Diepenbroek E, Mehta S, Borneman Z, Hempenius MA, Kooij ES, Nijmeijer K, de Beer S. Advances in Membrane Separation for Biomaterial Dewatering.
LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024;
40:4545-4566. [PMID:
38386509 PMCID:
PMC10919095 DOI:
10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03439]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Biomaterials often contain large quantities of water (50-98%), and with the current transition to a more biobased economy, drying these materials will become increasingly important. Contrary to the standard, thermodynamically inefficient chemical and thermal drying methods, dewatering by membrane separation will provide a sustainable and efficient alternative. However, biomaterials can easily foul membrane surfaces, which is detrimental to the performance of current membrane separations. Improving the antifouling properties of such membranes is a key challenge. Other recent research has been dedicated to enhancing the permeate flux and selectivity. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the design requirements for and recent advances in dewatering of biomaterials using membranes. These recent developments offer a viable solution to the challenges of fouling and suboptimal performances. We focus on two emerging development strategies, which are the use of electric-field-assisted dewatering and surface functionalizations, in particular with hydrogels. Our overview concludes with a critical mention of the remaining challenges and possible research directions within these subfields.
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