SPIRAL WOUND

CASE STUDY 1:

CASE STUDY 2:

HOLLOW FIBER
CASE STUDY 3: Fabrication and Characterization of Polyetherimide Hollow Fiber Membrane
Contactor for Carbon Dioxide Stripping from Monoethanolamine Solution

Physical Characteristics:
Polyetherimide (PEI) is a polymer with good thermal and chemical stability that makes it a
suitable candidate for contactor applications. In addition, the low viscosity and hydrophobicity of
PEI solution promotes the formation of finger-like macrovoids in the structure of PEI membranes
that decreases the membrane mass transfer resistance. Most studies on the effect of phase
inversion promoters on the structure of PEI membranes were devoted to gas separation
membranes, in which a dense skin layer should be present at the membrane surface.
Materials Used For Membrane:
Polyetherimide (PEI, Ultem) was used for fabrication of the hollow fiber membranes. 1Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP, >99.5%) was used as solvent without further purification. Ethanol
was used as non-solvent additive in the polymer dopes. Tap water was used as coagulation bath
in all cases. Monoethanolamine (MEA) (>98%) was used as liquid absorbent.
Module Fabrication:
The PEI in pellet form was dried at 702 C in a vacuum oven for 24 h to remove the moisture.
The spinning dopes of 18wt.% PEI, 2 and 4wt.% Ethanolin NMP were prepared by stirring the
solution at room temperature until the solution became homogeneous. The resulting solutions
were degassed for 24 h at room temperature before spinning. The spun hollow fibers were
immersed in water for 3 days to remove the residual NMP and Ethanol. Then, they were dried at
room temperature. (Zabih A. Tarsa, 2015)

Reference:
Zabih A. Tarsa, S. A.-S. (2015). Fabrication and Characterization of Polyetherimide Hollow
Fiber Membrane Contactor for Carbon Dioxide Stripping from Monoethanolamine Solution .
Journal of Membrane Science and Research , 118-123.

CASE STUDY 4: Micro-structured Alumina Hollow Fiber Membranes Potential Application in

Wastewater Treatment
4.1 Authors and Publication Details
Authors
Authors
Address

Melanie Leea, ZhentaoWua, RongWangb, K.Lia

Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW72AZ,
UK
b
School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore 639798, Singapore

Publication
Year

2014

4.2 Research Objective

The aim of this paper is to characterised the thermal, mechanical and water permeation properties
of hollow fibre membranes with different size distribution.
4.3 Introduction
Beginning of 1960s, as the human population increasing, the usage of water become an important
element worldwide. It is used in numerous applications either in agricultural, domestic and also industrial
sector. Due to these applications, most of clean water that formerly abundant anywhere cannot be
obtained as the water is polluted with suspended solids, bacteria and viruses, heavy metals, oils and water
separation. Thus, various methods are implemented in order clean back our used water especially using
membrane technology.

4.4 Materials Characteristic

Table 1
List of Materials used.
Materials
Aluminium oxide powders

Polyethersulfone (PESf)

Dimethyl sulphoxide

Polyethyleneglycol

30-

Characteristics / Functions
1 m particle size with surface area 6 8 m 2/g
Flexural Strength : 330 Mpa
Melting Point : 2000 +/- 3 oC
Density at RT : 3.9 g/cm3
Apparent Porosity : 0 %
Water Absorption-Saturation : 0 %
Binder
Flexural Strength : 129 Mpa
Melting Point : 225 oC
Density at RT : 1.37 g/cm3
Water Absorption-Saturation : 0.37 %
Solvent
Molecular Weight : 78.13344 g/mol
Melting Point : 18.5C
Density : 1.1 g/cm3
Solubility : Soluble in water
Additive

dipolyhydroxystearate (PEG)
Ionized water (H2O)
External Coagulant
Hexane
Internal Coagulant in membranes I
Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO)
Internal Coagulant in membranes II
Deionized water
Internal Coagulant in membranes III
References : [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6] and [7].

 The hollow membrane precursors are left in external coagulation bath

for 12 hours

The mixture is transferred to 200ml syringes and extruded through a

tube-in-orifice spinners
Extrudate into coagulation bath (Ionized water)

The mixture is transferred to gas tight reservoir and degassed under

vacuum until bubbles were no longer visible

The mixture is milled using 20mm agate grinding balls for 48 hours.
PESf (6.4 wt%) is added into the mixture and milled for another 48
hours.

PEG (1.3 wt%), DMSO (28.3 %), Aluminium Oxide (64 wt%) is mixed
together.

Coagulation
Process

Extrusion
Process

Degassing
Process

Milling Process

Materials
Preparation
Process

4.5 Fabrication

 Conducted in CARBOLITE furnace

Temperature is raised from room temperature to 600 oC at rate
2oC/min for 2 hours
Then, the temperature raised until 1200-1600 oC at rate 5oC/min for
2 hours

Calcination &
Sintering Process

The temperature is reduced to romm temperature at a rate 5 oC/min.

Cooling Process
4.6 Paper Content Discussions
Table 2
Results of Membrane I, II and III.
Membrane
I

II

III

Two thin sponge-like layers

One thin sponge-like layer at

Two sponge-like layers of

at the inner and outer regions

the outer region and finger-

different thicknesses at the

of

fibre

like micro-channels originate

inner

sandwiching one layer of

from the outer surface and

sandwiching one layer of

finger-like voids originating

penetrate

finger-like voids originating

from outer surface

0.10

innersurface
0.23

(sintered at
1342 oC)
SEM images

Inner skin

the

hollow

through

the

and

outer

from inner surface

0.54

regions

(lumenside)
(m)
Outer skin

0.23

0.10

0.10

1069

1874

997

58.3

41.8

39.7

(MPa)
Potential

Both outside-in and inside-

Outside-in

Both outside-in and inside-

operating

out

(shellside)
(m)
Water
permeation
(L/(m2 h) at
0.1MPa)
Mechanical
strength

out

configuration

REFERENCES
[1] http://www.makeitfrom.com/material-properties/Polyethersulfone-PES/
[2] http://accuratus.com/alumox.html
[3] http://www-ferp.ucsd.edu/LIB/PROPS/PANOS/al2o3.html
[4] https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/dimethyl_sulfoxide#section=Color
[5]

http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet.aspx?

matguid=953c2e4e249a4df0ae384682cb2d1914&ckck=1
[6] http://web.rtpcompany.com/info/data/1400/RTP1400.html
[7] Lee, M., Wu, Z., Wang, R., & Li, K. (2014). Micro-structured alumina hollow fibre membranes
Potential applications in wastewater treatment. Journal of Membrane Science, 461, 39-48.

TUBULAR
CASE STUDY 5:

CASE STUDY 6:

PLATE AND FRAME

CASE STUDY 7: