ABSTRACT

The experiment is carried To study the characteristics of membrane by performing a

characteristic study on 4 different types of membranes by using Membrane Test Unit model
TR14. The 4 different types of membranes are AFC99 (polyamide film), AFC 40 (polyamide
film), CA 202 (cellulose acetate) and FP 100 (PVDF). Besides, the characteristics of 4 types of
membranes which different in term of pore size by separation driving force is namely as reverse
osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) membranes. The
experiment was run using approximately sodium chloride solution. The input pressure for each
membrane is different at maximum pressure for at which is 18 bar, 12 bar, 10 bar and 8.5 bar for
membrane 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. For every 1 minute to 10 minutes, the permeate sample is
collected and the weight is recorded. As the experiment goes, the solution will pass through the
membrane, and the sample is called permeates. The sample of permeates were taken too made up
the weight of permeates per time. Membrane 4 has the highest weight of permeates which is
3811.81g while membrane 1 has the lowest which is 303.59g. The graph of permeate weight
versus time then is plotted. From the graph, we can conclude that the weight of the permeates is
proportional with the time. For the membrane 4, the line increases gradually as membrane 4 has
the steepest slope. Meanwhile, for membrane 1, 2 and 3 the lines show sloppier with increase in
the percentage of composition of salt at product. The experiment was reached its objective and
successfully conducted.

1.1

INTRODUCTION

Separation by the use of membranes is becoming increasingly important in the process

industries. In this relatively new separation process, the membrane acts as a semipermeable
barrier and separation occurs by the membrane controlling the rate of movement and various
molecules between two liquid phases, two gases phases, or a liquid and a gas phase. The two
fluid phases are usually miscible and the membrane barrier prevents actual, ordinary
hydrodynamic flow. (Geankoplis, 2003)
In this experiment, the equipment used is the Membrane Test unit Model TR 14 which
has been designed to demonstrate the technique of membrane separations which is widely used
as they provided effective separation without using heat energy such as in the distillation process.
Membrane Test unit Model TR 14 needs only connection to a suitable electricity supply and a
normal cold water supply to be fully functioning. This equipment consists of a feed tank, a
product tank, a feed pump, a pressure regulator, a water bath, and a membrane test module. All
parts in contact with the process fluid ate stainless steel, PTFE, silicone rubber or nitrile rubber.
The unit comes with a high pressure feed pump for delivering the feed to the membrane
unit which can be regulated to the desired flow rate and pressure. We can choose whether the
retentate line want to be returned back to the feed tank or straight to the drain. This TR 14
consists of a test module supplied with four different types of membranes, which namely reverse
osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF).
The TR 14 unit is supplied with 4 membranes which are:
Membrane 1: AFC 99 (polyamide film)
Membrane 2: AFC 40 (polyamide film)
Membrane 3: CA 202 (cellulose acetate)
Membrane 4: FP 100 (PVDF)

Figure 1.1 : SOLTEQ Membrane Test unit Model TR 14

Semi permeable membranes are being used widely in the process separation of gaseous
or liquid as it promotes one or more constituents of the fluid to pass through the membrane. The
membranes usually are flexible films or synthetics polymers which they are supposedly to have a
high permeability for specific types of molecules. Besides, the membrane also could be thin
layers made up of stiff materials such as sintered metal.

1.2

OBJECTIVES

To study the characteristics of membrane by performing a characteristic study on 4 different

types of membranes.

1.3

THEORY

There are several types of equipment for membrane processes. The membrane acts as a
semipermeable barrier and separation occurs by the membrane controlling the rate of movement
of various molecules between two liquid phases. The two fluid phases are usually miscible and
the membrane barrier prevents actual, ordinary hydrodynamic flow. (Geankoplis, 2003)

Figure 1.2 : Filtration range for every each type of membrane.

Membrane separation can be classified by pore size and by the separation which is;
Microfiltration (MF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Nanofiltration (NF), and Reverse Osmosis (RO).

Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are mainly used for water purification
purposes. Reverse osmosis separates aqueous ionic solutions of different concentration where it
separates water from ions and low molecular weight organic compouds. Reverse osmosis prevent
the large molecules or ions pass through the pores, and only allow smaller molecules pass
through it. Meanwhile, nanofiltration is where the process is aimed to remove contaminates from
the water. Nanofiltration is is a form a reverse osmosis, that function to eliminate bivalent
hardness, calcium, and magnesium plus sulphate but leave in most of the single valent sodium
ion.
Ultrafiltration is a type of separation process mostly use by industry in order to remove
high molecular-weight substances, colloidal materials. Meanwhile, microfiltration is a membrane
technical filtration process which removes contaminants from a fluid by passage through a
microporous membrane. The range of the pore size is between 0.1 to 10 micrometers (m).
Microfiltration is different from reverse osmosis and nanofiltration because it uses a pressure as a
means of forcing water to go from low pressure to high pressure. It does not need higher pressure
to operate.
In membrane processes the feed stream will be divided into two streams, which is
retentate and permeate. The retentate can be defined as the part of the feed that could not be able
to pass through the pore of the membrane, while for the others that pass through the membrane is
called permeate. Some components are allowed passage by the membrane into a permeate
stream, whereas others are retained by it and accumulate in the retentate stream. Some benefits
of do not demand adsorbents or solvents, which may be expensive or difficult to handle and the
equipment simplicity and modularity, membrane separation are less energy-intensive, since they
do not require major phase changes.
The graph of the weight of permeates versus time that should be obtained is supposedly
proportional as in as the time goes by, the weight of permeates increases. Apparently at a specific
time, fouling will occur inside the membrane which causing increase in pressure drop and many
other factors which lead to lower effectiveness of the membrane, hence a curve shape will be
obtained if the separation time prolong.
5

1.4

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

TR 14 model (membrane test unit)

2) Digital weighing balance
3) Jars
4) Stopwatch
5) 20 L of tap water
6) Sodium chloride solution
7) water

1.5

PROCEDURE

General Start-Up Procedures:

1. Ensure all valves are initially closed.
2. A sodium chloride solution was prepared by adding 100 gram of sodium chloride into 20L of
water.
3. The feed tank was filled up with salt solution prepared in step 2. The feed shall always be
maintained at room temperature.
4. The power was turned on for the control panel. All sensors and indicators are checked for
functioning properly.
5. The thermostat was switched on and make sure the thermo oil level was above the coil inside
thermostat. Thermostat connections are checked so that they are properly fitted.
6. The unit is now ready for experiment
Experimental Procedure:
1. The general start-up procedure was performed.
2. The experiment for Membrane 1 was started. Open valves V2, V5, V7, V11 and V15.
3. The plunger pump (P1) was switched on to set the maximum working pressure at 20 bars, and
slowly close valve V5. Observe pressure value at pressure gauge and the pressure regulator was
adjusted to 20 bars.
4. Valve V5 was opened. Then, membrane maximum inlet pressure was set to 18 bars for
Membrane 1 by adjusting the retentate contral valve (V15).
6

5. The system was allowed to run for 5 minutes. The sample was start to collect from permeate
sampling port and the sample was weight using digital weighing balance. The weight of
permeates was recorded every 1 minute for 10 minutes.
6. Step 1 to 5 was repeated for Membrane 2, 3 and 4. Open and close the respective sets of
valves and the membrane maximum inlet pressure was adjusted for every membrane.
Membrane

Open Valves

Sampling Valves

(Step 2)

Retentate

Membrane

Control Valve

maximum inlet

V2, V5, V7. V11

Open V19 and

V15

pressure (bar)
18

and V15
V2. V5. V8, V12

close V11
Open V20 and

V16

12

and V16
V2, V5, V9. V13

close V12
Open V21 and

V17

10

and V17
V2, V5, V10,

close V13
Open V22 and

V18

8.5

V14 and V18

close V14

7. Plot the graph of permeate weight versus time.

General Shut-Down Procedure:
1. The plunger pump was switched off (P2)
2. Valve V2 was closed.
3. Drain all liquid in the feed and product tank by opening valves V3 and V4.
4. Flush all the piping with clean water. Close V3 and V4, fill the clean water to feed tank until
90% full.
5. The system was run with the clean water until the feed tank is nearly empty this is for cleaning
purpose).
1.6

RESULTS

Time (min)

Weight of Permeates (g)

Membrane 1
Membrane 2

Membrane 3

Membrane 4

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Max P = 18 bar
38.10
63.45
86.29
111.28
135.20
167.38
203.48
236.06
267.18
303.59

1.7

CALCULATIONS

1.8

DISCUSSION

Max P = 12 bar
51.27
104.87
164.32
212.68
261.69
312.25
358.15
403.15
447.82
486.74

Max P = 10 bar
70.59
92.18
113.47
142.68
168.84
198.03
222.74
251.38
284.85
318.05

Max P = 8.5 bar

394.19
741.28
1100.32
1467.83
1867.43
2238.71
2637.91
3084.09
3464.34
3811.81

Membrane separation is based on separation mechanisms and size of the separated particles. The
membrane processes that have been commonly used are microfiltration, ultrafiltration,
nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, electrolysis, dialysis, electrodialysis, gas separation, vapour
permeation, pervaporation, membrane distillation and membrane contactors.

