Membrane Materials and Processes for Liquid and Gas Separation

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 8533

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology, College of Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Pekan 25670, Pahang, Malaysia
Interests: computational fluid dynamics (CFDs); membrane; reverse osmosis; electro-osmosis; spacer design; oscillating flow; techno-economic analysis

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Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Interests: Polymeric hollow fiber membrane fabrication and characterization; Wastewater Treatment; Membrane contactor; Membrane Separation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Membrane separation performance has tremendously improved over the past several decades, especially from the membrane liquid and gas application perspective. They are efficient tools used for the extensive industrial application in fields such as brackish and seawater desalination, food/ beverage processing, gaseous waste treatment, and fuel gas production. The recent development includes the manufacturing of novel polymeric membranes that show superior flux and selectivity with low fouling tendency. Excellent progress in membrane experimental work is also accompanied by modelling studies which help to gain more insight into the membrane performance.

This Special Issue would like to invite significant contributions on novel membrane materials, fouling mitigation, and membrane modelling for liquid and gas separation. Relevant and original technical and review manuscripts are most welcome.

Dr. Yong Yeow Liang
Dr. Woei Jye Lau
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water separation
  • gas separation
  • fouling
  • modelling

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4374 KiB  
Article
Stimuli-Responsive Track-Etched Membranes for Separation of Water–Oil Emulsions
by Indira B. Muslimova, Zh K. Zhatkanbayeva, Dias D. Omertasov, Galina B. Melnikova, Arman B. Yeszhanov, Olgun Güven, Sergei A. Chizhik, Maxim V. Zdorovets and Ilya V. Korolkov
Membranes 2023, 13(5), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13050523 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1066
Abstract
In this work, we have developed a method for the preparation of pH-responsive track-etched membranes (TeMs) based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with pore diameters of 2.0 ± 0.1 μm of cylindrical shape by RAFT block copolymerization of styrene (ST) and 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) to [...] Read more.
In this work, we have developed a method for the preparation of pH-responsive track-etched membranes (TeMs) based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with pore diameters of 2.0 ± 0.1 μm of cylindrical shape by RAFT block copolymerization of styrene (ST) and 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) to be used in the separation of water–oil emulsions. The influence of the monomer concentration (1–4 vol%), the molar ratio of RAFT agent: initiator (1:2–1:100) and the grafting time (30–120 min) on the contact angle (CA) was studied. The optimal conditions for ST and 4-VP grafting were found. The obtained membranes showed pH-responsive properties: at pH 7–9, the membrane was hydrophobic with a CA of 95°; at pH 2, the CA decreased to 52°, which was due to the protonated grafted layer of poly-4-vinylpyridine (P4VP), which had an isoelectric point of pI = 3.2. The obtained membranes with controlled hydrophobic-hydrophilic properties were tested by separating the direct and reverse “oil–water” emulsions. The stability of the hydrophobic membrane was studied for 8 cycles. The degree of purification was in the range of 95–100%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Materials and Processes for Liquid and Gas Separation)
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11 pages, 4751 KiB  
Article
High Efficient CO2 Separation at High Pressure by Grain-Boundary-Controlled CHA Zeolite Membrane Investigated by Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics
by Fumiya Hirosawa, Masaya Miyagawa and Hiromitsu Takaba
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030278 - 26 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1213
Abstract
The CO2 permeability and selectivity of CHA-type zeolite membranes in the separation of a CO2/CH4 mixture gas at high pressure were evaluated using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD). It was found that in a perfectly crystalline, defect-free CHA membrane, the [...] Read more.
