Enhancement of Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) Using Chemical Cleaning to Control Fouling and Scaling on Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Membrane Full-Scale Plant Producing Demineralized Water in Central Java

Abstract

Despite recent advances in membrane technology for sustainable water treatment, fouling remains a key challenge to long-term performance, as it leads to surface deposits and concentration polarization. To address this issue, this study evaluates the effectiveness of cleaning-in-place (CIP) in controlling fouling and scaling in a seawater reverse osmosis system at Sumber Segara Primadaya Co. Ltd. Evaluation parameters include pressure drop, flux recovery ratio, salt rejection recovery, and membrane characterization before and after cleaning. The CIP process showed positive results, as indicated by the recovery of differential pressure (∆P) to its initial condition. The membrane flow rate also returned to its original value of 103–104 m³/h under the same operating pressure of 3.6 bar. Membrane productivity, which had declined by 19%, was successfully restored, with recovery improving from 38% to 40%. In addition, salt rejection increased from 98.8% back to approximately 99.03%, representing a 2% improvement toward the initial value of 99.1%. These findings demonstrate that CIP is an effective method for restoring membrane performance and extending operational lifespan.