• Membrane Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.252-260
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• 2009

The effects of the treatment of an acidic solution at pH 2 on polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were investigated using a circular cross-flow filtration bench with a membrane module. A substantial reduction in the membrane permeability was observed after 80 hours' treatment of the acidic solution. In addition, the analyses of the sample solutions by ultraviolet/visible absorption spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which were taken from the feed tank as a function of the treatment time, showed that a new organic compound was produced in the course of the treatment. From a thorough search of the mass spectral library we presumed the new compound to be 1,6-dioxacyclododecane-7,12-dione (DCD), one of the well-known additives for polyurethane. Based on further experimental results, including the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and the solid-state NMR spectra of the membranes used for the treatment of the acidic solution, we suggested that the decrease of the permeate flux resulted not from the deformation of the membranes, but from the fouling by DCD eluted from the polyurethane tubes in the filtration bench during the treatment. Those results imply that the reactivity to an acidic solution of the parts comprising the filtration bench is as important as that of the membranes themselves for effective treatments of acidic solutions, for efficient chemical cleaning by strong acids, and also in determining the pH limit of the solutions that can be treated by the membranes.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.487-494
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• 2005

Nowadays a large amount of wastewater containing metal working fluids and cleaning agents is generated during the cleaning process of parts working in various industries of automobile, machine and metal, and electronics etc. In this study, aqueous or semi-aqueous cleaning wastewater contaminated with soluble or nonsoluble oils was treated using ultrafiltration system. And the membrane permeability flux and performance of oil-water separation (or COD removal efficiency) of the ultrafiltration system employing PAN as its membrane material were measured at various operating conditions with change of membrane pore sizes and soil concentrations of wastewater and examined their suitability for wastewater treatment contaminated with soluble or insoluble oil. As a result, in case of wastewater contaminated with soluble oil and aqueous or semi-aqueous cleaning agent, the membrane permeability increased rapidly even though COD removal efficiency was almost constant as 90 or 95％ as the membrane pore size increased from 10 kDa to 100 kDa. However, in case of the wastewater contaminated with nonsoluble oil and aqueous or semi-aqueous cleaning agent, as the membrane pore size increased from 10 kDa to 100 kDa and the soil concentration of wastewater increased, the membrane permeability was reduced rapidly while COD removal efficiency was almost constant. These phenomena explain that since the membrane material is hydrophilic PAN material, it blocks nonsoluble oil and reduces membrane permeability. Thus, it can be concluded that the aqueous or semi-aqueous cleaning solution contaminated with soluble oil can be treated by ultrafiltration system with the membrane of PAN material and its pore size of 100 kDa. Based on these basic experimental results, a pilot plant facility of ultrafiltration system with PAN material and 100 kDa pore size was designed, installed and operated in order to treat and recycle alkaline cleaning solution contaminated with deep drawing oil. As a result of its field application, the ultrafiltration system was able to separate aqueous cleaning solution and soluble oil effectively, and recycle them. Further more, it can increase life span of aqueous cleaning solution 12 times compared with the previous process.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.283-289
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• 2013

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coating solution containing glutaraldehyde (GA) and maleic anhydride (MA) as crosslinking agents was coated onto hydrolyzed poly acrylonitrile (PAN) hollow fiber membranes. The permselectivities of the resulting composite membranes prepared varying the reaction temperature and the concentration of the crosslinking agents were tested for 90 wt% ethanol aqueous mixtures by the pervaporation technique at $60^{\circ}C$. In general, the flux decreased while the selectivity increased for the increases of the reaction temperature and the crosslinking concentration. In case of GA as a crosslinking, the flux $165g/m^2hr$ and the separation factor 81 were obtained at GA 11 wt% and the reaction temperature $120^{\circ}C$. And for the case of MA, the flux $174g/m^2hr$ and the separation factor 73 were obtained at MA 11 wt% and the reaction temperature $120^{\circ}C$.