Prof.

(Neal) Chung Tai-Shung

1981 Ph.D State U. of New York at Buffalo
1980-1993 Hoechst Celanese, New Jersey (now is Celanese, Ticona and Aventis)
1993-1995 Aeroquip, Michigan
July 23, 1995 NUS
1996-2001, Joint appointments in IMRE (Institute of Materials Research and Engineering) as Program
Coordinator, Program Manager, Program Director, IMRE Deputy Director
1999-2000, consultant for Air Products (USA)
2004-2007, senior consultant for Hyflux (Singapore)
2007-2010, fellow, Singapore - MIT alliance
2008, consultant for Norit (the Netherland); 2010, for HTI (USA)
2008-2012, visiting chair professor, Chung Yuan Christian U, Taiwan
2010-2015, visiting honorary professor, Central South U, Hunan, China
2011-2013 Provost Chair Professor, NUS
2012, Fellow (Academician), the Academy of Engineering Singapore
E-mail: chencts@nus.edu.sg & Websites:
1) http://www.chee.nus.edu.sg/people/faculty_chungneal.html
2) http://www.chbe.nus.edu.sg/membrane
Membrane Science and Technology
CN5251 and CN6251
Objectives
1. Understand the fundamentals of membrane science and
engineering
2. Familiar with state of the art membrane technologies and
their applications to solve problems in this complicated and
rapidly changing world
3. To be a knowledgeable students on membrane materials and
hollow fiber membrane process
4. Become creative with confidence in your career, membrane
research, PG study, and future business development
Inaugural ceremony for the appointment of Prof. Chung
as Provost's Chair Professor on May 26, 2011
IES (Institution of Engineers Singapore) Prestigious Engineering Achievement
Award 2010 on 4 September 2010
http://newshub.nus.edu.sg/headlines/0910/neal_06Sep10.php
IChemE (Institute of Chemical Engineers, UK) in Singapore Awards for Excellence
and Innovation 2010 in Sustainable Technology (March 24, 2010)
http://newshub.nus.edu.sg/headlines/0410/icheme_06Apr10.php
http://www.eng.nus.edu.sg/ero/announcement/web-neal03-10.pdf
http://cms.icheme.org/mainwebsite/general-barafc3d75d.aspx?map=7c0c5d8c23c21921bc19dc2bd35fb645
AWARD WINNERS WITH ICHEME DIGNITARIES: (from left) NUS Prof Chung
Tai-Shung, MSD Manager of Engineering Projects Mr Tajinder Singh Rana,
IChemE Fellow Mr Edwin Khew, Chairman of IChemE in Singapore Dr Keith
Carpenter, Senoko Energy CEO & President Mr Brendan Wauters, Singapore
Polytechnic Senior Lecturers Mr Tay Kheng Siong and Ms Phua Siew Teng
Prof. Chung and his wife Ivy
Hyflux-SNIC (Singapore National
Institute of Chemistry) Award in Environmental Chemistry
(19 March 2010)
http://www.eng.nus.edu.sg/ero/announcement/web-neal03-10.pdf
http://www.chee.nus.edu.sg/highlights/highlight-profChung-hyflux-snic-2010-03.html
1. Expert and known in membrane science, separation and polymers.
2. Editorial Board Members
3. A part of the team developed and commercialized Vectra
liquid crystalline polymers with the annual business size of
US$150 million.
4. Co-inventor of Kristal600 series at Hyflux.
5. An inventor of > 50 patents (including 37 US patents), one of
the highest patent holders in NUS.
