Real-time fouling monitoring in food and biorefining industries – Needs and possibilities

Abstract

Fouling is a constant challenge in membrane-based technologies. As conventional fouling monitoring and control methods are often based on process performance or product quality, they might reveal fouling so late that it has already damaged the membrane in severe and non-reversible way. Thus, surface sensitive online monitoring techniques capable of providing early warning capacity and information about extent, quality and distribution of foulants accumulated on the surface of the membrane are needed. Despite the evident advantages of different real-time monitoring tools, adaptation of them in fouling-concerned food and biorefining industries has not been widely published. Hence, this study aims to explore views on importance, usability and potential of real-time membrane fouling monitoring techniques in the field of these industries. Interview survey was conducted to identify properties needed in real-time fouling monitoring, to find out how established different techniques are in practice and what kind of challenges have been faced in the implementation of in situ tools. Interviews were chosen to concentrate on industrial practitioners working with membranes and persons involved in sales of analysis instruments. To get and overview of the emerging techniques the future perspective is also discussed based on interviews and recently published literature

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