In this experiment, we were to characterize the differences between four types of

membranes, which are the reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF), and
microfiltration (MF) by using the SOLTEQ Membrane Test Unit (Model: TR14). Permeates
entitles the liquid passing through the membrane and retentate, or concentrate designates the
fraction to not pass through the membrane. Sodium chloride is used to pump from feed tank and
pass through each membrane and the weight of permeate collected was recorded. The weight of
permeate collected shows the efficiency for of each the membrane.
After 10 minutes of experiment, the permeates collected for membrane 1 is 303.59g. The
pressure is set to be decreased to 12 bar for membrane 2 and permeate collected is 486.74g after
10 minutes. The pressure is set to be lower which is to 10 bar and after 10 minutes, the permeate
collected for membrane 3 is 318.05 g. Lowest pressure was set for membrane 4 which is only 8.5
bar and highest permeate is recorded for about 3811.81 g.
Membrane 1 has the highest pressure inlet which is 18 bar while membrane 4 has the
lowest pressure inlet which is 8.5 bar. But the permeate collected for membrane 1 is lowest
which is 303.15g while membrane 4 has the highest weight of permeate which is 3811.81g. This
is because, when the flow rate is low, the solution will have more time to pass through the
membrane, and more permeate will be produced. Besides, the size of the pore will affect the
amount of permeate produced because if the pore is large, more permeate will be collected and
smaller pore size will make it difficult for the permeate to pass through the membrane.
From the graph plotted, it can be found that membrane 4 has the steepest slope compared
to the other membranes. We can conclude that membrane 4 is microfiltration because membrane
4 produced highest weight of permeates. In microfiltration, the size of the membrane has large
pore size which allow the permeate to pass through the membrane easily while membrane 1 has
the least steep slope compare to the other membranes.
The weight of permeates for membrane 1 is the lightest, therefore, membrane 1 is reverse
osmosis. Reverse osmosis usually require the highest operating pressure as it has the tiniest pore
size range and has the capacity to remove solids as small as salts. Only small amounts of very
low molecular weight solute can pass through the membranes, this can be proven that the
permeates collected is the lowest for membrane 1. We can also see that the weight of the
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permeates is proportional with the time as shown in the graph. For all the membranes, the weight
is increasing as the time goes by.
Membrane 2 operates in ultrafiltration. Ultrafiltration defines a membrane separation
process which is driven by a pressure gradient, in which the membrane separates the components
of a liquid as a function of their solvated size and structure. The configuration of the membrane
is usually cross-flow. As for membrane 3, it operates in nanofiltration. Nanofiltration does not
require high pressure as in reverse osmosis. Each of one of the membrane has its own specific
characteristics which make them differ from one another. In industries, suitable membrane need
to be chose in order to produce the desired products or permeates.

1.9

CONCLUSION

The different weight of the permeates collected can be concluded that it is due to the different
types of membrane used and different maximum inlet pressure for each membrane. Membrane 4
has the highest weight of permeate which is 3811.81g and the lowest is Membrane 1, which is
303.59g. Based on the graph plotted, the weight of permeates collected increased as the time of
separation process prolong. This shows the same for every each of the membrane. Therefore,
based on the weight of permeates collected and the pressure inlet for each of the membrane, it
can be concluded that Membrane 1 is reverse osmosis, Membrane 2 is ultrafiltration, Membrane
3 is nanofiltration and Membrane 4 is microfiltration.

1.10

RECOMMENDATION

There a few recommendations that can be done in the experiment in order to obtain more
accurate data. While recording the reading of weight permeates by using digital weighing
balance, the reading of weight should be taking in more significant figures so that the result is
accurate and beside, true values could be minimized. Besides, the experiment also should be
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repeated in order to get average value for each run. This is because average value of the weight
of permeates can be calculated and produce more accurate result. The sampling valves also
should be opened and closed simultaneously and immediately so that there will be no
interruption while collecting the data.

1.11

REFERENCES/APPENDICES

1.

http://www.solution.com.my/pdf/TR14(A4).pdf. (n.d.).membrane test unit. Retrieved 21 st

March, 2016, from solteq: http://www.solution.com.my/pdf/TR14(A4).pdf

2.

Zeman, Leos J., Zydney, Andrew L. (Inc,1996). Microfiltration and Ultrafitration,

Principles and Applications. In M. Dekker, Microfiltration and Ultrafitration, Principles
and Applications. New York

3.

Geankoplis, C.J.G. (2003). Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles

(Includes Unit Operations) (4th Edition). (4th ed.). Australia: Prentice Hall.

4.

Membrane

Filtration.

Retrieved

24th

March,

2016,

from

http://www.mrwa.com/WaterWorksMnl/Chapter%2019%20Membrane%20Filtration.pdf
5.

Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis. Retieved 24th March, 2016, from
http://www.safewater.org/PDFS/resourcesknowthefacts/Ultrafiltration_Nano_ReverseOs
m.pdf

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