Page 20 - tech fest 2025 ב״ש חוברת תקצירים

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Optimization of Ultrafiltration Membrane Cleaning in Whey Processing
ChE-D-02
Hitham Khateeb; khateebhitham2@gmail.com
Advisors: Prof. Dorith Tavor1, Mr. Matan Nahmani2 1SCE - Shamoon College of Engineering, Be’er-Sheva 2CBC - Central Bottling Company, “Tara Dairy,” Netivot
Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane cleaning in whey processing is essential for maintaining stable flux, consistent ‘transmembrane pressure’ (TMP), and high permeate quality. This study evaluated various cleaning protocols (enzymatic, acidic and alkaline) to identify the optimal ‘continuous improvement process’ (CIP) strategy for UF systems at “Tara Dairy”.
Initial trials, using new cleaning agents from “Diversey,” led to a noticeable decline in flux. Further investigation revealed that replacing enzyme additive Divos 80/2 with Divos E1 reduced cleaning efficiency due to suboptimal pH response, temperature sensitivity and enzyme activity. Comparative testing confirmed that Divos 80/2 consistently delivered superior results, yielding higher flux recovery and more effective fouling removal.
These findings indicate that Divos 80/2 is better suited for UF applications in dairy processing— supporting improved cleaning performance, reduced system downtime and extended membrane life.
Keywords: CIP, dairy industry, Divos 80/2, enzymatic cleaning, flux recovery, membrane cleaning, UF, whey processing
Europium (Eu3+) Adsorption Using Alginate-Chitosan-Ca2+ Beads
ChE-D-03
Rotem Thilim; rotemthilim1996@gmail.com
Advisors: Prof. Oshrat Ontman1, Prof. Adi Wolfson1 1SCE - Shamoon College of Engineering, Be’er-Sheva
Lanthanides are increasingly found in industrial wastewater, raising serious environmental concerns. This study investigates the adsorption of trivalent europium ions (Eu3+) using polysaccharide-based hydrogel beads, prepared by dropping alginate into chitosan-salt solutions. The effect of this bead preparation procedure on Eu3+ sorption from aqueous solutions was tested. It was found that sorption yield increased when decreasing Eu3+ concentration in aqueous solutions, also when decreasing Ca2+ ion concentration in the cross-linking solution. A maximum sorption yield of 95.97% was observed by using beads that were cross-linked with 0.1 M CaCl2 and were used to adsorb 100 ppm Eu3+. These results demonstrate that alginate-chitosan beads offer an effective and scalable method for removing europium from contaminated water.
Keywords: adsorption, alginate, chitosan, europium, lanthanides