6. One of most highly cited NUS professors (citation >8700)
7. H-Index: 45 (from 1990-now)
1) Journal of Membrane Science (Impact Factor = 3.85 in 2011)
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaleditorialboard.cws_home/502692/editorialboard
2) Chemical Engineering Journal (Impact Factor = 3.461 in 2011)
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaleditorialboard.cws_home/601273/editorialboard
3) Separation and Purification Reviews (Impact Factor = 2.615 in 2011)
http://taylorandfrancis.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=1542-2119&linktype=5
4) Desalination (Impact Factor = 2.590 in 2011)
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaleditorialboard.cws_home/502683/editorialboard
5) AIChE Journal (Impact Factor = 2.261 in 2011) (from Aug 2012)
6) Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research(Impact Factor = 2.237 in 2011)
http://pubs.acs.org/userimages/ContentEditor/1233861021334/iecred-eab.pdf
7) Chemical Engineering Research and Design (ChERD) (Impact Factor = 1.968 in 2011)
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaleditorsbiography.authors/713871/editorbiography
8) Chemical Engineering and Technology (Impact Factor = 1.598 in 2011)
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/10008333/home/2044_edbd.html
9) Polymer Engineering and Science (Impact Factor = 1.302 in 2011)
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/107639236/home/EditorialBoard.html
10) Journal of Applied Polymer Science (Impact Factor = 1.289 in 2011)
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/30035/home/EditorialBoard.html
11) Separation Science and Technology (Impact Factor = 1.088 in 2011)
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t713708471~tab=editorialboard
12) Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering (CJChE) (Impact Factor = 0.826 in 2011)
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaleditorialboard.cws_home/707628/editorialboard
14) Recent Patents on Engineering (Bentham Science Publisher)
http://www.bentham.org/eng/EBM.htm
15) Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaleditorialboard.cws_home/725837/editorialboard
16) Polish Journal of Chemical Technology
http://versita.com/pjct/editors/
Journal of Membrane Science (Impact Fact = 3.850)
Publication number in Journal of Membrane Science (JMS) (Total: 10,459) 9 April 2012
Chung
132
Wessling
117
Noble
89
Lai
86
Matsuura
96
Fane
118
Koros
80
Paul
54
Cussler
53
Drioli
70
Zydney
55
1 2 10 10 11 10 5 4 3 7 6 8 9
Sirkar
54
Freeman
54
Prof. Chung joined NUS in 1995 and has the
shortest academic career in this table (16 years)
Except Prof. Wessling, Prof. Zydney AND Prof.
Freeman, all others are older than Prof. Chung
Synthesis Field Tests
Material
Characterization
Hollow Fiber and
Module Fabrication
& Characterization
System Design &
Processing
Simulation
Methodologies to Develop Hollow Fiber Membrane
Capabilities and Technology
Overview of My Previous Work
(1980-1982)
Research Focuses in Celanese Engineering Resins
Company:
Mathematic simulation of injection molding
process
Stretch blow molding for PET bottles (starting my
experience and understanding on membranes)
Representative Papers:
T. S. Chung, Principles of Preform Design for Stretch Blow Molding Process,
Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering, 20, 147 (1983).
T. S. Chung and Y. Ide, An Analysis of Packing Stage in Injection Molding of Disk
Cavities, J. Applied Polymer Science, 28, 2999 (1983).
T. S. Chung, The Effect of Diffusion on the Inflation of a Spherical Viscoelastic Film,
Chemical Engineering Science, 40, 1608 (1985).
T. S. Chung, Pressure Build-up During the Packing Stage of Injection Molding;
Polymer Engineering and Science, 25, 772 (1985).
Liquid crystalline polymers/carbon fiber prepreg
and composites for aerospace applications
Fundamental understanding of injection molding
and fiber spinning processes (starting my
experience and knowledge on the fabrication of
fibers and hollow fibers)
Representative Papers :
T. S. Chung, Isothermal Steady Spinning of an Oldroyd Fluid B, AlChE J., 31, 857
(1985).
T. S. Chung, Z. Gurion, and J. B. Stamatoff, Induced Orientational Behavior of
Liquid Crystal Polymer by Carbon Fibers, Polymer Composites, 6, 181 (1985).
