Liquid Membrane Contactor Research Articles

Development of a CFD simulation for the analysis of CO2 separation percentage using novel [emim][C2N3] ionic liquid solution inside the gas–liquid contactor

Growing emission of environmentally-hazardous greenhouse pollutants (especially CO2) has motivated the researchers to apply gas–liquid membrane contactors as an easy-to-operate and cost-effective technique for increasing their separation efficiency from different sources. In the current decades, ionic liquids (ILs) have shown their potential in the gas separation industry owing to their noteworthy advantages such as great capacity, excellent adjustability and suitable thermal/chemical stability compared to commonly-employed amine absorbents. This investigation aims to analytically/numerically determine the separation yield of CO2 from CO₂/N2 gaseous flow using novel -Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([emim][C2N3]) IL inside the gas–liquid contactor. To fulfill the ultimate purpose, a CFD simulation has been proposed using COMSOL Multiphysics software to predict the results. Comparison of model outcome with experimental data has shown brilliant concurrence with the average relative deviation of almost 5%. Evaluation of the results has shown the excellent performance of [emim][C2N3] IL for the removal of CO2 (Separation efficiency of around 100%). Finally, the effects of some module/membrane parameters on increasing or decreasing the separation efficiency has been studies in detail.

Computational evaluation of micropores wetting effect on the removal process of CO2 through the membrane contactor

In the current years, gas–liquid membrane contactors (GLMCs) have been introduced as a promising, versatile and easy-to-operate technology for mitigating the emission of major greenhouse contaminants (i.e., CO2 and H2S) to the ecosystem. This paper tries to computationally study the role of membrane pores wettability on the removal performance of CO2 inside the HFMC. To fulfill this purpose, a mathematical model based on finite element procedure (FEP) has been employed to solve the momentum and mass transport equations in the partial-wetting (50% wetting of micropores) and non-wetting (0% wetting of micropores) modes of membrane during operation. Additionally, a comprehensive simulation was ensembled to predict the results. In this research, 2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol (AMP) has been employed as a relatively novel alkanolamine absorbent to separate CO2 form CO2/N2 mixture. Analysis of the results implied that the wetting of membrane micropores significantly deteriorated the removal efficiency due to the enhancing mass transfer resistance towards transferring CO2 (75% in the non-wetting mode > 8% considering 50% wetting of micropores).

Efficiently enhanced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) recovery from food waste condensate: Real-time wettability monitoring with supported liquid membrane contactor.

Food waste condensate (FWC) is a valuable source for recovering short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) through methods such as supported liquid membrane contactors. Containing organic compounds like acetate, propionate, and butyrate, FWC offers a rich substrate for efficient SCFA extraction. Recovering SCFAs from FWC provides notable environmental advantages, including reducing waste and generating high-value products for industries such as bioenergy and chemical production. This process not only contributes to carbon neutrality by recycling waste streams but also establishes a sustainable method for producing bio-based products from FWC. This study investigated the recovery efficiency and transport mechanisms of SCFAs from SCFA-rich wastewater (e.g., FWC) using both virgin hydrophobic PVDF membranes and membranes filled with organic extractants like tertiary amines (trihexhylamine and trioctylamine) and tertiary phosphines (trihexylphosphine and trioctylphosphine). Recovery efficiency for butyric acid was significantly improved when TOA (trioctylamine) was used, achieving 71.96 %, while acetic acid showed a lower recovery of 0.95 %, highlighting TOA's strong affinity for butyric acid due to ion-amine complex formation. The study also utilized real-time optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based monitoring to observe membrane wetting, finding that the virgin PVDF membrane was more prone to wetting and fouling, with a significant reduction in contact angle and surface energy. In contrast, the PVDF-TOA membrane demonstrated better resistance to wetting, showing minimal changes in contact angle and porosity, underscoring its potential for long-term applications in membrane contactors.

