Solvent extraction through a double-pass parallel-plate membrane channel with recycle

The reflux indeed has much influence on the heat and mass transfer, which in turn plays a significant role on the design, calculation, and operation of the equipment. The effects of recycle on membrane extraction through a double-pass parallel-plate channel have been studied both theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical analysis of mass transfer in multipass membrane extractors was analogous to heat transfer in multipass heat exchangers. Experiments were carried out with the use of a membrane sheet made of microporous polypropylene coated with polytetrafluoroethylene as a permeable barrier to extract acetic acid from aqueous solution by methyl isobutyl ketone. Theoretical predictions are in qualitative agreement with the experimental results. Contrast a single-pass parallel-plate membrane channel without recycle, considerable improvement in mass transfer is obtainable if membrane extraction is operated in a double-pass device of same size with recycle which provides the increase of fluid velocity and pre-extraction (or pre-mixing) effect. It is found that recycle can enhance mass transfer, especially for operations with higher inlet volume rate or shorter conduit length.     

Solvent extraction in cross-flow multipass parallel-plate membrane modules of fixed configuration

The effect of multipass arrangement on membrane extraction through a cross-flow rectangular module has been investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In contrast to a single-pass device, improvement in mass transfer is obtained if cross-flow membrane extraction is operated in a multipass device of same configuration. It is concluded that multipass effect which provides the increase of fluid velocity, can enhance mass transfer, especially for concentrated solution with high distribution coefficient where the liquid-phase mass-transfer resistances are more extremely predominant.     

Prediction of permeate flux during osmotic pressure-controlled electric field-enhanced cross-flow ultrafiltration

Electric field-enhanced cross-flow ultrafiltration has been carried out to separate protein, bovine serum albumin, from aqueous solution using a 30,000 molecular weight cutoff membrane. A theoretical model is developed to predict permeate flux under a laminar flow regime including the effects of external d.c. electric field and suction through the membrane for osmotic pressure-controlled ultrafiltration. The governing equations of the concentration profile in the developing mass transfer boundary layer in a rectangular channel are solved using a similarity solution method. The effect of d.c. electric field on the variation of membrane surface concentration and permeate flux along the length of the channel is quantified using this model. The expression of Sherwood number relation for estimation of mass transfer coefficient is derived. The analysis revealed that there is a significant effect of electric field on the mass transfer coefficient. A detailed parametric study has been carried out to observe the effect of feed concentration, electric field, cross-flow velocity, and pressure on the permeate flux. For 1 kg/m3 BSA solution, by applying a d.c. electric field of 1000 V/m, the permeate flux increases from 42 to 98 L/m2 h compared to that with zero electric field. The experimental results are successfully compared with the model predicted results.     

Removal of Natural Organic Matter by Forward Osmosis Membrane: Flux Behaviour and Foulant Characterization

Fouling of cellulose triacetate(CTA) forward osmosis(FO) membranes by natural organic matter(NOM) was studied by means of a cross-flow flat-sheet forward osmosis membrane system. The NOM solution was employed as the feed solution(FS), and a sodium chloride solution(3 mol/L) was used for the draw solution(DS). The process was conducted at various temperatures and cross-flow velocities. The flux decline was investigated with 3 h forward osmosis operation. The substances absorbed on the membranes were cleaned by ultrasonic oscillation of the fouled membranes and were characterized by methodologies including fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) and liquid chromatography with an organic carbon detector(LC-OCD), and the variations of membrane properties were also investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FTIR) and a contact angle meter. It was noted that the rejection efficiency of NOM is remarkable and that ultrasonic oscillation is an effective method to extract the NOM fouled on the CTA membranes after FO process. A higher cross-flow velocity and lower temperature benefit the anti-fouling capacity of the membrane significantly. Although humic substances accounted for the majo- rity of the NOM, aromatic proteins and amino acids were the main fouling components on the membranes, with symbolic FTIR peaks at 2355, 1408 and 873 cm^-1. The present surface foulant made the membranes becoming more hydrophilic, as demonstrated by a significant decrease in contact angle(ranging from 20% to 46%) under all the operation conditions.     