T. S. Chung and P. E. McMahon, Liquid Crystal Polyester/Carbon Fiber
Composites, J. of Applied Polymer Science, 31, 965 (1986).
T. S. Chung, Analysis of Pressure Increase During the Injection Mold Packing;
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 26, 161 (1987).
US Patents: 4,588,538 (May 1986), 4,734,240 (March 1988), 4,799,985 (January
1989), 4,818,318 (April 1989) US 4,871,491 (October 1989)
Research Focuses in Celanese Engineering
Resins Company (1983-1985)
Basic research on Vectraliquid crystal polymers
Fundamental understanding of optical data
storage process (starting my understanding on
the importance of barrier materials and the effect
of O
2
and water diffusion and sorption)
Representative Papers :
T. S. Chung, Product of Ultra-High Modulus Liquid Crystal Polymeric Rods; J.
of Polymer Science, Physics, 26, 1549 (1988).
T. S. Chung, G. W. Calundann, and A. J. East, Liquid-Crystalline Polymers and
Their Applications Encyclopedia of Engineering Materials, Marcel Dekker
Publisher, Vol. 2, 625 (1989).
T. S. Chung, Pit Formation during Laser Marking of Thin Organic Films, J. of
Applied Physics, 60, 55 (1986).
T. S. Chung, Laser-Induced Fluid Motion on a Dye/Polymer Layer for Optical
Data Storage, AlChE J., 33, 1041 (1987).
Research Focuses in Hoechst Celanese Research
Division (1986-1988)
Bullet proof vest
Developed and commercialized Vectraliquid
crystal polymers
Membrane separators for lithium rechargeable
battery
Kidney dialysis membranes based on Cellulose
acetate
Representative Papers :
T. S. Chung, The Recent Developments of Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline
Polymers, Polymer Engineering and Science, 26, 901 (1986).
T. S. Chung, G. W. Calundann, and A. J. East, Liquid-Crystalline Polymers and
Their Applications Encyclopedia of Engineering Materials, Marcel Dekker
Publisher, Vol. 2, 625 (1989).
T. S. Chung, P. Foley and E. R. Kafchinski, Development of Polyethylene
Tetrafluoroethylene Microporous Film for Advanced Batteries, J. of Material
Science, Electronics. 4, 259 (1993).
US Patents: 4,910,106 (March 1990), 4,997,603 (March 1991), 5,043,113
(August 1991).
LCP as computer connectors
Research Focuses in Hoechst Celanese Research
Division (1988-1990)
Polymer blends, high performance polymers
Fundamental understanding of gas separation
membranes
Representative Papers :
T. S. Chung and F. K. Herold, High-modulus Polyaramide and
Polybenzimidazole Blend Fibers, Polymer Engineering and Science, 31, 1950
(1991).
T. S. Chung, et al., Fluoro-Containing Polyimide Blends: Prediction and
Experiments, J. Polymer Science, Chemistry, 29, 1207 (1991).
T. S. Chung, et al., Development of Polyethylene Tetrafluoroethylene
Microporous Film for Advanced Batteries, J. Material Science, Electronics. 4,
259 (1993).
T. S. Chung, et al., Development of A Defect-free 6FDA-Durene Asymmetric
Hollow Fiber and Its Composite Hollow Fibers, J. Membrane Science, 88, 21
(1994).
US Patents: 4,997,603 (March 1991), 5,043,113 (August 1991), 5,110,879
(May 1992), 5,209,883 (May 1993), 5,413,852(May 1995), 5,490,931 (February
1996).