CFD modelling and experimental analysis of aromatic amine extraction in a flat sheet supported liquid membrane contactor

Supported liquid membranes (SLMs) using ionic liquids are effective for the extraction of aromatic amines. This experimental study employed a flat sheet SLM contactor with the ionic liquid trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([P6,6,6,14][N(Tf)2]) as the solvent to investigate the separation of α-methylbenzylamine (MBA) and 1-methyl-3-phenylpropylamine (MPPA) from isopropyl amine (IPA). A detailed process study was conducted to examine the effects of flow rate (5–10 L/h), feed concentration (0.5–2.5 g/L), and feed pH (9–11) on extraction performance. Under standard experimental conditions (10 L/h, 1.0 g/L, pH 10), MBA and MPPA demonstrated high solute fluxes of 2.39 and 5.47 g/(m2h), respectively, compared with IPA, which had a solute flux of 0.84 g/(m2h). However, after 24 h, the recoveries were relatively low, at 17.9 % for MBA, 32.6 % for MPPA, and 5.2 % for IPA. No significant velocity dependency was observed, with slight variations attributed to minor pH changes, while a linear flux increase was noted for higher feed concentrations. The feed pH had a significant impact on the extraction performance, with higher pH levels resulting in increased solute fluxes and recoveries. To complement the experimental results, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were employed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.1. The model demonstrated satisfactory agreement across various conditions, but underestimated fluxes and recoveries at higher pH values. Consequently, a new mass transfer mechanism was proposed to explain the variations observed in the experimental results.

Ladder-Like Polyphenylsilsesquioxane Membranes for Dissolved Oxygen Removal in Liquid–Liquid Membrane Contactors

The main disadvantage of absorption with aqueous alkanolamine solvents is the solvent degradation under process conditions in the presence of oxygen captured from flue gases. In this communication, the direct dissolved oxygen removal from an amine solvent in liquid–liquid membrane contactors is examined. The membranes from ladder-like polyphenylsilsesquioxanes are used for the first time for this process. The membrane deoxygenation is demonstrated in the O2 removal process from monoethanolamine (MEA) into an aqueous solution of Na2SO3. In this case, the O2 removal efficiency reached up to 40% within 1 h.

Recovery of bio-based volatile fatty acids from anaerobically treated winery wastewater using a closed-loop liquid-liquid hydrophobic membrane contactor system

This research evaluated a closed-loop hydrophobic liquid–liquid membrane contactor (MC) for the recovery of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from the effluent of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactor treating winery wastewater. Sodium bicarbonate was used as a stripping solution for its operational flexibility and compatibility with downstream bioprocesses. An electrochemical acidification cell (EAC) was tested to continuously adjust of pH of the feed solution to avoid the use of inorganic acids. VFA recovery was optimized under different flow rates and feed pH conditions using a synthetic VFA solution and validated with actual UASB effluent. Lower feed pH resulted in higher VFA recovery due to increased protonation of the acids. This effect was more pronounced when using synthetic VFA solutions compared to real UASB effluent. Specifically, the MC system recovered 16 ± 5 % of acetic acid at 0.3 ± 0.1 gCOD/m2h flux and 34 ± 4 % of butyric acid at 0.5 ± 0.1 gCOD/m2h flux at an unadjusted UASB effluent feed pH of 4.9, compared to 22 ± 3 % at 0.5 ± 0.1 gCOD/m2h flux and 46 ± 5 % at 0.7 ± 0.1 gCOD/m2h flux, respectively, at pH 2. The EAC effectively lowered the feed pH of UASB effluent to 3.9, achieving acetic acid recovery of 22 ± 3 % at a mass flux of 0.2 ± 0.1 gCOD/m2h, and butyric acid recovery of 45 ± 1 % at a mass flux of 0.6 ± 0.1 gCOD/m2h. These moderate recovery efficiencies are likely influenced by the lower pH gradient resulting from the use of sodium bicarbonate. However, the compatibility of sodium bicarbonate with bioprocesses offers the advantage that the proposed UASB-MC system can be seamlessly integrated with downstream bioprocesses to produce valuable end products for other markets, such as PHA for plastics and microbial proteins for animal feed.

