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Membranes
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Novel Membranes for Molecular Separations
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Novel Membranes for Molecular Separations

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2022) | Viewed by 9523

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Magdalena Malankowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 227, Room 027, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Interests: thin-film composite and thin-film nanocomposite membranes; mixed-matrix membranes; metal organic framework; nanotechnology; polymeric membranes; pressure retarded osmosis; gas separation; microfluidics; microfabrication; computer modelling; nanofiltration; CO2 capture; circular economy.
Dr. Sergio Santoro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Interests: polymeric membranes; mixed-matrix membranes; nanotechnologies; thermoplasmonics; molecular probes; active coatings; electrospinning; desalination; solar-driven membrane distillation; gradient salinity energy; zero liquid discharge; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human activity has caused the modification of even the most fundamental processes on Earth, leading to dramatic changes to the world we know today. However, we believe that although humanity has caused these problems, we are the ones who have the capability to solve them. Moving from fossil fuels to green energies, which will influence the energy, transport, and heat sectors, to name a few, is one of the crucial actions we have to take to reverse the climate changes we are seeing today. Clean water for everyone, free of microplastics, antibiotics, and other micro- or even nano-pollutants, is a basic human need that has to be ensured all over the world. Such changes will hopefully result in a true shift and evolution of the norms and people’s behaviour so we will be able to ensure good environmental conditions for future generations. The development of novel and innovative membranes is growing rapidly. Nowadays, new breakthroughs and cutting-edge membrane technologies are especially important and needed when considering current environmental, social, and economic problems. New designs, fabrication methods, and applications are constantly under development to tackle all the issues mentioned above. An attractive membrane should not only be efficient at separating and transporting but should also be mechanically robust, scalable, reproductive, sustainable, and have high performance and low energy consumption. In this context, different membranes, as well as membrane processes, are already under development, e.g., thin-film composite and thin-film nanocomposite membranes, metal–organic frameworks with different organic or inorganic nanofillers, tailored block copolymers in the hollow fiber or flat sheet configuration, pressure retarded osmosis, reverse and forward osmosis, pervaporation, distillation, etc. New membrane operations going well beyond the traditional concept of separation are attracting interest as integrated systems for the valorization of wastewater and industrial byproducts act in tandem with the circular economy paradigm.

In this Special Issue, researchers are invited to contribute original research papers as well or review articles related to the synthesis of novel membrane materials; the fabrication, characterization, and application of different types and configurations of membranes (from hollow fiber to flat sheet); and mixed-matrix, polymeric, thin-film composite and thin-film nanocomposite membranes that show new and promising properties for molecular separation. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • New approaches in membrane preparation
  • Development of novel materials and/or selective fillers for membrane fabrication
  • New areas of application of membrane engineering
  • Life-cycle assessment, the general cost of fabricated novel membranes, and the place of a membrane in a circular economy.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Magdalena Malankowska
Dr. Sergio Santoro
Guest Editors

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 2200 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

  • membrane fabrication
  • molecular separation
  • novel membrane materials
  • mixed-matrix membrane
  • inorganic/organic fillers
  • polymeric membranes
  • inorganic membranes
  • sustainable membrane preparation
  • low energy consumption
  • hollow fibers
  • flat sheet membranes

