Title: Membranes and theoretical modelling of liquid-gas membrane separation for aromatic compounds removal from water: a review

Authors: Chel-Ken Chiam; Rosalam Sarbatly

Addresses: Membrane Technology Research Group, Centre of Materials and Minerals, School of Engineering and Information Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. ' Membrane Technology Research Group, Centre of Materials and Minerals, School of Engineering and Information Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract: Liquid-gas membrane separation techniques - namely, vacuum membrane distillation, membrane air-stripping/sweeping and pervaporation - are non-equilibrium membrane separation processes emerging for the removal of aromatic compounds from industrial wastewater and polluted ground waters. This review focuses on polymeric hydrophobic membranes which are commonly employed in the liquid-gas membrane separation systems. The effects of chemical properties of the membrane materials on aromatic compounds removals, and better understanding of mass transfer through the membranes are reviewed. The theoretical models of mass transfer through the membranes for the three liquid-gas separation systems are differentiated by pore size and pore size distribution, interactions between the components in feed solutions and membrane materials, and the permeant collector system configurations. Low permeation fluxes and membrane pore wetting are, respectively, challenging tasks for future use of dense membranes and microporous membranes in practical systems.

Keywords: aromatic compounds; hydrophobic polymers; liquid-gas separation; membrane separation; mass transfer models; modelling; aromatic compound removal; industrial wastewater; water pollution; wastewater treatment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2012.049376

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2012 Vol.12 No.2/3/4, pp.130 - 149

Received: 03 Jan 2011
Accepted: 18 Jul 2011
Published online: 28 Aug 2014 *

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