Research Focuses in Hoechst Celanese
Research Division (1991-1993)
Four Major Issues on Earth
Lower pharmaceutical and medical costs
Artificial organs and many others
Affordable
healthcare
4
New energy (biofuel, biogas, battery, fuel cell)
Produce energy with higher purity
Energy 2
Capture CO
2
(pre-combustion or post-combustion)
Produce cleaner energy (H
2
, CH
4
, fuel cell)
Global warming 3
Develop water reuse technologies
Low-cost desalination technologies
Clean water
shortage
1
Potential ways to overcome these issues Issues
Membrane R & D in the last 16 years at NUS
Mature Business Growth Business Embryonic Business
O
2
/N
2
, H
2
/N
2
Separation
(NUS, A-Star, Mitsui Chemicals)
CO
2
/CH
4
Separation
(BG, UOP, Mitsui Chemicals,
NRF)
H
2
/CO
2
Separation (NRF)
CO
2
capture (A-Star)
Biofuel separation
(A-Star, Mitsui Chemicals, PBI)
Carbon membranes
C
2
-C
4
Separation
(Mitsui Chemicals, NUS, NRF)
Osmotic power
(NRF/EWI/PUB) + Dow?
UF/MF
(Hyflux)
Membrane bioreactor
(Hyflux)
Nano-filtration
(NUS, GSK, China Gansu)
Forward osmosis
(NUS, Saudi KAUST, Eastman
Chemicals, BASF, NRF/EWI)
Biomimetic membranes (NRF/EWI)
Membrane distillation (A-Star)
Kidney dialysis
(BASF)
Pervaporation
(A-Star, Merck, Mitsui Chemicals,
GSK)
Pharmaceutics
Separation (NUS, GSK)
Membranes for protein, isomers, and
chiral separation
(NUS, A-Star, SMA)
Green: water related research
Red: energy related
Purple: life science related
Grants > S$48 millions have been received in 16 years
($7 millions from industries and overseas Institutes)
16
1. As a Christian, I thank God for the provision of many good PhD students (12-15), good staff (10-12 Post-
doctors, 15-20 Research Assistants, 4 Lab Officers), and plenty of research funds (> S$48 millions US$38
millions).
2. Thank British Gas (UK), UOP (USA), Merck (USA), Mitsui (Japan), Hyflux (Singapore), BASF (Germany), KAUST
(Saudi Arabia), PBI (USA), Eastman Chemicals (USA), GSK (USA), Singapores A-Star, NRF, EWI, PUB, and
NUS for funding my membrane research during the last 16 years.
Acknowledgement
Team members (March 13 2010)
Water recycle and production
Global warming
Energy
Affordable healthcare
1. Batteries & fuel cell
2. High purity CH
4
, H
2
,
production
3. Concentrate biofuel,
biogas
1. Capture CO
2
from flue
gas and power plants
2. Capture other green
house gases
1. Artificial kidney, skins, and lungs
2. Control release for drug delivery
3. Purification and separation of proteins
4. Chiral drug separation
5. Pharmaceutical and medicine purification
1. Micro-filtration (MF), ultra-filtration (UF) and
nano-filtration (NF) membranes, membrane
bioreactor (MBR) for water reuse
2. Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, forward
osmosis (FO) and membrane distillation (MD)
for seawater desalination
Membrane Technologies
Risks and Rewards in Membrane R & D
Price per ft
2
membrane area
Degree of difficulties, Market entering barrier, Risks
Commodity
products
High value-added
products
Energy, Biofuel,
Chemicals, CO
2
Capture
Pharmaceutical,
Biomedical and
Life Science
$10
$100
US$1
$1000
Specialty products
Water and EV
related
3 Key Elements to Determine the Performance (flux & selectivity) and
Applications of a Membrane
1. Pore Size
Depending on pore size, membranes can be used for gas
and liquid separations
0.3-0.5 nm for gas separation and pervaporation
0.4-1.2 nm for desalination, separate low Mw solutes
2-200 nm for ultra-filtration, separate high Mw solutes
50-1000 nm for micro-filtration, remove bacteria, solids
2. Material Chemistry
Determines the spinnability and mechanical strengths
Inherent hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity, fouling tendency
Intrinsic permeability & selectivity for gas separation
Bio-compatibility for bio-membranes
Chemical resistance for harsh environments
3. The Selective Layer Thickness
