Control of fouling formation in membrane ultrafiltration by ultrasound irradiation

The increasing application of membrane filtration in water and wastewater treatment necessitates techniques to improve performance, especially in fouling control. Ultrasound is one promising technology for this purpose as cavitational effects facilitate continuous cleaning of the membrane. This research studied the ultrafiltration of lake water in systems with constant permeate flux under medium frequency (45 kHz) ultrasound irradiation. Fouling was investigated by monitoring transmembrane pressure (TMP) using continuous or intermittent ultrasound irradiation and dead-end or crossflow operation. Best performance was observed with continuous ultrasound irradiation in crossflow mode. Intermittent irradiation reduced the rate of TMP build-up but nevertheless allowed irreversible fouling to develop.