Sandra Kentish

• University of Melbourne

In this study, the sorption behaviour and conductivity of two anion exchange membranes (AR103 and AR204) equilibrated with sodium acetate and sodium lactate solutions are studied across a range of concentrations and pH values. The results indicate that the dissociation equilibria of the organic acids differ between the membrane phase and the extern...

This work assesses the feasibility for concentrating process streams within Australian dairy processing facilities using commercial forward osmosis membranes; to increase their total solids concentrations before entering energy intensive unit operations including thermal evaporators and spray dryers. These streams include demineralized whey, lactos...

The co-ion and counter-ion sorption of monovalent (Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻ and NO³⁻) and divalent ions (Ca²⁺ and SO4²⁻) in commercial Neosepta ion exchange membranes were systemically studied in both single and binary salt systems. The new generation of Neosepta cation exchange membrane (CSE) showed a significant difference in water uptake and co-ion sorption...

The disposal of saline effluent in the dairy industry is subject to increasingly strict regulatory requirements. In this work, eutectic freeze crystallization (EFC) was investigated as a mechanism for the simultaneous separation of salts and ice in a typical saline effluent, namely salty whey. Experiments were conducted using salty whey samples col...

Vegetable oils derived from rapeseed and its genetic variant canola, are conventionally extracted from oilseeds by means of an organic solvent, typically hexane. Concerns regarding the toxicity of hexane have meant safer and more environmentally friendly solvents such as terpenes are becoming attractive. In this research, the degumming of canola oi...

Efficient provision of carbon dioxide to microalgae is one of the major challenges to cost-effective large-scale cultivation. Previously, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of a novel membrane system in delivering CO2 to a marine strain of Chlorella sp. from CO2-loaded solvents. In this approach, the solvent is pumped through a non-porous hollo...

Microalgae are able to absorb CO2 generated from sources such as flue gas to produce biomass with high lipid content. In this research, an immersed liquid–liquid membrane contactor was investigated to deliver CO2 captured by a chemical solvent to the microalgae culture via semipermeable membranes. Experiments showed that the CO2 mass transfer could...

Bio-derived solvents such as ρ - cymene, d - limonene and α - pinene represent feasible alternatives to n-hexane for the extraction of vegetable oils. However, the large-scale utilization of these solvents is still limited mainly owing to their high boiling points and latent heats of vaporization. In this work, the performance of composite polydime...

In this work, a novel thin-film composite membrane composed of a polyester film on a cellulose support was successfully synthesised. The polyester film was formed from the interfacial reaction between catechin, a bioderived poly-phenol, and terephthaloyl chloride (TPC). The cellulose support was prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation from...

The emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide is of major concern with regard to increasing the risk of climate change. Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) has been proposed as an important pathway for slowing the rate of these emissions. Solvent absorption of CO2 using amino acid solvents has drawn much attention over the last few yea...

Saline wastewater is a by-product of cheese manufacturing and whey processing that can have serious environmental and economic consequences. Salty streams originating from dairy processing operations include chromatography wastes, clean-in-place wastewater, acid whey, salty whey and waste generated from whey demineralization processes such as nanof...

In this study, both the antisolvent sonocrystallization process of sodium chloride and cavitation activity were investigated as a function of frequency (22–1080 kHz) and acoustic calorimetric power (0–30 W). For frequencies between 20 and 139 kHz, the size of the sodium chloride crystals decreased sharply with increasing power. For frequencies 647...

The wastewater discharged by cheese manufacturing processes is highly saline. This waste is generated from whey demineralization, chromatography and clean-in-place processes. Salty effluent can be diluted with other effluents and discharged as trade waste but the high salinity can trigger penalties imposed by local water authorities. Alternatively,...

A single-bilayer polyelectrolyte reverse osmosis membrane was fabricated by a spray assisted layer-by-layer assembly approach using a polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane as a substrate, polyethyleneimine (PEI) as an adhesion promoter, poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(sodium-4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) as polycation and polyanion, gluta...

Microalgae have great, yet relatively untapped potential as a highly productive crop for the production of animal and aquaculture feed, biofuels, and nutraceutical products. Compared to conventional terrestrial crops they have a very fast growth rate and can be produced on non-arable land. During microalgae cultivation, carbon dioxide (CO2) is supp...

