Membrane Processes

Membrane Processes
Membrane Processes
 Microfiltration
Microfiltration is a filtration process
which removes contaminants from a
fluid (liquid & gas) by passage through a
microporous membrane. A typical
microfiltration membrane pore size
range is 0.1 to 10 micrometres (µm).
 Microfiltration
Membranes: (a)symmetric porous
Thickness: 10-150 m
Pore size: 0.05-10 m
Driving force: pressure (<2bar)
Separation principle: sieving mechanism
Membrane materials: polymer, inorganic
materials
 Microfiltration
Microfiltration membrane may be
prepared from either organic materials
(polymers) or inorganic materials
(ceramics, metals, glasses)
 Microfiltration

Various technique can be employed to

prepare microfiltration membrane from
polymeric materials:
- Sintering
- Stretching
- Track-etching
- Phase inversion
 Microfiltration
Porosities and pore size distribution achieved by
various preparation methods
Process Porosity Pore size distribution

Sintering Low/medium Narrow/wide

Streching Medium/high Narrow/wide

Track-etching Low Narrow

Phase inversion High Narrow/wide

Jurnal
 Microfiltration

Synthesis polymer organic

can be divided in two classes,
i.e. hydrophobic and
hydrophilic.
 Microfiltration
Hydrophobic polymer membranes:
- Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, teflon)
- Poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyethylene (PE)

Hydrophilic polymer membranes:

- Cellulose esters
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Polysulfone/poly(ether sulfone (PSf/PES)
- Polyimide/poly(ether imide) (PI/PEI)
- (aliphatic) polyamide (PA)
- Polyetheretherketone (PEK)
 Microfiltration
Various technique can be employed to
prepare microfiltration membrane from
inorganic materials:
- sintering
- sol/gel process
- anodic oxidation
 Microfiltration
Synthesis inorganic membranes:
- Alumina (Al2O3)
- Zirconia (ZrO2)
- Titania (TiO2)
- Silicium carbide (SiC)
- Glass (SiO2)
- Carbon
- Various metals: stainless steel,
palladium, tungsten, silver)
 Microfiltration

Benefits of using inorganic membranes:

- Chemical resistances
- Thermal resistances
- Pore size can be controlled
- Pore size distribution is very narrow
 Microfiltration
Main applications:
- Analytical applications
- Sterilisation (food, pharmaceuticals):
Cold sterilisation of beverages and pharmaceuticals, cell
harvesting, clarification of fruit juice, wine and beer
- Water:
Ultrapure water in the semiconductor industries, metal
recovery as colloidal oxides or hydroxides, wastewater
treatment, separation of oil-water emulsions, dehydration
of latice, continuous fermentation
 Ultrafiltration
• Ultrafiltration (UF) is a variety of membrane
filtration in which hydrostatic pressure
forces a liquid against a semipermeable
membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of
high molecular weight are retained, while
water and low molecular weight solutes pass
through the membrane. This separation
process is used in industry and research for
purifying and concentrating macromolecular
(103 - 106 Da) solutions, especially protein
solutions.
 Ultrafiltration
Membranes: asymmetric porous
Thickness: 150 m or monolithic for some
ceramics
Pore size: 1-100 nm
Driving force: pressure (1-10 bar)
Separation principle: sieving mechanism
Membrane materials: polymer, inorganic
materials
 Ultrafiltration

UF membranes are prepared from polymeric

materials by a phase inversion process

Polymeric materials:
Polysulfone/sulfonated polysulfone
Poly(vinilidene fluoride
Polyacrillonitrile (and related block-copolymers)
Cellulosics (e.g. cellulose acetate)
Polyimide/poly(ether imide)
Aliphatic polyamide
Polyetheretherketone
 Ultrafiltration

