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Al-Muthanna University

College of Engineering

Department of chemical engineering

Preparation by :

Zainab wathiq

Under the supervision of prof. Dr. Raed

MEMBRANE SEPARATION

INTRODUCTION
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 Membrane:
covers all engineering approaches for the transport of substances between
two fractions with the help of permeable membranes. In general,
mechanical separation processes for separating gaseous or liquid streams
use membrane technology.
A study is presented of water—ethanol permeation through grafted PTFE
membranes containing small amounts of low-molecular-weight grafts.
The permeation behaviour depends on conditioning time due to a
rearrangement of amorphous and crystalline domains brought about by
the permeating mixture. Selectivities observed are comparable to values
reported for membranes with high-molecular-weight grafted chains.
The group of membrane processes is one of the numerous unit operation
systems for separation. Within the separation processes, membranes play
a more and more important role. Nowadays membranes are considered as
strong competitors of “classical”, conventional separation techniques.
Some types of separation processes, including membranes are
summarised in Tab. 1 The separation methods are classified in terms of
the physico-chemical properties of the compounds to be separated 1,2. It
can be seen that membrane.process(es) can be found in almost every
class.

HISTORY OF MEMBERANCE
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In recent years, membrane separation processes have evolved from simple

applications in the laboratory to utilization in important industrial operations with
significant technica] and commercial impact. Over the last two decades,
considerable effort by physicists, chemists and engineers has been devoted to
develop better membranes and extend their range of application. In this paper, the
principles of various separation processes such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration,
reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, and gas separations are described and a review of
their present applications in the laboratory and in plant operations is given. The
structure and transport properties of commercial membranes and their use in
various applications are discussed in detail. More recent developments in
membrane separation processes such as the use of liquid membranes and carrier
facilitated transport for the selective removal of certain chemical species are also
reviewed.

DEFINITION OF MEMBERANCE:

In membrane separation, spent metal removal fluids are pumped from a process
tank at a moderate pressure (typically 30 to 50 PSIG) and rapid flow to a series
of membranes. This flow is typically between 750 to 1,100 gallons per square
foot of membrane per day and is referred to as the feed rate. Large molecules
and virtually all petroleum products are blocked at the membrane surface. The
compounds that do not pass through the membrane are referred to as the reject.
The water-like solutions that pass through the membrane are referred to as the
"permeate". The rate at which the permeate flows through the membrane is
called the flux rate. More information about the flux rate was given below. You
can find info about that how it is measured and when it becomes unacceptably
low.
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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE

MEMBRANE SEPARATION

Advantages :
( a ) Membrane separation consistently separates a wide variety of emulsion,
surfactant, and chelating chemistries and various mixtures.
( b ) It requires no specific chemical knowledge.
( c ) Complex instrumentation is not required.
( d ) The method does not require constant attention.
( e ) The basic concept is simple to understand.

Disadvantages
( a ) Membranes are expensive.
( b ) Certain solvents can quickly and permanently destroy the membrane.
( c ) Certain colloidal solids, especially graphite and residues from vibratory
deburring operations, can permanently foul the membrane surface.
( d ) The energy cost is higher than chemical treatment, although less than
evaporation.
( e ) Oil emulsions are not "chemically separated," so secondary oil recovery can
be difficult.
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( f ) Synthetics are not effectively treated by this method.

APPLICATIONS OF MEMBERANCE SEPARATION

The membrane filtration method is distinguished by the fact that it does not need to
be heated and therefore it is more economical than thermal separation methods,
such as evaporation, sublimation method or crystallization method. The separation
of the membranes is carried out in a purely physical way, as the filtrate is separated
from the excluded solution. Therefore, membrane filtration found many
applications in the food industry, in biotechnology, and in pharmacy, all of which
are cold methods and do not require heating.
By filtering the membranes, it is also possible to separate materials that cannot be
separated by thermal methods. For example, two liquids cannot be separated by
evaporation if they have the same boiling point. In the membranes method, by
choosing the type of membrane, it is possible to separate certain substances
without affecting the other or the others.

MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY :

Membrane technology has become a dignified separation technology over the past
decennia. The main force of membrane technology is the fact that it works without
the addition of chemicals, with a relatively low energy use and easy and well-
arranged process conductions.
Membrane technology is a generic term for a number of different, very
characteristic separation processes. These processes are of the same kind, because
in each of them a membrane is used. Membranes are used more and more often for
the creation of process water from groundwater, surface water or wastewater.
Membranes are now competitive for conventional techniques. The membrane
separation process is based on the presence of semi permeable membranes. The
principle is quite simple: the membrane acts as a very specific filter that will let
water flow through, while it catches suspended solids and other substances.
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There are various methods to enable substances to penetrate a membrane.

Examples of these methods are the applications of high pressure, the maintenance
of a concentration gradient on both sides of the membrane and the introduction of
an electric potential.
Membranes occupy through a selective separation wall. Certain substances can
pass through the membrane, while other substances are caught.
Membrane filtration can be used as an alternative for flocculation, sediment
purification techniques, adsorption (sand filters and active carbon filters, ion
exchangers), extraction and distillation.

There are two factors that determine the affectivity of a membrane filtration
process; selectivity and productivity. Selectivity is expressed as a parameter called
retention or separation factor (expressed by the unit l/m2·h). Productivity is
expressed as a parameter called flux (expressed by the unit l/m2·h). Selectivity and
productivity are membrane-dependent.

TYPE OF MEMBERANCE
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Membrane processes may be classified according to the types of membranes used.