Novel Landfill-Gas-to-Biomethane Route Using a Gas–Liquid Membrane Contactor for Decarbonation/Desulfurization and Selexol Absorption for Siloxane Removal

A new landfill-gas-to-biomethane process prescribing decarbonation/desulfurization via gas–liquid membrane contactors and siloxane absorption using Selexol are presented in this study. Firstly, an extension for an HYSYS simulator was developed as a steady-state gas–liquid contactor model featuring: (a) a hollow-fiber membrane contactor for countercurrent/parallel contacts; (b) liquid/vapor mass/energy/momentum balances; (c) CO2/H2S/CH4/water fugacity-driven bidirectional transmembrane transfers; (d) temperature changes from transmembrane heat/mass transfers, phase change, and compressibility effects; and (e) external heat transfer. Secondly, contactor batteries using a countercurrent contact and parallel contact were simulated for selective landfill-gas decarbonation/desulfurization with water. Several separation methods were applied in the new process: (a) a water solvent gas–liquid contactor battery for adiabatic landfill-gas decarbonation/desulfurization; (b) water regeneration via high-pressure strippers, reducing the compression power for CO2 exportation; and (c) siloxane absorption with Selexol. The results show that the usual isothermal/isobaric contactor simplification is unrealistic at industrial scales. The process converts water-saturated landfill-gas (CH4 = 55.7%mol, CO2 = 40%mol, H2S = 150 ppm-mol, and Siloxanes = 2.14 ppm-mol) to biomethane with specifications of CH4MIN = 85%mol, CO2MAX = 3%mol, H2SMAX = 10 mg/Nm3, and SiloxanesMAX = 0.03 mg/Nm3. This work demonstrates that the new model can be validated with bench-scale literature data and used in industrial-scale batteries with the same hydrodynamics. Once calibrated, the model becomes economically valuable since it can: (i) predict industrial contactor battery performance under scale-up/scale-down conditions; (ii) detect process faults, membrane leakages, and wetting; and (iii) be used for process troubleshooting.

Deoxygenation of a CO2 Absorbent Based on Monoethanolamine in Gas–Liquid Membrane Contactors: Dynamic Process Modeling

Deoxygenation of a CO2 Absorbent Based on Monoethanolamine in Gas–Liquid Membrane Contactors: Dynamic Process Modeling

Hollow Fiber Contactors with Improved Hydrophobicity for Acid Gas Removal: Progress and Recent Advances

The gas–liquid membrane contactor technology, which integrates the absorption process with membranes, is a developing membrane technology that is especially pertinent to acid gas absorption. When it comes to removing acid gases from natural gas or after combustion, membrane technology has demonstrated potential as a substitute for conventional absorption columns. The membrane contactor offers exceptional operating flexibility and a high mass transfer area. In addition to summarizing the key elements of membrane materials, absorbents, and membrane contactor design, this paper presents the working principle and wetting mechanism of hollow membrane contactors and focuses the most recent advancements in membrane contactor research in gas separation from gas mixtures. The state-of-the-art overview of highly hydrophobic microporous membranes is presented after a discussion of the main challenges to the preparation of superhydrophobic membranes.

Simultaneous recovery of short-chain fatty acids and diverse carbon sources using magnetic cationic surfactant-functionalized materials integrated with membrane contactor in dark syngas fermentation

Syngas fermentation utilizing acetogenic bacteria like Clostridium sp. provides a promising method for transforming CO and CO2-rich waste gases into valuable products such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and bio-alcohols, aiding in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and supporting carbon neutrality objectives. Magnetic nanoparticle-based coagulants, particularly Fe3O4@MIL-100(Fe)@TEOS@DTAB (FMT@DTAB), have recently attracted attention due to their efficient recovery and enhanced cell disruption capabilities enabled by cationic surfactant surface modifications. At a dosage of 60 g/L, FMT@DTAB has proven highly effective in achieving significant concentrations of acetic acid (7.06 g/L), butyric acid (6.27 g/L), ethanol (6.43 g/L), and butanol (5.24 g/L), along with notable harvesting efficiency (99.2 %) and intracellular ATP concentration (2.1 mM). Recent research on supported liquid membrane contactors highlights their cost-effective and environment-friendly properties, with an emphasis on minimal extractant usage. This study investigated the behavior of SCFAs using both virgin and supported liquid membrane contactors, focusing on factors such as organic extractant and membrane pore size. PVDF filled with tridodecylamine notably improved butyric acid recovery to around 60 %, with a mass flux of 14.95 ± 0.28 g/m2/h, outperforming virgin and other extractant-filled PVDF membranes. This study enhances resource efficiency and reduces industrial environmental impacts by optimizing the recovery and production of valuable chemicals from waste gases. It supports sustainable and economically viable biotechnology applications, aligning with global climate change mitigation efforts.

