Membrane fouling is one of the most significant issues to overcome in membrane-based technologies as it causes a decrease in the membrane flux and increases operational costs. This study investigates the effect of common chemical cleaning agents on polymeric nanofibrous membranes (PNM) prepared by polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and polyamide 6 (PA6) nanofibers. Common alkaline and acid membrane cleaners were selected as the chemical cleaning agents. Membrane surface morphology was investigated. The PAN PNM were selected and fouled by engine oil and then cleaned by the different chemical cleaning agents at various ratios. The SEM results indicated that the use of chemical agents had some effects on the surface of the nanofibrous membranes. Moreover, alkaline cleaning of the fouled membrane using the Triton X 100 surfactant showed a two to five times higher flux recovery than without using a surfactant. Among the tested chemical agents, the highest flux recovery rate was obtained by a binary solution of 5% sodium hydroxide + Triton for alkaline cleaning, and an individual solution of 1% citric acid for acidic cleaning. The results presented here provide one of the first investigations into the chemical cleaning of nanofiber membranes.
Keywords: PAN; chemical agents; cleaning; membrane; microfiltration; nanofiber.