Membrane Contactor

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decades, membrane contactor systems have been studied extensively as an alternative way of contacting of two different phases (gas-liquid or liquid-liquid). In most cases, the membrane plays a role of well-defined interface that provides greater surface area and independent operation of two streams separated by a membrane. By adjustment of membrane and module design (e.g., flat-sheet or hollow fiber), it is possible to achieve several times higher overall mass transfer characteristics per volume, leading to a significant reduction of unit size in comparison with traditional packed columns.

Different configurations of membrane distillation are one of the classical examples of membrane contactor systems (L-G, L-G-L) used for water desalination and related applications. Despite the pressure-driven processes (e.g., nanofiltration or reverse osmosis), membrane contactors can be successfully used not only to split the feed to diluted and concentrated streams but also to isolate individual components from its solution (membrane crystallization). By combining advantages of membranes and absorption process, membrane contactors can be used for selective removal of various gases (CO₂, H₂S, olefines, etc.), organics and water vapors due to specific interactions with the absorption liquids. L-L membrane contactors can also be used for varied applications – for example, emulsification, pertraction processes or controlled dosage of chemicals. 

The membrane is usually acting as porous, non-selective interface; however, the membrane can also have a non-porous selective layer like in thermopervaporation process. The ideal membrane for membrane contactors shall have non-wetting surface towards at least one of the liquid phase, narrow pore size distribution, and low latent heat conductivity for some application. Besides, the membrane can have additional functions such as catalytic one (membrane catalysis). Then, the catalytic membrane can facilitate the chemical reaction on the interface between two phases, or combine the chemical transformation with the selective evacuation of the product that allows shifting the chemical reaction.

This special issue covers the recent trends in the area of membrane contactors, including both fundamental and applied research on the development of novel membranes, processes and description of heat/mass transfer.

Dr. Alexey Volkov
Dr. Lidietta Giorno
Guest Editors

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• gas-liquid membrane contactor
• liquid-liquid membrane contactor
• membrane distillation
• membrane emulsification
• membrane crystallization
• membrane catalysis
• gas treatment
• mass/heat transfer
• membrane fabrication for contactor application