Applications:
- Dairy industry (milk, whey, cheese)
- Food (potato starch and proteins)
- Metallurgy (oil-water emulsions, electropaint
recovery)
- Textile (indigo)
- Pharmaceutical (enzymes, antibotics, pyrogens)
- Automotive (electro paint)
- Water treatment
 Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a separation
process that uses pressure to force a
solution through a membrane that retains
the solute on one side and allows the pure
solvent to pass to the other side.
 Reverse Osmosis
Membranes: asymmetric porous or composite
Thickness: sub-layer 150 m, top-layer 1 m
Pore size: < 2 nm
Driving force: pressure (15-80 bar)
brackish water (15-25 bar)
seawater (40-80 bar)
Separation principle: solution diffusion
Membrane materials: cellulose triacetate,
aromatic polyamide, polyamide, poly(ether
urea) (interfacial polymerisation)
 Reverse Osmosis
Applications:
- Desalination of brackish water and
seawater
- Production of ultrapure water (electronic
industry)
- Concentration step in food industries
 Nanofiltration

Membranes: composite
Thickness: sub-layer 150 m, top-layer 1 m
Pore size: < 2 nm
Driving force: pressure (10-25 bar)
brackish water
Separation principle: solution diffusion
Membrane materials: polyamide (interfacial
polymerisation)
 Nanofiltration
Applications:
- Desalination of brackish water
- Removal of micropollutents
- Water softening
- Waste water treatment
- Retention of dyes (textile industries)
 Thermally driven
membrane processes
• Membrane distillation
• Membrane contactors
• Thermo-osmosis
 Thermally driven membrane
processes

• Most membrane transport processes

with either concentration, pressure or
electrical potential differences as the
driving force
• When a membrane separates two phases
held at different temperatures, heat
will flow from the high-temperature
side to the low-temperature side.
 Thermally driven membrane
processes
Temperature profile across a homogeneous membrane

Feed
 side Membrane Permeate
J n  (To  T ) side


To
Jn  (To  T )
Tl 
 = thermal
conductivity or heat
conductivity
X= 0 X=l
 Thermally driven membrane
processes

Medium  (W/moC)

Jn  (To  T )
 Gases 0.02

 = thermal Organic liquid 0.2

conductivity or heat
conductivity Water 0.6
 Membrane distillation
A process in which two liquids or solutions at
different temperatures are separated by a
porous membrane

Transport occurs in a sequence of three

steps:
- evaporation on the high-temperature side
- transport of vapour molecules through the
pores of the hydrophobic porous membrane
- condensation on the low-temperature side
 Membrane distillation

- The function of the membrane is to act

a barrier between the two phases
- Selectivity is completely determined by
the vapour-liquid equilibrium involved
- The component with the highest partial
pressure will show the highest
permeation rate
 Membrane distillation

In the case of ethanol/water mixture where

the membrane is not wetted at low ethanol
concentration, both components will be
transported through the membrane but the
permeation rate of ethanol will always be
relatively higher
 Membrane distillation

In the case of salt solution such as NaCl

in water, only water has a vapour
pressure, i.e. the vapour pressure of
NaCl can be neglected, which means
that only water will permeate through
the membrane and consequently very
high selectivities are obtained
 Membrane distillation
Membranes Symmetric or
asymmetric porous
Thickness 20-100m
Driving force Vapour pressure
difference
Separation principle Vapour liquid equilibrium

Membrane material Hydrophobic

(polytetrafluoroethylene,
Polypropylene)
 Membrane distillation
Applications:
Production of pure water:
- Laboratories
- Semiconductor industries
- Desalination of seawater
- Production of boiler feed water
- Concentration of aqueous solution
Removal of VOC:
- Contaminated surface water (benzene)
- Fermentation product (ethanol, butanol)
- Aroma compound
 Membrane contactors
• A process in which two liquids or
solutions are separated by extraction
process in a porous membrane
• The separation performance is
determined by the distribution
coefficient of a component in two phase
and the membrane acts only as an
inteface
 Membrane contactors
Membranes Porous (hydrophobic or
hydrophilic), nonporous or
composites
Pore size Nonporous or 0.05-1.0 m

