Three-Dimensional Imaging of Emulsion Separation through Liquid-Infused Membranes Using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy
Name
la-2023-01477p_ms-clean.pdf
Description
Accepted version
Size
5.35 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
eb1b78bc5106aa47c450bc9a628b3747
Author(s)
Song, Chen
Rutledge, Gregory C
Date Issued
August 4, 2023
Journal
Langmuir
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Citation
Three-Dimensional Imaging of Emulsion Separation through Liquid-Infused Membranes Using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy. Chen Song and Gregory C. Rutledge. Langmuir 2023 39 (32), 11468-11480.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
The removal of emulsified oils from water has always been a challenge due to the kinetic stability resulting from the small droplet size and the presence of stabilizing agents. Membrane technology can treat such mixtures, but fouling of the membrane leads to dramatic reductions in the process capacity. Liquid-infused membranes (LIMs) can potentially resolve the issue of fouling. However, their low permeate flux compared with conventional hydrophilic membranes remains a limitation. To gain insight into the mechanism of transport, we use 3D images acquired by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to reconstruct the sequence of events occurring during startup and operation of the LIM for removal of dispersed oil from oil-in-water emulsions. We find evidence for coalescence of oil droplets on the surface of and formation of oil channels within the LIM. Using image analysis, we find that the rate at which oil channels are formed within the membrane and the number of channels ultimately govern the permeate flux of oil through the LIMs. Oil concentration in the feed affects the rate of coalescence of oil on the surface of the LIM, which, in turn, affects the channel formation dynamics. The channel formation dynamics also depend on the viscosity of the infused liquid and the operating pressure. A higher affinity to the pore wall for infused liquid than permeating liquid is essential to antifouling behavior. Overall, this work offers insight into the selective permeation of a dispersed liquid phase through a LIM.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01477
