Blocking mechanism of PES membrane during ultrafiltration of POME

• Membrane fouling is the main hurdle of membrane filtration.
• The study showed that different types of blocking mechanism were dominant during POME treatment.
• The optimum conditions were found to be 5 bars, 40 °C and pH of 9.05.
• The reduction of environmental parameters can reach more than 80%.

Ultrafiltration (UF) is one of the options for secondary treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME). However, membrane fouling is still a major problem in this process. The effects of pressure, temperature, pH and ionic strength on flux decline were further studied using Hermia's model. It was found that standard blocking, cake layer, and intermediate blocking can be dominant mechanisms depending on the operating conditions. The rejections of some parameters were also investigated. The optimum conditions were found to be 5 bars, 40 °C and pH of 9.05. Hydrophobicity of the membrane can also influence the percentage rejection of parameters.

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