Terpenes such as d-limonene, α-pinene and p-cymene are considered green solvents that have no harmful effects on human health and the environment. These solvents represent promising alternatives for many recently-classified harmful solvents such as n-hexane, the typical solvent used for the extraction of vegetable oils. Although terpenes show high...

Utilization of sustainable and environmentally friendly solvents for the preparation of membranes has attracted growing interest in recent years. In this work, a polyester thin film composite solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) membrane is prepared by interfacial polymerization on a cellulose support. The cellulose support is prepared by nonsol...

Membrane technologies for carbon capture can offer economic and environmental advantages over conventional amine-based absorption, but can suffer from limited gas flux and selectivity to CO2. Now, a membrane based on enzymes embedded in hydrophilic pores is shown to exhibit combined flux and selectivity that challenges the state of the art.

The presence of condensable aromatic hydrocarbons in raw natural gas streams creates a significant challenge for acid gas removal through membrane separation. In this work, the impact of toluene and xylene on the gas separation performance of cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes was studied. When operating at low CO2 partial pressures (0.75 bar), b...

This work investigates the pervaporation performance of crosslinked poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes for ethanol dehydration near the glass transition. The solubility of water and ethanol mixture in the membranes was measured as a function of feed composition and sorption temperature, and the data was modelled by perturbed-chain statistical ass...

Cream cheese production is well established at large scale, but an effective small scale process could facilitate higher throughput and lower the cost of experimental studies. Whey was separated using centrifugation or the cloth bag method and the effect of heating prior to separation examined. Heat treatment and centrifugation resulted in cream ch...

In this study, the desalination performance of Capacitive Deionization (CDI) and Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) was studied for a wide range of salt compositions. The comprehensive data collection for monovalent and divalent ions used in this work enabled us to understand better the competitive electrosorption of these ions both with and w...

A series of mixed matrix membranes using a commercially available aromatic polyimide (Matrimid® 5218) with nanoparticles formed from carbon, a porous organic polymer and metal organic frameworks were prepared to investigate the effects of flue gas impurities on gas permeation. We show that common impurities found in power station flue gases (H2S, S...

Ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) are unique in combining the electrochemical properties of ion exchange resins and the permeability of a membrane. They are being used widely to treat industrial effluents, and in seawater and brackish water desalination. Membrane Capacitive Deionisation (MCDI) is an emerging, energy efficient technology for brackish wa...

Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) is an energy efficient, electrochemical desalination technology, in which ions are removed from a salty stream upon applying a constant voltage or current. The ions are stored in carbon electrodes and then released back into the stream by reversing the polarity. In this work, we aimed to assess the feasibilit...

A temperature responsive carbonic anhydrase mimicking compound (PNiPAm-co-CyclenZn) was synthesised and characterized to assess its potential as a rate promoter for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture using solvent absorption. Development of novel rate promoters, such as the catalytic polymer discussed in this study, can improve reaction kinetics and redu...

Mozzarella cheese is a classical dairy product but most research to date has focused on low moisture products. In this study, the microstructure and physicochemical properties of both laboratory and commercially produced high moisture buffalo Mozzarella cheeses were investigated and compared to high moisture bovine products. Buffalo and bovine Mozz...

We have previously shown that a combined system involving solvent absorption, membrane desorption and microalgal cultivation can provide an effective approach to carbon dioxide capture and utilisation (Energy Environ. Sci., 2016, 9, 1074). In this article, we evaluate aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA) and potassium glycinate (PG) for memb...

This chapter describes how ultrasonic waves are formed in ultrasonic baths, with horn transducers, and in other acoustic devices. The range of acoustic frequencies and powers relevant to sonoprocessing is outlined. The concept of acoustic cavitation is explained as the formation of a field of small bubbles within a liquid exposed to ultrasound. It...

A microbial carbonic anhydrase was immobilized onto the surface of hollow fiber membranes to enhance the absorption rate of carbon dioxide into an aqueous 30 wt% potassium carbonate solvent at pH 10–12. The performance of the immobilized enzyme was investigated over long time frames to determine the suitability of this approach for post-combustion...

Membrane contactors are a hybrid technology that incorporates the advantages of both solvent absorption and membrane separation. Porous and asymmetric composite membrane contactors have been studied for CO2 absorption, and both configurations are susceptible to pore wetting. This results in a significant reduction in the mass transfer efficiency. A...

