Skim milk was ultrafiltrated to concentration factor (CF) 6 at 50°C, 3.0kg/cm
2, and 2.4m/sec. Module UFP 10 (Rhone-Poulenc Co.) equipped with a polyacrylnitrile (PAN) membrane or a polysulfone (PS) membrane was used.
Visible gels were observed on both membranes after ultrafiltration (UF) of reconstituted skim milk but not after OF concentration of fresh skim milk. Fluxes of both membranes were almost the same and were about 10
l/m
2•hr at CF 6.
The fouled membranes were cleaned successively in three steps: (1) water cleaning, (2) hand cleaning with a soft sponge to remove deposits on the membrane surface and (3) alkali detergent cleaning. Fluxes were not restored by steps (1) and (2), but step (3) restored the membrane. The protein contents of the alkali-cleaning solution increased with cleaning time. These results suggested that membrane fouling here is probably due to the milk proteins in the membrane pores.
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