Membrane cleaning solution and method of accelerated membrane cleaning using the same
AssigneeDiversey, Inc.
InventorsFlemming Skou, Sandy te Poele, Harry Kany
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cleaning solution for accelerated cleaning of a membrane having an enzyme and an agent having a pH that is compatible with the enzyme. The cleaning solution may additionally include one or both of a binding agent and a surfactant. Once the cleaning solution has been included in a solution that is used to contact the membrane for a defined period of time, one or both of a binding agent and a reducing agent may be added to the solution that has contacted the membrane. Optionally, one or both of increasing a pH of the solution and increasing a temperature of the solution may be used to reduce an activity of the enzyme.
Claims21
A method of cleaning a membrane, the method comprising:
- pre-rinsing the membrane;
- cleaning the membrane using a solution comprising an enzyme and a buffer having a pH compatible with the enzyme, the solution having a temperature compatible with the membrane;
- preventing any divalent ions in the solution from precipitation;
- reducing an activity of the enzyme by adding a first binding agent capable of deactivating the enzyme to the solution, wherein the reducing activity of the enzyme is performed up to about 40 minutes,
- wherein the first binding agent is chosen from:
- ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or any salt thereof, (hydroxyethyl) ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA) or any salt thereof, potassium tripolyphosphate (KTPP), a phosphonic acid or any salt thereof, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) or any salt thereof, diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) or any salt thereof, glutamic acid diacetic acid (GLDA) or any salt thereof, methylglycinediacetic acid (MGDA) or any salt thereof, iminodisuccinc acid (IDS) or any salt thereof, aminocarboxylic acids or any salt thereof, hydroxyethane diphosphonic acid (HEDP) or any salt thereof, amino tris(methylenephosphonic acid) (ATMP) or any salt thereof, 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC) or any salt thereof, ethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMP) or any salt thereof, diethylenetriamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid) (DTPMP) or any salt thereof, polyacrylate, acrylic acid-maleic acid copolymer or any salt thereof, or any combination thereof, and
- wherein the method is without rinsing the solution from the membrane between the time the solution is contacted with the membrane to the time used for reducing the activity of the enzyme;
- and
- post-rinsing the membrane for removal of the solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.