Analysis and characterization of membrane fouling of ultrafiltration separation for oil-in-water emulsion

Ultrafiltration membrane fouling and cleaning in the process of oil-in-water emulsion treatment was investigated. The effects of flow velocity and feed emulsion temperature on the membrane surface fouling and the permeate flux are discussed. The results show that the effects of the feed temperature and cross-flow velocity on the reduction of membrane fouling axe significant at higher emulsion concentration, while at lower emulsion concentration the influence of feed temperature on membrane fouling is not obvious. The fouled membrane surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy and the chemical composition of foulants was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The experimental results show that the permeability of ultrafiltration membrane can be recovered with the help of a micellar solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate-pentan-1-ol-water.