A review on recent progress in environmental applications of membrane contactor technology

Abstract

Membrane contactor as a high-performance and cost-effective separation technology has attracted considerable attentions for environmental protection. It offers promising advantages as it can combine with absorption, desorption, extraction and even distillation in one equipment. In this article, the membrane contactor processes are briefly introduced followed by comprehensive review on the latest progresses for environmental applications. Greenhouse gas capture by membrane gas absorption and the membrane development are critically reviewed. In addition, water and wastewater treatments through various membrane contactor processes are discussed for applications such as oil and dye removal, heavy metal ions and radioactive materials separation, ammonia recovery as well as degasification. This article also highlights the current status and future direction of the technology to provide indications for industrial implementation. Although there are not many pilot/full-scale plants using membrane contactor technology in operation, an increasing interest is expected in near future due to strong potential of the technology for environmental applications.