Thickness 20-100m

Driving force Consentration or vapour

pressure difference
Separation principle Distribution coefficient
Membrane material Hydrophobic
(polytetrafluoroethylene,
Polypropylene)
 Various membrane contactors

gas liquid liquid gas liquid liquid

Ki = the distribution coefficient of component I

Di K i from the feed phase into the membrane phase
Ji  Ci Di = the diffusion coefficient of component i in
 membrane
Ci = the bulk concentration difference
 Membrane contactors
Applications
- G-L contactors:

SO2, CO2, CO, NOx from gases

CO2 from biogas
O2 transfer (blood oxygenation, aerobic fermentation)
CO2 transfer (beverages)
VOC from offgas
NH3 from air (intensive farmery)
Saturated/unsaturated (ethane/ethylenne)
 Membrane contactors
Applications
- L-G contactors:

Volatile bioproducts (alcohols, aroma

compounds)
O2 removal from water
 Membrane contactors
Applications
- L-L contactors:

Heavy metals
Fermentation products (citric acid, acetic
acid, lactic acid, penicillin)
Phenolic
 Electrically driven membrane
processes

• Electrodialysis
• Membrane electrolysis
• Membrane reactor and
membrane bioreactors
 Electrically driven membrane
processes
Membrane processes in which an
electrical potential difference acts as the
driving force use the ability of charged ions
or molecules to conduct an electrical
current.
 Electrodyalisis

The principle of electrodialysis

 Electrodyalisis
• Electrode reactions:
Cathode:
2 H2O + 2 e H2 + 2OH-
Anode:
2 Cl- Cl2 + 2e
H2O 1/2O2 + 2 H+ + 2e
 Electrodyalisis
Membranes Cation-exchanage and anion-
exchange membranes

Pore size Nonporous

Thickness Few hundred m (100-500m)
Driving force Electrical potential difference

Separation principle Donna exclusion mechanism

Membrane material Crosslinked copolymers based on
divinylbenzene (DVB) with polystyrene or
polyvinylpyridine copolymers of
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and
poly(sulfonyl fluoride-vinyl ether)
 Membrane reactors and
membrane bioreactors

A membrane coupled to a
chemical or biochemical reaction
to shift the chemical equilibrium
and the combination
Membrane reactors and
membrane bioreactors
Why use a membrane reactor?

Membrane reactors combine reaction with

separation to increase conversion. One of
the products of a given reaction is
removed from the reactor through the
membrane, forcing the equilibrium of the
reaction "to the right" (according to Le
Chatelier's Principle), so that more of that
product is produced.
Membrane reactor
 Reaction in catalytic membrane reactors

Dehydrogenation Ethane ethylene

Propane propylene
Cyclohexane benzene
Ethylbenzene Styrene
Hydrogenation Propene Propane
Butene Butane
Ethylene Ethane

Oxidation CO CO2
Ethylene Ethylene oxide
Propylene Propylene oxide
 What kinds of membrane
reactors are available?
Membrane reactors are most
commonly used when a reaction
involves some form of catalyst, and
there are two main types of these
membrane reactors: the inert
membrane reactor and the catalytic
membrane reactor.
 Inert membrane reactor

The inert membrane reactor allows catalyst

pellets to flow with the reactants on the
feed side (usually the inside of the
membrane). It is known as an IMRCF,
which stands for Inert Membrane Reactor
with Catalyst on the Feed side. In this kind
of membrane reactor, the membrane does
not participate in the reaction directly; it
simply acts as a barrier to the reactants
and some products.
 Catalytic membrane reactor

A catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) has a

membrane that has either been coated
with or is made of a material that contains
catalyst, which means that the membrane
itself participates in the reaction. Some of
the reaction products (those that are small
enough) pass through the membrane and
exit the reactor on the permeate side.
Schematic drawing of various membrane reactor concepts for a tubular configuration
 Applications
Ultra clean fuels
lower emissions of
pollutants and
greenhouse gases
compared to gasoline and
diesel fuel

