# US 2018/0021735 A1 · Method for identifying the type of clogging in a membrane filtration apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0021735 A1 - Document ID: US20180021735A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/540,082 - Filed: 2015-12-29 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-31 - Assignees: Realco - Applicants: Realco S.A. - Inventors: Gordon BLACKMAN; Sébastien FASTREZ - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180021735A1 ## CPC - B01D 65/02: Membrane cleaning or sterilisation {; Membrane regeneration} - A23C 7/02: Chemical cleaning of dairy apparatus; Use of sterilisation methods therefor - B01D 65/109: {Testing of membrane fouling or clogging, e.g. amount or affinity} - C11D 3/38618: {Protease or amylase in liquid compositions only} - C11D 3/38627: {containing lipase} - C11D 3/38636: {containing enzymes other than protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, oxidase or reductase} - C11D 3/38645: {containing cellulase} - B01D 2321/166: Use of enzymatic agents - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - A23C: DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; PREPARATION THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B11/00) - C11D: DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL ## Abstract The present invention relates to a method for processing a membrane filtration apparatus having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, said method comprising a first step a) of supplying and flowing a first enzyme solution comprising at least one protease through said membrane filtration apparatus for a first predetermined time period, said first step a) being followed by a first measurement, performed at said at least one fluid inlet and/or said at least one fluid outlet of said membrane filtration apparatus, of at least one first parameter value making it possible to characterize the fluid flowing within said membrane filtration apparatus, said at least one first measured parameter value being compared to a value of the same parameter measured before step a). ## Claims ### Claim 1 Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, said method comprising a first step a) of supplying and flowing, through said membrane filtration apparatus for a first predetermined period of time, a first enzyme solution comprising at least one protease, said first step a) being followed by a first measurement, carried out at said at least one fluid inlet and/or at said at least one fluid outlet of said membrane filtration apparatus, of at least one first value of a parameter for characterising the fluid flowing in said membrane filtration apparatus, this at least one first measured value of a parameter being compared with a measured value of this same parameter prior to step a), said method being characterised in that it comprises, for identifying the nature of the clogging present in said membrane filtration apparatus, a second step b) of supplying and flowing in said membrane filtration apparatus, for a second predetermined period of time, a second enzyme solution comprising at least one enzyme other than a protease, said second step b) being followed by a second measurement, carried out at said at least one fluid inlet and/or at said at least one fluid outlet of said membrane filtration apparatus, of at least one second value of a parameter for characterising the fluid flowing in said membrane filtration apparatus, this at least one second measured value of a parameter being compared with a measured value of this same parameter prior to step b), said steps a) and b) being implemented in any order. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said second step b) of supplying and flowing a second enzyme solution comprising at least one enzyme other than a protease is based on a supply and a flow of at least one enzyme chosen from the group consisting of α-polysaccharidases (lactase, amylase, alpha-glucosidase, etc.), β-polysaccharidases (β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, cellulase, hemicellulase, β-glucanase, arabanase, pectinase, chitinase, xylanase, dextranase, lysozyme, pullulanase, β-glucisidase, mannanase, etc.), oxidoreductases (laccase, etc.), lyases (pectate lyase, etc.), transferases, lipases and esterases (lysophospholipase, phospholipase, etc.) and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that it also comprises at least one additional step c) of supplying and flowing in said membrane filtration apparatus for a third predetermined period of time a third enzyme solution comprising at least one enzyme chosen from the group consisting of α-polysaccharidases (lactase, amylase, alpha-glucosidase, etc.), β-polysaccharidases (β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, cellulase, hemicellulase, β-glucanase, arabanase, pectinase, chitinase, xylanase, dextranase, lysozyme, pullulanase, β-glucisidase, mannanase, etc.), oxidoreductases (laccase, etc.), lyases (pectate lyase, etc.), transferases, proteases and peptidases (metallo-protease, serine-proteases, exo-peptidase, endo-protease, cystine-protease, etc.), and lipases and esterases (lysophospholipase, phospholipase, etc.) and mixtures thereof, an additional measurement of at least one value of a parameter, making it possible to characterise the fluid flowing in said membrane filtration apparatus, then being able to be carried out at said at least one fluid inlet and/or said at least one fluid outlet of said membrane filtration apparatus following this additional step c), this at least one measured value of a parameter being compared with a measured value of this same parameter prior to this additional step c). