Chemicals recycling membrane technology

Membrane Systems for Improved Chemical Synthesis 529 Tab. 13.2 Summary of homogeneous catalyst recycling using membrane technology [3]. 

Plastics and elastomers often come in to contact with various chemicals in applications in chemical processing, semiconductor, automotive, aerospace, consumer and other applications. Even in mundane applications, plastics have to contend with the ever present ambient oxygen and moisture. Further, many applications rely on interactions (or lack thereof) of polymers with chemicals in industries such as microlithography, membrane technologies, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, plastics recycling, and drug delivery. 

N-McLhylmorpholine-N-oxidc monohydrate, a tertiary, aliphatic amine N-oxide, is able to dissolve cellulose directly, i.e. without chemical derivatization, which is used on an industrial scale as the basis of the Lyocell process [ 1, 2], This technology only requires a comparatively low number of process steps compared for instance to traditional viscose production. Cellulose material - mainly fibers - are directly obtained from the cellulose solution in NMMO no chemical derivatization, such as alkalization and xanthation for rayon fibers, is required [3]. The main advantage of the Lyocell process lies in its environmental compatibility very few process chemicals are applied, and in the idealized case NMMO and water are completely recycled, which is also an important economic factor. Even in industrial production systems NMMO recovery is greater than 99%. Thus, compared with cotton and viscose the Lyocell process pertains a significantly lower specific environmental challenge [4]. Today, Lyocell fibers are produced on an industrial scale, and other cellulosic products, such as films, beads, membranes and filaments, are also currently being developed or are already produced commercially. 

CORRS [C02 Onsite Recovery and Recycling System] A process for recovering carbon dioxide from gas mixtures containing >8% C02 by diffusion through a selective Generon membrane. Offered by the Messer Group, based on technology developed by the Dow Chemical Company. 

---