Integration of Selective Membranes in Chemical Processes Benefits and Examples

Integration of Selective Membranes in Chemical Processes Benefits and Examples 

Luigi Marrelli, Marcello De Falco and Gaetano laquaniello 

Integration of reaction and separation in a single unit is a powerful tool to increase efficiency and economic advantages of many chemical processes. Reactive distillation, extraction, and adsorption are well-known examples of this technological resource. Recently, a very promising solution is offered by membrane reactors 

A MR is a system coupling reaction and separation of one or more products, with the separation operation performed by a selective membrane. Although not yet very used at industrial scale, MRs are attracting the attention of scientists and engineers in the last two decades, and many interesting articles have appeared in the literature on their performance and possible application in many fields of chemical and biochemical industries. An excellent review about these topics has appeared in 2002 by Sanchez Marcano and Tsotsis [1]. 

For biotechnological applications, synthetic membranes entrapping enzymes, bacteria, or animal cells are used in membrane bioreactors disclosing new important developments mainly due to the increased stability of immobilized enzymes, the possibility of their continuous reuse and the absence of pollution of the products. Membrane bioreactors are of great interest as well for the possibility of continuously removing metabolites whose presence in the reaction environment could reduce the productivity of the reactor. 

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