The CO2 permeability and selectivity of CHA-type zeolite membranes in the separation of a CO2/CH4 mixture gas at high pressure were evaluated using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD). It was found that in a perfectly crystalline, defect-free CHA membrane, the adsorption of CH4, which diffuses slowly in the pores, hinders CO2 permeation. Therefore, an increase in the amount of CH4 adsorbed at high pressure decreases the CO2 permeability and significantly reduces the CO2 selectivity of the CHA membrane. CHA membranes with grain boundaries parallel to the permeation direction were found to show higher CO2 selectivity than perfectly crystalline CHA membranes at high pressure, as the blocking effect of CH4 on CO2 permeation occurring within the grain boundary is not significant. This paper is the first to show that the CO2 permeability of CHA membranes with controlled grain boundaries can exceed the intrinsic performance of fully crystalline zeolite membranes at high pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Materials and Processes for Liquid and Gas Separation)
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13 pages, 1798 KiB  
Article
Performance of Hypersaline Brine Desalination Using Spiral Wound Membrane: A Parametric Study
by Kathleen Foo, Yong Yeow Liang, Woei Jye Lau, Md Maksudur Rahman Khan and Abdul Latif Ahmad
Membranes 2023, 13(2), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020248 - 19 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1508
Abstract
Desalination of hypersaline brine is known as one of the methods to cope with the rising global concern on brine disposal in high-salinity water treatment. However, the main problem of hypersaline brine desalination is the high energy usage resulting from the high operating [...] Read more.
Desalination of hypersaline brine is known as one of the methods to cope with the rising global concern on brine disposal in high-salinity water treatment. However, the main problem of hypersaline brine desalination is the high energy usage resulting from the high operating pressure. In this work, we carried out a parametric analysis on a spiral wound membrane (SWM) module to predict the performance of hypersaline brine desalination, in terms of mass transfer and specific energy consumption (SEC). Our analysis shows that at a low inlet pressure of 65 bar, a significantly higher SEC is observed for high feed concentration of brine water compared with seawater (i.e., 0.08 vs. 0.035) due to the very low process recovery ratio (i.e., 1%). Hence, an inlet pressure of at least 75 bar is recommended to minimise energy consumption. A higher feed velocity is also preferred due to its larger productivity when compared with a slightly higher energy requirement. This study found that the SEC reduction is greatly affected by the pressure recovery and the pump efficiencies for brine desalination using SWM, and employing them with high efficiencies (ηR ≥ 95% and ηpump ≥ 50%) can reduce SEC by at least 33% while showing a comparable SEC with SWRO desalination (<5.5 kWh/m3). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Materials and Processes for Liquid and Gas Separation)
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31 pages, 10674 KiB  
Article
Surface Treatment by Physical Irradiation for Antifouling, Chlorine-Resistant RO Membranes
by Marwa S. Shalaby, Heba Abdallah, Ralph Wilken, Schmüser Christoph and Ahmed M. Shaban
Membranes 2023, 13(2), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020227 - 13 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1150
Abstract
Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes represent a strategic tool for the development of desalination and water treatment processes. Today’s global needs for clean water supplies show stressing circumstances to secure this supply, relying upon desalination and wastewater treatment and reuse, especially in Egypt and [...] Read more.
Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes represent a strategic tool for the development of desalination and water treatment processes. Today’s global needs for clean water supplies show stressing circumstances to secure this supply, relying upon desalination and wastewater treatment and reuse, especially in Egypt and the Middle East. However, chlorine attack and fouling of polyamide layers, the active (selective) layers of RO membranes, are representing a great obstacle to seriously spreading the use of this technology. One promising way of fouling control and chlorine resistance is surface modification using grafting by plasma or vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation as a layer-by-layer assembly on polyamide membranes. Several studies have shown the effect of grafting by plasma using methacrylic acid (atmospheric pressure plasma) and showed that grafted coatings can improve PA membranes toward permeation compared with commercial ones with fouling behavior but not chlorine resistance. In this work, the techniques of layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly for previously prepared PA RO membranes (3T) using a mixed-base polymer of polysulfone and polyacrylonitrile in the presence of nanographene oxide (GO) without chemical grafting and with chemically grafted poly-methacrylic acid (3TG) were used. Membranes 3T, 3TG, a blank one (a base polymer membrane only was surface modified using VUV activation (AKT), and one with a grafted layer with polyethylene glycol (VUV-PEG) were prepared. These were then compared with polydimethylsiloxane (VUV-PDMS) and another surface modification with low-pressure plasma using acrylic acid (acryl) and hexadimethyl siloxane (GrowPLAS). The tested membranes were evaluated by short-term permeation and salt rejection experiments together with fouling behavior and chlorine resistance. A clear improvement of chlorine resistance and antifouling was observed for 3T membranes under plasma treatment, especially with the grafting with polyacrylic acid. Better antifouling and antichlorine behaviors were achieved with the vacuum UV treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Materials and Processes for Liquid and Gas Separation)
