Membrane separation processes applications

Cross-flow-elec trofiltratiou (CF-EF) is the multifunctional separation process which combines the electrophoretic migration present in elec trofiltration with the particle diffusion and radial-migration forces present in cross-flow filtration (CFF) (microfiltration includes cross-flow filtration as one mode of operation in Membrane Separation Processes which appears later in this section) in order to reduce further the formation of filter cake. Cross-flow-electrofiltratiou can even eliminate the formation of filter cake entirely. This process should find application in the filtration of suspensions when there are charged particles as well as a relatively low conduc tivity in the continuous phase. Low conductivity in the continuous phase is necessary in order to minimize the amount of elec trical power necessaiy to sustain the elec tric field. Low-ionic-strength aqueous media and nonaqueous suspending media fulfill this requirement. 

A limitation to the more widespread use of membrane separation processes is membrane fouling, as would be expected in the industrial application of such finely porous materials. Fouling results in a continuous decline in membrane penneation rate, an increased rejection of low molecular weight solutes and eventually blocking of flow channels. On start-up of a process, a reduction in membrane permeation rate to 30-10% of the pure water permeation rate after a few minutes of operation is common for ultrafiltration. Such a rapid decrease may be even more extreme for microfiltration. This is often followed by a more gradual... 

It is expected that in the very near future, the application of closed water loops will show an intensive growth, strongly supported by the further development of separate treatment technologies such as anaerobic treatment, membrane bioreactors, advanced biofilm processes, membrane separation processes, advanced precipitation processes for recovery of nutrients, selective separation processes for recovery of heavy metals, advanced oxidation processes, selective adsorption processes, advanced processes for demineralisation, and physical/chemical processes which can be applied at elevated temperature. 

As discussed by Pletcher 24, electrodialysis is an electrically driven membrane separation process. The main use of electrodialysis is in the production of drinking water by the desalination of sea-water or brackish water. Another large-scale application is in the production of sodium chloride for table salt, the principal method in Japan, with production exceeding 106 tonne per annum. 

Here is the first book devoted completely to inorganic membrane separations and applications. It provides detailed information on all aspects of the development and utilization of both commercial and developmental inorganic membranes and membrano-t)ased processes, pointing out their key advantages and limitations as separation tools. 

Naturally, there exist a variety of membrane separation processes depending on the particular separation task [1]. The successful introduction of a membrane process into the production line therefore relies on understanding the basic separation principles as well as on the knowledge of the application limits. As is the case with any other unit operation, the optimum configuration needs to be found in view of the overall production process, and combination with other separation techniques (hybrid processes) often proves advantageous for large-scale applications. 

Figure 19.1 gives an overview of some of the most common membrane separation techniques, their application range and their denotation. It should be pointed out that the terminology for membrane separation processes is partly traditional. The kind of membrane-solute interactions and the respective mass-transport phenomena can therefore not necessarily be derived from the designation of the membrane separation, and should always be evaluated for the individual application envisaged. 

Fig. 19.1 Overview of some membrane separation processes and their application range (adapted from [2])...

This book provides a general introduction to membrane science and technology. Chapters 2 to 4 cover membrane science, that is, topics that are basic to all membrane processes, such as transport mechanisms, membrane preparation, and boundary layer effects. The next six chapters cover the industrial membrane separation processes, which represent the heart of current membrane technology. Carrier facilitated transport is covered next, followed by a chapter reviewing the medical applications of membranes. The book closes with a chapter that describes various minor or yet-to-be-developed membrane processes, including membrane reactors, membrane contactors and piezodialysis. 

Table 1.1 shows two developing industrial membrane separation processes gas separation with polymer membranes (Chapter 8) and pervaporation (Chapter 9). Gas separation with membranes is the more advanced of the two techniques at least 20 companies worldwide offer industrial, membrane-based gas separation systems for a variety of applications. Only a handful of companies currently offer industrial pervaporation systems. In gas separation, a gas mixture at an elevated pressure is passed across the surface of a membrane that is selectively permeable to one component of the feed mixture the membrane permeate is enriched in this species. The basic process is illustrated in Figure 1.4. Major current applications... 

U.H.F. Sander, Development of Vapor Permeation for Industrial Applications, in Pervaporation Membrane Separation Processes, R.Y.M. Huang (ed.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 509-534 (1991). 

Because of its intrinsic properties that well fit the requirements of process-intensification strategy (efficiency, modularity, reduced energy consumption, etc.), membrane-separation processes have well-established applications in various industrial fields and more progresses can be anticipated for the near future [3],... 

