How Should Chlor-Alkali Plants Evaluate Ceramic Membrane Brine Purification for an RFQ or Retrofit?

Raw brine variability, precipitated calcium and magnesium compounds, suspended matter and an incomplete equipment boundary can turn a purification package into a production risk. The right decision starts with the feed, the downstream specification and a testable operating basis — not a membrane catalogue.

Why brine purification is a production decision, not a polishing step

For a chlor-alkali plant, primary brine purification sits upstream of some of the most valuable and sensitive assets in the process. The job is not simply to make raw brine look clear. It is to deliver a defined, repeatable feed to the next purification and electrolysis steps while keeping the treatment section operable, maintainable and compatible with the site. If calcium and magnesium precipitates or other suspended matter vary from shift to shift, the plant may spend more time correcting the consequences downstream.

That is why a new RFQ or retrofit should begin with two specifications: what enters the purification section, and what the receiving process actually requires. The answer then has to be translated into a complete duty covering pretreatment, the membrane loop, cleaning, instrumentation and the system boundary — not a single piece of equipment.

What a defensible RFQ should contain

Before any supplier is asked to quote, the package should fix the following so that competing routes can be compared on the same basis:

• Project identity and stage — country, company, plant/final user, EPC or licensor, decision roles and procurement schedule.

• Feed envelope — salt and make-up water source, full available analysis, Ca/Mg, suspended solids or turbidity, sulfate, organics, pH, temperature and expected variability.

• Operating basis — normal/design/peak flow, operating hours, precipitation chemicals and conditions, and sludge or solids load.

• Target and acceptance — required Ca/Mg, SS/turbidity and downstream specifications, sampling point, analytical method and guarantee/acceptance test duration.

• Process and site boundary — existing or proposed flowsheet, pretreatment, tanks, pumps, membrane skid, CIP, utilities, waste/concentrate, materials, control philosophy and plot constraints.

From data to a screenable route

JIUWU's approach is to screen the route from the actual feed and target rather than from a product list. Our scope can span ceramic membranes, CMVT modules, pretreatment, backwash, CIP, pumps, valves, instruments and PLC/DCS integration. For a new build or expansion we offer a structured RFQ Checklist; for an existing line with a bottleneck, a Retrofit Review; and for a route or scale-up basis that is still uncertain, a Pilot Test Data Sheet. This lets a new project, an existing constraint and a data gap each enter the right path instead of a generic "Contact Us".

CTA：Planning a new line, expansion or retrofit? Review the Chlor-Alkali Brine Purification RFQ Checklist, or send your brine analysis, design flow, current flowsheet and target quality for a preliminary technical review.