Resolving the Discontinuity in Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of Nanofiltration Performance Modeling

Board Of Regents, Nshe, Obo University Of Nevada, Reno, Reno NV

Investigators

Abstract

0332432 Childress Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are used in a wide range of drinking water, wastewater, and industrial applications. The advantage of NF membrane processes is that they require lower operating pressures than reverse osmosis (RO) processes and have higher rejection than ultrafiltration (UF) processes. Separation by NF membranes occurs primarily due to size exclusion and electrostatic interactions and is therefore dependent on the surface and pore properties of the membranes. Despite the increasing use of NF in various applications, the transport mechanisms are not well understood and thus the modeling of NF membrane rejection is still not very accurate. This investigation will take a comprehensive approach to experimentally and theoretically evaluating the effects of NF surface and pore properties on membrane performance.