Research Papers by Thomas Melin

Zeolites are known for their uniform pore size and are therefore suitable as membrane materials for the separation of different kind of molecules. The selectivity of these zeolite membranes is determined by the size of these molecules and by the diffusion and adsorption processes. These processes ar

Silicon nitride microsieves are microfiltration membranes manufactured with techniques commonly used in the semi-conductor industry for wafer production. These membranes are characterised by the uniform pore size and the high porosity. Furthermore, due to their extremely thin selective layer and the

Crystallisation processes are well understood from the thermodynamic point of view. But all desalination processes, such as reverse osmosis, are kinetically limited, and thus the kinetics of the crystallisation is of particular interest. The kinetics of scale formation, especially together with impu

Recurring droughts throughout the last decades have revealed that water supply is often insufficiently balanced to the demand and thus vulnerable to extreme climatic events and structural or seasonal demand peaks. In the context of a more sustainable water management, water reclamation and reuse app

An innovative membrane module concept using honeycomb like-structured homogeneous flat sheet membranes has been developed. Within the membrane structure, hexagonal fluid channels are formed, stabilizing the packing without any mechanical support. With specially potted ports, addressing each channel,

The technical and economical feasibility of inorganic membranes was evaluated for the dewatering of organic solvents by pervaporation. A mapping of the process industry was carried out in order to examine the most attractive applications. The performance of an amorphous silica membrane was screened

Endocrine disrupting compounds can affect hormone systems in organisms. However, conventional wastewater treatment plants are not able to remove these substances sufficiently before disposing effluent into the environment. Membrane technology, which is proving to be an effective barrier to these sub

A new process combination for the treatment of severely contaminated waste water has been developed: powdered adsorbent is injected into the feed of a nanofiltration unit and removed from the concentrate subsequently by a thickener. The powdered adsorbent in the feed has a positive effect on permeat