Mitigating Fouling of Membranes in the Microfiltration of Metal-Working Fluid for Sustainable Manufacturing

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Microfiltration is a membrane-based technology that enables contaminated metalworking fluids to be recycled while in use and significantly extends their lifespan. This research is directed at strengthening our understanding of the physics of fouling of microfiltration membranes and applying that understanding to mitigate fouling, thereby enabling its use for sustainable manufacturing. The work will proceed along three primary research foci: (1) create and validate a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic model of a tortuous pore network that incorporates hydrodynamic, van der Waals, electrostatic forces, and Brownian motion; (2) use the model to understand the physics of membrane fouling through examination of the motion of single and multiple microemulsions and aggregates; and (3) use the assembled knowledge of fouling mechanisms to create a reformulated semisynthetic metalworking fluid designed with fouling-mitigating fluid properties. The completion of this research will provide a solid knowledge base that can be used to reduce fouling in three ways, namely, changing operational conditions to minimize fouling within a given setup, redesigning membranes to incorporate anti-fouling coatings and pore morphology, and designing fluids to be more compatible with the microfiltration membranes. The enhanced understanding of fouling mechanism through this research will help to eliminate the barriers to widespread adoption of microfiltration technology and encourage sustainability within the machining industry through the reduction of millions of gallons of hazardous metalworking fluid waste and the toxins associated with it. In addition, the knowledge gained on fouling mechanisms will not only likely lead to sustainability improvements within the machining industry, but also improvements in the food processing, water purification, and waste-water processing communities. The impact of the modeling approaches developed in this research is not limited to membrane microfiltration applications, as all filtration techniques have to deal with the issue of fouling. One of the important impacts that this work will have is to serve as an ?open door? into the concept of sustainable manufacturing.