Controls the flux (productivity)
As thin as possible
The substructure provides the mechanical support but with
minimal transport resistance
The
selective
layer
NUS is the world leader on Hollow Fiber Spinning and Formation
Bore-fluid
Air-gap
Region
Die swell
Coagulation Bath
dope
Moisture
Stretch
solvent
vaporization
Capillary
flow
Spinneret
(hot)
Internal
coagulation
External
coagulation
NUS spinning facilities
The effects of spinneret design on membrane formation and performance
SpinneretsParameters
Flowangels:60
o
,75
o
,90
o
L=4mm
R
i
=0.25mm
D=0.3mm
Pressure outlet
Z
r
Flow Angle
Velocity
inlet
Dope
solution
L
R=0.5 D R
i
enlarge
The World Leader on Dual-Layer Spinneret and spinning
Concentricity & uniformity of both layers
Membrane formation for flat asymmetric membranes and
hollow fiber membranes
undesirable desirable sponge-like structure
P84-original
1m
100nm 100nm
Cross Cross- -section section Surface Surface Enlarged cross Enlarged cross- -section section
Flat
Hollow
fiber
The cross-section of the wet-spun hollow fibers (0 cm air gap)
A) D = 0.10 mm
C) D = 0.25 mm
D) D = 0.35 mm
E) D = 0.50 mm
B) D = 0.175 mm
Scale bar : 200 m
Widjojo and Chung
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. (2006)
Macrovoid - free
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
HollowFiberMembranesinAllJournals(4,538)in2010
Chung
98
Sirkar
76
Saito
66
Sugo
64
Li
64
1
Semmense
43
Sakai
41
Teo
37
Koros
33
Sugita
33
Matsuura
30
Tan
33
Wang
28
Wessling
29
2 4 3 4 6 7 9 8 9 9 13 12 14
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Chung
56
Sirkar
33
Li
28
Cussler
21
Wang
22
Sugo
20
Saito
20
Wessling
18
Teo
15
Koros
14
1 8 2 3 4 5 6 6 10 9
HollowFiberMembranesinJournalofMembraneScience(833)
in2010
Flat-sheet asymmetric membranes
Membranes for Water Reuse and Desalination
Water Reuse and Desalination
http://whyfiles.org/131fresh_water/2.html
Global 2030 needs
2x Electricity
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
2008 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Emerging
Developed
(Billions of kW hours)
19.9
U
.
S
.
0
5
10
15
20
S
a
u
d
i

A
r
a
b
i
a
A
l
g
e
r
i
a
K
o
r
e
a
F
r
a
n
c
e
S
p
a
i
n
I
n
d
i
a
J
a
p
a
n
R
u
s
s
i
a
C
h
i
n
a
50.2
62.2
B
r
a
z
i
l
*at same consumption rate
3x Water
(In billion cubic meters)
This slide is borrowed from GE water but the actual numbers on the slides are from source unknown
40 %
S I N G A P O R E
Where Singapore
Where Singapore

s water comes from?

s water comes from?
Hyflux Kristal 600 Hollow Fiber Ultra-Filtration Membranes
Testing method : Out-to-inside, 1bar
2 Fiber Length (Meter)
3 - 4 Tensile Strength (MPa)
200-400 Initial Pure Water Flux(LMH@1 bar)
60k MWCO (Dalton)
1.15/0.60/0.27 OD/ID/Wall Thickness (mm)
Modified PES Material
600B Kristal MEMBRANE
Kristal 600 Membranes
Morphology of K600B Hollow fiber Membrane
Wei X, Chung T. S. Development of a Hybrid System to Improve the Anti-
Fouling Performance of the UF Membrane during the Specific Industrial
Wastewater Treatment, AIChE Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, USA, 4-9
November 2007
Hyflux CEO, Ms. Lum
Developed by Dr. Wei Xi (Hyflux) and Prof. Neal Chung (senior consultant) in 2007
Prof. Chung also led and built the Hyflux membrane R & D team in 2004-2008
Nano-filtration (NF) Hollow Fiber Membranes to Remove Toxic
Ions in Water
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Solution pH, [-]
R
e
j
e
c
t
i
o
n

o
f

c
h
r
o
m
a
t
e
,

[
%
]
20 bar
10 bar
[CrVI] =0.001 M
HCrO
4
-
H
2
CrO
4
Cr
2
O
7
2-
CrO
4
2-
Toxic anions, e.g. phosphate, arsenate, arsenite, borate anions, chromate ions
Heavy metal cations, e.g. copper ions
PBI NF fiber
Wang, Chung, Investigation of polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanofiltration hollow fiber membranes for the removal of
chromate, J. Membrane Science, 281, 307 (2006).
