Contamination and Cleaning of Ceramic Membrane in Phosphate Slurry Dewatering and Filtration Processes

Ceramic membrane dewatering and filtration technology is effective in reducing the water content of the phosphate slurry. However, membrane fouling remains an unavoidable issue. Herein, by investigating the mechanism of membrane contamination and developing innovative cleaning solutions, we can effectively address this issue. The main fouling form of ceramic membranes was observed to be complete blockage through analysis of the fouling process at various pollution time intervals by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mathematical model fitting. In addition, after cleaning severely contaminated membranes with a pollution rate of approximately 90%, a cleaning agent composed of surfactants, acid-washing agents, chelating agents, and auxiliaries was developed to address the phosphate contaminants. Owing to the combined effect of the detergent components, heavily soiled ceramic membranes can achieve a high flux recovery rate of over 90% after cleaning. This work offers new insights into ceramic membrane fouling and cleaning during phosphate slurry filtration.