Ultrafiltration membrane preparation process

Over the past decade, many attempts have been reported to enhance separation performances of ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes through variation of different parameters involved during the membrane preparation process such as dope formulation, casting/spinning conditions, and posttreatment [1-5]. Of the parameters studied, it is found that the utilization of advanced materials in preparing membrane of improved properties stiU remains top priority among the community of membrane scientists worldwide. 

Subsequently, a clear Juice is obtained by ultrafiltration. A serious problem in this process is the fouling of the ultrafiltration membrane, causing a reduced flux rate. For apple processing, the material responsible for this effect has been isolated and extensively characterized [2-4]. It appeared to consist mainly of ramified pectic hairy regions (MHR), which were not degraded by the pectolytic enzymes present in the technical pectinase preparation. 

The production by Loeb and Sourirajan of the first successful anisotropic membranes spawned numerous other techniques in which a microporous membrane is used as a support for a thin, dense separating layer. One of the most important of these was interfacial polymerization, an entirely new method of making anisotropic membranes developed by John Cadotte, then at North Star Research. Reverse osmosis membranes produced by this technique had dramatically improved salt rejections and water fluxes compared to those prepared by the Loeb-Souri-rajan process. Almost all reverse osmosis membranes are now made by the interfacial polymerization process, illustrated in Figure 3.20. In this method, an aqueous solution of a reactive prepolymer, such as a polyamine, is first deposited in the pores of a microporous support membrane, typically a polysul-fone ultrafiltration membrane. The amine-loaded support is then immersed in a water-immiscible solvent solution containing a reactant, such as a diacid chloride in hexane. The amine and acid chloride react at the interface of the two immiscible... 

In a commercial response to the potential value of sphingolipids as functional food components, a patented process for preparing milk products enriched in both phospholipids and sphingolipids was developed (Dewet-tinck and Boone, 2002). These products are obtained by ultrafiltration of byproducts from the direct processing of milk or from the further processing of directly acquired byproducts. The ultrafiltration membrane used had a cut-off value ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 Da. 

In 1999, Brasseur-Tilmant [56] presented a work dealing with modification of macroporous alumina media by TiOi particles deposition using supercritical isopropanol. The aim was to prepare inorganic membranes for cross-fiow filtration. Anatase particles were deposited on plane alumina support after thermal decomposition of titanium alkoxide precursors. A slight infiltrated zone was observed and a pore size reduction was achieved from 110 to 5 nm, leading to obtain fine ultrafiltration membranes. The main problem was to control the reaction at the membrane interface and not in the porosity, and moreover, this process was suitable for mbular membrane preparation. 

Since then, other colloidal oxide systems have been investigated in order to prepare ceramic mesoporous membranes designed for ultrafiltration. The preparation of an electronically conductive membrane from a Ru02 Ti02 mixed oxides sol and the application to an electro-ultrafiltration process [25,26], as well as the preparation of titania and zirconia ultrafiltration membranes [27], have been described following a colloidal process in which a partial destabilization of a metal oxide colloidal suspension is used to produce top layers with different pore size and pore volume in the mesoporous range. In agreement... 

The majority of todays membranes used in microfiitration, dialysis or ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis cire prepared from a homogeneous polymer solution by a technique referred to as phase inversion. Phase inversion can be achieved by solvent evaporation, non-solvent precipitation and thermcd gelation. Phase separation processes can not only be applied to a large number of polymers but also to glasses and metal alloys and the proper selection of the various process parameters leads to different membranes with defined structures and mass transport properties. In this paper the fundamentals of membrane preparation by phase inversion processes and the effect of different preparation parameters on membrane structures and transport properties are discussed, and problems utilizing phase inversion techniques for a large scale production of membranes are specified. 

A membrane cell recycle reactor with continuous ethanol extraction by dibutyl phthalate increased the productivity fourfold with increased conversion of glucose from 45 to 91%.249 The ethanol was then removed from the dibutyl phthalate with water. It would be better to do this second step with a membrane. In another process, microencapsulated yeast converted glucose to ethanol, which was removed by an oleic acid phase containing a lipase that formed ethyl oleate.250 This could be used as biodiesel fuel. Continuous ultrafiltration has been used to separate the propionic acid produced from glycerol by a Propionibacterium.251 Whey proteins have been hydrolyzed enzymatically and continuously in an ultrafiltration reactor, with improved yields, productivity, and elimination of peptide coproducts.252 Continuous hydrolysis of a starch slurry has been carried out with a-amylase immobilized in a hollow fiber reactor.253 Oils have been hydrolyzed by a lipase immobilized on an aromatic polyamide ultrafiltration membrane with continuous separation of one product through the membrane to shift the equilibrium toward the desired products.254 Such a process could supplant the current energy-intensive industrial one that takes 3-24 h at 150-260X. Lipases have also been used to prepare esters. A lipase-surfactant complex in hexane was used to prepare a wax ester found in whale oil, by the esterification of 1 hexadecanol with palmitic acid in a membrane reactor.255 After 1 h, the yield was 96%. The current industrial process runs at 250°C for up to 20 h. 

These membranes are achievable using the concept of nanophase ceramics. According to literature, this new class of materials can result from the emphasis of some new ceramic processes, such as the condensation of gaseous atomic clusters [30] or the sol-gel process [31]. This last method, which has been successfully applied to ultrafiltration membranes, was used recently to prepare ceramic nanofilters. Nanophase materials deal both with the nanometer-sized particle and with the nanometer pore size aspects. The nanopore aspect is central to membrane technologies because of the need for selective separation processes at the molecular level. 

Nanohybrid materials have been furthermore used for ultra-/nanofiltration applications. Nanofiltration is a pressure-driven membrane separation process and can be used for the production of drinking water as well as for the treatment of process and waste waters. Some apphcations are desalination of brackish water, water softening, removal of micropollutants, and retention of dyes. Ultrafiltration membranes based on polysulfones filled with zirconia nanoparticles are usually prepared via a phase-inversion technique and have been used since 1990 [328]. Various studies were done in order to assess the effect of the addition of Zr02 to polysulfone-based ultrafiltration membranes [329] and the influence of filler loading on the compaction and filtration properties of membranes. The results indicate that the elastic strain of the nanohybrid membranes decreases and the time-dependent strain... 

Table 1.6 lists the development of some membrane processes. The first commercial membranes for practical applications were manufactured by Sanorius in Germany after World War I, the know-how necessary to prepare these membranes originating from the early work of Zsigmondy [25]. However, these porous cellulose nitrate or cellulose nitrate-cellulose acetate membranes were only used on a laboratory scale and the same applied to the more dense ultrafiltration membranes developed at the same... 

Membrane formation is generally a fast process and only polymers that are capable of crystallising rapidly fe.g.polyethylene, polypropylene, aliphatic polyamides) will exhibit an appreciable amount of crystallinity. Other semi-ciystalline polymers contain a low to veiy low crystalline content after membrane formation. For example, PPO (2, dimethylphenylene oxide) shows a broad melting endotherm at 245 C[24]. Ultrafiltration membranes derived from this polymer, prepared by phase inversion, hardly contain any crystalline material indicating that membrane formation was too fast to allow crystallisation. 

Most of ultrafiltration membranes used commercially these days are prepared from polymeric materials by a phase inversion process. Some of these materials are listed below ... 

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