Lv, Wang, Chung, Investigation of amphoteric polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanofiltration hollow fiber membrane for both
cation and anions removal, Chemical Engineering Science, 62, 6032 (2008).
Rejection of (a) positively charged dye, Safranin O, and (b) negatively
charged dye, Orange II sodium salt, solutions.
The left bottle is the feed solution while the right bottle is the permeate.
(The feed solution concentration: 50ppm, pH 5.75. Pressure:5 bar)
(b) Orange II sodium salt
C
16
H
11
N
2
O
4
S
-
, Na
+
, 350.32 Da
(a) Safranin O
C
20
H
19
N
4
+
, Cl
-
, 350.84 Da
R
T
=99.80%
R
T
=98.75%
Thin film composite
nano-filtration
hollow fiber
membrane
Sun et al, Env. Sci. & Tech, 2011.
World Oil Price Chronology: 1991-2009
http://www.wtrg.com/daily/crudeoilprice.html
Highoilpriceshavechangedthebalanceof desalinationtechnologies
Highoilpriceshave encouragedtheseekforlowenergyseparationprocesses
19912005
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Sep 19,
1991
Jun 15,
1994
Mar 11,
1997
Dec 06,
1999
Sep 01,
2002
May 28,
2005
US$
per
barrel
20082012
Now
100
Electricity is the largest cost in reverse
osmosis (RO)
Averageglobalcostofdesalinatedwaterin2008=$3.67perthousandgal
Chemicals
3%
Electricity
44%
Depreciated
capital
37%
Maintenance&
labor
11%
Membranes
5%
Source:Cleantech Group
= $3.67/3.785 = US$0.96/m
3
Chemical Engineering News (Oct 19, 2009)
1 Gallon = 3.785411784 Liters
Derived from crude
oil
How much % if the
oil price reaches
$150-200?
Historic and forecasted world desalination capacity
RO
Thermal
What types of new
membranes for
desalination?
What types of new
thermal processes?
High oil prices have encouraged us to think and look for new desalination technologies
1998
2008
80 85 90 95 2000 05 10 15 2020 Year
Thermal
RO
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Capacity
million m
3
/day
Thermal
RO
Every thirsty country is
looking for low-energy
desalination
technologies
Emerging Membrane Technologies for Water Reuse and Desalination
2. Forward Osmosis
(a small MD pilot system at NUS )
1. Membrane distillation
3. Biomimetic Membrane
aquaporin
38
MembraneDistillation(MD)
MembraneDistillation(MD)
Itinvolvesthetransportofwater
vaporthroughthehydrophobic
membraneporesviaatemperature
differenceacrossthemembrane
Feed/
Retentate
Distillate/
Permeate T
2
T
1
T
F
T
D
J
v
Advantages
100%(theoretical)rejectionofsalts,colloids
macromolecules,cells,andothernonvolatiles
Smallenergyfootprint
Loweroperatingtemperaturesandpressures
Integrationwithwasteheatandnaturalenergy
e.g.solarandgeothermal
Benefits
100% pure water Small footprint
Energy saving Lower operating cost
A small MD pilot system in my lab
Why Membranes Distillation Has Not Been Commercialized?
