A vibrating membrane module currently marketed for ®ltration applications was evaluated for the separation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from aqueous solutions by pervaporation. Preliminary screening experiments with three VOCs, three silicone membranes, and in the presence and absence of a surfactant were performed to determine if further consideration of the vibrating module for a ®eld...

Pervaporation experiments were performed on microporous titania membranes using several binary liquids containing 2-20 wt % water. The membrane was nonselective in the separation of water from alcohols and p-dioxane but showed a remarkably high selectivity in the separation of water from ethylene glycol/water mixtures with < or =15 mol % water. The absence of selectivity under most conditions i...

In nature, the biological membrane can selectively transport essential small molecules/ions through facilitated diffusion via carrier proteins. Intrigued by this phenomenon and principle, membrane researchers have successfully employed synthetic carriers and carrier-mediated reversible reactions to enhance the separation performance of synthetic membranes. However, the existing facilitated tran...

Ion-exchange membranes have been used in various industrial processes, e.g., in the electrodialytic concentration of seawater to produce edible salt, as a separator for electrolysis, in the desalination of saline water by electrodialysis, in the separation of ionic materials from non-ionic materials by electrodialysis, in the recovery of acid and alkali from waste acid and alkali solution by di...