Syntroleum ultra clean

fuels demonstration
facility in Oklahoma.
Advanced Syngas Production

• Develop Ion Transport Membrane (ITM)

technology for the production of synthesis
gas from natural gas.
• These innovative membranes are ceramic
membranes that are fabricated from non-
porous, multi-component metal oxides.
Advanced Syngas Production
The ITM technology
combines the two steps of
autothermal reforming - air
separation and natural gas
reforming - into one step.
Natural gas and steam enter
on one side of the membrane
and air enters on the
other. Oxygen from the air
passes through the
membrane and reacts with
the natural gas and steam
mixture on the other side to
produce synthesis gas. By
combining two steps into one,
the process can potentially
reduce the capital cost by
Schematic of innovative membrane reactor
30% compared to
technology to produce synthesis gas from
conventional autothermal
natural gas
reforming.
Advanced Syngas Production
• Novel reforming catalysts.
• Nano-catalysts.
• Simplified reactor designs.
• Short contact time reactors.
• Separation technology that produces both a
pure stream of hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
• Technology that can eliminate the need for
expensive equipment.
• A process called "thermal decomposition" which
produces hydrogen from natural gas without co-
producing carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide.
 Investigation
By Daniel Jansen, Wim Haije, Jan Wilco Dijkstra,
Ruud van den Brink, Energy Research Centre of
the Netherlands; Cor Peters, Joop Schoonman,
The Delft University of Technology
This project, a collaborative effort between
Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands
(ECN) and The Delft University of Technology
(TU Delft), focuses on three potentially game-
changing membrane materials for H2 and CO2
separation: functionally-graded H2 membranes;
hydrotalcite membranes; and ionic liquid
membranes for CO2 separation.
 Membrane bioreaction
Membrane processes can be
combined with a fermentation process
to improve the bioconversion in the
same way as it does in chemical
reactions.
 Membrane bioreaction
A typical fermentation process contains four
different species:
1. Substrate (component that is converted)
2. The biocatalyst (microorganism)
3. Nutrients (salt and co-enzymes required
for the bioconversion)
4. Products
 Membrane recycle bioreactor

Fermentation broth is pumped through the membrane unit to

remove the products and to retain the microorganism or
enzyme. If substrate and nutrient are added and products
are removed then the fermentation can be carried out
continuously at much higher concentration of the biocatalyst
 Advantages

The fermentation is carried continuously,

the microorganism is retained and high
cell densities can be achieved and the
product can be removed selectively while
nutrient and substrate are retained
 Applications
• Alcohols (ethanol, butanol)
• Ketones (acetone)
• Organic acid (citric acid, acetic acid, latic
acid)
• Amino acid (lysine)
• Vitamins (Vit B12)
• Antibiotics (penicillin)
Water reuse
Biological wastewater treatment
• Present status and applications of
membrane bioreactors
MEMBRANE WITH
CONCENTRATION
DIFFERENCE AS
DRIVING FORCE
 Dialysis
Membrane Homogeneous
Thickness 10-100 m
Driving force Concentration differences
Separation principles Difference in diffusion rate, solution diffusion
Membrane material Hydrophilic polymers (regenerated cellulose
such as cellophane and cuprophane, cellulose
acetate, copolymers of ethylene-vinyl alcohol
and of ethylene-vinyl acetate)
Main applications Hemodyalisis (removal of toxic substances
from blood)
Alcohol reduction in beer
Desalination of enzymes and coenzymes
Alkali recovery in pulp and paper industry
Dialysis
A simple process in
which small solutes
diffuse from a high
concentration solution
to a low concentration
solution across a
semipermeable
membrane until
equilibrium is reached.
Dialysis can
effectively be used as
a separation process
based on size
rejection.
Membrane sorts Nanofilter array: 4″
molecules by size wafer with 160
membranes
Selecting the Right Molecular Weight
Cut Off (MWCO):
Dialysis membrane consists of a spongy
matrix of crosslinked polymers.
The pore rating referred to as Molecular
Weight Cut Off (MWCO), is an indirect
measure of the retention performance.
More precisely, the membrane MWCO is
determined as the solute size that is
retained by at least 90%.
However, since a solute's permeability is
also dependent upon molecular shape,
degree of hydration, ionic charge and
polarity, it is recommended to select a
MWCO that is half the size of the MW of
the species to be retained and/or twice
the size of the MW of the species
intended to pass through.
 Hemodialysis
A treatment for kidney failure
 Kidney function
When healthy, the kidneys maintain the
body's internal equilibrium of water and
minerals (sodium, potassium, chloride,
calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfate)
and the kidneys remove from the blood the
daily metabolic load of fixed hydrogen ions.
The kidneys also function as a part of the
endocrine system producing erythropoietin
and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol
(calcitriol).
 Kidney failure
Two main functions of the kidney :
1. clear waste products from the blood
2. remove excess water, which build up when the kidneys stop working.
Dialysis uses a membrane as a filter and a dialysis fluid to balance fluids,
salts and minerals in the blood.
 In medicine, dialysis is primarily used to
provide an artificial replacement for lost
kidney function (renal replacement
therapy) due to renal failure.