1. Limitations on membrane
materials & structure
Highly hydrophobic against
Pore wetting
Intrusion of seawater
Low heat conductivity
Materials chemistry
% Porosity
Structure of porosity
Fouling
2. The provision of low-cost heat
is needed to lower the
operation cost (i.e., using hot
spring or solar energy)
T
f
T
p
Vapor flux
Heat flux
P
f
P
p
Temperature and Partial
Pressure Profiles
Permeate
Membrane
Water
Vapor
Pore wetting
Hot
Seawater
Seawater intrusion
Temperature
polarization
NUS is the pioneer in developing high performance PVDF
membranes for Membrane Distillation Technologies
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
65 70 75 80 85 90 95
Temp (C)
F
l
u
x

(
k
g
/
m
2
h
r
)
ourworks(HF)
commercialHF
commercialflatsheet
Developed 3 generation PVDF hollow
fibers with fluxes surpass commercially
available membranes.
Dual-layer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)
Hydrophilic-hydrophobic composite hollow
fiber membranes

0
140

0
50
Hydrophiliclayer Hydrophobiclayer
Wangetal.Chem.Eng.Sci.,63,(2008)2587;BonyadiandChung,J.Membr.
Sci.,331,(2009)66;TeohandChung,Sep.Pur.Tech.,66,(2009)229;Wanget
al., Ind.Eng.Chem.Res.(2009);Bonyadietal.,AIChE J.,55,(2009)828;
Bonyadietal.,USProvisionalPatent,No.61/193,359(2008).
49.6 329.6m
Cross section
10 most-cited articles in the AIChE Journal from 2009
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1547-5905/homepage/MostCited.html
1. Capillary forces between two solid spheres linked by a concave liquid bridge: Regions of existence and forces mapping
David Megias-Alguacil, Ludwig J. Gauckler; Volume 55, Issue 5, May 2009, p 1103-1109
2. A heuristic design procedure for water-using networks with multiple contaminants, Zhi-Yong Liu, Yi Yang, Lin-Zhan Wan, Xi Wang,
Kai-Hu Hou; Volume 55, Issue 2, February 2009, p 374-382
3. A coupled DEM/CFD analysis of the effect of air on powder flow during die filling, Y. Guo, K. D. Kafui, C.-Y. Wu, C. Thornton, J. P.
K. Seville; Volume 55, Issue 1, January 2009, p 49-62
4. Methane steam reforming at microscales: Operation strategies for variable power output at millisecond contact times
Georgios D. Stefanidis, Dionisios G. Vlachos, Niket S. Kaisare, Matteo Maestri; Volume 55, Issue 1, January 2009, p 180-191
5. A C1 microkinetic model for methane conversion to syngas on Rh/Al2O3, Matteo Maestri, Dionisios G. Vlachos, Alessandra Beretta,
Gianpiero Groppi, Enrico Tronconi; Volume 55, Issue 4, April 2009, p 993-1008
6. Modeling of a continuous rotary reactor for carbon nanotube synthesis by catalytic chemical vapor deposition
Sophie L. Pirard, Jean-Paul Pirard, Christophe Bossuot; Volume 55, Issue 3, March 2009, p 675-686
7. A novel approach to fabricate macrovoid-free and highly permeable PVDF hollow fiber membranes for membrane distillation, Sina
Bonyadi, Tai Shung Chung, Raj Rajagopalan; Volume 55, Issue 3, March 2009, p 828-833
8. Increased gas solubility in nanoliquids: Improved performance in interfacial catalytic membrane contactors
Marc Pera-Titus, Sylvain Miachon, Jean-Alain Dalmon; Volume 55, Issue 2, February 2009, p 434-441
9. Three-dimensional simulations of biofilm growth in porous media, D. A. Graf von der Schulenburg, T. R. R. Pintelon, C. Picioreanu,
M. C. M. Van Loosdrecht, M. L. Johns; Volume 55, Issue 2, February 2009, p 494-504
10. Characterization of microseparator/classifier with a simple arc microchannel, Nobuo Oozeki, Shinichi Ookawara, Kohei Ogawa,
Patrick Lb, Volker Hessel; Volume 55, Issue 1, January 2009, p 24-34
Diluted draw
solution
Concentrated
draw solution
Fresh water
Feed
(seawater)
Concentrated
brine
FO
membrane
NUS is the First Designing PBI Nanofiltration (NF) Hollow Fiber
Membranes for Forward Osmosis (FO) Process
Wang, Chung, Qin, Polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanofiltration hollow
fiber membranes applied in forward osmosis process, J. Membrane
Science, 300, 6 (2007).
