Mike - Biological Separation Processes Flashcards
How does yield vary with the number of steps in a process?
Product yield decreases with increased number of steps.
What are the 4 filtration classifications?
Micro
Nano
Ultra
Reverse osmosis
What are the different membrane performance models?
General equations Resistance model Film model Gel polarisation model Osmotic pressure model
How May membranes be classified?
Structure: symmetric, asymmetric
Configuration: flat, tubular, hollow fibre
Material: organic, inorganic
Surface charge: positive, negative, neutral
How do symmetric and asymmetric membranes differ?
Symmetric: also called homogeneous. A cross section shows a uniform porous structure
Asymmetric: in a cross section, you can see 2 different structures - a thin, dense layer and a porous support layer
What are the different modes of filtration?
Unstirred frontal (“dead-end”) filtration
Stirred frontal (“dead-end”) filtration
Cross-flow filtration
What does the configuration and module of a membrane refer to?
Configuration: geometric form given to the synthetic membranes
Module: name of the devices supporting one of more membranes
The module seals and isolates the different streams. The geometry and specific fluid movement through the confined space characterises each module. The type of flux, transport mechanism, and the membrane surface phenomena depend on the module design.
What are the main types of membrane module?
Tubular
Flat sheet
Spiral wound
Hollow fibre
What are features of a flat-configured membrane?
The active layer is flat.
Synthesised as a continuous layer.
They’re used in plate-and-frame and spiral wound filters.
They offer high surface area : volume ratio
What do plate and frame membrane systems consist of?
Layers of membranes separated by corrugated structural sheets, alternating layers with feed material flowing in and retentate flowing out in one direction whilst permeate flows in the other.
How do tubular, spiral-wound, and hollow fibre membrane modules differ?
Highest to lowest:
Surface area - HF, SW, T
Flux - SW, T, HF
P Loss - T, SW, HF
Replacement difficulty - HF, SW, T
What materials are used in membrane modules?
Organic:
Made of polymers
Low cost
Problems can arise with their mechanical or chemical resistance, temperature, pH, solvent and pressure handling.
Inorganic:
Mainly made from metal oxides / ceramics, glass, carbon, or metal.
5-10 times more expensive than organic materials
High chemical resistance and can withstand high temperatures
Low selectivity
Fragile
How are synthetic membranes prepared?
Sintering / fusion Casting Leaching Stretching Nucleation track
What are the advantages of membrane processes?
- Processing can be at modest (even at low) temperatures.
- Chemical and mechanical stresses can be minimized.
- No phase change is involved (energy demand is modest).
- In many cases, selectivity is good.
- Concentration and purification may be achieved in one step.
- Equipment can be easily scaled up either in batch or continuous
operations, or in a closed system for effective containment.
What are the disadvantages of membrane processes?
- Concentration polarisation
- Membrane fouling
- Particle interactions (aggregation)
- Low membrane lifetime
- Limited economies of scale (6/10ths rule does not apply)
Properties of reverse osmosis:
Hyperfiltration - offers very high resistance.
Very popular and used for filtering ions and low molecular weight species (MW < 200)
Pore size < 1 nm
Water molecules freely pass (0.2 nm)
Pressure difference acts as the driving force
The operating pressure is between 10-25 bar and 40-80 bar for brackish and seawater respectively.
Average flux: 5-40 L/m2h
Membranes mostly made of CA or PA
Configuration in spiral-wound or hollow fibre.
Typical conversion is between 10-30%
Flow is limited by concentration polarisation
Rejection is approx. 99%
What industries is RO used in?
Waste water treatment Drinking water Food industry Seawater desalination (30-40% of market) Biotech
Properties of nanofiltration, NF:
Typical pore size of 2nm (between UF and RO)
Separation mainly due to electrostatic interaction and size exclusion. Rejects neutral molecules by size exclusion and multivalent salts by electrical charge.
Driving force is pressure difference. Moderate pressure of 15 bar.