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises an initial step d) of supplying and flowing in said membrane filtration apparatus, for a fourth predetermined period time, a detergent solution comprising at least one sequestering agent and/or at least one dispersant and/or at least one wetting agent. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises at least one step of effecting a jump in pH implemented in order to achieve a pH of between 9 and 10 by adding an alkaline compound in said membrane filtration apparatus, said jump in pH being performed: before steps a) and/or b), or after steps a) and/or b), or after steps d) and/or c), steps d) and/or c), a) and/or b) then being carried out sequentially. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises a final additional step of increase in pH in order to achieve a pH of between 10 and 11 by adding an alkaline compound in said membrane filtration apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said first, second, third and fourth predetermined periods of time have a duration of between 5 and 60 minutes, preferably between 20 and 30 minutes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that at least said step a) is performed at a temperature of between 20° and 60° C., preferably between 40° and 50° C. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said enzyme solutions comprise a detergent phase as a solvent. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that an additional identification of the presence of biofilms implemented by supplying and flowing in said membrane filtration apparatus a composition comprising at least one detergent component and at least one enzyme component, said enzyme component comprising at least one laccase and/or at least one polysaccharidase and/or at least one protease and said detergent component comprising at least one sequestering compound, a dispersing compound and a wetting compound. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Method for treating a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that an additional identification of the presence of metal ions is implemented by supplying and flowing a composition comprising a sequestering agent and/or a dispersant. ### Claim 12 Kit for identifying the nature of clogging present in a membrane filtration apparatus, said kit comprising at least: c) a first enzyme solution comprising at least one protease; d) a second enzyme solution comprising at least one enzyme other than a protease. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) Kit for identifying the nature of clogging present in a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 12, characterised in that said at least one enzyme other than a protease is chosen from the group consisting of α-polysaccharidases (lactase, amylase, alpha-glucosidase, etc.), β-polysaccharidases (β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, cellulase, hemicellulase, β-glucanase, arabanase, pectinase, chitinase, xylanase, dextranase, lysozyme, pullulanase, β-glucisidase, mannanase, etc.), oxidoreductases (laccase, etc.), lyases (pectate lyase, etc.), transferases, lipases and esterases (lysophospholipase, phospholipase, etc.) and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) Kit for identifying the nature of clogging present in a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 12, characterised in that it further comprises a third enzyme solution comprising at least one enzyme chosen from the group consisting of α-polysaccharidases (lactase, amylase, alpha-glucosidase, etc.), β-polysaccharidases (β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, cellulase, hemicellulase, β-glucanase, arabanase, pectinase, chitinase, xylanase, dextranase, lysozyme, pullulanase, β-glucisidase, mannanase, etc.), oxidoreductases (laccase, etc.), lyases (pectate lyase, etc.), transferases, proteases and peptidases (metallo-protease, serine-proteases, exo-peptidase, endo-protease, cystine-protease, etc.), and lipases and esterases (lysophospholipase, phospholipase, etc.) and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) Kit for identifying the nature of clogging present in a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a detergent solution comprising at least one sequestering agent and/or at least one dispersing agent and/or at least one wetting agent. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) Kit for identifying the nature of clogging present in a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a detergent solution comprising at least one detergent component and at least one enzyme component, said enzyme component comprising at least one laccase and/or at least one polysaccharidase and/or at least one protease and said detergent component comprising at least one sequestering compound, a dispersing compound and a wetting compound. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) Kit for identifying the nature of clogging present in a membrane filtration apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a detergent solution comprising a composition comprising a sequestering agent and/or a dispersing agent.