Sorption and Transport Phenomena in Inorganic Membranes

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 3382

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Interests: reactor design; reaction engineering; separations; environmental remediation
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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
Interests: plasma catalysis; membrane seperation; sorption

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Membrane separations have attracted significant attention in recent decades due to their potential advantages, including low energy requirements and high efficiency, when compared to the more conventional separation technologies such as distillation. Inorganic membranes, made of materials such as zeolites, ceramics, and carbon molecular sieves, in particular, show good promise for broad applications including conventional gas separations, water purification, and reactive separations involved in the production of chemicals and fuels. 

Sorption and transport are the two key phenomena that take place during separation processes involving inorganic membranes. Sorption of molecules or ions onto the surface of the membrane entails physical (physisorption), chemical (chemisorption), and electrostatic interactions. Transport phenomena involve the movement of species in the bulk region of the pore via diffusion and/or convection, and of adsorbed species through surface diffusion. The sorption and transport properties, and thus the separation characteristics, of inorganic membranes are influenced by factors such as their pore structure morphology, pore size distribution and surface chemistry. To better understand the fundamental mechanisms underpinning such sorption and transport phenomena, various groups have, through the years, used novel material characterization techniques, mathematical modeling and numerical simulation, and experimental testing of their permeation properties. The exploration and elucidation of these mechanisms can help rationalize the selection and development of new inorganic membrane materials and help to optimize the operating conditions for separation, thus leading to improved selectivity and higher permeability. 

Prof. Dr. Theodore T. Tsotsis
Dr. Mingyuan Cao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • inorganic membranes
  • sorption
  • membrane separation
  • transport phenomena
  • experimental testing and mathematic modeling

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5677 KiB  
Article
Field-Scale Testing of a High-Efficiency Membrane Reactor (MR)—Adsorptive Reactor (AR) Process for H2 Generation and Pre-Combustion CO2 Capture
by Nicholas Margull, Doug Parsley, Ibubeleye Somiari, Linghao Zhao, Mingyuan Cao, Dimitrios Koumoulis, Paul K. T. Liu, Vasilios I. Manousiouthakis and Theodore T. Tsotsis
Membranes 2024, 14(2), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14020051 - 11 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1520
Abstract
The study objective was to field-validate the technical feasibility of a membrane- and adsorption-enhanced water gas shift reaction process employing a carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM)-based membrane reactor (MR) followed by an adsorptive reactor (AR) for pre-combustion CO2 capture. The project was [...] Read more.
The study objective was to field-validate the technical feasibility of a membrane- and adsorption-enhanced water gas shift reaction process employing a carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM)-based membrane reactor (MR) followed by an adsorptive reactor (AR) for pre-combustion CO2 capture. The project was carried out in two different phases. In Phase I, the field-scale experimental MR-AR system was designed and constructed, the membranes, and adsorbents were prepared, and the unit was tested with simulated syngas to validate functionality. In Phase II, the unit was installed at the test site, field-tested using real syngas, and a technoeconomic analysis (TEA) of the technology was completed. All project milestones were met. Specifically, (i) high-performance CMSMs were prepared meeting the target H2 permeance (>1 m3/(m2.hbar) and H2/CO selectivity of >80 at temperatures of up to 300 °C and pressures of up to 25 bar with a <10% performance decline over the testing period; (ii) pelletized adsorbents were prepared for use in relevant conditions (250 °C < T < 450 °C, pressures up to 25 bar) with a working capacity of >2.5 wt.% and an attrition rate of <0.2; (iii) TEA showed that the MR-AR technology met the CO2 capture goals of 95% CO2 purity at a cost of electricity (COE) 30% less than baseline approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sorption and Transport Phenomena in Inorganic Membranes)
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18 pages, 2910 KiB  
Article
Impact of Cleaning on Membrane Performance during Surface Water Treatment: A Hybrid Process with Biological Ion Exchange and Gravity-Driven Membranes
by Yaser Rasouli, Benoit Barbeau, Raphaël Maltais-Tariant, Caroline Boudoux and Dominique Claveau-Mallet
Membranes 2024, 14(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14020033 - 25 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1341
Abstract
In this study, the hybrid biological ion exchange (BIEX) resin and gravity-driven membrane (GDM) process was employed for the treatment of coloured and turbid river water. The primary objective was to investigate the impact of both physical and chemical cleaning methods on ceramic [...] Read more.
In this study, the hybrid biological ion exchange (BIEX) resin and gravity-driven membrane (GDM) process was employed for the treatment of coloured and turbid river water. The primary objective was to investigate the impact of both physical and chemical cleaning methods on ceramic and polymeric membranes in terms of their stabilised flux, flux recovery after physical/chemical cleaning, and permeate quality. To address these objectives, two types of MF and UF membranes were utilised (M1 = polymeric MF, M2 = polymeric UF, M3 = ceramic UF, and M4 = lab-made ceramic MF). Throughout the extended operation, the resin functioned initially in the primary ion exchange (IEX) region (NOM displacement with pre-charged chloride) and progressed to a secondary IEX stage (NOM displacement with bicarbonate and sulphate), while membrane flux remained stable. Subsequently, physical cleaning involved air/water backwash with two different flows and pressures, and chemical cleaning utilised NaOH at concentrations of 20 and 40 mM, as well as NaOCl at concentrations of 250 and 500 mg Cl2/L. These processes were carried out to assess flux recovery and identify fouling reversibility. The results indicate an endpoint of 1728 bed volumes (BVs) for the primary IEX region, while the secondary IEX continued up to 6528 BV. At the end of the operation, DOC and UVA254 removal in the effluent of the BIEX columns were 68% and 81%, respectively, compared to influent water. This was followed by 30% and 57% DOC and UVA254 removal using M4 (ceramic MF). The stabilised flux remained approximately 3.8–5.2 LMH both before and after the cleaning process, suggesting that membrane materials do not play a pivotal role. The mean stabilised flux of polymeric membranes increased after cleaning, whereas that of the ceramics decreased. Enhanced air–water backwash flow and pressure resulted in an increased removal of hydraulic reversible fouling, which was identified as the dominant fouling type. Ceramic membranes exhibited a higher removal of reversible hydraulic fouling than polymeric membranes. Chemical cleaning had a low impact on flux recovery; therefore, we recommend solely employing physical cleaning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sorption and Transport Phenomena in Inorganic Membranes)
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