Average flux: 20-80 L/m2h
What industries is NF used in?
Water treatment
Food industry
Drug production
Metal recovery
Properties of ultrafiltration, UF:
Microporous membranes with pore size between 1 and 50 nm.
Rejects particles from 15 - 2000 A (polymers, proteins, and colloids) - Mr of 5000 to 5*10^6 Da
Driving force is pressure difference
Operates under 1 - 10 bar.
Average flux: 5 - 200 L/m2h
Separation mostly by size exclusion
Any configuration
Significant fouling and pore plugging
What industries is UF used in?
Food
Wastewater
Textiles
Properties of dialysis for separation:
Separates ions and species of low Mr (~<100 Da)
Ionic membranes
Concentration gradient acts as the driving force.
Slow and low selectivity
Properties of microfiltration for separation:
Very popular and used
Pore size between 0.05 and 10 um
Rejects particles between 0.2 and 10 um (bacteria, fragmented cells, or colloids) Mw > 3*10^5.
Pressure difference acts as the driving force
Low operation pressure (0.2 - 3.5 bar)
Average flux: > 200 L/m2h
Properties of liquid membranes:
Consist of a liquid barrier between two phases, not yet used in industry
The driving for is chemical potential and/or concentration
There are 2 configurations: Emulsion (ELM) and Supported liquid membranes (SLM)
Potential applications include: removal of cations in solution, selective separation of gases, recovery of acid or basic compounds, organic compound separation in complex mixtures.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of liquid membranes?
Pros:
high flows due to transport velocity in liquids
Selective separation due to presence of specific reagents
Pumping effect due to carrier equilibrium
Small quantities of solvent needed
Cons: Low stability of emulsions in ELM Leaching out of organic phase from the pores of an SLM. ELM - low practical interest SLM -
How is retention (or rejection) of a membrane calculated?
R = (Cf - Cp)/Cf
= 1 - Cp / Cf
Where:
Cf : solute concentration in the feed
Cp : solute concentration in the permeate
R = 100% - complete retention in the feed, ideal semi-permeable membrane
R = 0% - solute and solvent pass through the membrane freely, no separation
How is the selectivity factor, a(A/B) calculated?
a(A/B) = (ya/yb)/(xA/xB)
Where:
yA and yB: concentrations of components A and B in the permeate
xA and xB: concentrations of components A and B in the feed
What does MWCO stand for?
The normal molecular weight cut-off (MWCO).
The MWCO is normally defined as the molecular weight of a solute for which R = 0.9.
How is flux calculated for MF and UF processes?
Jv = dP/(mu*Rm)
Where: Jv is flux P is pressure mu is dynamic viscosity Rm is hydrodynamic resistance (/m)
What is the general membrane equation?
J = dP/ [mu*(Rm + Rc + Rf)]
J: membrane permeation rate (flux expressed as volumetric rate per unit area)
dP: pressure difference applied across the membrane (transmembrane pressure)
Rm: resistance of the membrane,
Rc: resistance of layers deposited on the membrane (filter cake, gel foulants)
Rf: “resistance” of the concentration polarization film layer
mu: viscosity of the permeate solution
What are the problems with increased fouling and reduced material flux through a membrane?
Fouling - irreversible reduction of flux throughout time
Pore size reduction by irreversible adsorption of compounds
Pore plugging
Formation of a gel layer over the membrane surface (cake)
What is considered when designing a membrane process?
Performance
Cost
Material Number of states Pore size Module type Control strategy Energy consumption
What information is required before making a final decision regarding a membrane process?
The effect of concentration, pressure, and crossflow rate on flux
The rejection characteristics of the membrane
The effect of temperature on flux and rejection
The rates of fouling
Of the cleaning regime to be adopted
Expected operational lifetime of the membrane
What are the stages of a membrane process design procedure?
- Select the membrane and operation module
- Predict module performance
- Consider fouling
- Plant design (batch, feed and bleed, single pass configurations?)