ensure a long membrane lifetime, and thus a sustainable process. This study, therefore, focuses on the cleaning of polymeric UF membranes after the filtration of ThMP process water, comparing alkaline with enzymatic cleaning agents. The aim was to develop a cleaning procedure that is efficient under mild conditions, resulting in a lower environmental impact. It was not possible to restore the initial permeability of the membrane when cleaning the membrane with enzymes alone, but the permeability was restored when using a two-step cleaning process with enzymes in the first step and an alkaline cleaning agent in the second step. Scanning electron microscopy gave a deeper inside into the cleaning efficiency. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed that not only polysaccharides, but also extractives are adsorbed onto the membrane surface.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Alkaline membrane cleaning, Biorefinery, Enzymatic membrane cleaning, Membrane fouling, Pulp and paper industry, Ultrafiltration
in
Membranes
volume
8
issue
4
article number
91
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85055667858
  • pmid:30308935
ISSN
2077-0375
DOI
10.3390/membranes8040091
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2146af4e-917b-4c0b-b876-cf2d78d30514
date added to LUP
2018-11-14 09:53:10
date last changed
2024-05-27 21:21:05
@article{2146af4e-917b-4c0b-b876-cf2d78d30514,
  abstract     = {{<p>The pulp and paper industry is one of the most important industrial sectors worldwide, and has considerable potential for the sustainable fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass to provide valuable compounds. Ultrafiltration (UF) is a suitable separation technique for the profitable production of hemicelluloses from process water from thermomechanical pulping (ThMP), but is limited by membrane fouling. Improvements in cleaning protocols and new alternative cleaning agents are required to ensure a long membrane lifetime, and thus a sustainable process. This study, therefore, focuses on the cleaning of polymeric UF membranes after the filtration of ThMP process water, comparing alkaline with enzymatic cleaning agents. The aim was to develop a cleaning procedure that is efficient under mild conditions, resulting in a lower environmental impact. It was not possible to restore the initial permeability of the membrane when cleaning the membrane with enzymes alone, but the permeability was restored when using a two-step cleaning process with enzymes in the first step and an alkaline cleaning agent in the second step. Scanning electron microscopy gave a deeper inside into the cleaning efficiency. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed that not only polysaccharides, but also extractives are adsorbed onto the membrane surface.</p>}},
  author       = {{Rudolph, Gregor and Schagerlöf, Herje and Krogh, Kristian B.Morkeberg and Jönsson, Ann Sofi and Lipnizki, Frank}},
  issn         = {{2077-0375}},
  keywords     = {{Alkaline membrane cleaning; Biorefinery; Enzymatic membrane cleaning; Membrane fouling; Pulp and paper industry; Ultrafiltration}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Membranes}},
  title        = {{Investigations of alkaline and enzymatic membrane cleaning of ultrafiltration membranes fouled by thermomechanical pulping process water}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/membranes8040091}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/membranes8040091}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}