What is a membrane technology?
MEMBRANT technology is a term that refers to a number of different filter processes used to separate substances. With this technology, membranes are used as filters in separation processes, with a wide range of applications, industrial and scientific. They provide efficient alternatives to related technologies such as adsorption, ion exchangers and sand filters. Membranes used in membrane technology can be considered to be barriers separating two fluids and allowing the transport of certain substances through the membrane. There are different forces that can be used to cause water penetration through the membrane. They may include gravity, pressure, electricity or maintaining a concentration gradient over the membrane.
One of the main uses of this type of technology is the field of filtration and water purification. This includes desalination or creation of drinking water from salt water and cleaning groundwater or waste water. Other areas of industry used by membrane technologies includeBiotechnology, food and beverage production and medical use, such as dialysis for patients with kidney failure.
Some of the different types of membrane technologies include reverse osmosis, microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration. Reverse osmosis is a technological process of membrane that uses the use of pressure to enforce the fluid by the membrane. It is the opposite of the function of natural osmosis in which the substance moves through the membrane from the area of high concentration into the low concentration area. The application of this specific type of membrane technology includes the production of concentrated fruit juices, the creation of artificial seawater for Aquaria and the production of maple syrup.
microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration are membrane technologies that differ mainly in the size of the pores used membranes. Microfiltration usually uses membranes with pore size 0.1 to 10 micrometers. Ultra -filter membraneThe pore size is usually 0.1 to 0.001 micrometers. Nanofiltration membranes have the smallest pore size, usually measured in nanometers, where one nanometer equals 0.001 micrometer.
membrane technology is a very complex area of scientific research. Many other specific techniques and applications exist in a wide range of industries. Some include specialized membrane technological applications such as gas separation, controlled medicine supply in medicine and blood oxygenation in artificial lungs.