Journal of Supercritical Fluids, Vol.136, 12-20, 2018
Porous membrane cleaning using supercritical carbon dioxide. Part 1: Experimental investigation and analysis of transport properties
The process of porous membrane cleaning using supercritical carbon dioxide was investigated experimentally in order to assess the potential of replacing liquid organic solvents used in standard membrane cleaning techniques. Cleaning microfiltration membranes contaminated with soybean oil was considered, and a reference process with liquid propan-2-ol as solvent was analyzed. The effect of process parameters (temperature, pressure, process time, solvent flow rate, solvent type) on the course of the membrane cleaning process was assessed. The transport properties of the fluids involved in the process were analyzed in order to explain their influence on the process rate and for comparison of the effectiveness of using both solvents. Running the cleaning process at high pressures is favorable both in terms of high process rate and low energy demand. Although the investigated process is considerably slower than the reference process, it exhibits significant advantages in terms of process safety and waste production.
Keywords:Porous media;Mass transfer;Supercritical carbon dioxide;Micsofiltradon membrane;Cleaning;Supercritical fluid extraction