Designing Energy-Efficient Separation Membranes

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2021) | Viewed by 10516

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute for Materials & Processes (IMP), School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FB, UK
Interests: nanofabrication of porous and 2D materials and study of their growth mechanism; adsorption and membrane materials; ultrathin membranes/films/coatings; gas separation; drinking water purification; wastewater treatment and desalination; catalytic bio-oil upgrading; novel controlled delivery systems for small drug delivery
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Membrane separation has proven to provide an efficient solution to energy and environmental-related challenges due to its low energy consumption, ease of operation, and reduced secondary pollution. The development of membranes with special nanostructures showing outstanding chemical/mechanical properties and superior separation characteristics is crucial for an energy-efficient separation process. In recent years, it has become increasingly popular to identify concepts or strategies in nature for the design of energy-efficient separation membranes. This Special Issue of Membranes attempts to collect the latest innovations in the preparation and characterization of energy-efficient separation membranes, advanced membrane separation processes, and modeling of the behavior of energy-efficient separation membranes. We encourage authors, especially those from leading laboratories and institutes, to submit their latest results. Submissions of high-quality research in the scaling up of energy-efficient membrane production are also welcomed.

Dr. Yi (Harvey) Huang
Guest Editor

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

  • energy-efficient, cost-effective membrane separation
  • ultra-thin membrane
  • nanostructured membrane
  • thin film
  • membrane material
  • membrane fouling
  • wastewater treatment and purification
  • gas separation
  • carbon capture
  • membrane characterization
  • process modelling

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

29 pages, 5833 KiB  
Review
Lithium Harvesting from the Most Abundant Primary and Secondary Sources: A Comparative Study on Conventional and Membrane Technologies
by Fraz Saeed Butt, Allana Lewis, Ting Chen, Nurul A. Mazlan, Xiuming Wei, Jasmeen Hayer, Siyu Chen, Jilong Han, Yaohao Yang, Shuiqing Yang and Yi Huang
Membranes 2022, 12(4), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12040373 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5231
Abstract
The exponential rise in lithium demand over the last decade, as one of the largest sources for energy storage in terms of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), has posed a great threat to the existing lithium supply and demand balance. The current methodologies available for [...] Read more.
The exponential rise in lithium demand over the last decade, as one of the largest sources for energy storage in terms of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), has posed a great threat to the existing lithium supply and demand balance. The current methodologies available for lithium extraction, separation and recovery, both from primary (brines/seawater) and secondary (LIBs) sources, suffer not only at the hands of excessive use of chemicals but complicated, time-consuming and environmentally detrimental design procedures. Researchers across the world are working to review and update the available technologies for lithium harvesting in terms of their economic and feasibility analysis. Following its excessive consumption of sustainable energy resources, its demand has risen sharply and therefore requires urgent attention. In this paper, different available methodologies for lithium extraction and recycling from the most abundant primary and secondary lithium resources have been reviewed and compared. This review also includes the prospects of using membrane technology as a promising replacement for conventional methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Energy-Efficient Separation Membranes)
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29 pages, 6258 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in a Membrane-Based Technique for Propylene/Propane Separation
by Meng Guo and Masakoto Kanezashi
Membranes 2021, 11(5), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11050310 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4660
Abstract
The similar physico-chemical properties of propylene and propane molecules have made the separation process of propylene/propane challenging. Membrane separation techniques show substantial prospects in propylene/propane separation due to their low energy consumption and investment costs, and they have been proposed to replace or [...] Read more.
The similar physico-chemical properties of propylene and propane molecules have made the separation process of propylene/propane challenging. Membrane separation techniques show substantial prospects in propylene/propane separation due to their low energy consumption and investment costs, and they have been proposed to replace or to be combined with the conventional cryogenic distillation process. Over the past decade, organosilica membranes have attracted considerable attention due to their significant features, such as their good molecular sieving properties and high hydrothermal stability. In the present review, holistic insight is provided to summarize the recent progress in propylene/propane separation using polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid membranes, and a particular inspection of organosilica membranes is conducted. The importance of the pore subnano-environment of organosilica membranes is highlighted, and future directions and perspectives for propylene/propane separation are also provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Energy-Efficient Separation Membranes)
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