Use of extended surfactants in process membrane cleaning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12311320-B2
Application number	US-202217652146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2022
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed are membrane separation cleaning processes and clean in place compositions for such membranes. The cleaning compositions can remove proteins, fats, and other food, beverage, and brewery based soils and offer an environmentally friendly alternative surfactant system to NPE. Branched extended chain PO/EO nonionic surfactants with certain characteristics may be used to provide superior cleaning to membranes. The specific surfactants may be used alone or in combination. In some embodiments, the surfactant package is used as part of a cleaning composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cleaning a filtration membrane comprising:
applying to said membrane a cleaning composition comprising;
a source of alkalinity; and
one or more branched extended nonionic surfactants with a contact angle of less than 20 degrees, a cloud point of 50° C. or higher, wherein said branched extended nonionic surfactant has the following formula:
R-[L] x -[O-CH2-CH2 ]y

where R is 2 ethyl hexyl, L is a propylene oxide (PO) linking group, x is the chain length of the linking group ranging from 2-25, and y is the average degree of ethoxylation ranging from 2 to 20; and thereafter
rinsing said membrane, wherein said cleaning composition is nonyl phenol ethoxylate (NPE) free.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said y is 6 or 9.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said cleaning composition further comprises a Guerbet alcohol.

4. The method according to any of claim 3 wherein said Guerbet alcohol is a 3 propyl heptanol C10-(PO)a(EO)b series, where a is 1.0 to 1.5, and b is 4 to 14.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said membrane is a polyethersulfone membrane.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said membrane is a polyvinylidene fluoride membrane.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said membrane is a polyvinylidene fluoride membrane.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said membrane is a polyamide and/or thin film composite membrane.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said membrane is a ceramic membrane.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein said membrane is a stainless steel membrane.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein said cleaning composition has an interfacial tension of less than 7 mN/m.

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Schacht Paul Frazer
• Power Caleb
• Lascotte Keith G
• Irey Elizabeth
• Soontravanich Sukhwan

Classifications

• B01D2321/168

  Use of other chemical agents · CPC title

• B01D71/68

  Polysulfones; Polyethersulfones · CPC title

• B01D71/34

  Polyvinylidene fluoride · CPC title

• A23C2210/20

  Treatment using membranes, including sterile filtration · CPC title

• A23C9/14

  in which the chemical composition of the milk is modified by non-chemical treatment · CPC title