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10 pages, 3067 KiB  
Article
Ionic Liquids-Polymer of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIMs) Blend Membranes for CO2 Separation
by Giuseppe Ferraro, Carmela Astorino, Mattia Bartoli, Alberto Martis, Stefania Lettieri, Candido Fabrizio Pirri and Sergio Bocchini
Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1262; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12121262 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1581
Abstract
Membranes with high CO2 solubility are essential for developing a separation technology with low carbon footprint. To this end, physical blend membranes of [BMIM][Ac] and [BMIM][Succ] as Ionic Liquids (ILs) and PIM-1 as the polymer were prepared trying to combine the high [...] Read more.
Membranes with high CO2 solubility are essential for developing a separation technology with low carbon footprint. To this end, physical blend membranes of [BMIM][Ac] and [BMIM][Succ] as Ionic Liquids (ILs) and PIM-1 as the polymer were prepared trying to combine the high permeability properties of PIM-1 with the high CO2 solubility of the chosen ILs. Membranes with a PIM-1/[BMIM][Ac] 4/1 ratio nearly double their CO2 solubility at 0.8 bar (0.86 cm3 (STP)/cm3 cmHg), while other ratios still maintain similar solubilities to PIM-1 (0.47 cm3 (STP)/cm3 cmHg). Moreover, CO2 permeability of PIM-1/[BMIM][Ac] blended membranes were between 1050 and 2090 Barrer for 2/1 and 10/1 ratio, lower than PIM-1 membrane, but still highly permeable. The here presented self-standing and mechanically resistant blend membranes have yet a lower permeability compared to PIM-1 yet an improved CO2 solubility, which eventually will translate in higher CO2/N2 selectivity. These promising preliminary results will allow us to select and optimize the best performing PIM-1/ILs blends to develop outstanding membranes for an improved gas separation technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Materials and Processes for Liquid and Gas Separation)
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10 pages, 4356 KiB  
Article
The Structure Stability of Metal Diffusion Membrane-Filters in the Processes of Hydrogen Absorption/Desorption
by Olga V. Akimova, Roman D. Svetogorov, Alexey V. Ovcharov and Nataliya R. Roshan
Membranes 2022, 12(11), 1132; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12111132 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1289
Abstract
The evolution of a nanostructured state of palladium—lead membrane alloys during their interaction with hydrogen was studied using precision X-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation (SR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The importance of this topic is due to [...] Read more.
The evolution of a nanostructured state of palladium—lead membrane alloys during their interaction with hydrogen was studied using precision X-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation (SR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The importance of this topic is due to the need and demand for improving the performance characteristics of dense metal diffusion filters for high purity hydrogen separation processes. Palladium-based membrane filters with lead concentrations of 5 and 20 wt.% were prepared via electric arc melting from high purity metals (99.95%). The thickness of the filters was 50 μm. Hydrogenation was carried out from a gas medium at 573 K and the pressure of 16 atm. within 150 min. The focus of the study is on the structural state of diffusion filter membranes depending on the content of the palladium-alloying element—lead—and on analysis of the substructure of alloys before and 5300 h relaxation after hydrogenation is carried out. Specific features of the surface morphology and the structure of the membrane filters depending on the concentration of lead in the alloys are determined. The formation and development of deformation processes in metal systems upon the hydrogenation is shown. The establishment of peculiarities of hydrogen interaction with metals will contribute to obtaining new potentially important characteristics of membrane filters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Materials and Processes for Liquid and Gas Separation)
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