Experimental study of hollow fiber membrane contactor process using aqueous amino acid salt-based absorbents for efficient CO2 capture

Gas–liquid membrane contactors are a promising alternative to packed columns that suffer from channeling, bubble formation, and flooding problems. In this study, potassium serinate + piperazine (PSZ) and potassium alaninate + piperazine (PAZ), which are amino acid salts with good CO2 absorption performances and high surface tensions, are investigated to determine the effects of the operating parameters on the CO2 removal efficiency, CO2 absorption flux, CO2 loading, and overall mass-transfer coefficient in the membrane contactor process. The experimental results demonstrate that the 2.5 M PSZ and 2.5 M PAZ absorbents outperform 2.5 M monoethanolamine (MEA) under various operating conditions, including the gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, CO2 concentration, and CO2-loaded absorbent. Based on these results, an expression for predicting the CO2 loading from the pH is proposed. The amount of cross-over confirmed that amino acids with high surface tension have better resistance to membrane wetting than 2.5 M MEA. In addition, empirical correlation expressions were established from the results of several operating parameters. The absolute average deviation (AAD) values were 6.50 %, 2.95 %, and 4.71 % for 2.5 M MEA, 2.5 M PSZ, and 2.5 M PAZ, respectively, suggesting good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results.

Carbon dioxide absorption in a gas-liquid membrane contactor: Influence of membrane properties and absorbent chemistry

The present work demonstrates the performance of hollow fibre membranes fabricated using polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene (EPS) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coupled with 30% monoethanolamine (MEA) in a gas liquid membrane contactor (GLMC) for the absorption of carbon dioxide. A gas mixture with a composition of (50/50 v/v%) methane (CH4) and (CO2) was used to assess the efficiency of the prepared membranes in the removal of carbon dioxide. Then HFM 3 which showed high CO2 removal was used to separate a mixture of nitrogen (N2)/oxygen(O2)/carbon dioxide (CO2) with a composition of (73/18/9 v/v%), respectively. Four different absorption liquids: 30 % MEA solution, 30 % EDA solution, 30 % MEA – graphene oxide (GO) and 30 % EDA-GO nanofluids were coupled with HFM3 to analyse the efficiency of the different amine liquids in CO2 absorption in GLMC. The 30 % EDA-GO solution showed an increase in the efficiency of CO2 absorption. The nanofluids showed an enhancement factor for CO2 absorption in the nanofluid was 121 % and 117 % for MEA-GO and EDA-GO, respectively. This enhancement was attributed to the hydrodynamic effects and Brownian motion of graphene oxide in the amine liquids. 30 % EDA solution infused with 0.2 mg/ml graphene oxide nanoparticles achieved the highest loading of carbon dioxide 0.25 mol/ cm3.

Deoxygenation of CO2 Absorbent Based on Monoethanolamine in Gas–Liquid Membrane Contactors Using Composite Membranes

Deoxygenation of CO2 Absorbent Based on Monoethanolamine in Gas–Liquid Membrane Contactors Using Composite Membranes

Deoxygenation of CO<sub>2</sub> Solvent Based on Monoethanolamine in Gas–Liquid Membrane Contactors Using Composite Membranes

This work is devoted to the removal of dissolved oxygen from a model solvent based on monoethanolamine (MEA) to prevent its oxidative degradation during the absorption purification of flue gases from carbon dioxide. Composite membranes based on porous ceramic and polymer substrates with a thin selective layer of poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] and its mixture with polyvinyltrimethylsilane have been developed. Gas-liquid membrane contactors have been created on their basis. It is shown that with their use in the vacuum mode, up to 60% of dissolved oxygen can be removed from the model solvent.