Yeast cells,beer composition and mean pore diameter impacts on fouling and retention during cross-flow filtration of beer with ceramic membranes

Clarification of rough beer (RB) and pasteurisation of clarified beer (CB) by cross-flow microfiltration (CFMF) stand as potential applications of membranes in the food industry. This study is based on the comparison of the resistances to mass transfer obtained during the filtration of RB and CB. Empirical correlations made it possible to calculate the CB resistances for the same conditions of transmembrane pressure and cross-flow velocity as for the RB filtration runs. The 1.4 μm membrane led to much lower resistances than the other membranes because of the lower retention rates of the beer compounds such as proteins and polyphenols. In this case, the predominant fouling mechanism was due to the yeast cell layer which was very sensitive to cross-flow velocity. On the other hand, with the 0.1, 0.45 and 0.8 μm membranes, the retention or adsorption of the CB compounds, such as proteins and polyphenols was the predominant mechanism. The resistances obtained with the rough and CB were fairly similar. We assume that the presence of yeast cells lead to less compact proteins and polyphenols fouling.     

Electrochemical mass transfer modeling of a complex two phase heat transfer problem: Case of a prototype slagging gasifier

The local and averaged forced-convective heat transfer coefficients were estimated from measured local and averaged mass transfer coefficients in a model slagging-gasifier hearth pool using the Chilton-Colburn analogy. A solution of ferri/ferrocyanide and buffer with addition of CMC (carboxymethylcellulose) was used for the electrochemical mass transfer measurements. This solution had similar properties to those of the slag in the real gasifier. The influence of natural convection due to the differences in temperatures in the hearth was also estimated. Values of heat transfer coefficient similar to those estimated by British Gas for the prototype Westfield gasifier were found using the mass transfer modelling method. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2008, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 447–458. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Kinetic aspects of hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction and electromembrane extraction

In this paper, extraction kinetics was investigated experimentally and theoretically in hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) and electromembrane extraction (EME) with the basic drugs droperidol, haloperidol, nortriptyline, clomipramine, and clemastine as model analytes. In HF-LPME, the analytes were extracted by passive diffusion from an alkaline sample, through a (organic) supported liquid membrane (SLM) and into an acidic acceptor solution. In EME, the analytes were extracted by electrokinetic migration from an acidic sample, through the SLM, and into an acidic acceptor solution by application of an electrical potential across the SLM. In both HF-LPME and EME, the sample (donor solution) was found to be rapidly depleted for analyte. In HF-LPME, the mass transfer across the SLM was slow, and this was found to be the rate limiting step of HF-LPME. This finding is in contrast to earlier discussions in the literature suggesting that mass transfer across the boundary layer at the donor–SLM interface is the rate limiting step of HF-LPME. In EME, mass transfer across the SLM was much more rapid due to electrokinetic migration. Nevertheless, mass transfer across the SLM was rate limiting even in EME. Theoretical models were developed to describe the kinetics in HF-LPME, in agreement with the experimental findings. In HF-LPME, the extraction efficiency was found to be maintained even if pH in the donor solution was lowered from 10 to 7–8, which was below the pK_a-value for several of the analytes. Similarly, in EME, the extraction efficiency was found to be maintained even if pH in the donor solution increased from 4 to 11, which was above the pK_a-value for several of the analytes. The two latter experiments suggested that both techniques may be used to effectively extract analytes from samples in a broader pH range as compared to the pH range recommended in the literature.     

膜接触器 复合有机胺溶液捕集CO2(英文）

本文提出一种基于氨基酸盐的CO₂复合吸收剂,采用膜接触器 复合溶液耦合技术研究了吸收CO₂的性能,并与单一氨基酸盐溶液吸收性能进行了比较,讨论了气液流速等因素对气液出口CO₂浓度、捕集效率和总传质系数的影响,开发了一个阻力层模型预测膜接触器的总传质系数。结果表明：复合溶液的性能明显好于单一氨基酸盐溶液;与单一溶液比较,使用复合溶液,气相出口CO₂浓度较低,液相出口CO₂浓度较高,捕集效率也较高;复合溶液的总传质系数明显高于单一溶液。可以证实,在膜吸收过程中氨基酸盐基复合溶液是一高效的CO₂吸收剂。模型的预测值符合实验值。     

Thermal performance of a mini-channel heat exchanger (MCHE) working with CNT/GNP-based non-Newtonian nanofluids

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this work, the heat transfer of the non-Newtonian nanofluids inside a wavy microchannels heat exchanger (WMCHE) in cross-flow configuration has been...     

