Membrane Technology

Developed from a useful laboratory technique into a commercial separation technology, today membrane technology has found widespread and rapidly expanding use in the chemical industry. It has established applications in such areas as hydrogen separation and recovery of organic vapors from process gas streams, a well as the selective transport of organic solvents, opening up new perspectives for catalytic conversion in membrane reactors. A clean and energy-saving alternative to traditional processes, membrane technology provides a unique solution for industrial waste treatment and for the controlled production of valuable chemicals. The only book dealing specifically with membranes for the chemical industry, this second edition outlines several established applications within the industry, reviews the available membranes and membrane processes for the field, and discusses the huge potential for this technology in chemical processes. The first part - on the membranes themselves - includes a new chapter on fuel cells, while the second part on current applications and perspectives features a new chapter on organic solvent nanofiltration. Most of the authors are internationally known leaders in the field with extensive industrial experience, working at such companies as Shell, Hoechst, SIHI, Huls, Sulzer Chem Tech, and Haldor Topsoe. The result is an up-to-date, practice-oriented overview for chemical and process engineers, chemists in industry, materials scientists, electrochemists, environmental chemists and those working in the chemical industry.