There have been many field carbon capture test facilities operated around the world over the last decade or so with a view to technology development and demonstrating and reducing capture cost to make CCS cost effective. A wide range of conventional and emerging technologies are undergoing tests by CO2CRC Limited (CO2CRC), using real feed gas from...

Deep eutectic solvents are based upon environmentally benign moieties and have the potential to capture CO2 from flue gases. In this study, guanidine carbonate, malic acid, ethylene glycol, arginine and water were mixed in certain molar ratios to produce eutectic solvents. Their viscosities were determined in a temperature range of 303.2 – 330.2K,...

Over recent years our research group has examined the performance of a range of rate promoters in potassium carbonate solvent for carbon dioxide absorption. Promoters including boric acid, potassium glycinate, potassium prolinate, potassium sarcosinate and a thermally stable carbonic anhydrase enzyme have been studied either with the stopped flow t...

This poster provides some research summaries on different promoters we have studied.

A temperature responsive carbonic anhydrase mimicking compound (PNiPAm-co-CyclenZn) was synthesised and characterized to assess its potential as a rate promoter for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture using solvent absorption. More details will be revealed after a research article being published soon.

Elevated temperatures have been widely studied as a route to accelerate cheese ripening and decrease energy and storage requirements but the impact of temperature on the underlying microstructure of the cheese during prolonged periods of ripening is poorly understood. In this study, Cheddar cheese was matured at four different ripening temperatures...

In natural gas sweetening, gas dehydration with glycols is typically carried out upstream of membrane separation of carbon dioxide. This means that when process upsets occur, these glycols can reach the membrane unit. In this work, we study the impact of two common glycols (monoethylene glycol and triethylene glycol) on the gas transport performanc...

The solubility of calcium phosphate in concentrated dairy brine streams is important in understanding mineral scaling on equipment such as membrane modules, evaporators and heat exchangers, and in brine pond operation. In this study, the solubility of calcium phosphate has been assessed in the presence of up to 300 g/L sodium chloride as well as la...

The proteins of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) have a number of functions, such as the regulation of milk fat secretion and metabolism, the uptake and transportation of fatty acids in the intestine, and potential protection from bacterial or viral infection. While the proteome of the MFGM in bovine milk has been extensively characterized, kno...

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for carbon dioxide (CO2) separation composed of a commercial aromatic polyimide as a host matrix and carbon nanoparticles as a filler phase have been prepared by a casting method. The solubility of CO2 in the MMM could be predicted within error from the pure component isotherms, suggesting that the sorption of polymer...

Potassium carbonate shows promise as a solvent for carbon capture due to its low cost and low environmental impact. However, improving the absorption kinetics of potassium carbonate solvent is crucial for reducing the capital cost of absorption equipment required to build the carbon dioxide capture plant. In this study, a series of amino acid salts...

A precipitating potassium carbonate (K2CO3) based solvent absorption process has been developed for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources. Demonstration of this process has been completed using real flue gas in a pilot plant located at Hazelwood power station in Victoria, Australia. The pilot plant was designed to capture up to 1 t...

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an effective way to reduce CO2 emissions and to mitigate climate change effects. However, the cost of carbon capture has to be reduced to manageable levels before it can be deployed at an industrial scale. Potassium carbonate solutions (K2CO3) are good solvents for CO2 capture because they have low regeneration e...

Amino acids are considered as potential solvents for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. In this research, the reaction kinetics and reaction mechanism between histidine and CO2 were investigated. Results showed that histidine anion ions (His–) are the main species reacting with CO2 in basic conditions (pH>9) with a reaction order of 1.18±0.08 across the...

This chapter provides an outline of the processes used to remove heat-stable salts and other impurities from the amine solvents commonly used in post-combustion capture. These processes are likely to include initial steps of CO2 stripping, neutralization, and filtration. These initial steps will be followed by either thermal reclamation, ion exchan...

In an electrodialysis with filtration membrane (EDFM) separation process, a pair of restriction membranes is used to prevent leakage of molecules into the electrode solution. Driven by the electrical potential gradient, ions transport across these membranes in different directions, resulting in concentration changes in the feed and permeate compart...

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the technologies needed to reduce anthropogenic emissions of CO2 in the atmosphere. Protic ionic liquids (PILs) are potential nonaqueous solvents that can combine the benefits of ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) to make the carbon capture process more sustainable. In the present study,...

Cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes occupy much of the gas separation market in natural gas processing. With a high CO2/N2 selectivity, this material may also be prospective for post-combustion carbon capture, if the permeance can be optimised. In capture applications, the impacts of liquid water condensate of variable pH, SOx and NOx on the gas s...

13th Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT)

In this work, perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT) and its combination with the NET-GP (non-equilibrium thermodynamics of glassy polymer) model were both used to better understand both CO2 and water sorption in glassy polymers. For CO2 sorption in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) the NET PC-SAFT model provides excellent pr...

The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is recognized as a significant driver for climate change. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques are efficient and effective ways to reduce these emissions to the atmosphere. However, the cost of any carbon capture technique has to be reduced to manageable levels before it can be deployed at a...

Membrane gas solvent contactors have the potential to revolutionize carbon capture, because the technology combines the advantages of both membrane and solvent technologies. Here, an asymmetric composite poly dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on porous polysulfone membrane contactor was studied for the desorption of CO2 from loaded 30 wt% monoethanolamine (M...

A highly permeable poly(ethylene glycol-b-pentafluoropropyl acrylate) diblock copolymer additive is blended with the highly selective PEBAX 1657 block copolymer and spin coated onto cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) gutter layers coated onto porous polyacrylonitrile supports for use in CO2/N-2 gas separation applications. Blended films containing...

A highly permeable poly(ethylene glycol-b-pentafluoropropyl acrylate) diblock copolymer additive is blended with the highly selective PEBAX 1657 block copolymer and spin coated onto cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) gutter layers coated onto porous polyacrylonitrile supports for use in CO2/N2 gas separation applications. Blended films containing...

This paper focuses on an energy and economic analysis of a mineral carbonation process developed to treat raw flue gas issued from an industrial plant. The process uses Serpentinite based mining residues available in very large quantities close to an industrial center in southern Quebec. A model based on a mass balance obtained from laboratory scal...

Membrane technology can be used to recover high purity water from power station flue gas streams. In this work, the effect of temperature on water vapour and CO2 permeation properties of Sulphonated Poly (Ether Ether) Ketone (SPEEK) with two different ion exchange capacities were investigated (IEC 1.6 meq/g and 1.9 meq/g). It was found that both pe...

Membranes that are resistant to heavy hydrocarbons are of particular interest in natural gas sweetening; the removal of acidic gases such as CO2, from methane. The perfluorinated polymers, Teflon AF1600 and Hyflon AD60, are studied here for this purpose because of their unusual solvent resistance properties. The sorption of hexane and toluene vapor...

The use of potassium carbonate as a solvent for the absorption of carbon dioxide is constrained by slow absorption kinetics, which hinders the overall rate of mass transfer. In this work, the reaction rate is promoted by the electrostatic adsorption of carbonic anhydrase (CA) onto the surface of both a porous polypropylene (PP) and a non-porous pol...

CO2 separation across polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based ultra-thin film composite mixed matrix membranes (UTFC-MMMs) containing surface-functionalized SiO2 nanoparticles (SFSNPs) were investigated. The SFSNPs were prepared by physicochemical adsorption of polyethyleneimine (PEI), polydopamine (PDA) and codeposition of PEI and PDA onto the porous SiO2...

An understanding of crystallisation within saline effluents is important for the design of both brine crystallisers and brine disposal ponds. In this work, crystallisation of a saline effluent concentrate from the Australian dairy industry has been examined at 22 wt% and 30 wt% total solids and at temperatures between 10 and 70 °C. The precipitatio...

The presence of particulate impurities in the form of fly ash within a post combustion carbon capture application will be difficult to avoid. In this work, the effect of fly ash on membrane performance for both black coal and brown coal applications is examined. Deposits of either black or brown coal fly ash on the membrane surface had no impact on...

Iron dopamine nanoparticles (FeDA NPs) are incorporated into a nanoscale thickness polyethylene glycol (PEG) matrix for the first time, to form ultra-thin film composite mixed matrix membranes (UTFC-MMMs) via a recently developed continuous assembly of polymers (CAP) nanotechnology. The FeDA NPs are prepared by in-situ nano-complexation between Fe3...

