Membrane Technology and Applications

Membrane Technology and Applications is the most authoritative overview available today of separation membranes, their theoretical underpinnings, manufacture and use. This second edition has been fully revised and expanded to provide comprehensive, up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest developments in the field. The first four chapters cover the basics of membrane science, including transport theory, membrane and module preparation, and concentration polarization. This material is presented with a clarity that should make it readily accessible to the beginner, yet is sufficiently thorough to be a valuable refresher for the experienced membranologist. Thereafter each major membrane application, including reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, gas separation, pervaporation, and electrodialysis, is treated in its own chapter. Topics covered include membrane materials, process design, technical and economic comparison with other separations technologies, and integration with other plant operations. Emphasis throughout is on industrial practice, and numerous tables present real life performance data and operating parameters that are seldom available in the open literature. Many changes have been made for the new edition, especially in the reverse osmosis, microfiltration and gas separation chapters, to reflect technology advances and emerging applications that are now coming on-line. In addition, there is new coverage of the separation of organic liquid mixtures by hyperfiltration, and a fuller and more detailed treatment of nanofiltration. New applications of microfiltration in municipal water treatment are also discussed. In the gas separations area, the section on natural gas processing has been enlarged, as has the discussion of hydrogen separation in refineries. The final chapter incorporates advances in membrane contactors, such as those used on off-shore oil platforms, as well as new developments in membrane reactors. The book features a wealth of simple, line drawings, graphs and flow diagrams to augment the text and reinforce key concepts, as well as many photographs of membrane systems in action which provide the reader with a sense of scale. A further feature of the second edition is the much-expanded appendix, which includes 19 tables of conversion factors, physical constants and other reference material that will be an invaluable time-saver for plant engineers, researchers and students. As refreshingly forthright and readable as ever, this second edition of Membrane Technology and Applications will be the guide of choice for any engineer, whether a student tentatively approaching the subject for the first time, or a seasoned expert seeking an all-inclusive handbook.