Membrane Coalescence for Phase Separation of Oil-in-Water Emulsions Stabilized by Surfactants and Dispersed into Smallest Droplets

Abstract

In the field of chemical engineering separation processes, such as extraction or distillation of heteroazeotropes, severe problems exist in phase separation of oil/water dispersions containing very small droplets. This is especially true if the bulk phases contain surfactants stabilizing the interface and thus inhibit coalescence. This work was aimed at investigating a novel technique of phase separation due to membrane coalescence for various emulsions stabilized by diverse surfactants in order to clarify the performance as well as the operational limitations.