Fouling of filtration membranes used in desalination and separating of dairy products occurs when particles get deposited on the filter over time, clogging the system and limiting its effectiveness and efficiency. Efforts to clean, or de-foul, these membranes have typically relied on chemical processes, which result in losses in productivity and profit while raising environmental and workplace safety concerns associated with waste disposal. A team of researchers from the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering has found an alternative, reports Tech Xplore. The team has developed a system that can mechanically clean membranes using controlled deformation. Their approach, one of the first to combine membranes and mechanics, has the potential to be cheaper, faster, and more environmentally friendly than traditional membrane cleaning techniques, and could revolutionize the way we think about filtration.

https://techxplore.com/news/2021-05-mechanical-approach-efficiently-desalination-membranes.html