Interaction of dispersed phase with concentration polarization

The effect of a dispersed phase in reducing the concentration polarization in a membrane tube has been studied. The presence of a dispersed phase seems to have an effect in controlling the size of eddy formation and the rate of energy dissipation in the fluid medium. The role of eddy length and the energy dissipation rate on the mass transfer coefficient is discussed. Theoretical results obtained for the mass transfer coefficient and for the concentration polarization in the case of gelatin ultrafiltration are compared with the existing experimental results. The theoretical predictions seem to be in good agreement with the experimentally observed results.     

Fouling of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes by humic acid—Effects of solution composition and hydrodynamic conditions

Fouling of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes by humic acid, a recalcitrant natural organic matter (NOM), was systematically investigated. The membrane flux performance depended on both hydrodynamic conditions (flux and cross-flow velocity) and solution composition (humic acid concentration, pH, ionic strength, and calcium concentration), and was largely independent of virgin membrane properties. While increasing humic acid concentration and ionic strength, and lowering cross-flow velocity affected flux performance moderately, severe flux reduction occurred at high initial flux, low pH, and high calcium concentration. At a calcium concentration of 1 mM, all the membranes exhibited an identical stable flux, independent of their respective intrinsic membrane permeabilities. The effect of solution composition was more significant at higher fluxes. Improved salt rejection was observed as a result of humic acid fouling, which was likely due to Donnan exclusion by humic material close to membrane surfaces. Greater rejection improvement was observed for membranes with rougher surfaces.     

Optimisation of ambient and high temperature asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation with dual/multi-angle light scattering and infrared/refractive index detection

Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) enables to analyse polymers with very high molar masses under mild conditions in comparison to size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Conventionally, membranes for AF4 are made from cellulose. Recently, a novel ceramic membrane has been developed which can withstand high temperatures above 130 °C and chlorinated organic solvents, thus making it possible to characterise semicrystalline polyolefins by HT-AF4. Two ceramic membranes and one cellulose membrane were compared with regard to their quality of molar mass separation and the loss of the polymer material through the pores. Separating polystyrene standards as model compounds at different cross-flow gradients the complex relationship between cross-flow velocity, separation efficiency, the molar mass and peak broadening could be elucidated in detail. Moreover, the dependence of signal quality and reproducibility on sample concentration and mass loading was investigated because the evaluation of the obtained fractograms substantially depends on the signal intensities. Finally, the performance of the whole system was tested at high temperature by separating PE reference materials of high molar mass.     

Influence of temperature on mass transfer in an incomplete trapping supported liquid membrane extraction of triazole fungicides

The influence of temperature in a supported liquid membrane (SLM) extraction of triazole fungicides was investigated. The mass transfer parameters such as diffusion coefficient, flux and apparent viscosity were determined at temperatures ranging from 5 to 40°C. Increase in temperature led to an increase in diffusion coefficient and flux with a flowing acceptor solution. The apparent viscosity also decreased with an increase in temperature. However, the increase in mass transfer parameters did not result in an overall increase in extraction efficiency with a stagnant or circulation acceptor phase. Stripping of the analytes from the membrane into the acceptor phase as well as the configuration of the extraction unit could have limited the influence of temperature on mass transfer. The partition coefficient of analytes from the acceptor solution to the membrane, K_A, was found to be much higher than that from the donor solution to the membrane K_D, thus triazole compounds preferred to remain in the membrane even with an increased extraction temperature.     

