Permeation characteristics of electrolytes and neutral solutes through titania nanofiltration membranes at high temperatures.
Nanoporous titania membranes with controlled pore sizes ranging from 0.7 to 2.5 nm, which had molecular weight cutoffs (MWCO) ranging from 500 to 2000, were successfully prepared by sol-gel processing, and the transport characteristics were evaluated across a temperature range of 30-80 degrees C. With increasing temperature, the permeate flux increased 2- to 3-fold, depending on the pore size. The water permeation mechanism was found to be different from viscous flow and was explained by the state of the water (free water/bound water/nonfreezing water) inside confined pores. The rejection of neutral solutes such as raffinose, the separation mechanism of which is molecular sieving (steric hindrance), decreased with temperature whereas that of electrolytes (MgCl(2) and NaCl), the separation mechanism of which is the charge effect (Donnan exclusion), was approximately constant. The temperature dependence of neutral and electrolyte solutes was analyzed using the Spiegler-Kedem equation by combining the Arrhenius equations for diffusivity and viscosity, which we obtained DeltaE(m), the activation energy of diffusion, after eliminating the effect of viscosity. For large DeltaE(m), which corresponds to the rejection of neutral solutes on the basis of molecular sieving, rejection decreased with temperature but remained unchanged for small DeltaE(m), which corresponds to the rejection of electrolytes based on the charge effect.
Effect of temperature on the transport of water and neutral solutes across nanofiltration membranes.
We carry out a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the influence of temperature on nanofiltration performance using the Desal5DK membrane. Experimental results for the permeate volume flux density and rejection of four neutral solutes (glycerin, arabinose, glucose, and sucrose) are presented for temperatures between 22 and 50 degrees C. Solute rejection is modeled using a hindered transport theory that allows us to unveil the crucial role played by changes in the membrane structural parameters (effective pore radius and membrane thickness) due to changes in temperature.
Fundamentals and applications of pervaporation through zeolite membranes
Abstract Zeolite membranes have uniform, molecular-sized pores, and they separate molecules based on differences in the molecules’ adsorption and diffusion properties. Zeolite membranes are thus well suited for separating liquid-phase mixtures by pervaporation, and the first commercial application of zeolite membranes has been for dehydrating organic compounds. Because of the large number of zeolites that can be prepared, zeolite membranes have also been used to remove organic compounds from water, separate organic mixtures, and remove water from acid solutions on the laboratory scale. The fundamental aspects of separations by pervaporation through zeolite membranes are reviewed, and examples of the selectivities and fluxes obtained are presented. Some aspects of these separations are similar to gas-phase separations using zeolite membranes, but feed-side coverages are close to saturation during pervaporation, making competitive adsorption and molecule–molecule interactions more important during multicomponent diffusion. Some of the topics that are discussed include: (1) the use of feed fugacities to predict separation selectivities; (2) the effects of coverage, competitive adsorption, heats of adsorption, molecular sizes, temperature, membrane structure, non-zeolite pores, concentration polarization, and support resistance on transport and separations; (3) the ability of one molecule to slow down or speed up another molecule in the zeolite pores, and (4) the techniques used to measure adsorption and diffusion properties. Several possibilities for improving understanding and effectiveness of pervaporation through zeolite membranes are also suggested.