Hemodialysis machine

This dialysis membrane is most

commonly used for protein binding
studies and is Regenerated
Cellulose (MWCO 12-14K).
Hemodialysis
In hemodialysis, the patient's blood is
pumped through the blood compartment of
a dialyzer, exposing it to a semipermeable
membrane. The cleansed blood is then
returned via the circuit back to the body.
Ultrafiltration occurs by increasing the
hydrostatic pressure across the dialyzer
membrane. This usually is done by applying
a negative pressure to the dialysate
compartment of the dialyzer. This pressure
gradient causes water and dissolved solutes
to move from blood to dialysate, and allows
the removal of several litres of excess fluid
during a typical 3 to 5 hour treatment.
 Liver failure
The accumulation of toxins not cleared by
the failing liver. Based on this hypothesis,
the removal of lipophilic, albumin-bound
substances such as bilirubin, bile acids,
metabolites of aromatic amino acids,
medium-chain fatty acids and cytokines
should be beneficial to the clinical course
of a patient in liver failure.
 Liver dialysis
A detoxification treatment for liver failure
and has shown promise for patients with
hepatorenal syndrome. It is similar to
hemodialysis and based on the same
principles. Like a bioartificial liver device, it
is a form of artificial extracorporeal liver
support.
Liver dialysis prognosis/survival

• Liver dialysis, currently, is only considered

to be a bridge to transplantation or liver
regeneration (in the case of acute liver
failure
 Liver dialysis devices

The Molecular Adsorbents

Recirculation System (MARS),
developed by Teraklin AG of Germany, is
the best known extracorporal liver dialysis
system and has existed for approximately
ten years.
 The Molecular Adsorbents
Recirculation System (MARS),
It consists of two separate dialysis circuits.

The first circuit consists of human serum albumin, is in

contact with the patient's blood through a
semipermeable membrane and has two special filters to
clean the albumin after it has absorbed toxins from the
patient's blood.

The second circuit consists of a hemodialysis machine

and is used to clean the albumin in the first circuit, before
it is recirculated to the semipermeable membrane in
contact with the patient's blood.
 The Molecular Adsorbents
Recirculation System (MARS),

The MARS system can remove a

number of toxins, including ammonia,
bile acids, bilirubin, copper, iron and
phenols.
 Bioartificial liver device

