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Dissolved Carbon Dioxide For Scale Removal In Reverse Osmosis, Erin Partlan
Dissolved Carbon Dioxide For Scale Removal In Reverse Osmosis, Erin Partlan
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Membrane fouling is a major operational issue in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants. In particular, plants treating brackish groundwater can encounter troublesome inorganic scales, including carbonates, sulfates, and silicates. A novel cleaning method is proposed to remove inorganic scales from fouled RO membranes usinag dissolved CO 2 . As CO2 molecules encounter membrane foulants, the surfaces serve as nucleation sites for small bubbles to form and shear off foulants. Dissolved CO2 solutions were prepared by bubbling CO2 gas into water held in a pressure vessel. Gas dissolution was confirmed by enhanced exit velocities for water containing CO …