Chemical Engineering and Membrane Solutions to Global Societal Challenges

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 5673

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Departament de Enginyeria Química, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Interests: membrane technology; encapsulation; CO2 capture; reversible fuel cells; CO2 conversion; special fuel cells
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you all to contribute to this Special Issue on “Chemical Engineering and Membrane Solutions to Global Societal Challenges” that will include all foreseeable challenges, such as, for example, applications in CO2 capture or its transformation, difficult contaminants, and medical applications, among others. The time is ripe for chemical engineering solutions to critical problems to be compiled and documented.

Note: Membranes is one of the collaborators with the 14th Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering (https://mecce.org/). Submissions from attendees of MeCCE conference will enjoy a 20% discount on the article processing charge (APC).

Prof. Dr. Ricard Garcia-Valls
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.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2105 KiB  
Communication
MEA Preparation for Direct Formate/Formic Acid Fuel Cell—Comparison of Palladium Black and Palladium Supported on Activated Carbon Performance on Power Generation in Passive Fuel Cell
by Adrianna Nogalska, Andreu Bonet Navarro and Ricard Garcia-Valls
Membranes 2020, 10(11), 355; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10110355 - 19 Nov 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3236
Abstract
Membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) with palladium catalysts were successfully prepared by using a home-made manual pressing system with Nafion glue application that contributed to a decrease of additional energy consumption. The catalyst coated membranes were prepared with supported palladium on activated carbon (PdC) [...] Read more.
Membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) with palladium catalysts were successfully prepared by using a home-made manual pressing system with Nafion glue application that contributed to a decrease of additional energy consumption. The catalyst coated membranes were prepared with supported palladium on activated carbon (PdC) and unsupported palladium black (PdB) for comparison. The performance of passive, air breathing, functioning under ambient conditions and with low concentration (1 M) formate/formic acid fuel cell was evaluated. Based on polarization curves, the best result was obtained with carbon supported catalyst and HCOOK fuel, achieving 21.01 mW/mgPd. Still, constant current discharge with PdC showed an energy generation efficiency of 14% with HCOOH over 3% with HCOOK caused by lower potassium ion conductivity and its permeability through the proton exchange membrane. The faradic efficiency of conversion in the cell is equal to the overall energy efficiency and makes the cell self-sufficient. Full article
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9 pages, 1291 KiB  
Article
A Critical Study of the Effect of Polymeric Fibers on the Performance of Supported Liquid Membranes in Sample Microextraction for Metals Analysis
by Rafael J. González-Álvarez, José A. López-López, Juan J. Pinto and Carlos Moreno
Membranes 2020, 10(10), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10100275 - 5 Oct 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2091
Abstract
Popularity of hollow fiber-supported liquid membranes (HF-SLM) for liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) has increased in the last decades. In particular, HF-SLM are applied for sample treatment in the determination and speciation of metals. Up to the date, optimization of preconcentration systems has been focused [...] Read more.
Popularity of hollow fiber-supported liquid membranes (HF-SLM) for liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) has increased in the last decades. In particular, HF-SLM are applied for sample treatment in the determination and speciation of metals. Up to the date, optimization of preconcentration systems has been focused on chemical conditions. However, criteria about fiber selection are not reflected in published works. HFs differ in pore size, porosity, wall thickness, etc., which can affect efficiency and/or selectivity of chemical systems in extraction of metals. In this work, Ag+ transport using tri-isobutylphosphine sulfide (TIBPS) has been used as a model to evaluate differences in metal transport due to the properties of three different fibers. Accurel PP 50/280 fibers, with a higher effective surface and smaller wall thickness, showed the highest efficiency for metal transport. Accurel PP Q3/2 exhibited intermediate efficiency but easier handling and, finally, Accurel PP S6/2 fibers, with a higher wall thickness, offered poorer efficiency but the highest stability and capability for metal speciation. Summarizing, selection of the polymeric support of HF-SLM is a key factor in their applicability of LPME for metals in natural waters. Full article
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