This article demonstrates a novel combination of solvent absorption, membrane desorption and microalgal cultivation to capture carbon dioxide and convert it to a lipid-rich biomass. In the system, carbon dioxide is absorbed into a potassium carbonate solvent and this gas is desorbed directly into the microalgal medium via a non-porous polydimethyl...

The biological membrane surrounding fat globules in milk (the MFGM) is poorly understood, despite its importance in digestion and in determining the properties of fat globules. In this study, in-situ structural investigations of buffalo MFGM were performed as a function of temperature (4 – 60°C), using confocal microscopy. We demonstrate that tempe...

Rectified diffusion is a bubble growth phenomenon that occurs in acoustic fields. When subjected to a sound field (i.e., an oscillating pressure wave), a bubble of a suitable size range undergoes expansion and compression. During this bubble oscillation, the pressure within the bubble decreases as it expands and increases as it compresses. Conseque...

Rectified diffusion is a bubble growth phenomenon that occurs in acoustic fields. When subjected to a sound field (i.e., an oscillating pressure wave), a bubble of a suitable size range undergoes expansion and compression. During this bubble oscillation, the pressure within the bubble decreases as it expands and increases as it compresses. Conseque...

Membrane technology can be used for both post combustion carbon dioxide capture and acidic gas sweetening and dehydration of natural gas. These processes are especially suited for polymeric membranes with polyether functionality, because of the high affinity of this species for both H2O and CO2. Here, both crosslinked polyethylene glycol diacrylate...

The utilisation of acid whey by the dairy industry is limited by the high concentrations of lactate in the solution. In the present study, three commercially available nanofiltration membranes: HL, XN45 and DK were used in to evaluate the separation of lactose and lactate as a function of pH. Raw acid whey was used after microfiltration, while two...

Ultra-thin (∼100 nm) films with uniform thicknesses can facilitate high CO2 permeation and are of potential technological significance for CO2 capture. Among many approaches for obtaining such materials, the recently developed continuous assembly of polymers (CAP) technology provides a robust process, allowing for the production of defect-free, cro...

Membrane gas solvent contactors show potential for carbon capture, because it incorporates the advantage of both solvent and membrane technology. Here, three thin film composite membrane contactors are trialed for the absorption of CO2 into monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent. These are prepared from coating dense poly (1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMS...

Monoethanolamine (MEA) is the solvent most commonly considered for post-combustion capture. However, the solvent will accumulate a range of contaminants during use, notably heat stable salts, that reduce its performance. This work considers the removal of these contaminants from MEA solutions that had been exposed to over 50 and 1800h of post combu...

Membrane gas solvent contactors are a hybrid approach that shows potential to be more efficient for carbon dioxide capture than traditional packed columns. Here, three non-porous composite membrane contactors are trialed for desorption of CO2 from loaded Monoethanolamine (MEA) at temperatures 70°C and above. These are non-porous poly (1-trimethylsi...

Carbon capture and storage is needed to reduce the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in atmosphere. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs), due to their low vapor pressure and environmentally benign nature are possible solvents for the carbon capture step. In the present study, the solubility of CO2 in three DESs, namely, reline (choline chlor...

A series of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(pentafluoropropyl acrylate) diblock copolymers were synthesized by Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization. These block copolymers were blended up to 60wt% with commercially available PEBAX® 2533. The resulting polymer mixtures were successfully spin coated onto cross-linke...

The sorption and permeation of pentane, hexane, and toluene through highly permeable polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) membranes were investigated. It was established that the hydrocarbons sorbed strongly within the micro-void regions of the PIM-1 membrane. The sorption concentration was similar for the paraffins, pentane and hexane, but g...

Rennet is an important ingredient in Cheddar cheese manufacturing and both the type used and the concentration applied can affect the ripening process. In this work, reduced-fat Cheddar cheese was produced using different concentrations of microbial rennet (Hannilase; 0.026, 0.052 and 0.150 international milk clotting units (IMCU).g−1 of milk) as w...

Calcium chloride is commonly added to cheese-milk to improve coagulum formation and to increase cheese yield but high concentrations of calcium ions can have adverse effects. In this study, confocal laser scanning microscopy and cryo-scanning electron microscopy were coupled with textural and chemical analyses to observe microstructural and biochem...

