Department of Food Engineering, Lund University (SE)
In this course we will study the processes of Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis.
A general view of both the fundamental and applied aspects will be given. In the introduction we review various types of membrane processes including those where other types of driving forces besides pressure are applied.
We continue with the study of the transfer of mass through a semipermeable membrane and the theories that try to explain the experimental results.
After this we look at the concept of Concentration Polarization: its influence in the performance of the process, why it is formed and actions that can be taken in order to decrease its magnitude.
The following chapter deals with the membranes themselves, fabrication methods and membrane materials. In the chapter about membrane modules we will look at the geometrical solutions the producers have found to hold in place, in the most economic and efficient way, a certain amount of membrane area. In the chapter on process design we will study how modules - depending on the type of application - are connected together to form an efficient production line.
In the final chapter about practical applications we will review some examples of practical use of these techniques in the food-, biotechnological- and chemical industries.