A bioartificial liver device (BAL) is an artificial

extracorporeal supportive device for an
individual who is suffering from acute liver
failure.
BAL is not to permanently replace liver
functions, but to serve as a supportive device,[1]
either allowing the liver to regenerate properly
upon acute liver failure, or to bridge the
individual's liver functions until a transplant is
possible.
 BAL function
• BALs are essentially bioreactors, with
embedded hepatocytes (liver cells) that
perform the functions of a normal liver.
They process oxygenated blood plasma,
which is separated from the other blood
constituents.[2]
• Several types of BALs are being
developed, including hollow fiber systems
and flat membrane sheet systems.[3]
 Hollow fiber system
One type of BAL is similar to kidney dialysis systems that employ a
hollow fiber cartridge.
Hepatocytes are suspended in a gel solution, such as collagen,
which is injected into a series of hollow fibers.
In the case of collagen, the suspension is then gelled within the
fibers, usually by a temperature change.
The hepatocytes then contract the gel by their attachment to the
collagen matrix, reducing the volume of the suspension and creating
a flow space within the fibers.
Nutrient media is circulated through the fibers to sustain the cells.
During use, a patient's blood is fed into the space surrounding the
fibers.
The fibers, which are composed of a semi-permeable membrane,
facilitate transfer of toxins, nutrients and other chemicals between
the blood and the suspended cells.
The membrane also keeps immune bodies, such as
immunoglobulins, from passing to the cells to prevent an immune
system rejection. [4]
 Dialysis Applications

• Macromolecular Purification
• Protein Concentration
• Solute Fractionation
• Contaminant Removal
• pH Change
• Desalting
• Buffer Exchange
• Binding Studies
• Electro-elution
 Gas separation
• Synthetic membrane
• Adsorption
• Absorption
• Cryogenic
• Distillation

Membrane gas separation is much less energy intensive

than other gas separation technologies, such as
cryogenic distillation.
 Gas Separation
• separation of hydrogen from gases like nitrogen and
methane
• recovery of hydrogen from product streams of ammonia
plants
• recovery of hydrogen in oil refinery processes
• separation of methane from biogas
• enrichment of air by oxygen for medical or metallurgical
purposes
• removal of water vapor from natural gas
• removal of CO2 from natural gas
• removal of H2S from natural gas
• removal of volatile organic liquids (VOL) from air of
exhaust streams
 Gas Separation by
synthetic membranes

• Polymeric membranes:
- porous polymeric membranes
- non porous polymeric membranes
• Ceramic membranes
- porous ceramic membranes
 Gas Separation
• Non porous polymeric membranes:
Separation principle: solubility and
diffusivity

Because of the varying solubility and

diffusivity of the vapour and gas within the
polymer, vapour and gases travel through
a polymer membrane at different speeds
 Numerous methyl groups are the key to the polymers' permeability

- Polymers in glassy state, generally more effective for

separation, predominantly differentiate in diffusivity.
- Small molecules of penetrants move among polymer
chains according to the formation of local gaps by thermal
motion of polymer segments.
- Free volume of the polymer, its distribution and local
changes of distribution are of the importance.
- Then diffusivity of a penetrant depends mainly on the size
of its molecule.
Research directed by Toshio
Masuda at Kyoto University has
led to the creation of a polymer
that is highly permeable to gases
 Gas separation
• Porous membranes:
The pores diameter must be smaller than the
mean free path of gas molecules. Under normal
condition (100 kPa, 300 K) it is about 50 nm.
The gas flux through the pore is proportional to
molecules velocity i.e. inversely proportional to
square root of the molecule mass. It is known as
Knudsen diffusion.
Note, in case the pores are larger than the limit
then viscous flow occurs, hence no separation
Diffusion
• Hydrogen
Separation by Nano
Hole Ceramics
Development of Heat and
Corrosion Resistant
Hydrogen Separation
Silicon Carbide Based
Membrane
The Si-based polymer is coated
on the porous alumina substrate
and cross linked by electron beam
irradiation, which prevents melting
during further heat treatment.
Afterwards, it is converted into
SiC ceramic by pyrolysis at high
temperature in inert gas. Fabrication process of silicon
carbide (SiC) membrane
Gas separation ratio and separation mechanism of the SiC membrane
The gas separation ratio was measured by
comparing the penetration amount of hydrogen
(H2) with that of nitrogen (N2). The hydrogen
separation, H2/N2 > 3.7, by the molecular sieving
mechanism was confirmed

