Mesoporous membrane liquid transport

The viscous diffusion mechanism is also valid for transport process in the liquid phase. Then, if we have a liquid filtration process through a porous (i.e., macroporous or mesoporous) membrane, the following form of the Carman-Kozeny equation can be used [9]... 

In liquid filtration using micro-, ultra-, and nanofiltration porous membranes, the driving force for transport is a pressure gradient. Solvent permeability and separation selectivity are the two main factors characterizing membrane performance. Convective flux is predominant with macroporous and mesoporous membrane strucmres, the selectivity being controlled by a... 

Meso- and Macroporous Membrane Liquid Transport The volumetric mechanical permeance for pure liquids is obtained as a variation of Darcy s law for both mesoporous and macroporous structures as... 

Capillary condensation provides the possibility of blocking pores of a certain size with the liquid condensate simply by adjusting the vapor pressure. A permporometry lest usually begins at a relative pressure of 1, thus all pores filled and no unhindered gas transport. As the pressure is reduced, pores with a size corresponding to the vapor pressure applied become emptied and available for gas transport. The gas flow through the open mesopores is dominated by Knudsen diffusion as will be discussed in Section 4.3.2 under Transport Mechanisms of Porous Membranes. The flow rate of the noncondensable gas is measured as a function of the relative pressure of the vapor. Thus it is possible to express the membrane permeability as a function of the pore radius and construct the size distribution of the active pores. Although the adsorption procedure can be used instead of the above desorption procedure, the equilibrium of the adsorption process is not as easy to attain and therefore is not preferred. 

All these methods lead to a set of parameters (membrane thickness, pore volmne, hydraulic radius) which are related to the working (macroscopic) permselective membrane properties. In the case of liquid permeation in a porous membrane, macro- and mesoporous structures are more concerned with viscous flow described by the Hagen-Poiseuille and Carman-Kozeny equations whereas the extended Nernst-Plank equation must be considered for microporous membranes in which diffusion and electrical charge phenomena can occur (Mulder, 1991). For gas and vapor transport, different permeation mechanisms have been described depending on pore sizes ranging from viscous flow for macropores to different diffusion regimes as the pore size is decreased to micro and ultra-micropores (Burggraaf, 1996). 

Abstract This chapter discusses the research and development of porous ceramic membranes and their application as membrane reactors (MRs) for both gas and liquid phase reaction and separation. The most commonly used preparation techniques for the synthesis of porous ceramic membranes are introduced first followed by a discussion of the various techniques used to characterise the membrane microstructure, pore network, permeation and separation behaviour. To further understand the structure-property relationships involved, an overview of the relevant gas transport mechanisms is presented here. Studies involving porous ceramic MRs are then reviewed. Of importance here is that while the general mesoporous natnre of these membranes does not allow excellent separation, they are still more than capable of enhancing reaction conversion and selectivity by acting as either a product separator or reactant distributor. The chapter closes by presenting the future research directions and considerations of porous ceramic MRs. 

---