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 5148 KiB  
Article
Graphene Oxide-Carbon Nanotube (GO-CNT) Hybrid Mixed Matrix Membrane for Pervaporative Dehydration of Ethanol
by Oindrila Gupta, Sagar Roy, Lingfen Rao and Somenath Mitra
Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12121227 - 5 Dec 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2956
Abstract
The pervaporation process is an energy-conservative and environmentally sustainable way for dehydration studies. It efficiently separates close boiling point and azeotrope mixtures unlike the distillation process. The separation of ethanol and water is challenging as ethanol and water form an azeotrope at 95.6 [...] Read more.
The pervaporation process is an energy-conservative and environmentally sustainable way for dehydration studies. It efficiently separates close boiling point and azeotrope mixtures unlike the distillation process. The separation of ethanol and water is challenging as ethanol and water form an azeotrope at 95.6 wt.% of ethanol. In the last few decades, various polymers have been used as candidates in membrane preparation for pervaporation (PV) application, which are currently used in the preparation of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for ethanol recovery and ethanol dehydration but have not been able to achieve an enhanced performance both in terms of flux and selectivity. Composite membranes comprising of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) incorporated with carboxylated carbon nanotubes (CNT-COOH), graphene oxide (GO) and GO-CNT-COOH mixtures were fabricated for the dehydration of ethanol by pervaporation (PV). The membranes were characterized with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Raman spectroscopy, Raman imaging, contact angle measurement, and water sorption to determine the effects of various nanocarbons on the intermolecular interactions, surface hydrophilicity, and degrees of swelling. The effects of feed water concentration and temperature on the dehydration performance were investigated. The incorporation of nanocarbons led to an increase in the permeation flux and separation factor. At a feed water concentration of 10 wt.%, a permeation flux of 0.87 kg/m2.h and a separation factor of 523 were achieved at 23 °C using a PVA-GO-CNT-COOH hybrid membrane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Membranes for Molecular Separations)
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23 pages, 1489 KiB  
Article
Influence of the Processing Parameters on the Aroma Profile and Chemical Composition of Conventional and Ecological Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wines during Concentration by Reverse Osmosis
by Ivana Ivić, Mirela Kopjar, Jasmina Obhođaš, Andrija Vinković, Jurislav Babić, Josip Mesić and Anita Pichler
Membranes 2022, 12(10), 1008; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12101008 - 17 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1779
Abstract
Wine aroma represents one of the most important quality parameters and it is influenced by various factors, such as climate conditions, viticulture and vinification techniques, storage conditions, etc. Wines produced from conventionally and ecologically grown grapes of the same variety have different chemical [...] Read more.
Wine aroma represents one of the most important quality parameters and it is influenced by various factors, such as climate conditions, viticulture and vinification techniques, storage conditions, etc. Wines produced from conventionally and ecologically grown grapes of the same variety have different chemical compositions and aroma profiles. The composition of wine can also be influenced by the additional treatment of wine, such as the concentration of wine by reverse osmosis (RO). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of four different pressures (2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 MPa) and two temperature regimes (with and without cooling) on the aroma profile and chemical composition of conventional and ecological Cabernet Sauvignon red wine during concentration by reverse osmosis. The results showed that different processing parameters influenced the permeate flux, the retentate temperature and the compounds retention. Higher working pressures (4.5 and 5.5 MPa) and the regime, with cooling, resulted in a higher retention of the total aroma compounds than the opposite processing parameters. The retention of individual compounds depended also on their chemical properties and their interactions with the membrane surface. The reverse osmosis membranes proved to be permeable for ethanol, acetic acid or undesirable 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol that made them applicable for their correction or removal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Membranes for Molecular Separations)
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12 pages, 1705 KiB  
Article
Energy and Nutrients from Apple Waste Using Anaerobic Digestion and Membrane Technology
by Isabel González-García, Berta Riaño, Beatriz Molinuevo-Salces and María Cruz García-González
Membranes 2022, 12(9), 897; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12090897 - 17 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1958
Abstract
The worldwide increment of food waste requires innovative management solutions, aligned with sustainability, energy, and food security. Anaerobic digestion (AD), followed by nutrient recovery, may be considered an interesting approach. This study proposed a co-digestion of apple pomace (AP) with swine manure (SM) [...] Read more.
The worldwide increment of food waste requires innovative management solutions, aligned with sustainability, energy, and food security. Anaerobic digestion (AD), followed by nutrient recovery, may be considered an interesting approach. This study proposed a co-digestion of apple pomace (AP) with swine manure (SM) to study the effect of different proportions of AP (0, 7.5, 15, and 30%, on a volatile solids (VS) basis) on the methane production and the stability of the process. Subsequently, the gas-permeable membrane (GPM) technology was applied to recover nitrogen (N) as ammonium sulfate (bio-based fertilizer) from the digestates produced after the AD of 7.5% of AP and SM, and SM alone. The results showed that the co-digestion of 7.5% and 15% of AP with SM presented a methane production similar to the AD of SM alone (with 412.3 ± 62.6, 381.8 ± 134.1, and 421.7 ± 153.6 mL g VS−1 day−1, respectively). The later application of the GPM technology on the resulting digestates, with SM alone and with 7.5% of AP with SM, showed total ammoniacal N recovery rates of 33 and 25.8 g N m−2 d−1, respectively. Therefore, the AP valorization through the AD process, followed by N recovery from the digestate, could be a good management strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Membranes for Molecular Separations)
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15 pages, 5260 KiB  
Article
Design of Enzyme Loaded W/O Emulsions by Direct Membrane Emulsification for CO2 Capture
by Suchintan Mondal, Bhavna Alke, Aline Machado de Castro, Paloma Ortiz-Albo, Usman Taqui Syed, João G. Crespo and Carla Brazinha
Membranes 2022, 12(8), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12080797 - 18 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2117
Abstract
Membrane-based gas separation is a promising unit operation in a low-carbon economy due to its simplicity, ease of operation, reduced energy consumption and portability. A methodology is proposed to immobilise enzymes in stable water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions produced by direct membrane emulsification systems and [...] Read more.
Membrane-based gas separation is a promising unit operation in a low-carbon economy due to its simplicity, ease of operation, reduced energy consumption and portability. A methodology is proposed to immobilise enzymes in stable water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions produced by direct membrane emulsification systems and thereafter impregnated them in the pores of a membrane producing emulsion-based supported liquid membranes. The selected case-study was for biogas (CO2 and CH4) purification. Upon initial CO2 sorption studies, corn oil was chosen as a low-cost and non-toxic bulk phase (oil phase). The emulsions were prepared with Nadir® UP150 P flat-sheet polymeric membranes. The optimised emulsions consisted of 2% Tween 80 (w/w) in corn oil as the continuous phase and 0.5 g.L−1 carbonic anhydrase enzyme with 5% PEG 300 (w/w) in aqueous solution as the dispersed phase. These emulsions were impregnated onto a porous hydrophobic PVDF membrane to prepare a supported liquid membrane for gas separation. Lastly, gas permeability studies indicated that the permeability of CO2 increased by ~15% and that of CH4 decreased by ~60% when compared to the membrane without carbonic anhydrase. Thus, a proof-of-concept for enhancement of CO2 capture using emulsion-based supported liquid membrane was established. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Membranes for Molecular Separations)
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