With porous membranes, for example, a distinction is made between
microfiltration and ultrafiltration, depending on the pore sizes and particle sizes
involved. As an extension to this, reverse osmosis is sometimes called
hyperfiltration and indeed theories have been developed, such as the “preferential
sorption-capillary flow” model of Sourirajan, 1 in which separation is considered
to take place via pores with dimensions in the range of molecular sizes.
Membranes come in two basic sizes
( a ) Microfiltration, rated at 0.1 to 1.0 micron and
( b ) Ultrafiltration, rated from 0.001 to 0.1 micron, the most typical membrane
size rate at 0.005 micron. Membranes can be configured in various ways and have
varying life spans :
( a ) Round tubes with approximately 0.5" or 1" internal diameter, which can last
from 3 to 8 years,
( b ) Hollow fibers with an approximate internal diameter of 0.030", which can
last from 1 to 2 years,
( c ) Flat sheets wrapped in a spiral configuration, lasting from 3 to 8 years and
(d ) Flat sheets that are vibrated or turbulated with mechanical "wipers," lasting
from 3 to 8 years.

LIQUID MEMBERANCE

Liquid Membranes
A liquid membrane is a liquid phase that separates two fluid phases of different
composition. In most applications the liquid membrane is an organic phase placed
between two aqueous phases. The principles involved in liquid membrane
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separations are those of solvent extraction, rather than membrane separation. The
solute is first selectively extracted by the liquid membrane, it then transfers across
the liquid film driven by its concentration gradient and when it reaches the other
side of the liquid membrane it is stripped by the third phase.
There are two types of mechanisms of transfer to and from the membrane:
(1) Physical transfer,
(2) carrier mediated transfer. The first is based on the solubility of the solute in the
membrane, while the second requires the presence of a selective reactant in the
organic phase called the carrier. In this case the process is based on the
reversibility of the chemical reaction. The extraction of Zn 2+ from an aqueous feed
with a carrier RH dissolved in the organic membrane, will be used as an example
of carrier mediated extraction. The overall reaction between the cation and the
carrier can be represented by:

GAS MEMBERANCE

gas memberance

The progress in the field of gas separation by membranes has been very fast. It has
grown from early diffusion experiments, through the basic concepts of diffusion
and permeation, to industrially accepted products. Since the membrane is the most
decisive part of the gas separation technology, it has attracted maximum attention
in terms of research and development. Efforts to correlate the basic structure with
permeability and selectivity have resulted in the synthesis of newer polymers.
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Concurrent with these studies, newer theories to explain the phenomena of

diffusion, solution and permeation have also emerged. The theoretical description
of small molecule diffusion in polymers falls into several categories, depending on
the state of polymer. These have been supplemented by computer simulations and
improved models. Because of these instrumental aids, as well as continual efforts
over the years, the relationships involving the structures/permeabilities/selectivity
of polymeric membranes have become the subject of systematic studies. This
review gives a brief outline of the field that has emerged on the basis of theoretical
models on porous as well as non-porous membranes, and discusses mainly the
solution cast polymeric membranes. The effects of casting conditions on
membrane properties have also been discussed. Established and emerging
technologies in ceramic and in other inorganic membranes such as slip casting,
electrodeless plating, sputtering and chemical, and electrochemical vapour
deposition techniques are being successfully adopted on a laboratory scale to
produce membranes with improved separation factors and high fluxes. In addition,
new materials are being developed and new preparation techniques developed to
produce thinner membranes and/or smaller pore-sized, defect-free membranes. The
emerging field of inorganic membranes for specific gas separations has also been
briefly reviewed herein.

SYSTEM OF MEMBERANCE

The choice for a certain kind of membrane system is determined by a great number
of aspects, such as costs, risks of plugging of the membranes, packing density and
cleaning opportunities. Membranes are never applied as one flat plate, because this
large surface often results in high investing costs. That is why systems are built
densely to enable a large membrane surface to be put in the smallest possible
volume. Membranes are implemented in several types of modules. There are two
main types, called the tubular membrane system and the plate & frame membrane
system. Tubular membrane systems are divided up in tubular, capillary and hollow
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fiber membranes. Plate & frame membranes are divided up in spiral membranes
and pillow-shaped membranes.
Membrane fouling
During membrane filtration processes membrane fouling is inevitable, even with a
sufficient pre-treatment. The types and amounts of fouling are dependent on many
different factors, such as feed water quality, membrane type, membrane materials
and process design and control.
Particles, biofouling and scaling are the three main types of fouling on a
membrane. These contaminants cause that a higher workload is required, to be able
to guarantee a continuous capacity of the membranes. At a certain point the
pressure will rise so much that it is no longer economically and technically
accountable.
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SOURCE:

1- HTTPS://WWW.LENNTECH.COM/MEMBRANE-
TECHNOLOGY.HTM#IXZZ6PXDCIEHM
2- WIKIPEDIA
3- HTTPS://WWW.LENNTECH.COM/MEMBRANE-
TECHNOLOGY.HTM#IXZZ6PXEOSK8Y
4- BOWEN, W. R. (1991) MEMBRANE SEPARATION PROCESSES, IN CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING, VOL. 2, 4TH EDN., COULSON, J. M. AND RICHARDSON, J. R,
PERGAMON PRESS, OXFORD.
5- RAUTENBACH, R. AND ALBRECHT, R. (1989) MEMBRANE PROCESSES,
JOHN WILEY AND SONS, CHICHESTER.
6- WAY, J. D., NOBLE, R. D., FLYNN, T. M., AND SLOAN, E. D. (1982) LIQUID
MEMBRANE TRANSPORT: A SURVEY, J. MEMB. SCI., 12, 239-259. DOI:
10.1016/S0376-7388(00)80185-4