Membrane

Separation
By
Nitish Gupta
Chemical Engineering 3rd year
Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology
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1. Overview
Membrane separation process is a feed
consisting of a mixture of two or more
components are partially separated by
means of semi permeable barrier (the
membrane) through which one or more
species move faster than another or
other species.
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 Part of the feed that does not pass

through membrane, i.e. retained is
called Retentate.
Part of the feed that passes through
the membrane is called permeate.

2. Why Membrane Separation

Saves large amount of energy.

Long life membrane.
Defect free.
More compact
More easily operated, controlled and
maintained.
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3.Desirable attributes
Good permeability.
High selectivity.
Chemical and Mechanical compatibility with
the processing environment.
Ability to withstand large pressure
differences across the membrane thickness.
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4. Membrane materials
All the membrane materials are made
from synthetic and natural polymer.
These polymers can be formed by
addition, condensation or by the
copolymerization processes.
Thermoplastic polymer membranes can
be used for the temperature upto glass
transition temperature.
Thermosetting polymers never melts.

 Membranes made of glassy polymers can

operate below or above the glass transition
temperature.
Aromatic polyamides (also called aramids)
are high melting crystalline polymers that
have better long term thermal stability and
higher resistance to solvents than do
aliphatic polyamide, such as nylon.
Polycarbonate differs from most other
polymers because they can be extruded
into various shape,films and sheets.

4. Permeance factor
To be effective for separating a mixture
of chemical component a polymer
membrane should have high permeance
and a high permeance ratio.
The permeance of the given species
diffusing through membrane of given
thickness is analogous to mass transfer
coefficient. i.e. flow rate of that
species per unit cross sectional area of
membrane per unit driving force
( pressure, concentration etc.)
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The membrane which consist of thin dense skin

about .1 to 1 micrometer in thick is called
perm selective layer.
Ni = Pm / lm (driving force)
where, Pm is Permeability
lm is Membrane thickness.

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5. Transport in membranes
It is important to understand the nature
of transport phenomenon in membranes
because both the permeance and driving
force depends on the mechanism of
transport.
Membranes can be macro porous, micro
porous and dense ( non-porous).
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5 (a) Porous Membranes

If the pore diameter is larger as compared
to the molecular diameter and a pressure
differences exists across the membrane,
bulk or convective flow through the pores
occurs. Such a flow is generally
undesirable because it is not perm
selective and therefore no separation
between component and feed occurs.
Contd.
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 If fugacity, activity, concentration

differences
exists
across
the
membrane but the pressure is same on
the both side, perm selective diffusion
of the component through the pores will
takes place.

Contd.
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5 (b) Non porous Membranes

In this gas or liquid components absorbs into
the membrane at the upstream face
diffusion through the solid membrane and
desorbs at the face.
Diffusivities of solid is less than gas as well
as liquid.
water vapor in air is .25
water in ethanol liquid is 1.2*10-5
water in cellulose acetate is 1.0*10-8
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6. Some Industrial Application

of Membrane Separation
Dialysis
Gas permeation
Reverse osmosis
Pervaporation

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DIALYSIS
Dialysis is membrane processes that
use pressure difference as the driving
force.
It is of great importance in
hemodialysis, in which urea, creatine,
uric acid, phosphate and chlorides are
removed from blood without removing
essential higher molecular weight
compounds and blood cells. This dialysis
is called as artificial kidney.
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REVERSE OSMOSIS
It refers to the passage of solvent such
as water, through a dense membrane
i.e. permeable to the solvent, but not
the solute.
It was first experimented by Nollet
with water, an alcohol and an animal
bladder.
Reverse osmosis is applied to the
desalination and purification of sea
water, brackish water and waste water. 19

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PERVAPORATION
pervaporation is the combination of
two
words
perm
selective
and
evaporation.
Here vaporization may occur near the
downstream face of the membrane,
such that the membrane can considered
to operate with two zones, a liquid
phase zone and a vapor phase zone as
shown in the figure.

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Contd.

 It is used for the removal of volatile

organic compounds ( VOCs).
Dehydration of ethanol.
Removal of organics from water.
It is best applied when the heat solution is
dilute in the permeant because sensible
heat of feed mixture provides the
enthalpy of vaporization to permeate.
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Thank you
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