• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.177-184
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• 2011

Membrane fouling is an unavoidable phenomenon in operation of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) and major obstacle for economic and efficient operation. When fouling occurs on the membrane surface, the permeate flux is decreased, on the contrary, the trans-membrane pressure (TMP) is increased, therefore operation and maintaining costs and potential damage of membranes are able to the pivotal risks of the process. Chemical cleaning process is essential to prevent interruptions for effective RO membrane filtration process. This study focused on proper chemical cleaning condition for polyamide RO membranes of 4 companies. Several chemical agents were applied for chemical cleaning under numbers of operating conditions. Additionally, a monitoring tool of FEEM as autopsy analysis method is adapted for the prediction of organic bio-fouling.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.99-107
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• 2018

This research has developed a high temperature steam cleaning technology using a ceramic membrane with durability against temperature and pressure conditions. In steam cleaning, steam of $120^{\circ}C$ is injected into the ceramic membrane to induce pyrolysis by the endothermic reaction to remove fouling from the membrane. The water quality of raw water was adjusted to turbidity 10, 25 NTU and DOC 2.5 mg/L, and the membrane was uniformly fouled by constant pressure operation at 100, 200, and 300 kPa. Physical backwashing was performed with water and air at a pressure of 500 kPa and steam at $120^{\circ}C$ was injected for 0 to 5 minutes. As the turbidity concentration and the operating pressure increased, the flux decreased by 0.7 to 14.4%. It is confirmed that 10.7 to 53.8% recovery is possible than physical cleaning at the injection of steam for 3 minutes, so it is considered that the steam cleaning of the ceramic membrane is effective. Compared with CEB after NaOCl (300 mg/L) filtration at 25 NTU and 300 kPa of turbidity, the steam cleaning result for 3 minutes was similar to 46.7% of CEB for 3 hours. It has been confirmed that steam cleaning is suitable for a ceramic membrane having excellent heat resistance against high temperature. It was considered to have better cleaning efficiency as compared with general physical backwashing.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.339-347
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• 2019

Forward osmosis (FO) is operated at a lower pressure than reverse osmosis (RO), which has great advantages in terms of fouling control, maintenance, membrane cleaning, and potential energy reduction. In particular, since the membrane fouling layer of the forward osmosis process has a relatively loose and dispersed property, it is possible to control the membrane fouling by physical cleaning, unlike the reverse osmosis process. However, existing studies do not apply the proper cleaning flow rate for forward osmosis physical cleaning, and thus there is a limit that the optimal operation can not be performed. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the justification of proper flow rate that can show high efficiency cleaning with economical energy amount. The membrane fouling experiments of the forward osmosis process were maintained at a circulating flow rate of 8.54 cm/s and the recovery rates were compared with the three cleaning flow rates. As a result of this experiment, it was confirmed that the 2 × speed cleaning showed the same efficiency as the water permeability recovery rate of the 3 × speed cleaning, and it was confirmed that the 2 × speed cleaning was an appropriate flow rate with high cleaning efficiency and economical SEC.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.233-241
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• 2015

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane has high resistance to chlorine, which is a great advantages in chemical cleaning to recover water flux during membrane processes in drinking water systems. A humic kaolin water with approximately 4 mg/L of DOC and 10 NTU of turbidity was prepared as a feed water. Coagulation pretreatment with or without settling was applied. The coagulation with settling showed the greatest water production. The reduced flux was effectively recovered by NaOCl cleaning, i.e., 21% recovery by 50 mg/L of NaOCl cleaning and 49% recovery by 500 mg/L NaOCl cleaning. The images of SEM and AFM analyses were corresponded to the water flux variation. However, when the floc was accumulated on the membrane surfaces, the efficiency of NaOCl cleaning was substantially limited. In addition, dynamic contact angle became greater after cleaning, which indicates changes in characteristics of fouling layer such as surface hydrophobicity. Proper cleaning technologies during enhanced backwash using NaOCl would expand application of PTFE membranes in drinking water systems.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.77-87
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• 2018