Supported ionic liquid membrane contactor with crown ether functionalized polyimide membrane for high-efficient Li+/Mg2+ selective separation

Worldwide demand for lithium is increasing rapidly. Implementing an efficient extraction for lithium from salt-lake brines with low concentration and high Mg/Li (m/m) ratio remains challenging. A supported ionic liquid membrane (PI@14C4-SILM) contactor was developed in this work using a crown ether functionalized polyimide membrane material (Poly(DAB14C4-6FDA)) as the support and tributyl phosphate (TBP) and (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis-trifluoromethylsulfonimide salt) ([C4mim][NTf2]) mixture as the liquid phase for high-efficiency Li recovery. The results show that when the feed phase Mg/Li ratio is 35 and the stripping phase is 0.5 mol/L HCl, the Li+ penetration rate, initial flux and Li/Mg selectivity of PI@14C4-SILM contactor are 0.354 μm/s, 0.128 mol/m2·h and 19.1, respectively. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results show that Poly(DAB14C4-6FDA) and TBP have greater interaction with Li+ than other ions (Na, Mg, K). Meanwhile, the binding energies of Poly(DAB14C4-6FDA)-Li-NTf2 and TBP-Li-NTf2 were calculated by density functional theory (DFT), which were −163.26 and −182.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The higher binding energies of the complexes indicated that their structures were more stable. The mechanism of the PI@14C4-SILM contactor's excellent Li+ mass transfer performance may be the formation of a fast Li+ transfer channel between the solid phase containing the crown ether structure and the liquid mobile phase in the pore structure. Besides, the TBP·Li·NTf2 and TBP·H·NTf2 structures in the liquid membrane phase effectively maintained the cyclic operation of the SILM system. This study provides an effective solution for selective separation of Mg/Li and utilization of Li resources in salt lake water.

Ammonium recovery and concentration from synthetic wastewater using a poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) liquid–liquid membrane contactor: Flux performance and mass transport characterization

Hollow fiber membrane contactors are a promising technology for the removal and recovery of ammonia from liquid effluents. However, a better understanding of the process engineering (e.g. mass transport of ammonia over water) and performance optimization is required. In this study, the performance of a hollow fibre liquid–liquid membrane contactor (HF-LLMC), incorporating a new polymer chemistry (i.e., poly (4-methyl-1-pentene (PMP) and an asymmetric fibre structure, for the recovery and concentration of ammonium from synthetic aqueous solutions, was investigated. The influence of the feed and acid flow rates was evaluated experimentally by determining the overall mass transfer coefficient (kov), the ammonium recovery as a function of time and the acid consumption. In addition, the experimental results were fitted to a mathematical model to determine the membrane permeabilities to ammonia (PNH3) and water (Pw) and identify the mass transfer resistance regime. The highest kov values experimentally obtained were in the range of 3·10–3 to 3.51·10–3 m/h with corresponding ammonia recovery rates of 94 and 96.2% after 10 h, operating at a feed and acid flow rates of 180 L h−1 and 500 L h−1, respectively, which are in the upper range of the HF-LLMC literature. The overall results of this study were not only the upper range of the HF-LLMC ammonia recovery literature but a much-lower water transport was confirmed indirectly by the concentration factor (CF) values obtained experimentally. The remarkable selectivity of the membrane towards ammonia over water (i.e., PNH3 = 87–180 L m–2h−1 bar−1 and Pw = 1.2–1.4·10–3 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 at NTP conditions) is attributed to the asymmetrical membrane structure and the polymer chemistry (i.e., PMP). The proven high ammonia selectivity of the HF-LLMC makes it a promising technology for the recovery and concentration of ammonium from urban (e.g. wastewaters) and industrial (e.g. soda ash and fertilizers production) diluted streams.

Environmental and economic evaluation of implementing membrane technologies and struvite crystallisation to recover nutrients from anaerobic digestion supernatant

The present study investigates the environmental and economic feasibility of implementing membrane technologies and struvite crystallisation (SC) for nutrient recovery from the anaerobic digestion supernatant. To this end, one scenario combining partial-nitritation/Anammox and SC was compared with three scenarios combining membrane technologies and SC. The combination of ultrafiltration, SC and liquid–liquid membrane contactor (LLMC) was the less environmentally impactful scenario. SC and LLMC were the most important environmental and economic contributors in those scenarios using membrane technologies. The economic evaluation illustrated that combining ultrafiltration, SC and LLMC (with or without reverse osmosis pre-concentration) featured the lowest net cost. The sensitivity analysis highlighted that the consumption of chemicals for nutrient recovery and the ammonium sulphate recovered had a large impact on environmental and economic balances. Overall, these results demonstrate that implementing membrane technologies and SC for nutrient recovery can improve the economic and environmental implications of future municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Ammonia recovery from municipal wastewater using hybrid NaOH closed-loop membrane contactor and ion exchange system

