Preliminary Study on Enzymatic-Based Cleaning of Cation-Exchange Membranes Used in Electrodialysis System in Red Wine Production

Myriam Bdiri; Asma Bensghaier; Lobna Chaabane; Anton Kozmai; Lassaad Baklouti; Christian Larchet

doi:10.3390/membranes9090114

Preliminary Study on Enzymatic-Based Cleaning of Cation-Exchange Membranes Used in Electrodialysis System in Red Wine Production

Membranes (Basel). 2019 Sep 3;9(9):114. doi: 10.3390/membranes9090114.

Authors

Myriam Bdiri¹, Asma Bensghaier², Lobna Chaabane², Anton Kozmai³, Lassaad Baklouti⁴, Christian Larchet²

Affiliations

¹ Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris-Est (ICMPE), Université Paris-Est, UMR 7182 CNRS, 2 Rue Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais, France. myriam.bdiri@u-pec.fr.
² Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris-Est (ICMPE), Université Paris-Est, UMR 7182 CNRS, 2 Rue Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais, France.
³ Membrane Institute, Kuban State University, 149 Stavropolskaya Street, 350040 Krasnodar, Russia.
⁴ Department of Chemistry Sciences and Arts College, Al-Rass province Qassim University, BP35, (KSA) 58876, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

The use of enzymatic agents as biological solutions for cleaning ion-exchange membranes fouled by organic compounds during electrodialysis (ED) treatments in the food industry could be an interesting alternative to chemical cleanings implemented at an industrial scale. This paper is focused on testing the cleaning efficiency of three enzyme classes (β-glucanase, protease, and polyphenol oxidase) chosen for their specific actions on polysaccharides, proteins, and phenolic compounds, respectively, fouled on a homogeneous cation-exchange membrane (referred CMX-Sb) used for tartaric stabilization of red wine by ED in industry. First, enzymatic cleaning tests were performed using each enzyme solution separately with two different concentrations (0.1 and 1.0 g/L) at different incubation temperatures (30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 °C). The evolution of membrane parameters (electrical conductivity, ion-exchange capacity, and contact angle) was determined to estimate the efficiency of the membrane's principal action as well as its side activities. Based on these tests, we determined the optimal operating conditions for optimal recovery of the studied characteristics. Then, cleaning with three successive enzyme solutions or the use of two enzymes simultaneously in an enzyme mixture were tested taking into account the optimal conditions of their enzymatic activity (concentration, temperatures, and pH). This study led to significant results, indicating effective external and internal cleaning by the studied enzymes (a recovery of at least 25% of the electrical conductivity, 14% of the ion-exchange capacity, and 12% of the contact angle), and demonstrated the presence of possible enzyme combinations for the enhancement of the global cleaning efficiency or reducing cleaning durations. These results prove, for the first time, the applicability of enzymatic cleanings to membranes, the inertia of their action towards polymer matrix to the extent that the choice of enzymes is specific to the fouling substrates.

Keywords: enzymatic cleaning; ion-exchange membrane; organic fouling; tartaric stabilization of wine.