Gas separation processes in a diffusion module based on anodic aluminum oxide membrane elements

Anodic alumina membranes with an ordered microstructure have been synthesized and investigated. It was found that Knudsen diffusion is the predominant mechanism for gas penetration through the obtained membranes. The technology made it possible to obtain porous membranes with specified structural characteristics for the separation of gas mixtures. Designs of a diffusion element and a gas separation module based on membranes made of anodic aluminum oxide have been developed, and the features of mass transfer under various operating conditions have been studied. The membrane module without recirculation made it possible to concentrate the heavy component from the model helium-methane mixture (99 % / 1 %) up to 18 %. The membrane module with recirculation made it possible to concentrate a light component from a model helium-methane mixture (1 % / 99 %) up to 40 %.

Commonly used Polymers for Separation Science

Many synthetic and organic (bio-based) polymers have been used for membrane fabrications. In this chapter, we discuss the structure and properties of some commonly used polymers, which have been used for water purification and gas separation applications. To supplement that, we discuss some characterization tools and membrane module testing conditions for performance checks.