Water scarcity is affected by population growth and increasing nutrients pollution. This study evaluated the integration of ion exchange-natural activated clinoptilolite zeolite (IEX-NZ) and hollow-fibre liquid–liquid membrane contactor (HF-LLMC) as an innovative and sustainable hybrid technology for ammonia recovery from treated urban wastewaters. The process is based on NaOH closed-loop process to i) ensure the extracted concentration of ammonia from the loaded zeolites and ii) enhance the transport of NH3 through the HF-LLMC. Regeneration of the IEX-NZ provided recoveries up to around 92% using 8% NaOH solution with concentration factors between 30 and 60 and a residual ammonium stream below 1 mg NH4+-N/L. Recovery of NH3 from NaOH solutions was carried out by HF-LLMCs using two different membrane chemistries: polypropylene (PP) and poly (4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) (>95%). A 1-D model was developed and used to describe the time evolution of NH3 concentration during the recovery process, to determine its mass transfer coefficient (9.5·107 m3/m2·s) and to quantify the undesired water co-transport (5.0·105 m3/m2·s). In addition, the model was used to analyse the influence of operational parameters on the membrane's permeability to maximise the concentration of the ammonium salts recovered as fertilisers. In this case, the 1-D algorithm was used to identify the needed stages to achieve residual levels of NH3 on the treated streams that promoted the NaOH closed-loop recycling to secure economic feasibility.

Biocatalytic Membranes for Carbon Capture and Utilization.

Innovative carbon capture technologies that capture CO2 from large point sources and directly from air are urgently needed to combat the climate crisis. Likewise, corresponding technologies are needed to convert this captured CO2 into valuable chemical feedstocks and products that replace current fossil-based materials to close the loop in creating viable pathways for a renewable economy. Biocatalytic membranes that combine high reaction rates and enzyme selectivity with modularity, scalability, and membrane compactness show promise for both CO2 capture and utilization. This review presents a systematic examination of technologies under development for CO2 capture and utilization that employ both enzymes and membranes. CO2 capture membranes are categorized by their mode of action as CO2 separation membranes, including mixed matrix membranes (MMM) and liquid membranes (LM), or as CO2 gas-liquid membrane contactors (GLMC). Because they selectively catalyze molecular reactions involving CO2, the two main classes of enzymes used for enhancing membrane function are carbonic anhydrase (CA) and formate dehydrogenase (FDH). Small organic molecules designed to mimic CA enzyme active sites are also being developed. CO2 conversion membranes are described according to membrane functionality, the location of enzymes relative to the membrane, which includes different immobilization strategies, and regeneration methods for cofactors. Parameters crucial for the performance of these hybrid systems are discussed with tabulated examples. Progress and challenges are discussed, and perspectives on future research directions are provided.

Helical-Ridge-Membranes from PVDF for enhanced gas–liquid mass transfer

New membrane geometries have the potential to increase mixing at the feed and permeate side to counteract concentration polarization and fouling. Such membrane geometries can be of very different architecture. Here, we address a new class of hollow fiber membranes having helical ridges. We focus on gas–liquid mass transfer, which is significantly slowed down by a liquid-side diffusion resistance. We present hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) helical ridge hollow fiber membranes produced by a rotating needle spinneret. Conceptually, the wet spinning methodology builds upon our Rotation-in-a-Spinneret platform technology, featuring customized microstructured rotating needles. The microstructured needle orifice includes two grooves to initiate ridge formation on the lumen side of the hollow fiber, while the ridges twist helically upon needle rotation. The new generation spinneret device produces hollow fiber membranes with reduced fiber diameter as compared to previous versions. It is specifically designed such that rotating spinning parameters enable an adjustable helical ridge pitch. Ridge formation and ridge shape strongly depend on rotational speed. The latter affects characteristic membrane properties such as membrane permeability and molecular selectivity. The helical ridges induce secondary flow in the lumen of the hollow fiber membranes, proven by pressure drop manipulation and experimental flow streamline visualization. In-depth analysis by flow simulation identifies rotational flow patterns as the governing flow phenomena. Ultimately, application in gas–liquid membrane contactors for oxygenation and CO2 capture revealed up to 10-fold improved transmembrane gas fluxes. Hence, the helical ridges cause turbulence promotion to introduce significant mass transfer enhancement.