Membrane distillation

Numerical and experimental analyses were performed for a modified air gap distillation membrane that combines the low conductive heat loss of an air gap membrane for distillation with the reduced mass transfer resistance of a direct contact membrane. Instead of a stagnant film of air separating the

The production of demineralised water from drinking water by nanofiltration/membrane distillation system (NF/MD) has been investigated. The precipitation of CaCO3 on the membrane surface and a rapid flux decline was observed when tap water was used directly as a feed. The problem of scaling was elim

The direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process was applied for water desalination. The main objective was to study the heat and mass transfer of the process. The experiments were performed on a DCMD unit using a flatsheet PVDF membrane with a pore size of 0.22 µm. Feed solutions were aqueou

Textile industries consume large amounts of water and generate highly dye-contaminated effluents. Textile wastewaters have to be treated in order to be recycled in the process or to meet legislative requirements before being discharged. The objective of the present study was to examine the potential

Nowadays, in dry and rural areas, solar-powered membrane distillation (SPMD) technology is considered a feasible means for the production of pure water from brackish water. Prior to the design and construction of a SPMD pilot plant, there is a need to predict its performance theoretically by means o

Direct contact membrane distillation (MD) by means of composite membranes with a PVA/PEG hydrophilic layer on a hydrophobic PVDF substrate has been developed for desalination. The effects of brine temperature, salt concentration, running time and the addition of ethanol on the flux of composite memb

In order to avoid hydrophilic behaviour of ceramic membranes prepared with metal oxides, alumina and zirconia membranes with 200 and 50 nm pore diameters were grafted with fluoroalkylsilanes. The grafting was controlled by TGA, and the hydrophobicity was characterised by water contact angle and perm

Membrane distillation has been used for desalination of NaCl solutions and concentration of sucrose solutions. The effect of feed concentration on the performance has been studied. For the analysis, a theoretical model whose predictions on water fluxes agree well with the experimental ones has been

In order to deepen the understanding of the permeate characteristics of membrane distillation considering heat and mass transfers and concentration polarisation, a fully predictive mathematical model was developed. The first part that is devoted to the natural heat and mass transfer in the rectangul

Vacuum Membrane Distillation is studied for the concentration of fruit juices up to 50°Brix. The fluxes of water and of the relevant aroma compounds are experimentally examined for a typical must, as a function of temperature, sugar content and downstream pressure. The process leads to juice concent