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Influence of pH on the adsorptive fouling of ultrafiltration membranes by fatty acid

Brinck, J ; Jönsson, Ann-Sofi LU ; Jönsson, Bengt LU and Lindau, J (2000) In Journal of Membrane Science 164(1-2). p.187-194
Abstract
Fatty acids are found in many solutions treated in ultrafiltration plants, for example, in dairy products, fermentation broth, oily waste water and bleach plant effluents from pulp mills. The influence of fatty acids on the fouling of membranes is often ignored because their concentration is rather low. However, during recent years the significant influence of fatty acids on the flux reduction of ultrafiltration membranes has attracted much attention. The pore radius of the membrane, the concentration of fatty acids and the pH of the solution all have a profound influence on the flux reduction when treating solutions containing fatty acids. In the work presented in this paper, the influence of pH on the flux reduction of an ultrafiltration... (More)
Fatty acids are found in many solutions treated in ultrafiltration plants, for example, in dairy products, fermentation broth, oily waste water and bleach plant effluents from pulp mills. The influence of fatty acids on the fouling of membranes is often ignored because their concentration is rather low. However, during recent years the significant influence of fatty acids on the flux reduction of ultrafiltration membranes has attracted much attention. The pore radius of the membrane, the concentration of fatty acids and the pH of the solution all have a profound influence on the flux reduction when treating solutions containing fatty acids. In the work presented in this paper, the influence of pH on the flux reduction of an ultrafiltration membrane made of polyethersulphone was studied. It was found that there was no flux reduction under alkaline conditions, whereas the flux reduction under acidic conditions was severe. In order to elucidate the adsorption process, the adsorption of octanoic acid on a planar, hydrophobized silica surface was studied by means of in situ null ellipsometry. In the ellipsometry study a sharp increase in the amount adsorbed was observed when the concentration of undissociated acid approached the saturation concentration as the pH was decreased. This explains the observed flux reduction under acidic conditions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
fouling, adsorption, fatty acid, capillary-induced phase separation, pH, ultrafiltration membrane
in
Journal of Membrane Science
volume
164
issue
1-2
pages
187 - 194
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000084761700017
  • scopus:0345580795
ISSN
0376-7388
DOI
10.1016/S0376-7388(99)00212-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f887e45f-f9b5-4c9c-ac50-e2d0429bc204 (old id 3915688)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:27:29
date last changed
2023-11-28 07:45:31
@article{f887e45f-f9b5-4c9c-ac50-e2d0429bc204,
  abstract     = {{Fatty acids are found in many solutions treated in ultrafiltration plants, for example, in dairy products, fermentation broth, oily waste water and bleach plant effluents from pulp mills. The influence of fatty acids on the fouling of membranes is often ignored because their concentration is rather low. However, during recent years the significant influence of fatty acids on the flux reduction of ultrafiltration membranes has attracted much attention. The pore radius of the membrane, the concentration of fatty acids and the pH of the solution all have a profound influence on the flux reduction when treating solutions containing fatty acids. In the work presented in this paper, the influence of pH on the flux reduction of an ultrafiltration membrane made of polyethersulphone was studied. It was found that there was no flux reduction under alkaline conditions, whereas the flux reduction under acidic conditions was severe. In order to elucidate the adsorption process, the adsorption of octanoic acid on a planar, hydrophobized silica surface was studied by means of in situ null ellipsometry. In the ellipsometry study a sharp increase in the amount adsorbed was observed when the concentration of undissociated acid approached the saturation concentration as the pH was decreased. This explains the observed flux reduction under acidic conditions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Brinck, J and Jönsson, Ann-Sofi and Jönsson, Bengt and Lindau, J}},
  issn         = {{0376-7388}},
  keywords     = {{fouling; adsorption; fatty acid; capillary-induced phase separation; pH; ultrafiltration membrane}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1-2}},
  pages        = {{187--194}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Membrane Science}},
  title        = {{Influence of pH on the adsorptive fouling of ultrafiltration membranes by fatty acid}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0376-7388(99)00212-4}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S0376-7388(99)00212-4}},
  volume       = {{164}},
  year         = {{2000}},
}