Yang, Wang, Chung, Dual-layer hollow fibers with enhanced flux as
novel forward osmosis membranes for water reclamation,
Environmental Sci. & Tech. 43, 28002805 (2009)
Wang, Yan, Chung, Enhanced forward osmosis from chemically
modified polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanofiltration hollow fiber
membranes with a thin wall, Chem. Eng. Sci. 64, 1577 (2009)
Draw solution
regeneration
Draw solutions:
1) Concentrated salts
2) NH
4
HCO
3
3) Magnetic particles
4) Many others
1
st
generation
CA flat sheet and hollow fiber membranes
Wang et al. I&EC, (2010)
Zhang et al, JMS (2010), CES (2011)
Su et al, JMS (2010), (2011)
Single layer PBI
Dual Layer PBI/PES
NUS Forward Osmosis Membranes for Water Reuse and
Desalination
(4-5 US patents have been filed)
40
Thin-film interfacial polymerized FO membrane
Wang et, J. Membrane Science (2007),
Chem. Eng. Sci. (2009)
Yang et al, Environmental Sci. & Tech. (2009).
Wang & Chung AIChE J (2011)
1
st
Designing Magnetic Nano-particles as Draw Solutes for Forward Osmosis
Process
Diluted draw
solution
Concentrated
draw solution
Feed
(seawater)
Concentrated
brine
FO
membrane
Draw solution regeneration
N S
Product(water)
Magnetic field
Magnetic nano-particles
recycled back to FO
highosmoticpressure
recoverybymagneticfield
water soluble magnetic nano-particles
M. M. Ling, K. Y. Wang, T. S. Chung, Highly water soluble magnetic nanoparticlesas novel draw solutes in forward
osmosis for water reuse, Industry and Engineering Chemistry Research. 49, 58695876 (2010).
(A US patent has been filed)
filtrate collection
filtrate vs. draw solution
magnetic separation
Magnetic separation of water soluble
magnetic nano-particles solutions
47
Applications of forward osmosis (FO) membranes
Pharmaceutical industry: osmotic pump for drug delivery
Hydration bag: Consisting of two
bags:
1. the internal bag is made of FO
membrane and full of draw
solution;
2. the external bag is a plastic
bag containing feed water.
Drug Outlet Water
FO membrane
FO Applications as Power Plants
Renewable energy can be extracted wherever two streams of different
salinity or different chemical potential meet
Source: http://www.statkraft.de/Images/Statkraft%20Osmotic%20Power_tcm4-5362.pdf
The power plant is similar to a RO desalination plant but operating
backwards.
The forecasted price for the power plant will be 40-50/MWh,
comparable to other renewable energy resources
Clean river water
http://osmoticpower.com/
13 bars: a waterfall of
135 meters in a
hydropower plant
The FO membrane is
the heart of the whole
process
Characteristics of FO Membranes
Semi-permeable
High water flux
High solute retention
Low concentration polarization
Low fouling
High stability at different pH levels
High resistance to chlorine
Osmotic power generation from the mixing of seawater and fresh water
River water
Seawater
Membranes for energy (CH
4
and H
2
) and CO
2
capture
Hydrogen