固体粒子对板式膜吸收过程的传质强化

分别采用纯CO2-去离子水和不同浓度的NaOH溶液为实验体系,在板式膜器中研究了第三相固体粒子对膜吸收过程传质效果的影响．分别考察了在不同粒子种类、搅拌转速、传质体系、化学反应强度、膜孔隙率等因素下固体粒子对传质强化的影响．结果表明,随着粒子固含率的增大,传质系数和增强因子均有所提高,当粒子固含率增大到一定范围后,传质系数和增强因子的变化趋于平缓．在固含率一定的条件下,不同种类的固体粒子对膜吸收过程的强化效果随着固体粒子密度的增加而减小．传质系数随着搅拌转速的增大而增大,但高搅拌转速下固体粒子的强化作用减弱．膜吸收过程的传质系数和增强因子随着化学反应强度的增强而增加．随着粒子固含率的增大,不同膜孔隙率对传质效果的差异减小,且孔隙率越小,固体粒子对膜吸收传质过程的强化效果越好．其中,对于纯CO2-去离子水体系,当孔隙率为20％,粒子固含率为1．5gL^（-1）时,固体粒子的加入可使传质系数提高1．45倍,增强因子可达2．45．     

High-speed protein purification by adsorptive cation-exchange hollow-fiber cartridges

Novel cation-exchange adsorptive membranes were assessed according to their protein adsorption capacity and permeation flowrate. Maximum static adsorption capacities for the three main egg-white proteins, lysozyme, ovoalbumin and conalbumin, were 140, 88 and 66 mg/ml, respectively. However, membranes showed an inverse relationship between permeation flowrate and static protein adsorption capacity. Two size cartridges (membrane volume of 0.42 and 3.5 ml) were built using the selected membrane. An adsorptive cross-flow cartridge was tested to recover and purify lysozyme from an egg-white solution. Breakthrough curves developed using a pure lysozyme solution showed a dynamic-to-static capacity ratio of 0.6, which was reduced to 0.4 during lysozyme recovery from egg-white solution in cross-flow mode. Total process cycle for the enzyme recovery and purification was in the range of 10–15 min for both cartridges. In both cases high-purity lysozyme (95%) was recovered with a productivity of 150 g/(l h) and no size-exclusion effect was detected.     

Removal of acidic dyestuffs in aqueous solution by nanofiltration

Separation of acidic dyestuffs, including Acid red 4, Acid orange 10, and Acid red 27, from aqueous solution by nanofiltration (NF) was shown to be a feasible process to accomplish an effective removal over a broad operational range. For most experiments conducted in this study, dyestuff rejections of greater than 98% were achieved. The permeate flux for experiments conducted with various dyestuffs was increased with increasing operating pressure and solution temperature. The permeability was increased and the rejection of dyestuffs was slightly decreased with increasing cross-flow velocity of solution. The effect of solution pH on the rejection of dyestuff was elucidated by the electrostatic characteristics between the species of dyestuff and the membrane surface. Maximum permeability was obtained for experiments operated in aqueous solution of pH 5, which was close to the isoelectric point of the membrane.     

Productivity enhancement in a cross-flow ultrafiltration membrane system through automated de-clogging operations

A membrane system only has a limited operational lifetime, whereby it becomes so severely fouled that continued operation must be stopped. In the cross-flow configuration of membrane filtration of wastewater, both increased cross-flow velocities and decreased operational transmembrane pressures can be used to decrease membrane fouling and extend the life cycle of the membrane separation process. The study found that an optimised usage of two de-clogging techniques, with a 1 h production period followed by a 1 min relaxation period and then a 1 min high cross-flow rate period, resulted in a net productivity increase of 14.8%.

The study involved a detailed investigation into the utilization of two automated cleaning techniques to reduce fouling problems encountered when cross-flow membrane systems are operated with high permeate flux rates. The two cleaning techniques studied were periodic membrane relaxation and a periodic high rate cross-flow. During both the relaxation and high rate cross-flow periods, permeate production was stopped. This results in an operational loss in productivity. When each cleaning technique was operated individually, there was a net productivity decrease of 0.7%, due to the 3.2% operational loss due to cleaning technique being implemented.

The system was developed using a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to accurately control and monitor the process.     

An improved model for mass transfer during the formation of polymeric membranes by the immersion-precipitation process

An analysis is presented, which describes the isothermal ternary diffusion process encountered in the formation of a cellulose acetate polymeric membrane by a direct immersion-precipitation of polymeric solutions in a nonsolvent bath. A material coordinate was employed to derive the mass transfer equations for the membrane solution and the convective mass transfer in the coagulation bath was taken into account by solving the hydrodynamic boundary layer equations. Diffusion coefficients were measured and used to deduce ternary phenomenological coefficients. The computed results are found to agree with the experimental precipitation time and membrane morphologies observed in scanning electron photomicrographs. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.