A novel cleaning agent specialized for organic induced fouling of ceramic membranes

Abstract

With the increasing application of ceramic membranes in wastewater treatment, maintaining their long-term operational performance is critical. This study proposes a novel cleaning agent (SP-NaOH), composed of sodium persulfate (SP) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), developed for the efficient and rapid removal of organic fouling from ceramic membranes. The optimal formulation – 0.5 M SP and 2.0 M NaOH in a 4:1 M ratio – was identified through comprehensive membrane autopsy and performance evaluation. A 30 min cleaning with SP-NaOH achieved 87.5 % total organic carbon (TOC) removal and nearly complete permeability recovery, while preserving membrane integrity. However, prolonged exposure (240 min) led to significant physical and chemical membrane degradation. Compared to conventional cleaning agents such as NaOH, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and citric acid (CA), SP-NaOH exhibited superior cleaning performance, restoring 98.3 ± 1.2 % of membrane permeability while maintaining both hydrophilicity and surface charge. These preliminarily results suggest that SP-NaOH offers a promising, rapid, and effective cleaning strategy for ceramic membranes in advanced wastewater treatment applications. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.