Tubular hydrogen separation membrane with SiC coating

 Hydrogen production

To produce hydrogen, ORNL is

developing both microporous and
proton separation membranes
supported on porous metallic tubes.
These membranes could separate
hydrogen from carbon monoxide in
syngas produced by coal
gasification. The microporous
membrane is derived from the
declassified inorganic membrane
developed to enrich uranium in its
fissionable isotope at the old Oak
Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant Hydrogen powered vehicle
 Hydrogen production
Hydrogen also can be
produced from natural gas
and petroleum. To generate
pure hydrogen, sulfur must
be removed from these fossil
fuels. ORNL and DOE's
National Energy Technology
Laboratory have developed a
way to remove sulfur from
hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) gas Schematic of molecular sieve
membrane for separating
streams using a carbon- hydrogen from mixed gas
based catalyst. streams
 Development of Innovative Gas
Separation Membranes Through
Sub-Nanoscale Materials Control

Koichi Yamada, Shingo Kazama, Katsunori Yogo,

Research Institute for Innovative Technology

for the Earth (RITE), Japan

Cardo polyimide hollow fiber membrane with a thin, functional outer layer
Porous inorganic membranes act as molecular
sieves, differentiating gas molecules by effective
size
Functionalization process for a mono-layer crystalline
zeolite pore structure
 Gas separation
Membrane Asymetric or composite membranes with elastomeric
or glassy polymeric toplayer
Thickness 0.1 to few m (for top layer)
Pore size Non porous (or porous < 1 m)
Driving force Pressure, upstream to 100 bar or vacuum
downstream
Separation principles Solution/diffusion (non porous membranes)
Knudsen flow (porous membranes)
Membrane material Elastomer: polydimethylsiloxane, polymethylpentene
Glassy polymer: polyimide, polysulfone

Main applications H2 or He recovery

CH4/CO2
O2/N2
 Pervaporation

 An energy efficient combination of

membrane permeation and evaporation

 A method for the separation of mixtures

of liquids by partial vaporization through a
non-porous or porous membrane.
Pervaporation
 Pervaporation
• The name of this membrane-based
process is derived from the two basic
steps of the process, firstly the permeation
through the membrane by the permeate,
then its evaporation into the vapor phase
Pervaporation membrane

A pervaporation
membrane was prepared
via the concentrated
emulsion polymerization
method. The membrane
copied the structure of its
precursor concentrated
emulsion and composed
of closely packed latexes
which squeezed each
other.
 Pervaporation
Membrane Composite membranes with elastomeric or glassy
polymeric top layer
Thickness 0.1 to few m (for top layer)
Pore size Non porous
Driving force Partial vapour pressure activity difference
Separation Solution/diffusion
principles
Membrane material Elastomeric and glassy polymers

Main applications Dehydration of organic solvents

Removal of organic components from water
(alcohol, aromatics, chlorinated hydrocarbons)
Polar/non-polar (alcohols/aliphatics)
Saturated/unsaturated (cyclohexane/benzene)
Separation of isomers (C-8 isomers; o-xylene)
 Pervaporation
A membrane process in which a pure
liquid or liquid mixture is in contact with the
membrane on the feed or upstream side at
atmospheric pressure and where the
permeate is removed as a vapour because
of a low vapour pressure existing on the
permeate or downstream side
 Pervaporation
• Three steps in pervaporation:
1. Selective sorption into membrane on the
feed side
2. Selective diffusion through the
membrane
3. Desorption into a vapour phase on the
permeate side
 Pervaporation
• Transport can be described by mean of a
solution-diffusion mechanism
• Selectivity is determined by selective
sorption and/or selective diffusion
 Pervaporation vs distillation
Pervaporation Distillation

Separation Vapour liquid Differences in

principle equilibrium solubility and
diffusivity
Concept Characteristic is Characteristic is
determined by fixed by the
the choice of vapour-liquid
materials equilibrium
Pervaporation
Separation of a Propanol–Water Mixture by
Membrane Pervaporation