Membrane Technology for Green Engineering

Abstract

Green technology is that to operate ecological skills for the development and application of merchandise, instrumentality, and systems to conserve the natural resources and surroundings. This field is moderately innovative. It has developed rapidly as people have become aware of the detrimental effects of environmental variation including global warming and adverse effects on the living beings. It is believed that growth in green technology will lead to worldwide, sustainable, and economic powers that impact economics, societies, and way of life in the future. Application of green technology has multiple challenges while it can provide many opportunities during real-life chemical processes. The membrane technology can provide an economical pathway to many of these challenges. Here applicability of membranes during green technology is discussed. Over past few years, membrane separation process has become one of the major separation technologies. It is rapidly becoming important part of green technology due some of its benefits. In membrane processes does not require addition of chemicals, it works on physical separation. This improves the feasibility of recycling the recovered chemicals or using it in further processes. Additionally, membrane technology has relatively low energy requirements, easy to design and integrated nature may advance, and can be integrated with current processes. This gives benefits of reduced production cost, equipment size, energy consumption and waste generation and improving controls and process flexibility [1–3]. 156The works would consider two aspects of membrane technologies for process enhancements; as process integration and effluent treatment. Process integration would be focused on for improvements in economical separation, recovery, and recycle; this would reduce generation of waste and effluent component generation, thus enhancing process financial system. Membrane separation technologies are very helpful in effluent treatment. It is investigated for reduction in effluent volume and its treatment for components to recover. The work starts by presenting an overview of membrane operations. It would be followed for application of membrane processes for process improvement and in situ recovery of components. This would be followed by the effluent treatment aspects. Such recovery of components harmful to environment and their further utilization by membrane processes would increase the process economy and product purity. To get superior removal of contaminants compared to conventional technologies, the membrane technology would provide better support to system. The conventional technologies frequently required continuous modification of conditions and use of chemicals. This means a high level of operator involvement and the risk of contaminants in the effluent [4–7].