Fouling mechanism during refined process of Qingluo Tongbi Decoction by inorganic ceramic membrane / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the fouling mechanism during the filtration of traditional Chinese medicine decoction by inorganic ceramic membrane so as to make a valuable exploration both on membrane fouling prevention and the industrialization of membrane separation technology in the field of Chinese materia medica. Methods Micro-filtrating Qingluo Tongbi Decoction using alumina ceramic membrane, researching the applicability of the membrane with different pore sizes, observing the fouling on membrane surface by scanning electron microscopy, studying the resistance distribution of membrane in filtration process, analyzing the fouling existence shape, position, and forming rule. Results In this system, alumina membrane with the pore size of 0.2 ?m was most suitable, which had the biggest permeating flux and reservation rate of effective component with less fouling. Among the alumina membranes with three different pore sizes, auto resistance and pore block resistance made up inferior percentage in total resistance, fouling resistance distribution mainly consisted of the reversible resistance, such as concentration polarization and gel layer resistance. Conclusion Optimizing parameters of the techniques in membrane process, using suitable pretreatment method and cleaning method can reduce membrance fouling and make the memberane property recover.