In this study, the effects of operating conditions on the formation of reversible and irreversible fouling were investigated in the filtration using ceramic membrane for water treatment process. The effect of coagulation pretreatment on fouling formation was also evaluated by comparing the performance of membrane filtration both with and without addition of coagulant. A resistance-in-series-model was applied for the analysis of membrane fouling. Total resistance (RT) and internal fouling resistance (Rf) increased in the membrane filtration process without coagulation as membrane flux and feed water concentrations increased. Internal fouling resistance, which was not recovered by physical cleaning, was more than 70% of the total resistance at the range of the membrane flux more than $5m^3/m^2{\cdot}day$. In the combined process with coagulation, the cake layer resistance (Rc) increased to about 30-80% of total resistance. As the cake layer formed by coagulation floc was easily removed by physical cleaning, the recovery rate by physical cleaning was 54~90%. It was confirmed from the results that the combined process was more efficient to recover the filtration performance by physical cleaning due to higher formation ratio of reversible fouling, resulted in the mitigation of the frequency of chemical cleaning.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.93-116
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• 1999

MF membrane element was specially designed for water purification and VSA process which can solve the fouling problem. Especially VSA process is developed for the SK Chemicals' asymmetric microfiltration hollow fiber membranes. In case of outside-to-in filtration process, MF membrane element showed the excellent flux stability caused by cleaning ability of VSA process . Simultaneous back-washing with VSA consideratbly enhances cleaning efficiency. From the result the possibility of the replacement of chemical coagulation and sand filtration process with newly developed VSA process was revealed.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.07a
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• pp.63-66
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• 1999

MF membrane element was specially designed for water purification and VSA process which can solve the fouling problem. Especially VSA process is developed for the SK Chemical's asymmetric microfiltration hollow fiber membranes. In case of outside-to-in filtration process, MF membrane element showed the excellent flux stability caused by cleaning ability of VSA process. Simultaneous back- washing with VSA considerably enhances cleaning efficiency. Form the result, the possibility of the replacement of chemical coagulation and sand filtration process with newly developed VSA process was revealed.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.232-239
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• 2017

In this study, the regeneration investigation for waste reverse osmosis membrane filters which were discarded after use for the household water purifiers has been carried out. Sodium hydroxide, sodium bisulfate, and ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid(EDTA). as the chemical cleaning agents were used. And they were in-situ cleaned with the micro-bubble generator as well. The best result was obtained when both 0.1% EDTA and micro-bubbles were used for 30 min cleaning. Thus, when the performance of the brand new RO membrane and restorated RO membrane were compared, the flux, 19.9%, the recovery ratio 45% were enhanced while the salt rejection was reduced for NaCl 100 mg/L solution, in other words, it has been recovered to the original brand new RO membrane filter. Also the removal of pollutants on membrane surface was confirmed in a naked eye through the scanning electron microscopy. Finally, this research has provided the possibility of the re-use of the waste RO membrane filters of household water purifier which were reclaimed or incinerated after use.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.981-987
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• 2011

Biologically treated water contains a large quantity of organic matters and microorganisms which can cause various problems to membrane. The membrane fouling occurred by these reasons is hard to control by single physical cleaning. This study analyzes the efficiency of aeration with chemical backwashing and foulants removal during chemical backwashing. The cleaning efficiency improves when the chemical concentration is high and the contact time of chemical is long. Chemical backwashing with aeration shows exceptional cleaning efficiency which leads the physical cleaning is required during chemical backwashing since it forms flow inside the membrane submerged tank. From the foulants removal analysis, the particles such as turbidity and TOC removal rate increase when the aeration is applied. Dissolved matter of DOC and UV254 removal is dependent on higher chemical concentration. According to FTIR analysis, one of major foulants, the polysaccharide is controlled by the chemical backwashing with aeration condition.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.399-405
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• 2011

In a desalination technology using RO membranes, chemical cleaning makes damage for membrane surface and membrane life be shortened. In this research cleaning technology using direct osmosis (DO) was introduced to apply it under the condition of high pH and high concentration of feed. When the high concentration of feed is injected to the concentrate side after release of operating pressure, then backward flow occurred from treated water toward concentrated for osmotic pressure. This flow reduces fouling on the membrane surface. Namely, flux of DO was monitored under pH 3, 5, 10 and 12 conditions at feed concentrations of NaCl 40,000 mg/L, 120,000 mg/L and 160,000 mg/L. As a result, DO flux in pH 12 increased about 21% than pH 3. DO cleaning was performed under the concentrate NaCl 160,000 mg/L of pH 12 during 20 minutes. Three kinds of synthetic feed water were used as concentrates. They consisted of organic, inorganic and seawater; chemicals of SiO2 (200 mg/L), humic acid (50 mg/L) sodium alginate (50 mg/L) and seawater. As a result, fluxes were recovered to 17% in organic fouling, 15% in inorganic fouling and 14% of seawater fouling after cleaning using DO under the condition of concentrate NaCl 160,000 mg/L of pH 12.