Abstract
A promising solution for the implementation of extraction processes is liquid–liquid membrane contactors. The transfer of the target component from one immiscible liquid to another is carried out inside membrane pores. For the first time, highly asymmetric track-etched membranes made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of the same thickness but with different pore diameters (12.5–19 nm on one side and hundreds of nanometers on the other side) were studied in the liquid–liquid membrane contactor. For analysis of the liquid–liquid interface stability, two systems widely diverging in the interfacial tension value were used: water–pentanol and water–hexadecane. The interface stability was investigated depending on the following process parameters: the porous structure, the location of the asymmetric membrane in the contactor, the velocities of liquids, and the pressure drop between them. It was shown that the stability of the interface increases with decreasing pore size. Furthermore, it is preferable to supply the aqueous phase from the side of the asymmetric membrane with the larger pore size. The asymmetry of the porous structure of the membrane makes it possible to increase the range of pressure drop values between the phases by at least two times (from 5 to 10 kPa), which does not lead to mutual dispersion of the liquids. The liquid–liquid contactor based on the asymmetric track-etched membranes allows for the extraction of impurities from the organic phase into the aqueous phase by using a 1% solution of acetone in hexadecane as an example.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilToday, membrane technologies occupy one of the most intensively developing technological areas and find various applications in industry [1]
We designate the side of the track-etched membrane with diameter of the asymmetric side and the with asmaller smaller diameter of the asymmetric pore aspore side a,as and the a, side with theside larger porethe larg diameter, respectively, asasside b. b
The pore sizes varied from 12.5 nm to 19 nm, while the values on the other side of the membrane were an order of magnitude higher
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilToday, membrane technologies occupy one of the most intensively developing technological areas and find various applications in industry [1]. The main advantages of membrane contactors are independent phase flow rates within a wide range without mutual dispersion of phases and large specific mass-transfer areas per module volume—up to 10,000 m2 /m3. They lead to increased mass-transfer coefficients of the required component from one phase to another and, to compact separation modules [3]. Gas–liquid membrane contactors are already widely used for various applications, including blood oxygenation [4,5], the removal of acid gases (CO2 , H2 S, SO2 ) from gaseous media [6,7], the removal of dissolved gases from liquids [8,9], and the separation of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons [10]
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