The application of membrane-separation processes in the treatment of wastewater of the leather industry can give a reduction of the environmental impact, a simplification of deaning-up procedures of aqueous effluents, an easy re-use of sludge, a decrease of disposal costs, and a saving of chemicals, water, and energy [22],... 

In analogous manner, residue curve maps of the reactive membrane separation process can be predicted. First, a diagonal [/e]-matrix is considered with xcc = 5 and xbb = 1 - that is, the undesired byproduct C permeates preferentially through the membrane, while A and B are assumed to have the same mass transfer coefficients. Figure 4.28(a) illustrates the effect of the membrane at nonreactive conditions. The trajectories move from pure C to pure A, while in nonreactive distillation (Fig. 4.27(a)) they move from pure B to pure A. Thus, by application of a C-selective membrane, the C vertex becomes an unstable node, while the B vertex becomes a saddle point This is due to the fact that the membrane changes the effective volatilities (i.e., the products xn a/a) of the reaction system such that xcc a. ca > xbbO-ba-... 

Figure 4.34 shows the PSPS for the reactive membrane separation process with application of a Knudsen-membrane. In comparison with reactive distillation, the membrane turns the vertical hyperbola into a horizontal hyperbola. In particular, the membrane shifts the stable node branch towards the THF-vertex such that THF-rich products can be attained in the considered Knudsen-membrane reactor. 

The development and application of membrane separation processes is one of the most significant advances in chemical and biological process engineering in recent years. Membrane processes are advanced filtration processes which utilise the separation properties of finely porous polymeric or inorganic films [1,2]. Membrane separations are used in a wide range of industrial processes to separate biological macromolecules, colloids, ions, solvents and gases. They also have important medical uses, especially in renal dialysis. The world-wide annual sales of membranes and membrane equipment are worth in excess of 1 billion. 

The development of ab initio methods for the prediction of the performance of membrane separation processes has made substantial developments. Sophisticated methods now exist for such prediction, and these have been experimentally verified in the laboratory. The present challenges are two-fold. Firstly, to continue the fundamental development to more complex separations. Secondly, to apply the verified methods in the design of full-scale industrial processes. The existence of good predictive methods is expected to further expand the application of membrane processes. 

The commercial membrane separation processes are offered in the areas of nitrogen production and waste treatment applications (1). Developing membrane applications in oil milling and edible oil processing are (1) solvent recovery, (2) degumming, (3) free fatty acid removal, (4) catalyst recovery, (5) recovery of wash water from second centrifuge, (6) coohng tower water recovery, (7) protein purification, and (8) tocopherol separation. 

Other monographs of note include Membrane Separations Technology Principles and Applications (Noble and Stern, 1995), Membrane Processes in Separation and Purification (Crespo and Boddeker, 1993), Membrane Separations in Chemical Processing (Flynn and Way, 1982), and Membrane Separation Processes (Meares, 1976). Additional references may be found at the end of the chapter. 

It has been demonstrated that membrane separation processes can be successfully used in the removal of radioactive substances, with some distinct advantages over conventional processes. Following the development of suitable membrane materials and their long-term verification in conventional water purification, membrane processes have been adopted by the nuclear industry as a viable alternative for the treatment of radioactive liquid wastes [1]. In most applications, membrane processes are used as one or more of the treatment steps in complex waste treatment systems, which combine both conventional and membrane treatment technologies. These combined systems have proved more efficient and effective for similar tasks than conventional methods alone. 

The traditional membrane separation processes (reverse osmosis, micro-, ultra- and nanofiltration, electrodialysis, perva-poration, etc.), already largely used in many different applications, are today combined with new membrane systems such as CMRs and membrane contactors. Membranes are applied not only in traditional separation processes such as seawater desalination but also in medicine, bioengineering, microelectronics, the life in the space, etc. 

G. R. Groves, Application of membrane separation processes to the treatment of indnstrial efflnents for water reuse. Desalination 47, 277-284 (1983). 

Sorption and diffusion in polymers are of fundamental and practical concern. However, data acquisition by conventional methods is difficult and time consuming. Again, IGC represents an attractive alternative. Shiyao and co-workers, concerned with pervaporation processes, use IGC to study adsorption phenomena of single gases and binary mixtures of organic vapors on cellulosic and polyethersulfone membrane materials (13). Their work also notes certain limitations to IGC, which currently restrict its breadth of application. Notable is the upper limit to gas inlet pressure, currently in the vicinity of 100 kPa. Raising this limit would be beneficial to the pertinent use of IGC as an indicator of membrane-vapor interactions under conditions realistic for membrane separation processes. 

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