Introduction to Membrane Separation Technology and Applications

Membranes are materials with selective separation functions. The process of separating, purifying, and concentrating different components of a solution using the selective separation of membranes is called membrane separation. It differs from traditional filtration in that membranes can perform separation at the molecular level, and the process is physical, requiring no phase change or addition of auxiliaries. Membranes generally have pore sizes in the micrometer range. Based on their pore size (or molecular weight cutoff), membranes can be classified into microfiltration membranes, ultrafiltration membranes, nanofiltration membranes, and reverse osmosis membranes. Based on the material, they can be classified into inorganic and organic membranes. Inorganic membranes are mainly available at the microfiltration level and primarily consist of ceramic and metal membranes.

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2018-11-05

Introduction to Membrane Separation Technology and Applications

Membranes are materials with selective separation functions. The process of using the selective separation of membranes to separate, purify, and concentrate different components of a solution is called membrane separation. It differs from traditional filtration in that membranes can perform separation at the molecular level, and this process is a physical process that does not require a phase change or the addition of auxiliaries. The pore size of the membrane is generally in the micrometer range. According to its different pore sizes (or called molecular weight cut-off), membranes can be divided into microfiltration membranes, ultrafiltration membranes, nanofiltration membranes, and reverse osmosis membranes. According to different materials, they can be divided into inorganic membranes and organic membranes. Inorganic membranes mainly only have microfiltration-level membranes, mainly ceramic membranes and metal membranes. Organic membranes are made of polymeric materials, such as cellulose acetate, aromatic polyamide, polyethersulfone, polyfluoropolymers, etc. Membrane separation process: The membrane is the core part of each membrane process. It can be regarded as a selectively permeable barrier between two phases, or as an interface between two phases. The membrane separation process can be illustrated by the following figure. Phase 1 is the feed or upstream side, and Phase 2 is the permeate or downstream side. A component in the feed mixture can pass through the membrane faster than other components and transfer to the downstream side, thus achieving separation. Advantages of membrane separation: It is carried out at room temperature with minimal loss of effective components, especially suitable for heat-sensitive substances such as antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, fruit juices, enzymes, and proteins for separation and concentration. No phase change, maintaining the original flavor, extremely low energy consumption, and the cost is about that of evaporation concentration or freeze concentration. No chemical changes: A typical physical separation process, no chemical reagents and additives are used, and the product is not polluted. Good selectivity, substances can be separated at the molecular level, with excellent performance that cannot be replaced by universal filter materials. Strong adaptability, the processing scale can be large or small, it can be continuous or intermittent, the process is simple, the operation is convenient, and it is easy to automate. Applications and development of membrane separation technology: Membrane separation technology, as a high-separation, concentration, purification, and purification technology, is a high-tech technology that has developed rapidly in the past 30 years. The use of membrane technology has the advantages of convenient operation, compact equipment, safe working environment, energy saving, and chemical reagent saving. It has been widely used in various fields and scientific research such as water treatment, electronics, food, environment, metallurgy, medicine, biology, energy, petroleum, and biomimetics, and has shown its strong vitality. Membrane technology started with electrodialysis and reverse osmosis. Various membrane processes and membrane technologies such as ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration, dialysis, gas separation, pervaporation, and liquid membranes are in a stage of rapid development. Due to the development of membrane technology, traditional separation technologies have made new breakthroughs. Many new membrane separation processes and membrane technology applications have emerged, such as membrane distillation, membrane extraction, membrane absorption, membrane chromatography, membrane affinity, membrane reactors, and membrane-controlled release. The application of these new technologies will generate huge economic and social benefits

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