MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND POLYMERIC MATERIALS Cleaning of Microfiltration Membranes for Filtration of Aqueous Extract of Marsh Mallow

Cleaning of a microfiltration membrane was studied using various chemicals. The activation energy and cleaning constant were estimated for alkaline cleaning. Baromembrane filtration methods (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis) are widely used in processing of synthetic and natural high-molecular-weight compounds for their concentra- tion, desalination (removal of low-molecular-weight compounds from solutions of macromolecules), and fractionation (1). Among the most important problems arising in using membrane filtration in biotechnology and food and pharmaceutical industries is that the membrane throughput decreases in the course of filtration (2 4), which is caused by such factors as increase in the con- centration of components retained at the membrane surface (5, 6) and adsorption of colloids, microor- ganisms, and organic compounds on the surface and in the pores of the membrane (6, 7). Both these factors reduce the effective pore size, thus increasing the re- sistance of the membrane to the flux (8).