Modeling flux behavior for membrane filtration of apple juice

The flux behavior of ceramic membranes with different pore sizes (0.2, 0.1 and 0.02 mu m) was examined during dead-end membrane filtration of depectin ized control (CTJ) and ascorbic acid treated (AAJ) apple juices. A new mode l based on an expanded exponential relationship was developed. The model re presented the flux with precision over the entire filtration process for bo th juice types and all membrane pore sizes. Two parameters, A and B, provid ed a measure of the rate of flux decline. The same approach was used to mod el the permeate flux of CTJ for various 0.2 mu m pore size polymeric membra ne materials operated in a dead-end mode, and for tubular ultrafiltration m embranes of different pore sizes (9, 20 and 100 kDa) operated in crossflow mode. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.