Fouling behavior of lysozyme on different membrane surfaces during the MD operation: An especial interest in the interaction energy evaluation.

The membrane fouling behaviors of lysozyme (LYS) on three different membranes were systematically investigated during the membrane distillation (MD) process, including polypropylene (PP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes. The results showed that PP membrane was not suitable for the MD operation due to its lower heat resistance. A flux decline of 50% was observed for the PTFE, while PVDF displayed a more severe decrement of 70%. Additionally, the PTFE and PVDF membranes both demonstrated a faster flux decline during the early period, and then a clear decrement of fouling rate was obtained at the later period. To better understand the interactions between LYS and different membranes, the interaction energy between LYS and the reconstructed membrane surface, represented by XDLVO potential, was calculated by surface element integration. The PVDF membrane exhibited higher roughness and lower energy barrier, indicating that rougher membrane was tended to be fouled by LYS. Finally, a "four stages model" was suggested for the MD fouling process, which was associated with three LYS deposition patterns of smooth, protuberance and valley.