What are the reasons for the damage of the filter membrane?

A filter membrane is a membrane material used to filter water or other liquids, which can effectively filter out suspended solids, microorganisms, organic matter, etc. Although filter membranes are widely used in water treatment, food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and other fields, in some cases, filter membranes are very easy to cause damage during use. What is the reason?

First of all, you must know that the filter membrane is a relatively fragile material that is easily scratched or perforated, thereby affecting its filtering effect. In addition, the high pressure in the filter can cause damage to the membrane.

The following is a summary of the reasons for the damage of the filter membrane:

1. The pressure used in the filtration process is too high. When the water pressure exceeds the range that the filter membrane can withstand, the filter membrane will be damaged. Because the pressure is too high, excessive external pressure will be applied to the filter membrane, which exceeds its bearing capacity, resulting in damage to the filter membrane. During the filtration process, liquid or gas must pass through the tiny pores of the filter membrane to achieve the purpose of separating impurities and purifying. When the pressure is too high, the fluid is forced through the pores faster, increasing the impact force. When this impact force exceeds the strength of the material from which the filter membrane is made, it can lead to breakage.

Therefore, when using the filter membrane, it is very important to control the filter pressure reasonably. If the pressure is too high, the filter membrane will be more easily polluted and difficult to clean, which will increase the frequency and cost of replacing the filter membrane. The most important thing is that the filtering effect will also damage the filter membrane and fail to meet the standard.

2. Water quality problems: If the water contains large particles of dirt, silt, calcium and magnesium, etc., these substances will be blocked by the filter membrane, resulting in excessive accumulation of impurities on the filter membrane and damage. Because the particles and sediment contained in the water source will accumulate on the membrane to form a barrier, which increases the resistance of the filtration membrane, and also erodes the surface of the membrane, causing damage. High concentrations of organic substances in water such as humic acid, isoflavones, phytic acid, etc. block the pore size of the filter membrane. Accumulating over time will cause the membrane pore to be filled and cause irreversible membrane rupture. Abnormal pH and residual chemical substances, if the pH value of the water source is too high or too low, it will lead to the dissolution of the membrane surface and the change of bio-adhesion rate, which will rapidly deteriorate the quality of the membrane. When there are chemical residues such as chlorine gas disinfectant and cleaning agent in the filter medium, if they are not discarded or processed accurately, it will also have a great impact on the membrane.

3. Improper maintenance and abnormal operation, the filter membrane needs to be replaced regularly or cleaned and maintained. Improper maintenance or timely replacement can lead to various problems with the filter membrane, including breakage. It can also be seen from the above analysis that abnormal operations during the filtration process, such as excessive water pressure, sudden stop of the pump, and change of the stop valve position, can easily damage the filter membrane.

4. The filter membrane is aging, and nothing will be used permanently. Similarly, the filter membrane will also have its life cycle. Frequent use and longer time, the filter membrane should be cleaned frequently in addition to normal filtration. Maintenance, aging over time becomes brittle and thus prone to cracking.

In short, if you want to avoid damage to the filter membrane, you should choose a product that suits your needs, and strengthen daily maintenance work.

Citation

1.zhang, j., et al. (2018). "membrane fouling and damage caused by ferrate(vi) in a sumerged membrane bioreactor." bioresource technology 261: 337-344.

2.wang, l., et al. (2020). "effect of silver nanoparticles on the structure and function of a pvdf ultrafiltration membrane during water treatment." journal of membrane science 616: 118511.

3.li, y., et al. (2019). "effects of chloramine on the performance and membrane damage of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor." chemosphere 237: 124466.