Effects of protein properties on ultrafiltration membrane fouling performance in water treatment.

Protein-like substances always induce severe ultrafiltration (UF) membrane fouling. To systematically understand the effect of proteins, regenerated cellulose UF membrane (commonly used for protein separation) performance was investigated in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) under various water conditions. Results showed that although trypsin enhanced the membrane flux via proteolysis, catalysis took a long time. Membrane fouling was alleviated at high solution pH and low water temperature owing to the strong electrostatic repulsion force among BSA molecules. Both Na+ and Ca2+ could increase membrane flux. However, Ca2+ played a bridging role between adjacent BSA molecules, whereas membrane fouling was alleviated via a hydration repulsion force with Na+. The order of influence on membrane fouling was as follows: Ca2+ concentration > Na+ concentration > pH > temperature > trypsin concentration. Furthermore, a polyvinylidene fluoride UF membrane experiment showed that Ca2+ could reduce the fouling induced by BSA. Thus, the differences in UF membrane performance will have application potential for alleviating UF membrane fouling induced by proteins during water treatment.