What is the procedure for cleaning RO membranes? What CIP chemicals should be used?
RO membrane cleaning should be performed with high and low pH CIP chemicals. The high pH cleaning should always be performed first to penetrate and disperse biological or organic foulants. Specialty high pH cleaning chemicals more effective...
Does reverse osmosis desalination of sea water remove viruses from the product water?
Yes, viruses are substantially removed by reverse osmosis membranes. However, studies performed have shown varying viral removal efficacy, varying from 2 log removal (99% rejection) to 5.9 log removal (99.99987% rejection). This is believed...
What is the maximum Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4) level in brine side that A-102 plus can deal with?
A-102 Plus can handle up to 300% calcium sulfate saturation on the brine side. CaSO4 saturation will vary according to concentrations of dissolved calcium and sulfates, temperature and salinity. If you already have high sulfate levels, avoi...
How do I determine anti-scalant dosage for a 2300 gpd R/O unit, when CaCO3 is 255 gpg?
When calculating antiscalant dosage, inhibition of all scales must be considered. Potentials scales that can form are: Calcium carbonate Calcium phosphate Calcium fluoride Calcium sulfate Barium sulfate Strontium sulfate metal hydroxides (i...
What is the disadvantage of raw water disinfection by chlorine in RO desalination?
Chlorine will irreversibly damage a polyamide RO membrane, and as such, a chlorine residual cannot be allowed to contact the membrane. This means that once you dechlorinate, surviving bacteria will once again flourish, and dead bacteria wil...
Can Sulfuric acid or HCl be used with the addition of Citric acid for the control of iron and other scales in a reverse osmosis plant?
First and foremost, citric acid is a highly assimilable organic acid – this means that it would act as a carbon source for growth of microorganisms. In the few cases we’ve come across where citric acid was being dosed continuously int...
Is sodium metabisulfite an effective disinfectant for my RO system?
Sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) is not a disinfectant. SMBS dissolved in water converts to sodium bisulfite. When dosed online at high dosages, it is an oxygen scavenger and many biofilm forming bacteria are anaerobic, making oxygen scavengin...
How can I clean a membrane that has been clogged with suspended solids and sludge?
This is a very common problem and there is no single solution. Some suspended solids consist of natural organic matter (NOM) or dead bacteria, and can be removed by performing a high pH cleaning. Other suspended solids (such as limest...
Can hydrogen peroxide be used effectively in place of sodium bisulfite for dechlorination of seawater RO feedwater? We are concerned about dissolved oxygen levels in the concentrate that is disposed back into the sea…
Q: Can hydrogen peroxide be used effectively in place of sodium bisulfite for dechlorination of seawater RO feedwater? We are concerned about dissolved oxygen levels in the concentrate that is disposed back into the sea… Sodium sulfite ...
How can we determine whether the membranes in our Reverse Osmosis system are damaged?
There are two major symptoms that we typically associate with membrane damage: 1. Increase in permeate conductivity coupled without a loss in productivity, or in extreme cases, with an increased productivity– this could indicate delaminat...