The effect of contaminated particle sphericity and size on membrane fouling in cross flow ultrafiltration.

The goal of the current research was to critically examine the role of the shape and the size of contaminated particles for an accurate prediction of membrane fouling phenomenon. Polycarbonate flat membranes (PC) with uniform pore sizes of 0.05 and 0.1 µm, in addition to Polysulfone membranes (PS) with molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of 60,000 kDa were used under a constant feed flow rate and a cross-flow mode in ultrafiltration of a latex paint solution featuring a wide range of particle size distribution. The current mathematical model was developed to illustrate the effect of irregularity and polydispersity of latex particles on the mass of fouling and irreversible fouling on membranes. The experimental results established that the sphericity of contaminated particles had a critical effect on the membrane fouling and prediction of transmembrane pressure and total mass of fouling using the homogenous pore size membranes. The Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) was implemented as a cationic surfactant so as to facilitate the aggregation of latex particles. The results obtained indicated that the particle size had a significant influence on fouling potential at different aggregation levels.