Nanofiltration is an effective technique for the concentration of lactose and for the reduction of salt in a variety of dairy streams. It is possible to recover important dairy minerals directly from the NF retentate for sale as dietary supplements. The membranes used commercially for nanofiltration are usually spiral wound polyamide membranes. The...

Microfiltration (MF) is typically operated at a relatively lower pressure and is mainly applied for larger particle separation and fractionation. In the dairy industry, cross-flow MF is mainly used to remove bacteria and spores from milk or to polish processing water. This chapter discusses the application of cross-flow MF to skim milk casein and s...

A series of chemically functionalized porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) have been synthesized and deployed within mixed-matrix membranes for gas separation. This series of PAFs delivered for the first time simultaneous control of selective gas transport and physical aging within the membranes. New composites including native and metalated fullerene...

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are novel solvents that have shown the ability to capture carbon dioxide from flue gases. Thermodynamic modeling is needed to validate the experimental vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE) of the CO2-DES systems. To establish thermodynamic models of these solvents, their critical properties must be estimated. In the present s...

A series of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) using nanoparticles involving carbons, porous organic polymers and metal organic frameworks were prepared to investigate the impact of water vapor on CO2 separation performance. The water uptake of MMMs using hydrophilic MOFs increased relative to more hydrophobic particles such as POP and carbons and this...

The vapour–liquid equilibrium of CO2 above a solution of potassium carbonate and potassium glycinate was studied in a dynamic equilibrium apparatus, with a stationary liquid phase and moving gas phase. The partial pressure of CO2 and liquid phase speciation was measured for solutions containing 4.82 mol potassium carbonate/kg water and 0.64, 1.36,...

The use of membranes for gas permeation and phase separation offers many distinct advantages over other more energy dependent processes. The operational efficiencies of these membranes rely heavily on high gas permeability. Here, we report membranes with significantly increased permeability without a considerable decrease in mechanical strength or...

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a native enzyme that facilitates the hydration of carbon dioxide into bicarbonate ions. This study reports the fabrication of thin films of active CA enzyme onto a porous membrane substrate using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. Deposition of multilayer films consisting of polyelectrolytes and CA was monitored by quartz cry...

Mineral carbonation of serpentinite mining residue offers an environmentally secure and permanent storage of carbon dioxide. The strategy of using readily available mining residue for the direct treatment of flue gas could improve the energy demand and economics of CO2 sequestration by avoiding the mineral extraction and separate CO2 capture steps....

The ability of direct contact membrane distillation to concentrate the waste effluent from salty whey, a by-product from the cheese making industry has been investigated. The effect of trace protein in the feed, cross-flow velocity and feed acidity were the factors examined. Flat Sheet PTFE membranes of nominal pore sizes 0.05, 0.22 and 0.45 μm wer...

Chrysotile mining in Québec has produced about 2 Gt of serpentinite residue. The present study investigates the magnetic separation of serpentinite residue from Québec to produce a non-magnetic feed stock for mineral carbonation. This study also scrutinises the quality of the magnetic fraction recovered for use as a source of iron ore. The optimum...

A series of well-defined diblock copolymers (BCPs) consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) were synthesized and blended with commercially available PEBAX® 2533 to form the active layer of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, via spin-coating. BCPs with a PEG component ranging from 1 to 10 kDa and a PDMS component...

Cellulose acetate is the predominant material used in membrane separation of acid gases from natural gas and biogas. However, while these membranes have been used for decades, the sensitivity of their separation performance to water vapor is not well understood. In this work, flat-sheet membranes fabricated from two types of cellulose acetate of di...

Industrial trials of membrane separation of CO2 from flue gas generated by a lignite-fired power station are reported. A hollow fiber Air Products PRISM and a spiral wound Dow Filmtec® NF3838/30FF membrane were separately trialed. The CO2 permeance and selectivity through the PRISM membrane fell significantly in the initial hours of operation, refl...

The permeability of water through polymeric membranes is of particular interest in gas separation, because of the high water vapor content found in many industrial applications. Polymeric membranes that are resistant to competitive sorption and plasticization by water are especially attractive, since they can reduce the need for gas pretreatment in...

Crosslinked polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes are synthesized with salt rejection values approaching those of commercial desalination membranes, but with increased chlorine resistance. The membranes are fabricated directly onto porous commercial substrates. Subsequent crosslinking of the polycation layers with glutaraldehyde leads to NaCl reject...