Insights into the mechanisms of the synergistic fouling mitigation effect of electric and acoustic fields in microfiltration

The combination of electric and acoustic fields had been demonstrated to synergistically enhance permeate flux during microfiltration. However, a critical knowledge gap was also identified regarding the underlying mechanisms for the ‘1 + 1 > 2’ improvement. This study investigated the potential interactions between electric and acoustic fields in microfiltration by operational optimization and instrumental analyses to approach the question at the micro and macro levels. The results indicated that the observed fouling control was a collaborative outcome of the electric field, acoustic field, and convection processes. Specifically, our findings revealed that, in the reported experimental setup, electrolytic phenomena emerged as the major contributor to the fouling mitigation effect, with the kinetic effects of the acoustic field playing an auxiliary role in boosting the degradation efficiency in fouling mitigation. Overall, this study represents an initial step towards understanding the synergistic fouling mitigation effect and provides insights for future research to enhance our understanding and exploitation of this effect.