Abstract
Membrane research in Portugal is aligned with global concerns and expectations for sustainable social development, thus progressively focusing on the use of natural resources and renewable energy. This review begins by addressing the pioneer work on membrane science and technology in Portugal by the research groups of Instituto Superior Técnico—Universidade de Lisboa (IST), NOVA School of Science and Technology—Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT NOVA) and Faculdade de Engenharia—Universidade do Porto (FEUP) aiming to provide an historical perspective on the topic. Then, an overview of the trends and challenges in membrane processes and materials, mostly in the last five years, involving Portuguese researchers, is presented as a contribution to a more sustainable water–energy–material–food nexus.
Highlights
Academic Editor: Sébastien DéonOver the last few decades, considerable effort has been devoted to developing better membranes and extending their range of applications to different areas
Supervisors are sometimes right! The subject of membrane bioreactors has been a hot subject in the group over the years, namely through exploring other mechanisms of transport, as in the ion-exchange membranereactor concept, which we proposed for the first time together with Maria Reis [30], and further developed with Svetlozar Velizarov [31,32,33], and the development of membrane biphasic enzymatic reactors in collaboration with Elias Klein and Carlos Afonso [34,35]
The results indicate that combining an ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction with tailor-made cellulose acetate membranes can be a sustainable approach for recovering valuable fractions from red grape pomace
Summary
Over the last few decades, considerable effort has been devoted to developing better membranes and extending their range of applications to different areas. Membrane processes already have an established role in gas separation and water treatment, and their applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and health areas have been continuously increasing. The development of new membranes, using polymers from renewable sources and more sustainable fabrication methods, is being pursued. In Portugal, active membrane-related research is being performed in a variety of domains, ranging from the production of high-quality drinking water to agriculture and irrigation use, the recovery of valuable compounds from natural sources and industrial effluents, and membrane reactors to energy generation and storage, as well as the integration of membranes and membrane technology in carbon capture and utilisation strategies. An overview of the trends and challenges in membrane processes and materials, mostly in the last five years, involving Portuguese researchers, is presented as a contribution to a more sustainable water–energy–material–food nexus
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