Recent achievements in facilitated transport membranes for separation processes

Membrane separation processes have been extensively used for some important industrial separations, substituting traditional methods. However, some applications require the development of new membranes. In this work, we discuss recent progress achieved in this field, focusing on gas and liquid separ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: H. C. Ferraz, L. T. Duarte, M. Di Luccio, T. L. M. Alves, A. C. Habert, C. P. Borges
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Brazilian Society of Chemical Engineering 2007-03-01
Series:Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-66322007000100010
Description
Summary:Membrane separation processes have been extensively used for some important industrial separations, substituting traditional methods. However, some applications require the development of new membranes. In this work, we discuss recent progress achieved in this field, focusing on gas and liquid separation using facilitated transport membranes. The advantages of using a carrier species either in a liquid membrane or fixed in a polymer matrix to enhance both the flux and the selectivity of the transport are summarized. The most probable transport mechanisms in these membranes are presented and the improvements needed to spread this technology are also discussed. As examples, we discuss our very successful experiences in air fractioning, olefin/paraffin separation and sugar recovery using liquid and fixed carrier membranes.
ISSN:0104-6632
1678-4383