A Developed Instrument for Lab-Scale Optimization of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Maintenance

This study presents a self-formed instrument that mimics RO plants on a small scale to compare cleaning agents for membrane biofouling. The instrument can test cleaning agents without stopping production. Here, three cells operating in parallel and compared a biofouling cleaner (NaOH/SDS solution) and a biocide (DBNPA). The cleaning process was evaluated by hydrodynamic operation and membrane autopsy. NaOH/SDS solution doubled the normalized flux and removed bio-organic foulants. CLSM analysis showed different effects of the cleaning solutions on the biofilm layer. DBNPA reduced living bacteria, but not biofilm components. This system is versatile and can speed up the investigation of cleaning strategies and their interactions before they are used in industrial plants.